Episode 139 — Reflection is a Step Forward (Part 2)
I let out a short breath and looked at the disheartened Gustav, keeping my tone flat and objective.
"If we leave things as they are, then yes. A forced reset through physical conflict... that’s the most reliable, brutal shortcut history tends to take. However..."
I trailed off, and Gustav’s eyes snapped from the monitor back to me. His instincts—both as a military commander and a ruler—were already picking up on the sheer inefficiency of the historical record.
"Mr. Zect... may I ask something? In the history you showed me, it took years of war and decades of time to reach that 'equilibrium.' If that is the case... can we not simply skip the process of war? Can we not bypass those wasted decades and jump straight to the result?"
(Nice. You’re catching on quick, Gustav. You’re turning into a very efficient client.)
"Spot on, Gustav. I was thinking the exact same thing. Paying a massive processing cost like 'war' is the one thing a lazy guy like me hates most. Let’s take that 'equilibrium state' history eventually reached, bake it into a set of specs, and install it into this world right now."
I tapped my tablet, switching the screen to the Felsen Regional Dynamics Map I’d put together the night before.
"Centralization looks efficient on the surface, but it has a fatal weakness: it creates a single point of failure. When one node becomes too powerful, the surrounding economy withers away. Eventually, those depleted territories start dragging down Felsen’s own performance. Whether it's a nation or a corporation, if the center bloats too much, the collapse of the periphery always hits back as a recoil. That’s the trap Felsen is walking into."
I pinched the map to zoom in, showing the five territories surrounding Felsen. Their icons were flickering with a weak, sickly light—pale and trembling, as if their very life force was being drained.
"We’re going to scrap the 'Monolithic Centralization' model where Felsen manufactures and monopolizes everything. Instead, we’ll outsource. Furniture assembly goes to Duke Daryl’s land. Textile subcontracting to Earl Baran’s land. Primary iron refining to Viscount Geister’s land... We’re going to expose Felsen’s 'Profit API' to the neighbors and integrate them into a giant ecosystem."
I toggled a setting on the map. The weak lights of the five surrounding territories slowly began to regain their color.
"Stop the monopoly and distribute the functions... We create a situation where it’s more profitable for them to stay connected to Felsen than it is to attack us. Is that the idea?"
Gustav took a shallow, sharp breath. His eyes were beginning to see a new kind of relationship between territories that he had never considered before.
"Exactly. But right now, if we just tell them to 'build their own factories,' they can't do it. They don't even have the resources to host their own servers anymore. So, we’re going to provide them with a 'Managed Service' package."
"A... Managed Service?"
"Felsen Company will cover all the CapEx—the capital expenditure. We pay for the factory construction and the machinery. Zero upfront cost for the neighboring lords. Zero risk. In exchange, they operate as a 'Felsen branch office,' producing goods that meet our exact standards."
Gustav leaned forward, his face full of shock.
"We cover all the costs?! Mr. Zect, wouldn't that be an enormous burden on the Felsen Company?"
"In the short term, sure. But we were planning to expand our industrial zones anyway, right? We’re just building the new units over there instead of here. Think of it as a strategic investment. We hire the locals to staff the plants. We pay the workers who lost their jobs in the neighboring lands a 'Felsen-standard' wage. When cash starts flowing, the villages get their heartbeat back. Then, we set it up so a solid chunk of tax revenue from the factory stays in that territory. It’s a classic regional revitalization model: lure in a big corporation to boost employment and tax income."
"I see... For the lords, their unemployment problem is solved at no risk, and tax money starts rolling in even if they do nothing. They would have no reason to refuse."
"And there's a benefit for us, too. By making them adopt Felsen-standard heavy machinery and assembly lines, we’re effectively overwriting their infrastructure with the 'Felsen OS.' Once they’re integrated, they won’t be able to handle maintenance or parts replacement without us. This isn't 'dominance'—it’s a patch that creates a stable, mutual dependency. A kind of essential vendor lock-in, if you will."
A spark of hope, brighter than ever before, returned to Gustav’s eyes. He gave me a deep, profound bow.
"Thank you. By shouldering the risk and distributing the rewards, we forcibly rewrite hostility into cooperation. This... this is the true reform we must achieve. Mr. Zect, let us immediately draft the negotiation proposals to turn these 'specifications' into reality."
"As far as I can see, this is the only viable solution. But... well, it’s not going to be that easy."