[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-building-a-viking-empire-with-modern-industry":3,"chapter-building-a-viking-empire-with-modern-industry-building-a-viking-empire-with-modern-industry-chapter-160":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"english","Building a Viking Empire with Modern Industry",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},1365149,1804,"Chapter 160: London Branch Office","building-a-viking-empire-with-modern-industry-chapter-160",160,"\u003Cp>WHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the bridge, merchants dropped their baskets. Horses reared and threw their riders. The very timbers of the bridge seemed to vibrate in terror.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Again,\" Ragnar ordered. \"Longer this time.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>WHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>By the time the Leviathan dropped anchor opposite the Tower of London, the entire city had gathered on the banks.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They stood in stunned silence, staring at the black iron wall floating in their river. They had seen ships.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They had seen fire. But they had never seen a ship that ate fire and breathed smoke.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ragnar descended the gangplank, his leg brace clanking softly with each step.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He was flanked by General Bjorn and a squad of \"Security Contractors\" armed with the new Mark II Repeating Crossbows.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Waiting for them on the muddy shore was a delegation of West Saxons.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At their head stood King Aethelwulf, looking tired, mud-stained, and thoroughly depreciated. Beside him stood the captain of the Swiss Mercenaries, a man in flashy slashed silk who looked at the iron ship with professional curiosity.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You have broken the chain,\" Aethelwulf said, his voice hoarse.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You have shelled my batteries. And now you park this... abomination on my doorstep. What do you want, Ragnar?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ragnar adjusted his monocle, looking at the King as if he were a line item in a ledger that needed correcting.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I want a meeting, King Aethelwulf. Regarding the mismanagement of the Midlands assets.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Swiss Captain stepped forward, hand on his massive zweihänder.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"My contract says I am to stop invaders. You look like an invader.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ragnar turned his gaze to the mercenary. \"And your contract is with a man who is currently borrowing money from the Franks to pay you. I, on the other hand, own the silver mines in Dublin and the coal mines in Scotland. I can pay you not to fight. In cash. Today.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Swiss Captain paused. He looked at Aethelwulf. He looked at the iron ship. He looked at Ragnar’s confident smirk.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I am listening,\" the Captain said.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Aethelwulf’s face turned purple.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You traitorous—!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Efficiency, Your Majesty,\" Ragnar interrupted, tapping his cane on a loose cobblestone. \"Now, shall we discuss this inside? The air out here is bad for my suit.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The negotiation took place in the Great Hall of the Tower. It was a drafty, stone room filled with dusty tapestries... a stark contrast to the heated, gas-lit offices of City Titan.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ragnar sat at one end of the table, Elfwynn at his right. Aethelwulf sat opposite, fuming.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"This is an act of war,\" Aethelwulf spat.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You cannot hold Mercia. You cannot pay your debts. And you cannot stop my ship.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Aethelwulf looked at Elfwynn, who was calmly laying out a map of the Thames on the table. He sneered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"And since when do Vikings bring their scullery maids to a war council? Have you run out of men?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The room went silent. General Bjorn’s hand drifted to his axe. Ragnar’s expression didn’t change, but the temperature in the room seemed to drop ten degrees.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Elfwynn didn’t flinch. She simply looked up from her map, pushed her glasses up her nose, and addressed the King.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Your Majesty, this ’scullery maid’ designed the engine that just broke your blockade. I also calculated the trajectory of the shell that destroyed your shore battery. If you like, I can calculate the exact amount of powder needed to collapse this tower on top of us. It is... surprisingly little.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Aethelwulf blinked, taken aback by the woman’s cold, analytical tone.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ragnar smiled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"She is my Chief Engineer, Aethelwulf. In my Directorate, rank is determined by competence, not by what is between your legs. A concept you would do well to adopt.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ragnar leaned forward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Now. Let us talk about the London Tariff.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Tariff?\" Aethelwulf asked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"My ship needs coal,\" Ragnar explained.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"My crew needs food. And my time... my time is expensive. You will lower the toll for all Directorate ships to zero. You will grant us a plot of land here, on the riverbank, to build a Trading Post.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"A trading post?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"A warehouse,\" Ragnar corrected. \"With a dock. And a wall. And perhaps a small garrison to protect our inventory.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You want to build a fortress in my capital!?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I want to build a Branch Office,\" Ragnar said smoothly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Call it what you will. But look at it this way, Aethelwulf. If you agree, I will tell the Scots to stop raiding your northern border. I will sell you high-grade steel for your knights. And I will even offer you a discount on the glass needed to replace all the windows my whistle just shattered.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Aethelwulf looked at his advisors. They were pale. The Swiss Captain was busy inspecting his fingernails, clearly having mentally resigned from the conflict.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"And if I refuse?\" Aethelwulf whispered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ragnar gestured to the window, where the smokestacks of the Leviathan were visible, belching black clouds.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Then I instruct Elfwynn to conduct a ’Stress Test’ on the Tower’s foundations. With the main cannon.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Aethelwulf slumped in his chair.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Fine,\" the King grunted. \"Take your land. Build your... office.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Excellent,\" Ragnar stood up, extending his hand. Aethelwulf hesitated, then shook it. It felt like shaking hands with a machine.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As they walked back to the ship, Elfwynn was practically skipping.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Did you see his face, Director? When I mentioned the structural integrity?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I did,\" Ragnar chuckled. \"You handled the negotiations perfectly. Although, threatening to drop the building on us was a bold strategy.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They reached the gangplank, where the Swiss Captain was waiting.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Director Ragnar,\" the mercenary said, tipping his hat. \"About that payment...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"General Bjorn will handle the payroll,\" Ragnar said, dismissing him. \"Welcome to the payroll, Captain.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They boarded the ship, and Ragnar immediately went to the quarterdeck to inspect the \"land\" he had just acquired.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was a muddy stretch of bank, filled with rotting fishing boats.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"It’s a dump,\" Elfwynn noted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"It’s Prime Real Estate,\" Ragnar corrected.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Elfwynn, I want you to draft the blueprints. We need a deep-water pier. A crane. And a warehouse big enough to store five hundred tons of coal.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"And the walls?\" she asked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Concrete,\" Ragnar said, his eyes gleaming with the memory of City Titan. \"Reinforced with rebar. Just like home.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He looked at the mud.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"We will start by draining the swamp. Then, we drive the piles. London is built on wood and mud, Elfwynn. We are going to build on Iron and Stone.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Suddenly, Elfwynn stepped closer to him. The adrenaline of the negotiation was fading, replaced by a warm sense of victory.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Without thinking, she reached out and brushed a speck of dust from Ragnar’s black tunic.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You were... impressive back there, Director.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ragnar froze. It was a small gesture, intimate in its own way. He looked down at her. The grease was still on her cheek.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her eyes behind the spectacles were bright and intelligent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"We were impressive, Elfwynn,\" Ragnar corrected softly. \"The Brand is strong.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Elfwynn blushed, realizing she had crossed the professional boundary again. She quickly pulled her hand back.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I... I should go check the boiler pressure. For the return trip.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Do that,\" Ragnar nodded, turning back to the river. \"We have a schedule to keep.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As she hurried away, Ragnar tapped his cane on the deck.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The blockade was broken. The branch office was secured. The mercenaries were bought.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And for the first time, Ragnar realized that building an empire was a lot more interesting when you had someone competent to share the blueprints with.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Bjorn!\" Ragnar barked, breaking his own reverie.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The General appeared instantly. \"Director?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Send a wire to Titan. Tell them to double the production of cement. We’re going to need it.\"\u003C\u002Fp>",1279,"2026-06-05T21:25:06.413Z",1,"novelbin.me","b5176807207586ea408212ead90c630454b23e8dfe4480f5837d237838f52373","building-a-viking-empire-with-modern-industry-chapter-161","building-a-viking-empire-with-modern-industry-chapter-10",357,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fbuilding-a-viking-empire-with-modern-industry-cover.jpg"]