"Now, let's talk about our enemies"
"Like I have already said, our main enemy is the Fiore imperial family, but we all know that it won't just be them that we will be fighting"
Everyone nodded and Alex continued
"The moment we start a rebellion, it won't just be the forces of the Imperial family coming after us, but also the forces of other dukedoms and nobles. That's why we need as much information as possible on not just the imperial family and it's force but on all the others force that constitutes this empire!" Stated Alex.
"Not just the forces that constitutes this empire, but also others forces outside the empire, be it allies or enemies of the Empire" Candace added.
Alex nodded
"Yes, we need to perfectly know our enemies to be able to deal with him no matter what he throws at us"***
"And how does he want us to obtain all that information?" asked En to Nox but spoke in a loud voice so that everyone could hear him.
"Perhaps he wants us to barge into their territories and say, 'Hey, can you give us every piece of information about you? It's for the greater good!'" replied Nox before the both of them burst into laughter.
"Haa, I'm starting to think that it was better to let them leave; it's really a chore to work with idiots," said Alex with a sigh.
"Hey, you-"
"You know, those heads of yours are meant to be used. They are not just here to adorn your body," cut Alex with ridicule in his voice.
Before they could retort, Alex was already speaking:
"There are many methods to obtain information: rumors from locals, using scouters to observe enemies' activities, infiltration, kidnapping some of the enemies' guards to interrogate them, and most of all, buying information. I'm sure there are organizations that sell information, right?"
"Yes, there are many organizations that specialize in gathering and selling information. The most renowned and reliable amongst them should be the 'Spectre' organization, but their services are not cheap, and it's basically a pain in the ass to get in contact with them," replied Candace with an annoyed expression.
'From her expression, I guess she had tried and failed to get in contact with this Spectre organization,' thought Alex.
"This organization is known among the nobles since you can even buy information about noble families and even on the imperial family, but like I said, their services are not cheap."
"Hence the importance, as I mentioned, of money" said Alex.
"But can we really trust such an organization? What guarantees us that they won't sell information about us, like informing our enemies that we are buying information on them," said Amelia.
"We don't necessarily need to trust them," answered Alex.
"Huh? What do you mean?"
"I don't know anything about those organizations, but I'm sure that they wouldn't exist anymore if they sold information about their contractors to others, am I right?" asked Alex as he glanced at Candace.
"Yes, they don't sell the information of their contractors. Of course, they won't sell information about you unless it's related to the task you have given them, like selling the information to your enemies that you are buying information on them. But other than that, they will still sell information about you."
"I understand".
"If we are going to buy informations, then I suggest that we buy them from Spectre" said Candace.
"Why?"
"They might be a pain in the ass to get in contact with, but like I said, they are the most reliable of the organizations that gather and sell informations. Unlike the others organizations, you sign a soul contract with them, if they betray you, they die. Of course it goes both ways" Candace answered.
"A soul contract huh, interesting" Alex commentated.
Alex might not be the most cultivated person here, but even him knew what a soul contract was.
Basically, it's a contract that both parties sign while bearing the god of contract guarantees; if either party betrays the other, their soul is confiscated by the god of contracts, which means their death.
Truth be told, Alex had thought about making the members of the branch sign a soul contract before revealing his plans for war to them, but he ultimately decided against it.
The reason he decided against it was that the members of the branch might think that he didn't trust them, and so, they also wouldn't trust him back, which is bad since they need to be united if they want to win against the empire.
"We are not obligated to buy information. Like I said, there are many ways to gain information; we will speak about which methods to use later," said Alex.
Feeling that enough has been said for today, Alex cleared his throat and announced :
"Let's summarize what we spoke about, and then each of us can share their thoughts," Alex said. "We will wage war on the Fiore empire in a few years. For that, we need to create a secret organization whose goal would be to sell potions made of smoke that I create and technologies created by Scarlett."
"We will sell our products in an auction house to avoid attracting unwanted attention. We need strong soldiers for the coming war, which is why they will be trained by Lilia."
"And finally, we need to obtain as much information as possible about our enemies."
"Although there are still many other things to consider when preparing for war, let's stop at those preparations, at least until our branch becomes the principal branch."
"In three days, I will inform you if I managed to bottle up smoke or not. At the same time, those of you who doubt the competencies of my wife will fight her in a hand-to-hand battle. Is that clear?" asked Alex as he descended from the platform.
Everyone nodded their heads in agreement.
"Good, now if you would excuse me, I need to attend to my husband's duties."
As he said this, Alex walked towards Lilia, scooped her up, and left the meeting room.
"What did he mean by- oh," when she realized what Alex meant, Talia's face flushed red.
Not just hers, but the faces of the majority of women in the room suddenly became red.
"Haaa, this boy really doesn't know what shame means," sighed Adrian with a wry smile.