79 – 79. Ethanol
The silver-haired girl was bustling around the manufacturing room.
For Sienna, this place would be no different from an amusement park. After all, morphine, heroin, and ephedrine all come out from here.
Honestly, dru*g production was a task far from fun and leisure. It was because, in my previous life, I had to directly produce the solvent that could be bought for 30,000 won with a single mouthful through simple repetitive work. Sienna seemed to be the only woman here who could find joy in this place.
It was fortunate that she was satisfied with just a tour.
But it couldn’t end with just that.
‘I have to gradually tame her.’
I was in no position to correct anyone.
But if you weren’t human like me, controlling Sienna was impossible. Sienna was a woman who tormented everyone whenever possible.
As of now, the only object she felt more than a mere attachment to was me.
Even for my own well-being, I had to tread carefully.
“From now on, you have to live nicely.”
I threw the words at Sienna, who was looking at the distillation flask with her back turned to me.
I could see her round shoulders flinch for a moment.
I could guess what kind of thoughts were passing through Sienna’s mind right now.
What is this person saying right now? Is it because Alan is different from me after all? Do I have to endure this to maintain my relationship with Alan? It wasn’t about breaking her fantasy of exploring the dru*g theme park; there was a different purpose.
“I’m advising you to be a bit more subtle, Sienna.”
“Now, what are you saying?”
“Just listen. When someone without focus walks around with a knife, everyone is busy hiding or avoiding. Because you can’t predict when and how they’ll be harmed. It’s also one of the reasons why there were no people around the lord until now.”
In my opinion, practically an abuse in itself.
But Sienna just smiled and turned to me. Despite subtly omitting the title, she seemed more pleased than uncomfortable. In fact, calling her by her title would be more convincing, so there was no reason to avoid it.
“Are you telling me not to read your intentions?”
“Yes. That’s right.”
“Well, Alan. Over the years, I…”
“Of course, the infamous reputation built up over many years won’t just disappear. Will the perception of the nobility who used to execute someone immediately for stealing a bottle of wine suddenly change? It’s enough to be recognized as an uncontrollable person.”
“……”
“If you succeed, you’ll be able to enjoy to your heart’s content, and yet you’ll hardly face any criticism.”
At these words, Sienna gently stroked my cheek with her fingers.
However, she soon nodded her head, accepting it.
“To be honest, I’ve been thinking about it too.”
“I see. So, you’ve been paying attention to my advice all this time.”
“That’s right.”
If it weren’t for me, Sienna would still be treated solely as the target of avoidance. But now, she, despite being weaker than Victoria, held power and owned half of the shares of the most promising company in the empire (originally Anais’s). There was no public opinion considering her elimination from the succession competition.
If Sienna had thoughts, she would know what the wise choice was.
The best thing to do is to live quietly without doing anything, but that’s impossible. So, it was right to put on a disguise, even if it’s just a facade.
“Okay, Alan. What should I do?”
“Well, let me think.”
I already had an idea, but I deliberately hesitated. We needed to give the impression that we had ‘together’ pondered and found a solution.
After seeing Sienna’s head tilt from side to side, I finally spoke.
“You might not like it, but save people.”
“Me?”
“Yes. I plan to establish a factory dedicated to producing only antidotes soon. Currently, I’m making them on the spot when needed, but as the workload increases, I can’t work alone forever.”
“Increase the workload and deal with it as it comes, in the end.”
“Yes, that’s right.”
Even if ethanol alone is made by someone else, my profits would be halved. Mass-producing it and diverting some for medical purposes could reduce the workload and, at the same time, improve public opinion about us.
The dreamlike story of supplying all hospitals in the system may seem far-fetched, but it was possible to establish a few “almost no one dies” maternity hospitals.
That alone would greatly contribute to our reputation.
“It would definitely be helpful. Especially for you.”
“Yes. Since I’m the one who ultimately spread the heroin. It would be helpful to instill the perception that we’re not just a company that produces dru*gs that harm people.”
“……”
“Do you agree?”
After a moment of contemplation, Sienna nodded her head.
She probably didn’t want to do anything beneficial for others.
However, it seemed that she agreed with the advantage of being able to easily produce dru*gs by establishing a solvent factory. She might also have a desire to accommodate me.
“That should be enough.”
Feeling relieved inside, Sienna slightly raised one corner of her mouth as if something had come to mind.
From Noble mtl dot com
“But… Alan?”
“Yes, what is it?”
“You knew ways to save lives, or rather, ways to kill less, yet you’ve only been making morphine and heroin all this time? You could have received praise and made money. It seems like you wasted that opportunity and only thought of it now.”
“……”
Sienna’s small hand gently rested on my shoulder.
Since arguing or objecting here wouldn’t be helpful to me, I simply nodded my head in agreement.
“Alan.”
Indeed, you get along well with me.
It’s difficult to discern whether it’s a compliment or not.
Still, it wasn’t a bad situation. In the current Sienna, it seemed unlikely that she would cause me any trouble. If I weren’t even a little bit anxious, that would be a lie, but it was definitely better than turning it around as little as possible.
“I should thank the Empress.”
Sienna’s touch slowly flowed down from my shoulder.
Upper arm, forearm, and ultimately, it was her who tightly held onto my hand.
Throughout, her crimson irises pierced through me. Her eyes were filled with curiosity, but I didn’t feel the need to answer. If I showed her everything, of course, it wouldn’t be as superficial as it seemed, but it wouldn’t be good for me.
For now, I decided to limit it to just allowing access to the manufacturing room.
**
As soon as Sienna finished her tour, she fulfilled my request.
She acquired a renowned maternity hospital from the government,
scouted a location for establishing a factory by freeing up people,
and met with the Minister of Agriculture and the Chairman of the Agricultural Public Auction House. It was important to assess the status of raw materials in order to produce ethanol as efficiently as possible. I had felt this before, but I had to acknowledge her sincerity.
“It’s because of me, but…”
It seemed like I wasn’t the only one closely watching Sienna.
…
“Her Majesty the Empress has something to discuss privately.”
Two days later, it was a message sent from the Empress’s quarters.
Who else would be the reason for a private discussion in front of the Emperor?
It didn’t seem like the Empress had no thoughts.
Perhaps she was starting to gain trust. She probably wanted to be convinced that I wouldn’t turn against her by teaming up with Sienna.
The most efficient way to confirm reconciliation was to make a small request (something that could be fulfilled at any time if one set their mind to it). It might seem like a bothersome plea, but true friendship grew through mutual requests.
As expected, the prelude to the empress’s request in the Hwanghu War was a rather simple favor.
“I’m not asking you to present it to the deceased, but… may I inquire if you could add Silocivin as a supplementary gift?”
“For what purpose?”
“There was a large-scale oxsa incident in Jinkuk recently. A close friend of Her Majesty, who spent her youth with the empress, lost her husband. I want to send Silocivin to provide some small comfort to her.”
“Who is it for?”
“I don’t know the reason well, but over a hundred people died or were exiled.”
That neighborhood is indeed harsh.
The empress didn’t seem to be expressing concern for a friend from her youth.
She’s probably trying to test my willingness with a trivial request. If I willingly help her, she might consider that the anger in Siena has subsided.
Just by confirming with me instead of Siena herself, one could understand the empress’s administrative ability. Also, the effort to avoid provoking her ruthless daughter.
“If I accept this, she will probably summon me soon. Considering that a conversational mood has been created.”
There was no intention to accept. If I agree readily, the empress would likely bestow honors and decorations on me, waiting as if signaling the next step.
“Say it’s early. It’s not a refusal; it’s on hold.”
“Early? Is that so?”
“Of course, there’s plenty of Silocivin. Even if we refine the current stock, assuming Her Majesty takes it three times a week, it will last for over ten years. However, what the empress truly desires is not just that small amount of mushroom powder.”
“…”
“Even if you convey my words honestly, the empress will understand.”
“Yes.”
The empress’s prelude, stepping back with a confused expression.
In the Hwanghu War, there was not even a hint of dissatisfaction, but rather a silent acquiescence. It meant that the request was not made out of a genuine need for Silocivin.
Until when, I won’t just float along like this; the real deal of initiation is bound to come.
Soon, I might request to confirm the date for the award ceremony for Sanghun, or perhaps, I might try to invite you to an imperial official event. It could be a self-selection event for military personnel or a dinner party inviting foreign ambassadors.
Just by attending such events, half of the Empress’s goals would be achieved through me.
However, right now, I couldn’t afford the time to speculate on the Empress’s inner thoughts.
It wasn’t because I was ignoring it, nor was it because I was busy requesting distillation facilities.
“…Um, President Alan? I went to deliver medicine to Leon Rotherdale just now and heard something strange. At first, I dismissed it as nonsense, but the more I think about it, the stranger it seems. I thought you should know, sir.”
It was a staff member reporting with a puzzled expression.
Leon, the original protagonist, had been receiving medicine for free for a few months. I had the staff provide him with regular doses of drowsiness and confusion twice a day.
The condition was maintaining a certain grade in the swordsmanship department.
So far, he had been somewhat obedient, but judging by the employee’s expression, he didn’t seem to be in good shape. If he had been begging for more medicine to the extent that he didn’t even report it to me, then.
I hesitated for a moment and decided to check on his situation.
It was something that had to be addressed sooner or later. It was best to resolve it when there was some room for maneuver.