Chapter 26: Civil War?

The golden rays of morning pierced the misty mountain air as the Sect of the Verdant Ember awakened to the sound of clinking tools, distant hammering, and the hum of prosperity. The once-small village had transformed into a commercial and cultivation powerhouse — caravans rolled out hourly, stocked with potions, enchanted weapons, and rare herbs processed in Lee-oh's factories.

But not all was quiet beneath the hum of progress.

Lee-oh stood at the map table in the war chamber, eyes tracing lines with furrowed brows. Daey-ib, standing beside him, unfolded a fresh report — the southern front had grown suspiciously still.

"Too still," Lee-oh muttered. "They aren't waiting. They're planning."

Daey-ib tapped a mark on the parchment — the southern army had moved their camps subtly, now forming a crescent aimed not at the main city, but at the heart of the supply line: Verdant Ember Sect.

"They're coming for us," Daey-ib said grimly.

But Lee-oh smiled.

"We'll bleed them dry before their blades even taste our borders."

Two weeks earlier, under the pretense of alliance, Lee-oh had flooded the markets of nearby allied kingdoms with addictive but harmless minor potions — stamina elixirs, vitality boosters, appetite suppressants. The goods were sold dirt cheap at first, outcompeting native businesses. Then, once demand spiked, prices rose. Slowly, stealthily, the sect's factories became the economic heartbeat of the continent.

Even the noble houses had begun requesting custom orders — a noble from the west had just paid 10,000 gold for a potion said to delay aging.

Daey-ib, now managing the finances, had grown into a tycoon himself — his quick wit and silent demeanor made him formidable in negotiation. Gold flowed like rivers into the sect.

But they weren't hoarding it.

Every coin was reinvested — into upgrading sect defenses via the system, into research of rarer potions, into building hidden tunnels under the mountain base, and into expanding their spy network. Lee-oh had learned: war wasn't won with swords — it was won with foresight and coin.

Back in the war chamber, Lee-oh waved his hand, and the system interface bloomed in the air.

[SYSTEM UPGRADE AVAILABLE]Tier IV – Sect-Wide Resource AmplificationRequires: 10 Million PointsCurrent: 12.3 Million PointsProceed?

Lee-oh didn't hesitate. "Proceed."

A surge of green light flashed through the air. Somewhere deep in the factory vaults, machines hummed louder, gears clicked faster, herbs grew more potent, and potions doubled in quality.

"Phase two," Lee-oh said, turning to Daey-ib. "Start drying their economies."

Daey-ib nodded and walked out, silently handing letters to couriers — orders to increase potion prices tenfold, to delay shipments subtly, and to offer 'loans' to the allied governments who were now dependent on their supplies.

They weren't just allies anymore — they were clients. Trapped by addiction to Lee-oh's products and unaware of the silent leash around their necks.

But even as their plan unfolded, a southern scout entered a ruined outpost deep in the jungle. There, beneath the roots, he discovered something unexpected — an abandoned crate of Verdant Ember potions, clearly meant to be buried. A trap? A discard?

Inside was a letter — sealed in Lee-oh's wax crest.

The scout opened it, and as his eyes widened in shock, the scene cut to black.