The moment the gates of the bamboo wall slid shut, I extended my senses. I used the Heavenly Whispervine I had just planted along the perimeter.
The vine acted like a massive nervous system. It picked up vibrations, sound waves, and heat signatures, transmitting them back to me through our shared Qi connection.
I "watched" the sisters.
As soon as my truck vanished around the bend, the atmosphere in the colony shifted.
"Get up," Mayah said to Sarah and Chloe.
"Did he leave?" Sarah asked, standing up and dusting off her knees.
"He's gone," Mayah said. "Chloe, check the perimeter. I want to know if there are any breaches in the bamboo. Sarah, inventory the supplies he left. If we're going to survive here, we need to know exactly what we have."
"He's crazy," Chloe muttered. "Leaving us here."
"He's powerful," Mayah corrected. "And he gave us a fortress. Stop complaining. We aren't victims anymore. We're governors. Now move."
I smiled as I drove down the dirt road.
The loyalty arc had been an act. A performance of helplessness designed to make me feel like a savior so I wouldn't view them as threats. They were manipulators.
And honestly? I preferred it this way.
I didn't need them to love me or be grateful. I needed them to be competent. A terrified victim would let the colony collapse. A ruthless opportunist like Mayah would keep it running just to ensure her own survival.
"Good luck, Governor," I whispered.
I decided to give them a housewarming present.
I activated [Dominion].
I visualized the cornstalks and Heavenly Tubers growing in my garden back at home. I visualized the empty patch of Spirit Soil in Adam.
It cost me a chunk of Qi, but the connection was instant. Through the Whispervine, I sensed the plants appearing in the colony, rooting themselves instantly in the rich soil.
I felt the sisters jump in surprise.
It was a food source, yes. But it was also a message: I see you. I can reach you. Do what you're told.
I called Sal.
"Boss?" Sal answered.
"The colony," I said. "When you build the structures, I want them to match the brand. Black steel. Neon accents. Bioluminescence. I want Adam to look like a slice of Eden."
"Biblical rainforest," Sal confirmed. "You got it."
I hung up and drove back to the city.
I sat down, opened my laptop, and logged into the secure government portal.
A new notification was flashing.
[Subject: The Partition of Detroit]
[To: Registered Faction Leaders]
I opened it. A high resolution map of the city loaded.
The map was color coded into five distinct territories.
- Sector 1 (Purple): Grosse Pointe. [Faction: Seaside]
- Sector 2 (Green): Midtown. [Faction: Eden]
- Sector 3 (White): The Northwestern Suburbs. [Faction: White Hill]
- Sector 4 (Red): The Southwestern Suburbs. [Faction: The Cove]
- Sector 5 (Grey): Downtown. [Faction: Government / Neutral Zone]
"Sector 2," I murmured. "I'm a landlord."
I scrolled down.
Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.
Governor Killstone invites the leaders of the Four Major Factions to a summit to discuss resource allocation and the new jurisdictional laws. Date and Time: To Be Announced.
Below the invitation was a registry. Each faction was required to list their primary "Specialization." The government wanted to know what utility we provided to the ecosystem.
I looked at the others.
Seaside (Mister O): Logistics.
White Hill (Axehill): Defense.
The Cove (Misty): Pharmaceutical.
Eden (Kaz): [Pending...]
I stared at the blinking cursor.
We were messy. We were a restaurant. We were a gas station. We were a store. We were a garden.
I looked at The Cove’s entry. Pharmaceutical. They must be producing potions or pills similar to my Alchemy products. If they cornered the market on medicine, and White Hill cornered defense, where did that leave me?
"We need a brand," I said. "A singular identity."
I thought about the grocery store on the second floor of the restaurant. It felt small. Like a souvenir shop.
If I wanted to sit at the table with warlords and tycoons, I couldn't just run a bodega.
I needed to be the spine of the city.
Restaurants were luxuries. Gas stations were utilities. But what did everyone need, every single day?
Supplies.
I typed a single word into the box.
Eden (Kaz): Supermarket.
I hit enter.
It sounded mundane compared to "Defense" or "Pharmaceutical." But the implications were massive.
I picked up my phone and called Aiya.
"Change of plans," I said.
"What now?" Aiya groaned.
"Tear down the upstairs grocery store," I said. "Use the second floor to expand the dining room. Make it a VIP lounge and exclusive."
"Okay... so where do we sell the produce? The supplements?"
"We don't sell them there," I said. "We build a dedicated facility."
I hung up before she could ask how much it would cost.
I grabbed my keys.
I drove to the vacant lot directly adjacent to the Eden Oil Up gas station.
I parked and got out, walking the perimeter of the chain link fence. The lot was massive—an old industrial scrapyard that had been cleared but never developed. Weeds cracked through the concrete.
I envisioned it.
A massive glass structure. Aisles of Heavenly Produce. Racks of monster parts sourced from Adam. Shelves of Healing Paste, Sustenance Pills, and Alchemy elixirs. A hardware section with batteries and tools. A pharmacy.
I would pull the Immortal Green Tea from the Auction House. No more middle men taking a cut. If you wanted to live a year longer, you came to Eden. You stood in line. You bought a membership.
This would be a monopoly on lifestyle.
If you needed groceries? Eden.
If you needed medicine? Eden.
If you needed gas? Eden.
I was mentally placing the front doors when a rumble shook the pavement.
A massive 18-wheeler rolled down the main road. It was painted a metallic purple. On the side, a logo of a stylized purple boat rotated.
Seaside Logistics.
"Speak of the devil," I whispered.
The truck ignored the speed limit. Beside were two SUVs with armed guards.
"Let's see what 'Logistics' actually means," I said.
I got back in the Terramotta and followed them.
I kept my distance. The truck drove out of Sector 2 and crossed the border into Sector 1.
The difference was immediate. The roads here were paved recently. The debris was gone. The streetlights were all functioning. Mister O ran a tight ship.
The truck led me toward the river.
We arrived at the Port of Detroit.
I pulled into a side street and watched. The port was alive. Massive cranes, powered by what looked like magic or high grade batteries, were unloading shipping containers from a freighter docked in the river.
My eyes widened.
"He bought the port," I realized.
The government must have sold it off when the collapse happened, unable to maintain it. Mister O had scooped it up.
That explained his wealth. That explained "Logistics." He controlled the flow of goods from outside the state, maybe even outside the country. He controlled the river.
I looked past the port, toward the water.
Belle Isle sat in the middle of the river. It used to be a park.
Now, it was a fortress.
In the center of the island, rising above the trees, was a structure that defied the old world’s architecture. It was a sprawling, purple, futuristic mansion with curved glass walls and landing pads for helicopters. It looked like a villain's lair from a sci-fi movie.
"So that's where you sleep," I said, staring at the mansion.
I had the map now.
Axehill was entrenched in the Arsenal to the north.
Mister O held the water and the port.
I held the center.
The only question mark left was Misty and The Cove. I hadn't seen her since the auction. "Pharmaceutical" implied a lab, maybe a hospital. She is located somewhere in the south. But looking for a hidden faction in a place that big was a waste of time.
I checked my phone. The registration for the meeting was confirmed.
Faction: Eden
Specialization: Supermarket
I looked at the port one last time—at the sheer scale of Seaside's operation.
"Enjoy your boats," I whispered, putting the truck in reverse. "I've got groceries to sell."