Candidacy Preparation

"Why are you asking?"

"For obvious, I'm asking if I will have a competitor on this nation's governor or if we can become both a governor." Carpal paused, "You aim for this place and I'll aim for another country, I guess."

"You'll not fight me?"

"Of course, not! I believe you'll manage this place very well if you govern it." Carpal expressed with all honesty, "You have the skills, the mind, and the resolve to do it. I can aim for another and if I wasn't able to, I can aim for the next election."

'He really did care for his connection and friends that much.' 

Duke mused inwardly, feeling that he had made the right choice to put Carpal on the candidacy. He's someone who is smart enough to catch opportunities and knows when to back down once he faces something he can't deal with.

'A calculated gambler, I suppose.'

Pouring his glass, Duke replied, "Good for you, Carpal. I'm not going to run for candidacy for the governor position. You can rest assured that there'll be no fights between us. In fact, I'll support you."

Carpal smiled gleefully as he introduced another business, "Great! Then, I'll start. My name is Carpal Heppert, running for governance at the Raining Treasure Nation."

He introduced his men, "Monet Garrop will handle our finances and security. Bard Natepory will be our executive in charge. Realiza Lanard will be the assistant executive in charge. And ma'am Owary Yopoy will handle all my venues, meetings, and documents that are all related to my incoming campaign."

Duke indifferently gave a faint weird expression as he ruminated, "Do I have to clap? What's the point of saying everyone's name and role for your campaign?"

"We're one group, aren't we?" Carpal groaned as if he were trying to state the obvious, "Of course, you have a position in my campaign! I mean, before making a deal with the Infamous Dealer, the hope of fighting that conglomerate was twenty percent but now, because of your help, we managed to close it to fifty."

Duke nodded, "And being a governor is part of your strategy. You'll get this nation's strength, manpower, and resources."

Carpal followed up, "And that increased our chances of eradicating the royal conglomerate by another twenty percent if I managed to win."

"You're confident?"

Carpal triumphantly crossed his arms, "I may not look like it but I do and it's because of that guy. The Infamous Dealer... he's someone we should not mess around with. I don't know what kind of support he'll give but I'm sure he'll do something."

Duke shook his head, "What's got to do with me? Now, let's say I accepted this, I will also begin dealing with them, adding more problems on my side. Are you sure you can handle other candidates who are already adept in this type of field? We're talking about politics after all."

"Duke, business is politics! As a businessman yourself, I'm sure you understand it."

'I don't… really get it.' 

Setting aside Carpal's plan to handle the full force of the royal conglomerate, Duke looked at him and stated the very reason why he had asked this in the first place.

"You still didn't answer my first question."

Carpal smiled cheekily as he snapped his fingers and the other four slowly began to move. The old and young women were positioned at each of Duke's hands, massaging them. The men positioned on his back as they did light presses that somewhat felt relaxing.

At first, Duke was alarmed, preparing to grab his gun at his holster and shoot them in the head but refrained once he saw Carpal looking at him with sincere eyes.

"So Duke, as you know, all this transportation, business in the underworld, transferring our men to here, especially the dealings we've made with the infamous dealer, and even renovating right in this very room we're talking to have been very, well… kuhum, expensive."

"…"

"And, kuhum, according to our finance manager, Monet, we had to lose something for us to gain a lot. A-and, you are rich! Yes, and, uhm, will be you interested in buying an island?"

Looking at the sides, Duke saw Owary and Realiza sweating nervously. On his back, Monet's hands were shaky while Bard was making awkward coughs.

After a long silence, Duke finally spoke.

It didn't even take long till he realized what this was all about.

"So, you're broke."

"Well, not exactly in itself that we're broke but we're going to that point—"

"Say it."

"Yes, we're becoming broke."

Stopping the ladies from massaging his hands and men from pressing his back, a short contemplation entered Duke's mind and expressed it flatly.

"Again, why don't you get in my treasury?"

Carpal put on a serious expression, his mischievous expression gone, "No, that is already too much. Yes, we're partners in papers, but it will look like we're trying to use you. I suppose we don't want you to think that way which might strain our good relationship."

He scoffed at himself, "But don't take my words as if I'm a fool. We're not saints here. I'm doing this because I think this will benefit us all more in the future."

Holding the bridge of his nose while pondering for a moment, Duke nodded once and decided, "Once you go to the business office, tell Gabby that I'll buy the island. Once you do, also tell him that you have my permission to borrow the money from the vault."

All except Carpal wore a huge grin on their faces as if they were serious problems had been solved just like that. Carpal, on the other hand, stood up and stretched his hand forward.

Duke did the same and received his hand but to his surprise, Carpal did much more, lightly hugged him, and patted his back.

"Thank you so much."

"Uh, right."

Getting off his warm hug which he didn't like at all, Duke turned around and walked towards the soundproof chamber's doorsteps.

"How many men do you have outside?"

Suddenly being asked an off-topic that didn't have any relation to their earlier conversation at all, Monet answered swiftly.

"Thirty-six men. Half of those men are professional in their jobs. The other thirteen were a mix of the bartender that led you here and his assistants, the two guards guarding the basement, the people from outside who were undercover, and the bar attendants."

"And you bought their loyalty?"

"Of course," Monet touched the center of his glasses, "All paid and with full bellies to do their jobs."

Nodding my head, Duke opened the chamber's doors but was interrupted by Carpal's voice of liveliness. 

"You'll be in charge of my transportation, got it? You have to be there every time I go campaign."

With one hand in his pocket, Duke waved the other while not facing the group's ecstatic faces. The door closes on its own, locked in the process by someone on the inside.

It looked like they were going to make a lot of plans from now on.

'So, do I…'

Disappearing without a trace as he walked upstairs to move outside of the basement, Duke silently left the information guild.

… 

Walking through the bricked road on the side, I entered one of the inconspicuous-looking houses with no definite attraction on it. It was plainly normal.

At first, the absence of a presence inside was prominent but a man with a cat resting on his shoulders, showed while leaning away from the chair he was sitting on.

"Everyone seemed to be busy." The Innkeeper stated, adding, "And as for your order, our men are coming back to the main place to regroup."

"Good." 

Sitting down at one of the chairs available in the dark living room, I replied, "Anything interesting happening at the desk so far?"

The Innkeeper nodded and brought two pieces of paper in his hand, gave them to his cat, and gestured for his pet to hand them over to me.

Once I received them, he started explaining.

"One is a message from the General while the other is from my men." The Innkeeper halted, "He stated that both of us can look at the information but I insisted and let them see you first. Tell me if you're done reading the information he'd given to me, sir Duke. Then, I'll proceed to tell what my men had brought me."

Silently reading the words General, I sense the Innkeeper tolerantly ready and waiting. Mid-sentence of the paper, my eyes slightly widened when a phrase was mentioned.

'Improved Guns and Armored Vehicles… what the hell is this?'

Not until I dropped this novel did the army make guns comparable to the ones I knew... no, there is this one arc.

But it didn't mean it would have the complete design of the real ones from my previous world. It might be guns that solely exist in this world though...

The only guns available in this world, which everyone knew, were a revolver, a shorty, and a shotgun. 

Because of how lethal the shotgun is, it is prohibited by the outside jurisdictions, leaving the revolver and shorty for the people to use.

But now they are making technology that can aim large distances? 

'This is really the revolutionary era.'

Looking at the Innkeeper, I replied, "I will tell more about the General's message once we all meet."

"Understood."

Putting the paper on my suit, I proceeded to open the second letter, and I didn't regret it.

"As for the second letter, one of my men discovered one of the main royal conglomerate's locations. She's currently hiding afraid that she would be next to be dealt with after Nobirik."

The Innkeeper smiled faintly, "And, she came right under our playground. As of now, she's now being protected by one of the high-size organizations in the Underworld called, Rez In Pez."