One year later.
Wallace, a key member of the Progressive Party, sat irritably in his office.
A project proposal worn ragged from repeated handling lay on the desk, while he merely covered his forehead and sighed.
As the district chief of Saxony, he had come here bearing the party leader’s expectations, an ambitious plan, and promises of “renewal and revitalization,” only to suffer the greatest Waterloo of his life.
The local powers refused to cooperate.
The Progressive Party had risen against the tide of deindustrialization in recent years, uncharacteristically emphasizing the preservation of industry and production, as well as the protection of workers’ rights.
Yet against the backdrop of decades of financial prosperity, every faction had denounced them as reactionaries attempting to turn back the clock of history, and the party had once fallen into decline.
As time passed, however, the problems caused by the economy’s departure from tangible production and the hollowing out of industry grew increasingly severe.
Reality had proven that they had indeed identified the defining sickness of the era.
As a result, their influence among the younger generation gradually expanded.
Even so, the Progressive Party still sorely lacked the support of deeply entrenched old money, forcing them to tread carefully before those with established interests and vast roots.
Even in this territory that nominally belonged to them, implementing policy could only be described as an uphill battle.
Before the election, party leader Colson had promised voters that he would restore vitality to the industrially declining Saxony District.
Wallace, as one of his closest aides, would serve as the vanguard and transform Saxony into a model for the future.
The initial review of the plan had not gone smoothly, but thanks to the party leader’s tireless mediation, approval had finally been secured for both industrial land and funding.
Once the partnership negotiations were complete, construction could begin in full.
Then the problems emerged.
Overland transportation in Saxony was poor, and logistics depended primarily on shipping.
Yet because of historical complications, Saxony Port had been controlled by gangs of every size for many years.
To them, the Progressive Party was unquestionably an outsider, and an outsider harboring ambitions for change at that.
They had therefore maintained a long-standing stance of acknowledging orders in name while refusing to obey them in practice, treating every representative sent their way with perfunctory indifference.
Logistics was the lifeline of industry.
Unless they seized control of this position, every plan they had made would remain empty rhetoric.
In the past, Wallace would already have called a press conference and furiously accused these local tyrants of blocking the electorate’s broad road toward development, then shown them the power of the people.
This time, however, he could not.
The waters surrounding Saxony Port ran far too deep.
Not only had local conglomerates operated there for years, but an absolutely unspeakable trafficking chain also passed through the port.
That chain was connected to powerful figures even higher up.
The moment Wallace touched it, their project would be aborted the very next day, and he himself might well die without even a place to be buried.
The Progressive Party’s foundation was too shallow.
They were not yet qualified to touch those leviathans.
Generally speaking, voters’ patience with those in charge lasted only three months.
If Wallace failed to fulfill his promises within that period, his approval rating would plunge off a cliff.
At that point, he might not even survive the midterm elections.
At the thought, Wallace’s brow furrowed even more deeply.
Almost unconsciously, he opened a drawer and removed a sheet of letter paper.
The letter asked whether he was interested in cooperation.
Wallace merely tapped a fingertip against the armrest of his chair as he carefully reviewed the handwriting upon it.
The sender was Elysia, a victor who had emerged from the underworld of Lamington City.
Favored by Godfather Falco, she had expanded her territory beyond the borders of the county.
He had received the letter yesterday, but had immediately cast it aside.
Wallace had always regarded those who dwelled in the shadows with the utmost vigilance.
People in the open at least maintained the appearance of proper procedure, but those in the underworld could turn on someone without the slightest warning.
Cooperating with them was no different from bargaining with a tiger for its hide.
Now, however, it was time to consider whether the proposal might be viable.
A force originating from Lamington City, a place akin to an imperial capital, naturally possessed an overwhelming advantage over a minor region whose industry had long since declined.
Wallace did not doubt who the eventual victor would be.
The cases he had heard of before already proved that any local underworld faction attempting resistance was merely a mantis trying to stop a chariot.
In the end, they could only be assimilated or purged.
As for the legends claiming Elysia could rout an army single-handedly?
Nothing more than a campaign to create a living idol, a joke meant to cloak a leader in divine grandeur.
Yet Wallace raised an eyebrow after finishing his investigation.
Contrary to expectations, the process of reorganization had not been bloody at all.
In fact, it had been remarkably lawful.
Those implicated in murder were sent to prison and became achievements for the police, while those who turned back from the wrong path were given a chance to live as decent people again.
He had even discovered that the gangs under Elysia’s jurisdiction offered professional technical training and ideological education, periodically supplying the local area with batches of skilled workers.
Elysia’s methods did not resemble those of a gang leader in the slightest.
Frankly, she seemed more like someone intent on reforming the gangs.
Thus, she might truly be an exception, a benevolent soul who remained unstained despite emerging from the mire.
Or perhaps it was all merely a disguise.
Perhaps she was waiting for those who believed in her to leap into the trap one by one before harvesting them all at once.
Every ambitious schemer began by presenting themselves as righteous.
Given a choice, Wallace truly did not want to gamble.
Unfortunately, he no longer had one.
With a sigh, he picked up his phone and sent her a message.
He would test the waters first.
At noon the following day, Wallace adjusted his tie and sat upright behind his desk to wait.
After several soft knocks, the door slowly opened, and a cascade of pink entered his vision.
Calmness shone within blue-pink eyes as Elysia approached with steps that were both light and steady, a smile as refreshing as a spring breeze upon her face.
Wallace narrowed his eyes as he looked at her.
She was far too young.
The European Union’s underworld spoke of her with profound caution, and the many rumors surrounding her only deepened her air of mystery.
In some accounts, she was a towering female boss with a pipe clenched between her lips, seated in the place of honor as she coldly watched one gang after another collapse.
Yet according to the earliest reports, the heir to Lamington City’s underworld was in fact merely a young girl who had not yet fully grown.
She was gentle, courteous, and treated everyone as an equal.
That was all.
The most absurd version had somehow been the truth.
Elysia gently pulled out a chair, sat down, and winked at him.
Wallace felt only a trace of absurdity.
He did not suspect that the visitor was an impostor.
Her unhurried composure could not be fabricated.
She was simply far younger than even his most extreme expectations.
While he was still thinking, Elysia spoke.
Her voice flowed quietly like a clear spring.
“Your Excellency is more decisive than I imagined.
I thought I would have to wait several more days.” Wallace returned to his senses, folded his hands together, and replied steadily, “Time waits for no one, after all.
Certain conservatives at the port are unwilling to take part in our vision and even seek to obstruct us.
According to our investigation, Miss Elysia is indeed a suitable partner.” There had been no investigation.
In truth, he had no other choice.
But one could never reveal weakness at the negotiating table.
“Since your side is interested.” Elysia produced a stack of papers and handed them to him.
The title read Saxony Port Renovation Plan.
“Then this is our demonstration of sincerity.” Wallace accepted it and skimmed through the pages.
His years of experience reviewing official documents allowed him to grasp every important point almost immediately.
The terms were far too generous.
He hesitated.
Elysia’s side would handle the remnants poisoning Saxony Port.
In exchange, when the port was renovated, the Progressive Party had to give priority to hiring workers from Elysia’s side and surrender forty percent of the port conglomerate’s equity.
The price appeared steep, but the Progressive Party had never possessed the ability to move the group operating the port in the first place.
In other words, they were effectively receiving sixty percent of the equity for almost nothing.
Moreover, the local labor force was insufficient to support the renovation project.
Elysia’s workers were less like hired labor and more like a construction aid force.
Seeing his reaction, Elysia smiled and raised the stakes further.
“In terms of funding, we can cover sixty percent,” she added.
“As for everything else, I only hope Your Excellency can clear the necessary channels within the system and provide this project with a sufficiently grand opening.
After that, each of us will obtain what we need, while the ordinary people of the district will also benefit.
What do you think?~” Wallace set down the proposal.
His lips moved several times as the scarce remnants of his conscience began to trouble him.
“Miss Elysia, generally speaking, we would call this charity.” In the end, he still offered a warning.
“Rest assured.
If I can offer these terms, it means my side will certainly profit.” Elysia’s smile did not change.
“Many people prefer to devour everything and let the winner take all, but they seem to overlook the penalty for overexpansion.
In the end, they decay and fall, leaving nothing but desolation behind.
I possess a little more self-awareness, so I chose mutual benefit instead.
That is all~” She had to maintain the proper balance.
Large-scale annexation would inevitably attract the attention of the highest levels of the European Union.
If they launched an investigation, Elysia’s expansion would be forced to stop abruptly.
“Besides, Your Excellency may regard this as an investment,” Elysia explained.
“Over the past decade, countless people have drowned beneath the tide of financialization.
You were among the first to awaken, and among the first to realize that the real economy discarded by your predecessors as worthless was in fact the true foundation.
Recognizing that alone is sufficient capital.” Finance was, at its core, the sale of trust and an investment in the future, like a castle suspended in the air.
A single pandemic could trigger repeated circuit breakers in the stock market and ruin countless families, let alone a disaster as violent as the Honkai.
Only tangible industry could serve as the pillar supporting the heavens.
“Your platform is like a boat sailing against the current amid the great tide of deindustrialization.
Yet once you cross the final wave, what awaits Your Excellency will be an endless sea of abundance.” Elysia gazed at him calmly.
“And I can provide you with a little assistance.” As her words fell, Elysia pushed a sheet of terms across the desk.
The time for painting grand visions was over.
What came next was the practical plan.
“First is the matter of money.” She pointed at the summary on the page.
“This investment will be drawn from the Lamington City Industrial Assistance Fund.
It will pass through public accounts and retain the appearance of charity, leaving outsiders no grounds for criticism.
“Second, the workers will participate in the construction under the name of labor dispatch.
Your Excellency need only initiate a bidding process, then tailor the winning conditions with sufficient precision.
As for the unspeakable matters hidden within the port, I will retain the relevant evidence and deliver it at a critical point during your rise.
This is not because I intend to hold anything back from you, but merely to prevent premature leaks.
“Those files will pave the way for your final election.
The power of the media will crush every obstacle standing before you.
“Sign this paper, and our alliance will take effect.
What do you think?~” She was not worried that the other side would burn the bridge after crossing it.
The people remained in her hands, and she had always held the initiative.
She could have her workers cooperate with them wholeheartedly, or she could issue a single order and have them launch a vast campaign of nonviolent noncooperation for entirely lawful reasons.
In an instant, the project the other party viewed as a lifeline would become a scandal lethal enough to destroy them.
As for possible attempts to divide or buy them off later, Elysia was unconcerned.
Within an organization clearly on the rise, only a minority would ever be willing to change allegiances.
However, according to her prior investigation, most members of the Progressive Party were relatively sincere.
They were driven by genuine ideals rather than mere profit.
She still very much hoped to establish mutual trust with them.
Wallace pondered for a while.
He was not deceived by the grand future Elysia had described.
After stripping away every flattering phrase, he finally perceived her true intention.
She was conceding so much now only to bind him, and perhaps even the entire Progressive Party, to her war chariot.
As for where that chariot would ultimately travel, no one knew.
Whether it would crash and kill them all or carry them to the summit was equally impossible to say.
The steering wheel had long since left their hands.
Wallace rapidly weighed the advantages and disadvantages in his mind.
He soon understood the key to the situation and identified every card she could play.
The reversal of host and guest left him deeply uncomfortable.
After repeated consideration, Wallace could only raise his head and look at her with a complicated expression.
“This matter is of great importance.
Our side still requires time to deliberate.” He chose an indirect response, though his hands honestly accepted the sheet of terms.
“Once we reach a decision, I will contact Miss Elysia immediately.” “Then I will await Your Excellency’s answer at any time~” Elysia smiled calmly, then rose gracefully and departed.
“To be honest, Miss Elysia.” Before she left, Wallace called out to her.
“In every respect, you have far exceeded what should be expected of someone your age.” “Thank you for the compliment.” Elysia turned to respond, the same unhurried smile still resting upon her face.
“I have no intention of judging the matter, but compared with them, I have indeed lived several extra years in my mind.” After the somewhat weathered door closed, Wallace leaned back in his chair and released a long breath.
Then he called the party leader and truthfully recounted the transaction that had just taken place.
“I must admit, it is indeed a rather attractive proposal,” the voice on the other end said with interest.
“So, Wallace, what do you think of this young girl?” “She is simply…
indescribable.” He did not know where to begin.
“The only thing I can say with certainty is that her future is limitless.” Upon reaching the street corner, Elysia reflected on everything she had done along the way.
Divide, entice, strike, and balance.
The carefree girl she had once been was long gone.
She had adapted rapidly to her new identity and done everything within her power, striving to carve out one sanctuary after another within the deeply entangled system.
Beginning in the underworld had saved her a great deal of effort.
She did not need to contend with layer upon layer of bureaucracy, nor would endless rounds of review obstruct her progress.
After inheriting Godfather Falco’s network and winning popular support by correcting corruption wherever she went, many matters had become far simpler.
As Origin, no one in the world was currently her match.
She had considered adopting simpler and more brutal methods, but violence could neither improve the people’s lives nor construct an effective system.
Reckless destruction would only force others to pay the price for her actions.
Wherever she passed, she ought to leave order behind, not chaos.
Therefore, she reserved physical persuasion for only the most obstinate factions.
Neutral forces still had to be won over whenever possible.
The clamor along the street continued as always, and pedestrians hurried past, but Elysia had no desire to enjoy this fleeting moment of peace.
As though sensing something, she merely raised her head and looked in a certain direction.
Then she tilted it slightly.
A shriek tore through the air, and the stone pavement behind her instantly exploded, spraying fragments outward with a dull crack.
Travelers passing beside her were badly startled and immediately fled in panic, dragging their luggage behind them.
Elysia merely stood where she was and sighed helplessly.
An anti-materiel sniper rifle.
They had truly spared no expense.
Since leaving Lamington City, this was already the seventh attempt.
Although she did not regard these assassins as threats, being targeted again and again made Elysia’s patience wear thin.
She had a temper too.
“Damn it.
How did she notice me?” Two kilometers away, inside an abandoned building, the assassin lay at the edge of a floor with his sniper rifle mounted before him and spat to the side.
Yet when he looked through the scope again, Elysia had already vanished from view.
A tremendous fear struck him without warning, and the instincts honed through countless battles made every hair on his body stand on end.
The assassin hurriedly packed up his rifle and strode toward the zip line.
Slipping the rifle bag over himself, he rode the line all the way to the bottom.
Upon reaching the ground floor, he did not even have time to gather the rest of his equipment before rushing toward the entrance.
Then, within the white light spilling in through the doorway, he saw a flash of pink.
Elysia leaned against the doorframe and smiled at him with complete ease, as though offering the most ordinary greeting in the world.
“Hi~ How does it feel?~” She waved.
The assassin froze in place, feeling as though all the blood in his body had turned to ice.
Less than a minute to cross two kilometers.
Was she even human?
“Destroying public property and causing a panic.
Will you go to the police station voluntarily, or should I send you there myself?” Elysia asked with narrowed eyes.
“Hmph.” The assassin gave a cold snort.
As a bounty assassin renowned throughout the industry for his courage, surrendering so readily would utterly ruin his reputation.
Anyone from the underworld who was taken into police custody would carry a stain for the rest of their life and be mocked whenever they accepted future commissions.
Thus, he straightened his back and assumed a resolute expression.
Then he obediently dropped the rifle bag, tossed his Swiss Army knife and every other miscellaneous item onto the ground, raised both hands, and offered a Gallic salute.
“I surrender.” What a joke.
Facing something that had most likely surpassed humanity, he would have to be insane to think he could win.
Rather than suffer a pointless beating, a wise man knew when to yield.
“You’re quite cooperative.” Elysia raised an eyebrow and walked over of her own accord.
She opened the rifle bag, removed the sniper rifle, and weighed it in both hands.
“Then you won’t object if I administer a minor punishment, will you?~” The assassin could not help swallowing.
Then he watched as the sniper rifle he had spent nearly a million having custom-made was cleanly snapped in two by Elysia.
His heart and lungs nearly stopped on the spot.
It’s fine.
I can still salvage the attachments, he comforted himself bitterly.
Then he watched Elysia expertly remove every attachment and smash them into fragments one by one.
He clutched his chest and felt his back suddenly hunch.
“Go turn yourself in.
Do not attempt to escape along the way.” Elysia waved the sniper rifle’s barrel at him, her tone becoming slightly heavier.
“I will be watching from the shadows.” Sweat had already begun gathering on the assassin’s forehead.
He hurried toward the police station as though fleeing some unspeakable horror.
Elysia rubbed her brow and slowly followed him through the doorway.
Bright daylight spilled across her entire body, yet within the warmth surrounding her, her thoughts remained as silent as ice.
There was still much to be done.