The cash cow.

I watched as the large merchant ship apporanched my shore.

It had billowong white sails and a flag with the image of a chest overflowing gold painted onto it.

The boat was made from rickety brown wood and it was missing a few boards. All in all the boat seemed like a renovated second hand vehicle.

But the flag was quite thematic. After all. This ship would be our cash cow.

I looked to my loyal guards. They were all equipped with the best magic items that I could get from the warehouse.

"Bring me the ship and the captain." I commanded them

They were sailing so close that they had to intend to land here.

With a nod they vanished.

I smiled.

All I would need to do is take control of this trade route. Then I would leverage that to create a institution composed purely of merchants. A merchants coalition by doing that I'll have won the war.

How? you ask. Simple. Titan rise is a city state. Meaning it relies completely on merchants to transport it goods. Food. Clothing. Building materials.

All of it is transported to them by the merchants. They didn't make it themselves.

So then what happens when the goods stop coming?

Simple. They'll become starving naked mongrels. And then all I'll have to do is walk in with all the food or clothes that I'll need. And suddenly without more than a ponds worth of blood spilled I'll become their king.

It was the slow route. It was the stupid fucking moral route.

And it was the quickest route I could take as a weak ass cripple. Ugh. It was a fucking waste of time.

I swear when I next see captain noman I'll execute him. If it weren't for that asshole I'd have already ruled half the world by now.

My guard walked towards me. She had a sword at her side and a spear at her back. Both weapons exuded an aura of lethal intent. Which was in contrast to her clothing which was thebread and worn.

"Sir we brought the merchant." She said.

A man wearing a frilly purple coat hobbled beside her. He had a big pot belly and a small goatee there were bruises all over his body.

I gave the guard a nod.

"Thank you." I told her

She threw him on the floor in front of me.

The merchant looked up at me. His jaw dropped and his lips curled into a frown that I was sure was created purely from awe.

I smiled at him.

"Do you want to die?"

"N—NO!" He yelled.

"Then you work for me now. You get 10% of profits from the organization. I get the rest. And you will do all the work."

"What organization."

I glanced to the guard. He had spoken out of turn. As a mediaeval ruler I had to punish that.

The guard walked forwards and stomped on his knee.

"ONLY SPEAK WHEN SPOKEN TO!" Yelled the guard.

The merchant whimpered and further collapsed into the ground,

I grinned at him.

"To answer your question. I'm creating a coalition of merchants. They'll all be under my banner and my protection. And I'll be the one that will be paying their wages. I'll use the profits to fund my kingdom."

The merchant nodded.

He opened his mouth and raised his pointer finger into the air.

Clearly he was asking to speak.

I gave him a nod to tell him that he could.

"So your trying to create an orginzation that generates enough excess to run a kingdom. And your giving me ten precent of the profits?" He asked confusion evident in his tone.

I smiled.

"You'll be doing all the work. And if you fail even once I kill you and replace you with someone else."

The merchants face paled grew pale with fear. As and a madcap grin grew with the paleness.

"Gambling addiction runs in my famly. It's gotten to the point where most of my family members have died from stupid gambling. As a merchant I live a life of gambling. I'm always betting that the goods I buy will be worth more somewhere else. AND YOUR TELLING ME! That I get to gamble my life for a tenth of a nation?!?!"

A almost manic glint appeared in his eyes.

"BITCH I'M IN!" He yelled.

I smiled.

My charm never fails.

🐐🐖🐐🐖🐐🐖

I sent some of my guard to monitor the merchant and after unloading some food to help my people he would be leaving

His job was to recruit new merchants into my institution. He would also manage it's power structure and decide what roles people got. He'd also work on arbitration and doll our judgements on fair trade.

And finally after all that he would work to calculate merchants salary at the end of the year.

Or to put It more simply. He was only allowed to work and sleep. I'd have servant do everything for him so he could do it well working.

It would be so funny to see a servant wiping his ass in the middle of a boardroom.

There were more roles I had to delegate though.

I would give leadership over this crappy island to sarha. Cause I knew her well so I'm sure she would be trustworthy. And if she failed I would just execute her.

The military would be managed by joe.

I don't know why but Joe was practically omcisent. He seemed to know everything. He always knew what I was thinking a second before I said it.

When I asked him how he did this he didn't answer. So I just shrugged and gave him the role that would be most sutiable.

He was too great a talent to argue with.

And with that I was done with this stupid fucking island. With trade they wouldn't starve and I had properly gained their allegiance.

That gambling merchant would get my institution going. As long As I visited at least once a year my charisma would probably keep me on their payroll.

I still had one more warehouse of magic items and about four days until I could wish my crippledness away.

After talking with the captain of the merchant ship I found out that to get back I mainland It would take around a week of travel.

It was fucking stupid. I was running out of time. And I had only taken over some land. I was nowhere near ruling the world.

I needed a complex military structure. I needed a semi postive reputation. I also needed my military to be large and powerful.

I couldn't build all those up fast. It would take six months to do.

"HAAAAAAA. Looks like I'll have to spend another month as a cripple."

It was simple. I needed to use my wish to get those things. Before I had that wish ready there was no point returning to the mainland.

So there was only one other things i could do.

I turned to joe who had been sitting silently at my side all this time.

"Hey joe."

"Yes?"

"Do you know where any warships are. The enchanted items are great but things will go faster If I build a strong navy."

Joe bit his lip.

"That didn't go very well last time. But what the heck. I know of a whole troop of pirates that all have powerful warships."

~Last time? Joe kept on getting stranger and stranger. But what the heck. As long as he's useful I wouldn't badger him.~

I grinned.

"Sweet. I'll be going there then. Time to charm my way into owning a navy."