Chapter 177 Chapter 178 Explosive Sales
The next day, in the morning.
The Gold Rush alchemy shop was packed with people, the crowd surging toward the counter like a flood crashing against a dam, threatening to break through.
“Ten consecutive draws! Ten consecutive draws!”
“I’m doing thirty consecutive draws! Thirty consecutive draws!” shouted a wealthy merchant who had finally squeezed his way to the front of the counter, pounding the table, “Someone, quickly take my money!”
Lianxi looked tired, holding a jar filled with gold and silver coins, walking toward the back room, occasionally coins fell from the jar’s opening, but she couldn’t pay attention to it anymore. At first, she would pick up the coins, but soon realized it was not worth the effort, as the counter was piled high with eager customers, impatiently wanting to stuff their money into the jar.
Another wave of noise surged toward the counter, the potion bottles in the liquor cabinet trembling.
“Wow! Golden Legend!”
“I drew an SSSR!”
A well-dressed citizen in luxurious clothing with a dark red hat shouted excitedly.
Almost everyone in the tavern stared at him with wide red eyes, jealousy almost spilling over.
The well-dressed citizen danced excitedly like a curly-haired baboon and ran to the counter.
As the highest-ranking maid in the Gold Rush shop, Lianxi personally took the box from the top shelf, containing the “Wealth Potion,” while countless eager eyes focused on the wooden box, almost igniting it.
In reality, it was merely a dyed version of the money fortune potion, not much different from a regular money fortune potion. But everyone believed it could truly make one rich overnight.
They recounted the legendary tales of Boval, the legendary Number Six from the racetrack, the immortal flying Aldorin.
Jima was curious about what kind of marvelous chemical reaction this half-truth wealth potion would eventually produce.
The podium was set in front of the counter, high enough for everyone to see who was receiving the prize.
The well-dressed citizen returned the shiny ceramic piece to Lianxi, took the wooden box, and shook the wealth potion inside, showcasing the glittering liquid.
Everyone’s eyes were mirrored in that vial.
The well-dressed citizen smiled, his vanity momentarily satisfied. He didn’t drink the wealth potion; instead, he took out another shiny ceramic piece, saying, “I won two!”
At this, everyone could no longer contain themselves, shouting:
“Dog dealer!”
“Go die!”
“Throw him into the sea!”
Amidst the curses, the well-dressed citizen laughed indiscriminately, pouring two vials of wealth potion down his throat. In that moment, his vanity reached immense satisfaction.
…
…
That night, at Jenna’s house, in the gazebo of the back garden.
A cool breeze swayed the flowers. A glowing orb emitted bright light, illuminating the gazebo with a pale glow.
Kaslan held an account book and calculated meticulously, his red beard trembling as he said, “On the first day, we invested a hundred vials of potion, deducting taxes, storefront maintenance, medical fees for the winners, and salaries for the six security guards…”
“What are the medical fees for the winners?”
“A person drew two vials of wealth potion, boasting on the spot. He was beaten to a pulp, his clothes torn, and almost thrown into the sea. In the end, enraged rioters tossed him into a foul-smelling pile of salted fish. It’s said that the salted fish pile he was thrown into was sold for a high price, dubbed ‘Lucky Fish.’”
“Europeans provoke the hatred of Africans.”
“Europeans?”
“It’s nothing.” Jima waved dismissively, “Hire six more security guards tomorrow to maintain order, ensuring winners drink their potion outside the shop. We must avoid further compensation, it’s very important.”
“Alright.”
Kaslan looked at the account book with a bright smile, saying, “We have a pure profit of two thousand two hundred gold coins! I never thought selling goods through gambling would earn so much.”
“This is the advantage over a buyout system.”
“Buyout system?” Kaslan pondered the meaning of the term, saying, “People’s hearts are truly strange. When the potion clearly only costs ten gold coins, hardly anyone buys it. Once it’s turned into a lottery system, they willingly toss out 648 silver coins for a ten-consecutive draw, not even guaranteed to get a diluted potion.”
Jenna said, “Isn’t this essentially selling inferior goods as if they were of high value? Isn’t this kind of business practice bad?”
“My daughter,” Kaslan replied, “the other party willingly pays. If they can’t see through it, and are foolish, that’s their problem, not ours.”
“But aren’t we deceiving them?” Jenna said, “The wealth potion is just an ordinary potion I’ve enchanted. The distinctions of epic and legendary quality are ultimately just differences in dilution; all of this is fake.”
Kaslan said, “My dear daughter, you wouldn’t want to report your father, would you?”
“I wouldn’t.” Jenna said, “But deceiving is deceiving, and I can’t get past it.”
Jima quickly held Jenna’s hand tightly, displaying sincere eyes, and said to Jenna:
“Your father is mistaken; those lottery players are not foolish. You’re wrong too; we’re not selling inferior goods as superior.”
Jenna looked at Jima with her green eyes, puzzled.
Jima said, “What we’re selling is not watered-down magical potions, but dreams and hope.”
Jenna looked even more confused.
Selling inferior goods as superior doesn’t seem to connect with dreams and hope at all.
It was then that Jima used the ability of “lies” and said:
“Boval was originally an unfortunate porter who had an accident while moving goods and ended up crippling his leg. His wife left, and he could only sleep in a slum filled with sewage. It was the wealth potion that gave him a house, filled his stomach, cleaned him up, and allowed him to live a life envied by others. Such opportunities never existed in Marlin City; the slums would only consume him.”
“Did they merely buy watered-down potion? No, it also brought dreams that Marlin City could not provide. Even if they win nothing, it doesn’t hinder their hope, returning home and dreaming with their family about winning one day. They might move out of their cramped house, buy new clothes for their fifth child, and eat beef stew with potatoes every meal. At that moment, the hardships of life seemed to vanish.”
“Isn’t that hope and a dream? In Marlin City, it’s a rarity; scarcity makes it precious, so it’s normal for them to spend a lot of money.”
Jenna’s confusion and guilt gradually faded, replaced by vitality as she said, “Thank you! I’ve been unable to understand; I never realized that behind seemingly selfish trading lies such a warm story.”
“That’s great.” Jima successfully persuaded her, letting go of her hand and asking, “Can we repay all the debts?”
“We can pay a portion, but recovering from the losses during this time is very difficult,” Kaslan mentioned, referring to his failed investment in shipping trade, which left him unlucky and in deficit to this day. He looked up at Jima and said, “Unless…”
“Unless what?”
“We could earn more. It hasn’t even been a morning, and all the potions have been sold out,” Kaslan said. “You still have three hundred vials of potions left, and in a few days, their effects will disappear. We should together put them on the market.”
“No, that could cause social unrest.” Jima recalled George’s warning and said, “As a precaution, let’s release a hundred vials each day.”
“Really?”
“Probably.” Jima looked distractedly at Jenna’s chest and said, “Selling a few more days is also good.”
Kaslan nodded slowly, “Alright.”
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Additional update progress 9/10
