Riches and Bitches: I have a gate to an isekai and leveling-up system!

//Author's note: While the product's name, Chai, is intentionally alike tea in some languages, and while the situation might have some parallels to the trade imbalance between the British Empire and the Qing Empire, it is by no means a direct analogy (the details of the situation are entirely different and directly opposite in some parts).

So no, the following part of the story is by no means a reflection of the IRL history, period. That's it for the rant//

"First, our treasury. I believe you might not be aware, but a third of the empire's total budget goes towards securing a critical amount of chai. And it's connected to the matter of our national pride, for Chai is sold in abundance only in Nerelian market.

And ever since their invasion of the continent fifty years ago, they extended every effort possible to make our access to Chai as scarce as possible."

In just a few sentences, Etaria successfully threw everyone for a loop.

Chai? Did she mean tea? Or maybe it was some other herb… or maybe something entirely else?

Nerelian Market? So there was a Nerelian country? But wasn't the empire supposed to be the sole ruler of all the humans here? And if there are other continents, the empire is already aware of their existence?

And, first of all, there was some sort of great, blood feud between the empire and Nerelia that grew to the level of historical rivalry?!

"Haaaa…."

I breathed out a long sigh, letting go of the walkie-talkie's trigger way in advance.

"Isn't this like the conflict of the old Britain with China over their tea trade?" Makary muttered. He then squinted his eyes a little as he combed through his memory. "The one that laid the foundation of the later opium wars?"

"Seems like it," I nodded my head. "But I don't think we should stick with that assumption. It will only make it harder for us to see the truth if our guess proves to be wrong."

Whatever happened in Earth's history was a result of a set of extremely random and chaotic circumstances that compounded into the events that engraved themselves in the common memory.

In this world, the set of circumstances regarding this conflict was entirely different. Different personal dramas, different ambitions, different reasons and goals.

"What is that Chai to begin with?"

Sensing that our side stood silent for quite a while, I spoke out and asked for some more details.

While there were wars waged over a bucket or over something as simple as tea… I struggled to believe we just happened to chance upon one just like that.

For the sake of my own sanity, I decided to believe this chai wasn't just some tea people liked to drink but something of a much greater, strategic value.

"Wait, you don't know?!" Etaria freaked out quite a lot, given how easily I could tell it from her voice.

'Is it really that big of an issue?' I thought, turning a curious glance over to Madam, hoping she could shed some light on the issue.

Regretfully, the confused look she returned signified she didn't have a clue either.

"Chia, the herb to brew a relaxing tea…" The manner of Etaria's speech changed, growing hurried. "Just how would you ascend without it?!"

The confusion at the table only grew bigger.

"So you use that… herb… To help people ascend?" I carefully phrased my question, building it from the clues we've got from Etaria thus far.

"So you really don't know…" Etaria's voice deflated. "Yeah, it's one of its uses. But quite a lot of nobles and rich merchants fancy that drink, so it puts a really heavy strain on our treasure to try to source any amount of it through backward channels."

I took a deep breath.

'What was it about trying not to let assumptions get the better of us?' I ironically reflected on the decision I made myself mere moments ago.

"I guess that means all that talking about that strange, extinct flower you needed from the forest was just a bunch of horseshit, right?"

This time it was Etaria's turn to be silent for a little bit longer than it could be comfortable.

"That's how the real world works, kid," Etaria retorted… but due to how long it took her to come up with this response, not even her harsh, reprimanding voice could sell it.

"Yeah, yeah, so," I cut the needless chatter. "We will get your rank and file to work to the bone for three years, along with the responsibility to take care of them in the meantime.

What's more, your empire will neither interfere with what we do on the land all the way up to the frontier city, won't obstruct our actions within that city as long as they are within reason, and will not actively try to isolate us. What's more, your officers will be able to buy their freedom in exchange for resources and favors according to the list we will work out later."

I took a deep breath.

"In exchange, we will not pursue any further reparations for your invasion of the forest and will look into possible ways of either crossing the forest or, at the very least, providing you with a cheaper and more abundant alternative to that Chai of yours."

A moment of silence followed my words.

"Didn't the list of the demands grow considerably longer from when we last brought it up as a whole?" Etaria pointed out, her voice cracking from how hard she was trying to hold back her anger.

Well, I couldn't blame her. After all, I went from the talks of surrender and her desperate need to get more chai, whatever that thing could be… To me suddenly demanding a territorial cession of the land the Empire considers its own! What's more, I openly admitted I was going to meddle in at least one imperial city and barred the emperor from stopping me?

As the princess' silence prolonged, I finally allowed a small smile to take over my lips.

"Now, to phrase it in a less hostile way," I threw half-jokingly before clearing my throat and relaxing back in my chair while pulling the walkie-talkie closer, over my chest.

It was connected to the nearby truck's operating system, so Etaria's voice would come out from the truck's speakers anyway. But as the only microphone was contained in the device in my hand, I decided to bring it closer to my lips.

"We will take a huge number of men who are a threat to you and who do not contribute any productivity, and we will turn them into efficient workers that every city in your empire will desire. We will settle the lands that are currently not used, turning them into massive outposts for trade.

Throughout the network of your own merchants, we will acquire the assets we desire, always paying the fair price and not only boosting the imperial tax with our projects but also stimulating the economy even further."

I took a deep breath to calm myself down a bit.

'It's not good to get so heated over it,' I told myself, holding the breath in my lungs for a while to artificially bring my emotional state down.

"In ten years, if someone looks back at the world you have now and compare it with what we can make happen, they won't believe people used to be so dirt-poor and conflicted."

This time, I took a breath in order to let the princess absorb my words for some time.

"Princess Etaria, back during our last talk, I told you that I don't wish to go down the bloody path. I claimed it wouldn't sit with me well to kill all those people if it could be avoided. But the truth is, I couldn't care less about their deaths."

The sudden switch of my tone took even my own compatriots by surprise. To a degree, even Fay, despite her free access to my soul, twitched a little.

All because this change of the theme came to me as suddenly as it came to everyone who heard it.

"Back then, I also mentioned the path of cooperation, a path that I didn't bother to elaborate on," I continued to bring back the small details and hints I threw at the princess during our former debacle.

"You just did," Etaria snarly replied. Yet, while that proved her wits, it also revealed her slightly shaken state of mind.

For why else would she indulge in such a childish remark? What did it bring to the table? What was its purpose?

There was none. Or at least, they didn't lie within what Etaria said, but in why she spoke out at all.

And in my own opinion, she simply tried to buy herself some more time to process everything I was dropping on her.

"Listen, princess, and listen well. The bloody path ends with your entire army dead, the frontier city falling to our hands, and your empire starting a war it can't win. The cooperation path is all about getting everyone so filthy rich, your greatest problem will be where to stack the money you will be simply incapable of spending."

I took a deep breath, toning down the excitement that grew in my voice.

But how could I not get excited?

This was a fresh world, full of resources that no one even thought about tapping into! And that's just raw resources speaking, without a single mention of whatever other treasures hid on this side of my portal!

And right now, I was so close! So close to creating an entity that would ensure a life of lavish luxury for me and Fay, regardless of which world we would settle on living in!

'Am I growing a bit too conceited and greedy, or is it just me?' I thought to myself, but looked over at Fay's face in search of the answer.

Fay's lips trembled… and formed a small, cheeky grin.

Then, she gave me a single wink.

'This damn, little…'

I resisted the urge to groan from the welling storm of diabetes assaulting every cell of my body.

'Just how cute can you get with a single wink?!'

Distracted, I shook my head to regain my focus for the one, last push.

"Princess, if you decide to cooperate with us, we will use every means at our disposal to open the path for your empire to pay your invaders back. We will also do everything in our power to secure a stable source of Chia for you. And as a mere side-effect of our actions, we will bring the empire to an age of prosperity on a scale never recorded previously in your history."

I took a short breath, only to realize that before I could notice, the atmosphere around the table grew quite thick.

'Are they angry about the promises I'm making, or…'

I swallowed a gulp of saliva that gathered in my mouth. And so, I decided to bring my point to an end.

"That, or we can just kill you all and do all of that from the top of your graves."