August 1906
Alexei stepped out of the bathroom, towel in hand as he dried his hair. Clad in his bathrobe, he crossed the room and settled into the chair near the hearth, letting the warmth seep into him.
"You can go rest now, Anya," he said after noticing she was still around.
At his words, Anya reluctantly set the white wolf pup down on the cushion beside the other black. "Are you sure you can manage them, Your Highness? They might wake you in the middle of the night. If you prefer, I can let them sleep in my room and bring them back tomorrow."
He shook his head. "It's fine, Anya. If I can't handle them, I'll let you know."
Anya nodded and carefully tucked the wolf pups in. "Then I'll take my leave, Your Highness." She bowed and quietly exited the room.
Alexei watched the door close behind her before turning his attention back to the pups.
The lecture he received from his mother after that little episode was, to say the least, intense. He had forgotten that pranks and playful jokes were not exactly common, or appreciated, in this era. His mother, Alexandra, was furious that he had lied and even more so that he had brought wolf pups into the palace. When she discovered that he intended to keep them as pets, her anger and exasperation doubled. No matter what she said, Alexei refused to back down.
To strengthen his case, he even enlisted his sisters, who eagerly supported him in exchange for the small promise of new stories. Facing their united front, his father eventually stepped in to mediate and propose a compromise, if Alexei could not teach the pups to obey even a single command within three months, they would be released back into the wild.
His father then whispered to his mother that, if the opportunity arose, they would "accidentally" put the pups down. Alexei heard every word with his enhanced hearing but only smirked at that.
As if he would ever let that happen.
Alexei knew that this was only the beginning. There would be many more times in the future when he would need to stand his ground and disobey his parents. It was better, he thought, to let them experience it little by little, to show them what it was like to raise a teenage boy who was "not quite rebellious," but certainly not easy to control.
Keeping the wolf pups, however, had been more of an afterthought. He fully admitted to himself that caring for them would be costly and time-consuming, especially if he went through with the experiment he had in mind. But if it succeeded, the results could be a tremendous asset to his personal security in the future.
If they survived, He truly hoped they would.
There is only one method that he knows of that could bond him to the wolf pups. The most primitive, dangerous and the most costly for every cultivator. As it requires him to feed the pups with his blood essence.
The blood essence was the most precious possession of every cultivator aside from the dantian because it contains the cultivator's spiritual signature, will and life force. Extracting just a drop of blood essence from his body would reduce his life force and leave his body weak for a time. That was why the technique was so costly, and why few ever attempted it.
But Alexei believed it would be worth the price. If this bond allowed him to survive the trials ahead and grant him a companion that he could depend his life on, then the sacrifice of a little life force was a small one to make.
The blood essence was deadly for the one receiving it however. He needed to dilute it as much as he could if he wanted these pups to survive and live. Fortunately, he was only a level-three body cultivator, so he believed the weakened potency would be something they could endure.
Alexei rose to his feet once he had made up his mind. He picked up the milk bottle and the feeding nipples Anya had prepared, then walked over to the wolf pups and sat cross-legged on the floor. After settling himself, he closed his eyes and focused on his dantian. Carefully, he measured out a tiny amount of his blood essence, no more than one-tenth of a drop. When he was sure of the quantity, he began to separate it from the rest.
The moment he did, a wave of excruciating pain tore through him. It was the worst he had felt in this life, but he endured it. Steadying his breathing, he continued the process until the tiny portion finally came free. Guiding it toward his index finger, he lifted his hand above the milk bottle and pierced a small hole in his fingertip. A minuscule drop of blood fell. If not for his enhanced vision, he might have doubted that anything had actually left his finger.
Alexei felt something inside him weaken, as if a sliver of himself had been taken away. But he pushed the sensation aside, he wasn't finished yet. He stirred the milk using the small stick prepared earlier, making sure the essence was properly mixed. Then he poured a bit of it into the feeding nipples.
Only after everything was ready did he pause to catch his breath. It had only been a fraction of a drop, yet his body already felt lighter and weaker. Fortunately, he could still manage.
Once he had rested enough, he fed the pups. Having withheld their afternoon meal, they latched onto the nipples eagerly, drinking the milk with hungry determination.
It didn't take long for the pups to finish the milk. Alexei settled them on their cushion and before long, they fell asleep. Everything was in fate's hands now. If he woke the next morning to find them dead, he could only blame his own poor luck.
He didn't bother cleaning up the mess, he would leave that for Anya to handle tomorrow. His body was too weak and exhausted, and he desperately needed rest. Moving slowly, he walked toward his bed, slipped under the covers, and after shifting around until he found a comfortable position, he drifted off to sleep.
Alexei woke up the next day feeling weak and feeble, but he forced himself to get up and check on the pups. He walked toward them, crouched down, and observed them carefully. They, too, looked exhausted but at least they survived. Their tiny bodies trembling, and they let out soft whines from time to time, clear signs that they were in pain.
"Hold on a little longer and you guys will survive," he whispered, gently rubbing their fur with hands infused with qi and willing it to be soothing. Gradually, the pups relaxed, their trembling easing. After more than ten minutes of gentle rubbing, they finally drifted off to sleep.
They wouldn't survive another dose of his blood essence if he gave them another one later. He needed to wait until they recovered before proceeding until a full drop of blood essence was given. Maybe once a week, yes, that should do it. He wouldn't give them more than a single drop in total. He still wanted to live long enough, after all.
Alexei feigned to be tired and slightly ill throughout the entire morning just so he could stay in his room and recover. His act worked a little too well, his mother fussed over him constantly, even though she was still somewhat upset with him. She even brought a doctor to examine him, and when they found nothing serious, they reassured her that the tsarevich simply needed rest and would be fine.
Only then did his mother finally relax. She lingered for a moment longer before leaving to attend to her other duties, though not without casting a sour glance at the innocent pups resting in the corner. Alexei chuckled at that.
It was afternoon and he was resting in his bed when Sednev entered.
"Your Highness?"
"I'm awake. What is it?" Alexei asked.
"Pavel is outside, Your Highness. He's requesting a meeting to report his progress. I can tell him to return another time if you're still not feeling well," Sednev replied.
"No, send him in." Alexei rose from his bed.
"As you wish, Your Highness."
Sednev didn't leave immediately. Instead, he helped the tsarevich straighten his clothes and ensured he looked presentable before leaving.
Alexei could only shake his head before settling comfortably into the chair behind his desk.
After a short wait, Pavel Yurovsky entered and offered a respectful greeting.
"Good afternoon, Your Highness. My apologies, I wasn't aware you were unwell before coming."
"No worries. Come. Let's start immediately. You know I hate it if we don't get straight to the point of this meeting," Alexei said, gesturing for him to take the seat opposite the desk.
"Of course, Your Highness." Pavel stepped forward, sat down, and opened his briefcase. He retrieved several documents, arranged them neatly, and handed half of the stack to Alexei.
"These are the records of how many books have been sold up to July, Your Highness, figures for each title, as well as the data showing which city purchased the most."
He paused, allowing the tsarevich time to read the first set. Then he produced another group of papers and placed them carefully on the desk.
"These documents show our total earnings up to July, Your Highness. This month's numbers are not included yet. I'll have an updated report sent to you once we finalize the tally."
Alexei reviewed each document attentively. This was the very first business venture in the entirety of his lifetime, and although he was inexperienced, he was determined to see it succeed. He studied the figures, examined every detail he deemed important, and finally checked the total earnings since the business began.
"We only earned thirty five thousand rubles?" Alexei asked, eyebrows raised. He had imagined becoming wealthy with his own handiwork. Perhaps even swimming in money from his very first enterprise. But the truth, it seemed, had brought him back to reality.
Pavel cleared his throat and answered patiently. "We still have to pay the taxes and operating expenses. After deducting those, our net profit is roughly around twenty thousand rubles. You can check the figures below, Your Highness."
Alexei looked at the section detailing the profits. And he was disappointed that Pavel was correct. He thought he could earn millions in a short time with this venture alone. But it seemed it would take years before it was realized. Even with Anna and others drilling him of how much money was worth in this era. He still couldn't quite grasp the reality of it all as he was constantly reminded of the millionaires and billionaires from his first life. Added with the novels he read about reincarnators and transmigrators who made billions with their future knowledge. His earnings looked like a pittance when compared.
He took a slow breath, set the papers aside, and looked at Pavel. "What about overseas? How are we progressing on that front?"
"We've finished establishing our distribution networks in France, the German Empire, Great Britain, Italy, and the Austro-Hungarian Empire," Pavel reported, glancing at his notes. "Once the translations and prints of your books are complete, we can deliver them to these countries immediately. As for the United States, we still don't have a reliable contact there, Your Highness."
He hesitated before continuing. "Regarding our finances… The initial capital is almost depleted. We have only ten thousand rubles remaining. I don't believe that will be enough to print the number of copies planned for these foreign markets. We may need to use a portion of our profits moving forward."
Alexei rubbed his temples. He had expected expenses, especially that they are just starting. He thought for a moment before deciding. "Do it. In fact, we should expand our operations with the remaining money that we have including the profits. I already have two books ready for your proofreading and edits. I don't expect to get any profits in the first year of operation but I want to see our operations expand at least. In the future, we might have to hire writers to write all my ideas so we don't have to worry about lacking any work."
Seeing that Pavel was taking notes, he continued. "Also, I saw in the expenses that we are paying almost all our earnings in inks, papers and bookbinding materials. Look into these industries. When we have money in the future. We will buy a factory or two that produces these materials. Don't bother with the printing plates and blocks for now. That way, we're just paying money to our own company instead of handing it to others. I'm sure they'll raise their prices when they see that we are expanding our operations. It's better to be prepared. Did you get all that?"
Pavel couldn't help but look at the tsarevich newfound respect. He was thinking of suggesting the same thing as he was thinking of lessening the operating costs but it seemed it was not needed. His tsarevich already thought of the future problems that might arise. The rumors he heard around the palace and outside were far behind from what he saw. They didn't even do the tsarevich justice.
"Pavel, are you listening?" Alexei asked when he noticed Pavel staring at him oddly.
"Ah? my apologies, Your Highness. I drifted off for a moment. I've noted everything. May I offer a suggestion, Your Highness?" Pavel straightened and refocused.
Seeing he had Pavel's full attention again, Alexei nodded. "Go on."
"We could take out a bank loan, Your Highness. Everything you've outlined could be accomplished much sooner if we had more capital. We wouldn't need to wait for profits to accumulate. As you mentioned, we won't run out of manuscripts or content to publish, so the factories and operations would remain in business for a long time. With the IP's that we have and with your name, Your Highness. I'm sure many banks would line up to give us the money."
He observed Alexei's expression carefully. When the tsarevich appeared thoughtful rather than displeased, Pavel added, "What do you think, Your Highness?"
Alexei didn't answer immediately and pondered about it. Asking his father for more money was out of the question, he had already promised that he would grow the funds he was given into millions within a few years and would not need any further assistance. He intended to fulfill that promise no matter what.
After several minutes of careful consideration, he finally spoke. "You can take a loan but don't use my name in negotiations. This loan is too cheap for my name to be used. Don't you think?"
Pavel smiled at that. "Of course. I'm sorry for my blunder. It truly is too little of a money to use your name in this transaction. Don't worry, your highness. With this loan. We can already ensure that we have everything we need for stability and success. Is there anything else you want me to handle, your highness? "
"Make sure to hire people from the slums again for this expansion," Alexei said heavily. "You know I visited the slums with my guards before leaving for my tour. I truly want their lives to improve, and I believe we can help by giving some of them steady employment in our businesses. Speaking of which, how are the people you hired before? I hope they're doing well."
Alexei had no intention of allowing his business to be infiltrated by workers with socialist leanings. If possible, he would hire his own people who had no other loyalties than his own organization. Of course, he had to be smart when doing this. Sooner or later, someone might connect that he had some connection with the power in the slums. For now, he had the perfect excuse, playing the benevolent young man determined to help the downtrodden he had encountered.
Pavel straightened and nodded seriously. "You are truly benevolent to help those suffering people, Your Highness. And rest assured, they're doing very well. Despite lacking formal qualifications, many of them are surprisingly proficient in reading, writing, and arithmetic. I hadn't realized so many people in the slums were literate. When I asked, they told me there's a school that teaches them in exchange for only a bit of work. We can certainly hire from their group again this time, Your Highness."
Alexei smiled. "That's good. Oh, I just remembered. What do you think about this?" He picked up the folder from the side and handed it to Pavel.
Pavel received it. He scanned through the document carefully and after almost five minutes. He closed the folder. "I didn't think Baron Kurakin would directly get you involved, your highness."
After placing the folder on the desk, he continued, "Baron Kurakin has been visiting the company frequently these past months, trying to secure the role of our distributor in the United States. His family usually deals in agricultural trade, but from what I've heard, they've been struggling recently. That's why I've avoided committing to anything and kept telling him I needed to wait for your return before making a decision. It seems he already planned to approach you directly as well. It isn't exactly a secret that I must consult you before finalizing any major decisions about the company, Your Highness."
"He presented a solid business proposal, but I still believe we shouldn't go through with it. It's better to wait for a more reliable business partner. If we hold out a little longer, I'm confident we'll find someone more suitable."
Alexei, however, saw things differently. In his experience, desperate people often worked twice as hard simply to survive, and sometimes, that made them the most reliable partners of all. He only had one condition before moving forward.
"I think otherwise though. Desperate people sometimes do two times the work than others just to survive. Don't you think, Pavel? We will only lose time if he can't deliver. But I do have requirements for him before we give them the contract. Consider this as a test for him"
Pavel didn't think the tsarevich would not follow his advice. Still, his service was to heed his tsarevich's command and he'll do just that. He nodded and prepared his notes. "As you wish, your highness. What are your requirements?"
"I want a complete list of every novel published in the United States, both before and after this message is sent," Alexei said. "I want no trouble in the future regarding plagiarism or copyright infringement. Do the same with your contacts in Europe. And one more thing, I want a list of every major business operating in the United States, regardless of industry. Be it energy, finance and manufacturing. I want everything. If Baron Kurakin can provide that, then you may give him the contract."
Alexei wasn't entirely certain about the release dates of some well-known novels from his first life that he could still remember. It was safer to check the market before publishing anything he wasn't sure about. As for the list of companies. He wanted to be prepared when he had the right financial capabilities to invest.
Pavel couldn't help but ask after jotting down the last of his notes. "Do you intend to invest in the United States financial market, Your Highness?"
Alexei nodded seriously. "Yes. But not now. As you can see. I still don't have any capital to invest."
"I understand. Then I'll make sure the publishing house becomes profitable after the expansion, Your Highness."
"Thank you, Pavel." Alexei offered a small smile.
They continued discussing the expansion plans for a while longer, reviewing each detail carefully before Pavel finally excused himself.
Author's note: Short chapter so I can post weekly if possible. I hope this works.