POV: Kaiser
I stepped out of the steam car behind Isaak. The imposing building in front of us had plain gray walls with no decoration at all, like a giant stone box dropped in the middle of Neon. The facade was simple, but the weight of the doors immediately announced that you didn't walk in here without an invitation. Isaak placed his hand on a metal panel. The door opened with a sharp click.
I entered a corridor lit by white lamps that gave off an almost clinical light. The air smelled of chemicals mixed with incense.
"This is our first business. Illicit drugs. Nobles love them."
I simply nodded, face neutral. Isaak led me into a large room where several tables were lined up. Men in lab coats were focused on their work. They wore simple masks, nothing like the ones the bosses used. On the tables lay powders of different colors, sealed vials, measuring tools, and crates filled with transparent bags.
The walls were lined with shelves stacked with clearly labeled boxes. Some contained substances banned throughout the entire Empire.
"We manufacture, we package, we sell. It's clean, it's fast, and it pays. Clients place orders anonymously. Neon's guards make sure the shipments don't disappear." He put a hand on my shoulder. "Here, everyone wears a mask, literally and figuratively. Trust is worthless. That's your first lesson."
"Where do we get the raw materials?"
"Some are sold to us by mercenaries, others by alchemists, or by certain greedy elves."
"Elves? You mean the Dark Elves from Babylon?"
"Hahaha, no! What do you think? They're the ones from Yggdrasil Forest. Certain plants only grow there. Did you think they were all vegetarians and humble? They're just arrogant, conservative bastards. In some ways, those hypocrites are worse than their Babylon counterparts."
'I wasn't surprised about the alchemists. Dark Elves are known for being twisted scientists who believe the ends justify the means when it comes to their experiments. But this was unexpected from the Yggdrasil elves.'
"Hmmm… If you say so, I'll take your word for it. But I don't quite get it: what do they gain? They don't use money, do they?" I asked.
"Maybe not, but tensions between the four Yggdrasil clans keep rising. They need connections, alliances. They can't stay isolated like before."
'It looks like, even though I read the novels, I don't know this world as well as I thought.'
I watched the men work. No one spoke. They stirred, weighed, poured. The clink of metal spoons repeated regularly. A sharp smell stung my throat. I held back a slight flinch.
Isaak smiled. "I see you don't like it. Don't worry, this is just the beginning."
We left the room and took a narrow elevator. It went down several floors. When the doors opened, a cold, damp smell hit my nose instantly. The floor was white-tiled and the ceiling glowed with bright light.
"The laboratory," Isaak said simply.
I followed him. On the left, an entire wall consisted of rows of glass tanks filled with clear liquid. Inside floated various organs. Hearts, eyeballs, lungs, kidneys. The kind of sight that would disturb most people. I stayed straight, even though my fingers tensed slightly.
Isaak tapped one of the glass panels. "Here, everything is profitable. Even what the government deems toxic or too dangerous. Dark elves are among our many clients for organ trafficking." He kept walking. "And it's not just monster organs… if you know what I mean."
He looked at me with a smile that said everything.
"I understand," I replied simply.
Further on, technicians were cutting up creature carcasses brought from the Tenebris continent. The regular whine of mechanical saws echoed. My stomach tightened for a moment. Even though the place was clean, it couldn't completely eliminate the putrid smell.
'Calm down, man, calm down. You're Kaiser D. Paragon, a ruthless guy.'
My face went blank again, hands in my pockets.
Isaak didn't miss a chance to add an anecdote. "The other day, a mercenary brought us a rare specimen (half-elf, half-demi-beast). Hehehe, we made four times the expected profit. Buyers were practically fighting over it. The heart sold for 500 gold pieces."
He talked about it all like it was routine. I just nodded to move things along faster.
We left the lab for another building, noisier this time. People came and went carrying crates filled with jewelry, weapons, and expensive clothing.
"The stolen goods market. Thieves drop off here what they can't sell themselves. We take a cut and resell to nobles or collectors." IsaAIN showed a decorated sword displayed on a stand. "This one used to belong to a Donoghan duchy general. No one ever found it."
I examined every shelf. Everything was carefully sorted. Nothing was left to chance. Servants recorded each transaction precisely. I kept the same neutral tone when I asked:
"You control all the incoming goods?"
"Obviously. Everything that passes through Neon has to be declared by our underlings. Otherwise, we cut ties. Stealing from us wouldn't benefit them anyway. They need Neon, and the Paragons own Neon."
We got back in the car.
"What you just saw is only one of our many buildings. Even this one is bigger than the others."
We drove toward a huge sector surrounded by several tall structures and iron cages visible even from outside. A silent crowd waited near guarded gates. I quickly sensed the atmosphere was different.