"With my knowledge and experience, I will create a company and sect that will command thousands, if not millions of cultivators! That will be power!"
"..." The younger Dylan stood dazed. Those words moved him. He could feel pure ambition and drive to achieve the things he had set out to do.
In his eyes, he saw a glimpse of that future. Countless cultivators standing behind Dylan Ford as they await his orders. The moment Dylan Ford clenched his fist, he genuinely felt like he could see it happening.
Rationality gave the younger Dylan push back as he said, 'What he's saying is crazy?! Creating a sect where he can control cultivators stronger than him? Couldn't they simply kill him? Is he not just being delusional?'
'Did he not tell me not to be delusional since life was never that easy.' He recalled that there were similarities with how optimistic they sound.
Like how he claimed that they were the successors of the Cosmic God due to them being connected with the mansion, his ambition of creating a sect that could control cultivators to do his bidding seemed to be simply wishful thinking.
'Yet, why does it feel different from what I have just said?' He felt a disconnect somewhere the more he thought about it.
Then, realization hit him, 'I deluded myself out of convenience... Without even needing to prove myself, I simply declared that we were the rightful successor to the Cosmic God. Simply because we were somehow connected to this space... I wished for an easy route...'
'Yet, he knew full well of the hardships and his current situation. He did not wallow in despair. Instead, he thought of ways around it, no, to overcome it. It is as though regardless of the hell he must endure, he will persevere and he will achieve his goal one way or the other.'
'Is it belief in oneself?' The younger Dylan thought to himself. 'He supplements his belief with a clear vision. He is willing to do the required effort and action in order to fulfill his ambition.'
Delusion and ambition goes hand in hand.
That was the crucial difference. Delusion was a soft, cowardly thing. It is similar to a blanket thrown over reality to hide from the cold truth of one's own insignificance. It was believing the universe owed you a throne simply because you had stumbled into the royal court.
But ambition?
Ambition was a blade carved out of that same delusion, tempered by the brutal recognition of how weak you currently were, and driven into the chest of fate. Dylan Ford wasn't ignoring the impossible odds; he was staring directly into the abyss of his own mortality and deciding to build a bridge across it anyway.
"Share this ambition with me!" Seeing the younger Dylan contemplate for a while now, Dylan Ford offered.
"Why feel the need to ask me even?"
"You are the owner of this body of course. So I am treating this as a business deal. If you allow me to use your body for this ambition of mine, I assure you that this will be a guaranteed success with wealth and fortune, far more imaginable than anything you have ever seen."
"Is this because you're from another world?"
"Another world? Hmmm, I see so you've also gone through my memories." Dylan Ford immediately understood that he must have also seen his own memories.
"Yes, I have." The younger Dylan nodded.
"Indeed, this helps make my case easier then. The knowledge that I have from my world and my experience as a successful businessman are my foundations for this ambition. Call it egotistical but I am certain I will succeed."
"I have some concerns..." The younger Dylan pointed out his main concern, "Isn't it too optimistic to assume that these cultivators would follow you willy-nilly? Let's say we have created a company or sect that amassed overwhelming wealth and influence of the same magnitude. Could they not just simply kill you instead?"
Dylan Ford saw that the younger Dylan is showing interest, despite the skepticism. So he explained. "Seems like you're entertaining the idea. That sect is of course a long-term goal. It's not the direction we are immediately going for."
"Then, what is?"
Dylan Ford further explained, "The first plan is to create a business that is sustainable and we can immediately profit from, like for example, a food business or restaurants, leveraging our cooking skills."
The younger Dylan asked, "How certain are you that you can create a successful restaurant?"
Dylan reassured that the recipes and cuisines he will serve will surely be sensational, "I bring new and novel dishes that is completely different from what is typically served in this world. Humans are curious creatures, they will be naturally drawn to the unknown! These are dishes that are sought after by the human's palate, proven true by generations of people. I am one hundred percent certain that this will be a sensation over night."
"I see... True, curiosity is always a big motivator for a lot of people." The younger Dylan agreed to his
Dylan proceeded to list milestones for his roadmap, "From this business, we build of group of subsidiaries such as delivery services, catering services, and franchises. When these subsidiaries start to profit, we expand and diversify to unrelated industries. Then, we finally create a conglomerate that will amass wealth and influence. Of course, there is bound to be a lot of hiccups along the way but what is important is to work towards these milestones!"
"And, that's the sect?" The younger Dylan asked.
"No, we will be using that conglomerate that to build the sect." Dylan Ford corrected.
"Why?" The younger Dylan was confused.
"To address the concern you had about being killed, of course." Dylan Ford smiled.
Then, he began to elaborate his ambition, "We will use a point organization that will completely hide us, the founders while controlling the cultivators behind the scenes. It is a system built on strict anonymity and meritocracy! Instead of managing cultivators through personal might, we manage them through an ecosystem they cannot break without destroying themselves. Members will operate under code names. They will never see the us, leader, nor will they know our true strength."
He covered his hand over his mouth to demonstrate anonymity as he continued, "We use anonymity to create this veil of mystery. Erasing any sort of connection that we may have with the sect. Our mysterious background will make them hesitate to make a move on the leader since only an accomplished cultivator would be able to amass such wealth and influence but in reality we will be able to achieve this through the conglomerate!"
Dylan Ford spread his arm to emphasize the scope of the system. "They overarching system will be all that they will be knowledgeable of that dictates their livelihood. We will issue an internal, proprietary point currency earned exclusively through missions, quotas, and contributions to the conglomerate. Missions could also extend to partnerships and alliances with other sects and if we grow large enough, to nations!"
"These points buy things that brute force cannot steal," He closed his hands and then started to slowly open them for every resource or benefit these people can get with the points." Rare cultivation resources, distinguished cultivation techniques, intelligence networks, and access to secret resources. If one of those cultivator kills us, the system locks forever, rendering their accumulated wealth and points entirely useless. These incentives will be the main allure of the sect."
Then, he gestured a beheading gesture over his own neck to drive home his point. "Therefore, in this system, killing the sect head will constitute to the complete collapse of this system, causing an economic suicide. This would even rouse the ire of the fellow cultivators who are benefitting from this sect!"
"More than that, we exploit the structure to foster internal rivalry." Dylan Ford placed his hands in arm level as he emphasized the rivalry with both his hands. He punched his right fist into his open left palm to show that he will be pitting those monstrous cultivators at each other.
"Rank and privileges will be tied directly to their point standings. Rather than looking upward at us with thoughts of rebellion, these monsters will look sideways at each other, perpetually competing for higher positions within the rules we set to get their desired award from our treasury!"
"And for those who seek more than just gain like the rogue cultivators, the discarded talents, the outcasts hunted by major sects, we offer them an identity." Then, he started enumerating with his fingers once more to indicate the individuals and groups he mentioned as he clasped his hands together to demonstrate a community. "A sanctuary that judges them purely on merit rather than bloodline. We turn the point system into a community of brothers, not individuals with similar experiences."
"They supply the muscle and we supply the vision, the logistical shield, and the purpose." He raised his fists to emphasize the "muscle" and point at his brain.
"They cannot afford to kill us, because we make ourselves the indispensable brain that keeps their world turning. We will build a system of reliance and profit, founded upon the mutual interest and benefit of all its members, that allows us to command countless cultivators!" With a confident smile, he made of another oratorical spread and ended it by grabbing the mid-air as though he was about to seize the world.
"THAT is how we will create power and influence, my friend!" Dylan said with great ambition and a burning desire for greatness!
"..." The younger Dylan could only listen in silence as he was stunned by the sheer calculated depth of Dylan's plans.
He got swept by the aura that Dylan Ford showed when delivering that impassioned speech. For a moment, he genuinely felt like he was able to imagine the entirety of Dylan's speech.
'His ambition is not founded in some fantasy of dominance. It comes from a cold, well-thought cage made of incentives, anonymity, and human desire. He takes into account human psychology and he benefits from them.' He realized that Dylan Ford wasn't planning to fight monsters he was going to make the monsters fight amongst themselves within his organization due to its structure.
'He is the monster....' He shuddered after realizing the meticulousness of said plan.