The Arren Industrial Syndicate was too large, too wealthy, and too necessary to be easily seized, but the fundamental risk remained: a capricious King or Duke could, on a whim, declare the rail tariff unfair, nationalize the power grid, or simply execute the "upstart Viscount" for treason. Alex's protection—contracts and dispersed shares—was only as strong as the government's willingness to honor the law.
"Feudalism is a highly unstable system with poor risk management protocols," Alex observed, looking at the Royal Family tree. "The system is based on birthright, not merit, and the next ruler could dismantle fifty years of progress with a single, irrational decree. We need to introduce governance redundancy."
Alex's goal was not to overthrow the King, but to democratize the decision-making process—to force the King to rule by consensus and established law, not by fiat.
Alex began his political campaign by leveraging his greatest assets: his Shareholders and the New Middle Class.
* The House of Capital (Shareholders): Alex first proposed the creation of a Council of Economic Advisors made up of the Syndicate's largest, most influential shareholders (including Baron Tarsus and Lady Lyra). This council would advise the King on all matters of taxation, trade, and infrastructure. By framing it as "protecting the King's revenue stream," Alex gave his investors direct political power.
* The House of Labor (Foremen): Simultaneously, he leveraged the political loyalty of the New Middle Class—the highly paid, literate, and organized Foremen, Section Managers, and Certified Steelworkers of New Arren. Alex began lobbying for a new Royal Charter that would grant representation to these non-noble, tax-paying citizens. He argued they were the true economic engines of the realm and deserved a voice in how their taxes were spent.
The resulting political structure was the Dual Chamber System: the old nobility (the King's Court) would be balanced by a new General Assembly.
The key to the entire transition was the Charter of Commercial Law, which Alex drafted and presented to the King. The Charter contained two critical, non-negotiable points:
* Rule of Law: All laws pertaining to commerce, property, contracts, and taxation must be ratified by the new General Assembly. This immediately shielded the Syndicate's contracts and patents from the King's personal intervention.
* Eminent Domain Clause: The Crown could only seize private property (like the railway or the power station) for "public necessity," and only after providing fair market compensation as determined by a panel of economists (i.e., Hemlock and his proxies). This made nationalization economically impossible.
The King initially resisted, viewing the Charter as a reduction of his divine power.
***
Alex did not threaten military force; he threatened economic collapse.
He subtly used his control over the kingdom's economy:
For one hour, the entire Royal Capital experienced a planned, city-wide electric power flicker—just enough to halt the new trams and momentarily plunge the city into darkness. Alex blamed a "minor fault in the grid infrastructure that could not be repaired without the stability guaranteed by the Charter."
Simultaneously, the Iron Horses of the rail line mysteriously experienced a "maintenance synchronization period," halting all freight deliveries of food and raw materials to the Capital for six hours.
The King, accustomed to the smooth, silent operation of his modern kingdom, immediately felt the terrifying dependence on the Arren Industrial Syndicate. A few hours of minor inconvenience proved more compelling than years of negotiation. The King signed the Charter, effectively trading absolute power for guaranteed stability and revenue.
The kingdom was formally reformed into a Constitutional Monarchy, where the King retained his title, but the true power—the power of the purse, contracts, and commercial law—now resided in the new, merchant-heavy General Assembly. Alex, the architect of the system, became the most powerful private citizen in the world.
Next priority: The threat of the original novel's villain. The kingdom is stable, but the war's true antagonist—the powerful Northern Sorcerer and his magical armies—is about to enter the scene. Alex must now bridge the gap between science and magic to protect his corporate empire.