Victor Stone had secured his Eastern Frontier. His Stone Forge Asia was rapidly coming online under the watchful, newly efficient eyes of Dr. Thorne, and his Stone Security Division (SSD) was guarding the physical perimeter. He commanded vast resources, but the T-Rank imperative was always expansion.
"The territory is claimed, Counselor, but the enemy still breathes," Victor stated. "We must leverage our superior efficiency to establish absolute, undeniable market dominance. I require a Dual Spearhead Campaign."
Joshua, armed with International Law & Trade (A-Rank) and the full suite of T-Rank skills, was prepared for the complexity.
Spearhead One: Supply Chain Lockout (Resource Strangulation)
"Resource control is fundamental," Victor declared, looking at the spreadsheet detailing the Vietnamese market. "Our competitors rely on a shared pool of raw materials—lithium, copper, specialized battery components. We must seize the supply lines and ensure our competitors are starved of necessary resources."
"This is a legal maneuver, Victor, but highly aggressive," Joshua confirmed. "We will use a portion of our liquid capital—$100,000—to acquire long-term, exclusive supply contracts from key mining and refining operations in the region."
Joshua initiated the complex series of contracts, using the International Law & Trade skill to construct non-compete clauses and bulk purchase guarantees that legally locked up the regional supply of core EV conversion materials for the next three years.
[TASK COMPLETE: SUPPLY CHAIN STRANGULATION EXECUTED.]
The immediate effect was not an internal profit surge, but a catastrophic supply shortage for every rival EV conversion firm in Southeast Asia. Competitors were suddenly paying 300% premiums for materials Victor was getting at cost, crippling their ability to deliver vans.
Spearhead Two: Market Decimation (Pricing Warfare)
The second spearhead was pure, brutal efficiency made manifest in the market.
"A starved enemy is still a threat if their price point is competitive," Victor argued. "We must deliver the ultimate weapon: a product of superior quality at an unsustainable price."
Victor directed his attention to the Stone Forge Asia operational plan. The combination of cheap materials (due to the supply lockout) and Dr. Thorne's ruthless implementation of the Manufacturing Optimization Protocol (MOP) meant that Stone Forge Asia could produce a converted van for 45% less than the market average.
"We will immediately undercut all competition by 20%," Victor commanded. "This price point remains highly profitable for us, but for our competitors, struggling with material costs and outdated processes, it is a death knell."
The strategy was flawless. The rivals, unable to secure raw materials and facing a 20% cheaper, T-Rank-efficient competitor, began collapsing. Within one month, Stone Logistics and Stone Forge Asia had effectively acquired 90% of the regional EV conversion market through a process of enforced efficiency and strategic starvation.
[TASK COMPLETE: REGIONAL MARKET DOMINANCE ACHIEVED VIA DUAL SPEARHEAD.]
[EPIC GOOD DEED ACHIEVED: MAXIMIZED GLOBAL PROFIT AND T-RANK TERRITORY LOCKOUT.]
[SYSTEM POINTS (SP) AWARDED: +175]
[CURRENT SP: 350]
The Ultimate Acquisition
Victor Stone's empire had ballooned. His portfolio now exceeded $1.5 million, his domestic and international businesses were monopolies, and he commanded a private security force.
"The Eastern Frontier is secured," Victor announced, his voice vibrating with finality. "But dominance is not static. We have removed the external competition, but the internal political friction remains a threat. We purchased the local political asset, but we did not assimilate the system."
He looked at Joshua, a new, daunting ambition in his eyes.
"I require the ultimate Tangible Honor acquisition," Victor declared. "Not a factory, not a warehouse, but a Government. I must purchase a territory so small, so unstable, that my accumulated wealth can acquire the entire operational structure. I require a nation that I can govern under T-Rank efficiency principles. Find me a small, bankrupt island nation, Counselor."
Victor is now aiming for the ultimate form of Tangible Honor: the legal purchase of a sovereign nation. Joshua has a massive 350 SP and the International Law & Trade (A-Rank) skill.