DKIE CH41: Wealth

What grandfather? The corner of Luka’s mouth twitched, “I just want to publicize the matter of the other princes’ wealth union.”

The lord of Red Banyan City shook his head after hearing this. “The public won’t criticize Alec. They’ll only think His Highness is wise.”

Luka nodded, indicating he understood. “It’s just creating a sense of crisis beforehand. To praise, one must first suppress. When everyone thinks I’m not good enough, and then I succeed, the significance of that moment will far exceed the matter itself.”

The lord of Red Banyan City: “What if you fail?”

Luka: “As if anyone thought I would succeed.”

“…”

This routine felt somewhat familiar. The lord of Red Banyan City remembered; it was very similar to the duel not long ago. Everyone started off not thinking much of the other party, and then there was a major reversal. Alec was always the one being reversed.

The lord of Red Banyan City thought for a moment and actually found it quite feasible.

After leaving the room, he walked with his hands behind his back, deep in thought. His personal guard automatically followed. On the way, the lord of Red Banyan City suddenly stopped, “Do you think Iliad really has a chance of winning?” Although the other party’s momentum had been strong recently, frankly, the lord of Red Banyan City always felt it was a bit unrealistic.

The personal guard thought for a moment, “It might be a little difficult?” The shallow foundation in the demon domain was a fatal factor.

The lord of Red Banyan City nodded and asked casually, “Who did you bet on?”

“His Highness Iliad.” The city of Red Banyan could not refuse to believe in fate.

“And your whole family?”

“His Highness Iliad.”

“Distant relatives?”

“His Highness Iliad.”

He heard that the relatives of his relatives had also bet this way.

“…”

Under the gaze of the lord of Red Banyan City, the personal guard said truthfully, “They just think it’s fun.” Anyway, one vote was harmless. Might as well cast it.

To put it disrespectfully, there was also a spectacle to watch, which was great.

The lord of Red Banyan City’s expression gradually became solemn. In some areas Luka hadn’t been to, there might be many demons who had chosen this way. Especially due to the interference of political factors, for example, Prince Aman had a grudge against Alec’s biological father. It was said that he not only went to the movie premiere but also actively introduced Luka’s works in his own territory.

The Demon King had too many god-sons. Multiple competitors meant that the votes in other regions would be extremely scattered. Luka’s votes, on the other hand, were concentrated.

The lord of Red Banyan City took a sharp breath, “Could it be that a dark horse will really emerge this year?”

Luka never worried about votes. Twenty-two fiefdoms, border areas, central cities, etc., added up were enough for him to make a comeback. The hunt was about to end. Wealth and security were the issues to worry about at this stage.

One step at a time, he first contacted a reporter. Seeing a somewhat familiar face, Luka was surprised, “It’s you, Miss Lilian’s demon?”

“No, I am the Saint’s demon.”

“???”

The reporter took out a scroll. “The Saint asked me to bring this to you. It contains his most powerful illusion spell.”

One illusion spell scroll, and another scroll given in the Holy City, were enough to escape from any dangerous situation.

Luka didn’t understand this unprovoked kindness from the Saint. He stared at the reporter, “In my hometown, there is a saying: the gifts of fate are secretly marked with a price.”

“Yes, yes, you’ve already paid. Every election has betting. The Saint is manipulating the market in the human black market, betting on you to win.” Once Luka won, it would be an astronomical sum.

Luka: “…”

The reporter: “I’ll leave first, otherwise it might arouse suspicion.”

The newspaper’s business capabilities were very strong. They were even better at writing headlines than Luka. That evening’s paper published the story of the princes’ union, with overwhelming negative coverage.

The headlines of the three major newspapers were respectively:
Grand Prince’s Furious Attack, Viciously Cuts Iliad’s Lifeline, Two Princes’ Late-Night Meeting, Secret Talks for Three Hours, Grandma, Love Me One More Time.

After reading them, Luka realized that what was cut was his economic lifeline. The other was about Alec and the third prince, Klein, being photographed meeting late at night, suspected of discussing a wealth exchange. The last one was about Alicia and Princess Mary, but he was also mentioned in between.

At the bottom of each article, a military strategist was invited to give a sharp commentary. They analyzed each prince from various aspects and unanimously believed that it was almost impossible for Luka, with his most awkward family background, to make a large sum of money in the demon domain in a short period of time.

Some of the wording was extremely sharp. Anyone with a fragile mind might not be able to bear it.

Quill Pen scanned through the lines and said lightly, “Let’s go sell diaries together tomorrow.”

Luka choked on the air on the spot. “Just sell them to these experts… Of course, the money from the sale is just a loan to you for now.”

Luka waved his hands repeatedly, “It hasn’t reached that point yet.”

He explained his money-making plan, slowly spitting out two words: “Pre-sale.”

“What?”

Luka explained, “I want consumers to pay first before the product is released.”

Quill Pen was silent for a long time and said, “At least I gave them a diary.”

“…”

To do a pre-sale, Luka first had to solve a problem: how to contact Cullen. From the demon domain to the Holy City, even a dragon couldn’t complete a round trip in such a short time. Writing a letter would be even slower.

Having no phone was a hassle. Fuck the pre-internet era.

Luka rubbed his temples, then suddenly thought of something and took out a memorial tablet from his storage ring. Lilian had said that if he broke it, her father would be able to sense it.

“The Saint can manifest his consciousness through a space scroll. Could this memorial tablet have a similar effect?”

Quill Pen glanced at the inscription on it and gave an affirmative answer. So Luka very decisively broke the memorial tablet.

In an instant, the broken memorial tablet turned black as if it had been burned. The fragments reassembled like building blocks into a strange symbol.

In mid-air, a semi-real, semi-illusory figure appeared. It was very thin, looking energetic. In its eyes, which were filled with the breath of years, there was a trace of anxiety. Those eagle-like eyes locked onto Luka.

Luka hurriedly explained, “Lilian is fine. She gave me this tablet before.”

Lilian’s father was a pharmacist of high status among the humans. Luka had made a big splash in the Holy City. Even without a mask, he could be identified by his iconic black hair.

The pharmacist said bluntly, “I do not agree to your marriage.”

Quill Pen’s expression turned cold.

Luka was shocked, “Uncle, we’re just friends.” He was very sure that Lilian also only considered him a friend.

After staring at him for a few seconds, the pharmacist relaxed, “Good that you’re not. My Lilian can only marry someone with a Holy City household registration in the future.”

Luka stated his purpose without a moment’s delay, “…I would like to ask you to help me pass on a message.” Lilian should have returned to the Boulder City by now. Within the human territory, the father and daughter must have a way to contact each other immediately.

It couldn’t be explained in a few words, so he simply wrote it down. The pharmacist looked at the marketing tactics on it and frowned, “Has the demon domain developed to this extent?” A wolf in sheep’s clothing?

Luka coughed lightly, “Personal behavior, please do not generalize.”

The energy of the memorial tablet’s inscription was consumed quickly. After the pharmacist finished imprinting it from a distance, he asked, “Since I’m here, do you want to poison anyone to death?”

Just as Luka was about to refuse, Quill Pen suddenly said, “Soul Supplement Liquid.”

The pharmacist narrowed his eyes.

Luka didn’t know the use of this thing, but since Quill Pen had specifically brought it up, he tried to mention it. The pharmacist looked at them scrutinizingly for a while. Luka’s scalp tingled from the gaze. After a long while, the pharmacist took out a small green bottle.

As soon as Luka took it, the special symbol formed by the broken tablet below turned into a white light and disappeared. The energy was about to be exhausted. Before the pharmacist disappeared, he reminded, “One person’s dose. Must be drunk all at once.”

The bottle in his hand was cool to the touch. Luka opened it curiously. A refreshing scent assailed his nostrils, and his consciousness cleared up for a moment.

Quill Pen: “Drinking it is beneficial for repairing the soul. Pharmacists who can concoct the Soul Supplement Liquid are extremely rare. It’s priceless on the market.”

Luka muttered, “It’s actually so precious.”

Quill Pen: “It’s alright. In that old man’s eyes, it’s not even worth a local household registration.”

“…”

Luka’s soul was previously like a broken egg flower soup. Cultivation could certainly help to improve it, but it was too slow. This was also why Quill Pen had insisted that he ask for the supplement. “Keep it for now. Take it after your next cultivation session.”

Luka nodded and tidied up the wood shavings on the table. He hoped everything would go smoothly on Cullen’s end.

Relying on one-on-one communication, the news quickly reached Cullen as he had wished.

Boulder City. Cullen, dressed elegantly, was listening to Luka’s voice from a distance. Lilian repeated it word for word.

Cullen was originally checking his accounts while listening carefully. Halfway through, he put down everything he was doing, his mind lost in thought.

Lilian: “My dad said Luka seems to be in a hurry.”

Cullen smiled, “Time is not an issue.” Apart from the publicity, the whole thing required no preparatory work. He clapped his hands at the shadow in the dark and said seriously, “Inform all the branch presidents to hold an emergency meeting.”

The Rhine Chamber of Commerce was spread across the continent, with over a thousand dedicated teleportation points within the Chamber alone. In addition, there was a separate void conference room. The so-called void conference was similar to the remote projection communication Luka had experienced. Each use required a large amount of magic stones. The last time such a money-burning meeting was held was three years ago.

“Cullen, why did you call us here in such a hurry?”

The speaker was the president of a major city’s branch, considered a veteran of the Rhine Chamber of Commerce. He had a rather high opinion of Cullen, but he couldn’t help but have some complaints about him holding a void conference.

Cullen: “It’s about a commodity transaction.”

Everyone’s brows furrowed even deeper. Unless a divine artifact had appeared, it wasn’t worth mobilizing so many people. “Everyone, don’t be anxious. Let me explain in detail first.”

Time passed minute by minute. Cullen detailed the information Luka had transmitted. The branch presidents, who had been impatient earlier, had all sat up straight without realizing it. They were all shrewd people, having been in charge of various chambers of commerce for many years. To them, money was almost just a number. What interested them was a new sales model in this transaction. “If it can be popularized, it will be very beneficial to the Chamber of Commerce in the future.” It could help them understand the market in advance and avoid many risks.

Cullen: “And now is the best time to test it.”

With other commodities, it would be difficult to open this gap. Luka’s new novel had its own popularity. Using this as a starting point, during the promotion process, the public would be more likely to subconsciously accept this sales model.

“We can try it,” the veteran from earlier said.

“I agree.”

“Agree.”

“Agree.”

…

Almost ninety percent of the people who participated in the meeting chose to agree. Cullen smiled with satisfaction, “I’ll have to trouble everyone tonight. We’ll start selling tomorrow. I’ll issue the specific promotion methods later.”

The next morning, all the auction houses, treasure pavilions, beast fighting arenas, and other businesses under the Rhine Chamber of Commerce in 735 cities hung up promotional signs. The signs were enchanted with special magic, successfully displaying dynamic effects. Such a promotional campaign attracted many passersby.

[The most popular author of the Grand Assembly of Ten Thousand Dynasties is about to return with a new work. From today until 7 PM tomorrow, interested readers can pre-order!]

[Limited quantities, first come, first served!]

In the Holy City, a passing nobleman asked his coachman to stop and casually inquired. When he learned that they were selling an ordinary book, his first reaction was that the Rhine Chamber of Commerce had gone mad. “A useless book that doesn’t involve any magic knowledge, and you have to pay in advance to order it?”

The salesperson wore a standard smile, “This author just published a story about a grandmother in the demon domain, which was banned across the board. The new book’s scale is even more unimaginable. Customers who pre-order now can be sure to get the unabridged version.”

A detailed introduction to the new book was below the promotional board.

[Uncover the unknown past of the demon race]
 

[The interweaving of scandal and demonic nature… The shocking conspiracy of the demon royal family.]

The nobleman’s eyes were almost glued to it, but his mouth said stubbornly, “Boring.”

Returning to his carriage, the nobleman went to an opera. When he came out, he had his coachman stop at a different bookstore. From a distance, he saw the huge promotional board with two words marked in red: SOLD OUT!

The bookstore owner was explaining to a customer, “Sorry, we only have a limited release of 10,000 copies here.”
 

“There’s nothing we can do. This book has a lot of controversial content. We didn’t dare to order too many.”

The customer was instantly unwilling and complained a lot. The owner looked very troubled, “I’ve already reported it to my superiors. This afternoon at 4 PM, there might be another wave of sales. You can come and check then.”

Luka had caused quite a stir in the Holy City. Apart from some people who had just recently moved their household registration here, almost everyone had learned about this new book on the day of the live broadcast. At that time, they were already hooked by the synopsis. In terms of the Holy City’s population, a pre-order of 10,000 was easy to achieve. The nobleman from before had only recently settled and was not yet aware of the situation.

At around 3 PM, the nobleman went out again. But when he reached the street corner, his carriage couldn’t get through. The demonic beast pulling the carriage let out a few low growls. The nobleman looked up and an undignified curse escaped his lips.

For several li ahead, the entire street was impassable! As far as the eye could see, it was a sea of heads.

“I came all this way to order it, and you’re telling me it’s gone!”
“Yeah, didn’t you say 4 o’clock!”

Seeing this, the nobleman, who was originally indifferent about buying it, suddenly felt a determination to get it. That’s right, why go back on your word!

“It is 4 o’clock. Many old customers pre-ordered directly via message,” the owner gritted his teeth and stomped his foot. “The same thing happened at several other stores. It was our oversight. We’ve already submitted an application to increase the pre-sale quota!”

The owner emphasized again, “Everyone, please pay attention to the pre-sale regulations. It’s possible the book won’t be released. In that case, you’ll get a direct refund. After all, it involves a lot of secrets and might not even pass censorship.”

“…Those who can’t accept this, please give up your pre-sale spot now. We can give you a full refund and compensate you with five silver coins.”

Who cares about this little money!
 

Hearing him say this, those who had secured a spot became even more excited. The same sales pitch was playing out in different cities.

Every time 10,000 copies were released, they were immediately snatched up. The customers who didn’t get one were furious. Only when the owner put up the next batch of stock were they satisfied. One by one, they paid and left like triumphant generals, content.

As of 9 PM, the pre-sale amount had exceeded one hundred million!

The demon race’s wealth verification team, who had already packed their luggage and were preparing to rest on their last day, had to work overtime and plunge into busy statistical work.

And Cullen, who had been closely following the entire sales trend since morning, was looking at the data from various places, his fox-like eyes smiling into crescents. “This hunger marketing method is really useful.”

In just half a day, he had made a fortune. Luka was truly his most perfect strategic partner.

Cullen smiled at An Qi, who had come to deliver the report, “Can you believe it? With just this one trick, countless customers were hooked!”

Squeak, squeak.

What sound was that?!

An Qi and Cullen’s expressions changed at the same time. The shadow guards in the dark also appeared at the first moment.

Opposite the table, just less than a meter away from Cullen, a ferret appeared out of thin air. It was snow-white, with a pair of lively black eyes. Its beautiful fur, for some reason, was standing on end. But no one present found it cute, only horrified.

They had somehow not noticed this ferret at all.

“This ferret…” An Yi, as a top-tier great mage who had lived in the Holy City before, said hesitantly, “It looks like the Saint’s pet.”

Cullen also remembered and quickly took a closer look. The ferret’s fur was puffed up like an afro, so he hadn’t recognized it at first. After repeatedly confirming and comparing, he was sure that such a unique beast pet could only belong to the Saint. Cullen finally relaxed. But why would the Saint’s pet appear here?

Smack!

Just as he was thinking, his usually meticulously styled hair was messed up.
The ferret jumped onto the table, stood up, and slapped Cullen on the back of the head.

Bastard! The Saint had sent it out to buy a book, but the pre-order slots were sold out all the way. It had teleported more than three hundred times in one day, its paws almost smoking. It had run from the Holy City to the Boulder City, only for you to say this was a trick.

Beast.

__

Author’s note:

Excerpt from Luka’s diary:
Why is there a paw print on my diary?
Alex: The ferret was here.
Left a line of tracks.