"Your Majesty," Sergei said as he proffered a missive to Alexander, "a letter has arrived from Istanbul."
Alexander took the correspondence and scanned its contents. He emitted a snort. "The proposal has been met with success. The oil-mining companies of the Ruthenian Empire have been granted exclusive rights to extract oil from their oil-rich fields. Mark my words, Sergei, he who holds sway over this black gold holds sway over the world."
"I comprehend the gravity of the situation, Your Majesty," Sergei concurred, nodding in approval. "Oil is an indispensable commodity, without which life would be a harsh and inhospitable experience. It is also the ones that make a country economically strong. This recent development brings us one step closer to controlling the Bosphorus Strait, does it not?"
