Building A Business Empire From Scratch In Another World

Zephyr raised an eyebrow.

Felix met his gaze,"I want her running back to her master. I want him to know exactly how badly he underestimated us."

A map of Astheria unfurled across the table, certain locations pulsing red.

"The Duke will retaliate one of three ways," Felix murmured, tracing routes.

Economic Siege (Starving their supply lines)

Shadow War (Assassins and sabotage)

Political Maneuvering (Turning the Crown against them)

Zephyr snorted,"Let him try. Your little 'supply chain revelation' already has half the noble council ready to gut each other."

" That was just a small thing among ants to those at the top! " Felix said as he pointed his finger upwards.

Zephyr fell silent when he heard Felix.

Felix's smile didn't reach his eyes. "Which is why he'll choose option four."

"Which is?"

"The one thing we can't predict."

The air grew heavy. Somewhere, a clock ticked like a slowing heartbeat.

Zephyr studied his friend closely,"You're holding something back."

Felix turned to the largest map, a sprawling depiction of the entire Avalonia continent. In the far north, a single black pin marked a location unnamed on any official chart.

"The Duke isn't just some noble playing games, Zeph."

Felix's voice dropped to a whisper." I think he's hunting or looking for something. And it seems we're in his way."

Zephyr's dagger found its way into his hand without thought," That's absurd, we just came to Astheria a few months ago so how would we hindering what the Duke wants!".

"I'm also confused too!" Felix spread his arms and said helplessly.

"So what do we do now?!" Zephyr thought for a moment and asked.

Felix finally smiled a sharp, dangerous thing.

"We make sure he finds what he is looking for."

-----------

The Diamond Vine – Grand Opening Night

Nestled in the heart of Astheria's opulent Emerald District, The Diamond Vine shimmered under the moonlight like a rare gem.

Its facade was a breathtaking blend of enchanted white marble, intricately veined with threads of liquid gold.

The building seemed alive, its arched windows pulsating with a soft glow, as if it had a heartbeat of its own.

Above the grand double doors loomed the Morningstar crest, a stunning nine-pointed star crafted from platinum.

But this was no ordinary wine store; this was Felix's most audacious venture yet,a sanctuary for the elite where vintages could rival the wealth of small nations. And tonight marked its grand debut!

---------

Carriages lined the street in an extravagant display of wealth: gilded phaetons pulled by majestic Tier 4 Stormmane horses, ebony coaches adorned with stained glass depicting ancestral battles, and one particularly ostentatious vehicle encased in a shimmering bubble of floating water, its aquatic steeds flicking bioluminescent tails like living jewels.

"Pathetic," Lord Cedric Vandross scoffed under his breath as he observed guests disembark. "Not a single High House in sight."

And he wasn't wrong. The crowd was a carefully curated mix:low level to mid-tier nobles desperate to ascend social ladders, wealthy merchants whose gold outweighed their common blood, and young heirs sent by cautious patriarchs to scout this new player on the scene,plus one unexpected guest.

From an unmarked carriage stepped a young man clad in deceptively simple silver robes.

His face was partially obscured by an artfully crafted half-mask of frosted crystal, but his movements,like a stalking wolf disguised as a lamb,sent ripples of unease through the doorman.

"Invitation?" the attendant asked, trying not to gawk at the stranger's gloves woven from what appeared to be dragonfly wings.

The masked man produced a black card edged in gold.

The doorman's breath hitched. "Ah! The Ivory Box suite. Right this way, my lord."

As guests crossed the threshold into The Diamond Vine, reality itself seemed to shift around them.

The entry hall resembled a living painting: beneath their feet lay a single slab of transparent sapphire that revealed schools of jewel-scaled fish gliding through liquid moonlight.

Panels lining the walls resonated with frozen music,the gentle hums creating an ethereal symphony when touched.

But wait until they ventured further...

A circular chamber awaited them,a spectacle beyond imagination! Twelve platforms surrounded a central fountain flowing with liquid gold.

Each platform featured tables made from different precious materials,a luxurious feast for both eyes and soul!

Above it all hung an enchanting chandelier that captured starlight and pulsed rhythmically with each guest's heartbeat.

Even jaded nobles gasped in awe!

----------

Lord Cedric raised his glass of Moonlit Mirage, the shimmering liquid catching the light like captured starlight.

He sipped with a practiced elegance, a façade honed over years of pretending that wealth and luxury truly impressed him.

The wine was undeniably exquisite,so rare that even his own estate couldn't procure it,but as it slid down his throat, all he could taste was bitterness.

"How dare this gutter-born merchant flaunt such extravagance?" he thought, surveying the scene around him.

The minor nobility and merchant elites of Astheria flitted about like dazzled children at a festival, their laughter ringing too loud and their compliments far too effusive.

Cedric's smile remained unyielding as he navigated through the throng, his emerald-green robes,woven with actual wyvern-scale thread,marking him as superior to these social climbers.

Yet here he stood: forced to attend, forced to play nice,all because the Duke had commanded it.

"Lord Drakemere!" A plump merchant's wife approached him, her jowls quivering beneath a fortune in sapphires.

"Isn't this establishment simply divine? That floating chandelier,why, I heard it cost more than my husband's shipping fleet!"

Cedric chuckled softly, the sound smooth yet edged with steel. "Quite so. Though one might wonder if such… novelties can truly compensate for pedigree."

The woman blinked at him, too dense to grasp the insult hidden within his words.

Nearby, young Lord Everan,a third-rate noble's heir,gawked at a table made from meteorite stone. "Gods above! Is that true heartstone? My grandfather told stories of…"

"…of peasants mistaking pretty rocks for treasures?" Cedric interjected smoothly while swirling his wine. "How charming."

The boy flushed but fell silent,a good reminder for these upstarts about their place in society.

Then came a silver-robed figure slicing through the crowd like a knife through water; unnoticed until it was almost too late.

Cedric felt an instinctual prickling at the back of his neck as recognition dawned upon him, the mask… those gloves…

No.

His grip tightened around his glass; surely the Solaris boy wouldn't dare show himself here.

Yet when the stranger passed by, Cedric caught an unfamiliar scent wafting through the air,a scent that stirred something deep within him; one he couldn't quite place.

As murmurs faded into silence, Felix descended the staircase with an air of confidence that made Cedric's jaw ache from how tightly he clenched it.

"Look at him," Cedric sneered inwardly. "Playing lord in cheap theatrics."

But when Felix raised his glass, the atmosphere shifted dramatically.

Magic thickened the air,not the flashy parlor tricks Cedric had braced himself for, but something ancient and profound.

It sent a wave of warmth coursing through the wyvern scales woven into his robes, making him shift uncomfortably.

"Ladies and gentlemen," Felix began, his voice smooth yet commanding. "I sincerely thank each of you for joining me at this intimate gathering. I won't take up much of your time,please, drink and revel in the evening to your heart's content."

As he toasted, his crimson eyes locked onto Cedric's for a fleeting moment that felt like an eternity.

He knows.

The thought slithered down Cedric's spine like a cold serpent.

"He knows why I'm here."