Chapter 175: The Great Powers Passively Board the Train
In recent days, the Kingdom of Terra has continuously produced exquisite magical equipment. The great powers of the Eternal Night World are well aware of the “special channel” that Tasika mentioned; it has become an open secret: The beastmen have embedded extremely high-ranking spies within the Azurevine Empire! Through these spies, they have stolen a considerable amount of the empire’s highly profitable production technology. This has not only accelerated their own national development but also earned them a substantial amount of foreign exchange.
Publicly, the rulers of these great powers would, of course, condemn such actions, stating that sending spies is wrong and that inventions by mages should be respected and protected. In reality, however, the great powers would be busy holding meetings with their intelligence agencies, urging them to bring back more useful information than the spies they currently had. “Why are the beastmen so much better at espionage than us?” they’d wonder.
This time, all the great powers wanted the Soul-Binding Bracelet and the Fearless Space. However, their attempts at replication all failed. Then, the Kingdom of Terra stepped in once again, declaring, “What you want but cannot obtain, we have!”
Of course, the great powers weren’t fools and didn’t blindly believe everything Tasika said. While they might not have fully understood the previous products and equipment, they had personally attempted to replicate the Soul-Binding Bracelet. They knew that while the item appeared simple to create, mass-producing and commercializing it was far from easy. It wasn’t just one technology; it was an entire suite of supporting technologies. Simply creating it wasn’t enough; it had to be produced at a low enough price. If sold for one hundred gold coins, it would barely alleviate the great powers’ ambition to use the spiritual space to maintain stability in their rule.
However, their doubts didn’t last long. An imperial spokesperson issued a statement: “Strong condemnation! Solemn protest! The Kingdom of Terra has illegally stolen our country’s key technology. If production continues, we will not rule out the use of military means! Do not say we did not warn you!”
Upon hearing this, the great powers, who had been skeptical, were finally reassured. It seemed the technology possessed by the Kingdom of Terra was genuine. “Look,” they thought, “the Azurevine Empire is clearly agitated!”
The Kingdom of Terra, which had already “counterfeited” countless imperial products, adopted an indifferent stance, acting as if the empire’s power meant nothing to them. They continued to release details about their products:
The counterfeit Soul-Binding Bracelet, called the “Totem Bracelet” by the beastmen, had its dial replaced with a totem fire pattern. The illusionary spell for displaying the time was gone; the flame was printed on, and only a few small red LEDs were visible. The exterior was crudely made, lacking fine polishing and customization options, available only in classic black and white. The material was the cheapest leather. However, all basic functions were present, achieving 80% of the core parameters.
The Fearless Space was rebranded as “Blissful Illusion,” a forcibly modified inner demon realm with only 50% realism, designed for higher capacity. The immersive experience was naturally not as refined or realistic as in “Earth OL.” The beastmen explained that the Eris demon insects they used were stolen eggs from the Arcane Society. They were pressed into service shortly after hatching, before even reaching adulthood, and were exploited.
If “City of Dreams” was a realistic sci-fi World, grand and filled with the fantastical elements imagined by this World, a romance of steel and machinery, then “Blissful Illusion” was a crude back alley, dirty and chaotic, with sewage everywhere. However, the sensory stimulation it provided was real, with no limits on quantity or time, shedding the constraints of “City of Dreams.” In terms of style, the Totem Bracelet and Blissful Illusion were like products from Huaqiangbei’s counterfeit markets—simple and rough, but possessing the essential elements.
It was akin to being unable to play the official Pokémon Go due to restrictions, but suddenly being offered a pirated version called “Let’s Go Catch Monsters.” Would you play it? Even if Nintendo fans strongly boycotted it, what about non-Nintendo fans curious about the game mode?
The technology Tasika obtained was, of course, the original technology. No, it was the Arcane Society’s latest upgraded 1.5 “Power-Up Edition.” The production cost of the Soul-Binding Bracelet had decreased by 30%, with a higher pass rate and a slight performance improvement. However, to sell the act, stolen goods being inferior to the original was normal. If it surpassed the original, the entire World would know there was something wrong with the Kingdom of Terra.
Thus, after significant compromises, a counterfeit set that perfectly matched the psychological needs of the great powers’ rulers was successfully launched and began to be sold. The Totem Bracelet cost two gold coins each. Blissful Illusion charged a monthly service fee to the user’s country based on the number of logins, averaging one gold coin per hundred people.
This price, on the surface, was not high. However, considering the populations of the great powers, the ambition to use Blissful Illusion to enhance the “happiness” of their citizens meant that, over the long term, this would amount to a significant expenditure. Furthermore, the “monthly pass” was just the beginning, merely a toll for the great powers. As internal service projects within Blissful Illusion expanded, the scythe of harvesting their citizens’ wealth would truly begin to reap the rewards.
This price was double that of the Soul-Binding Bracelet, with inferior functionality, yet the great powers endured it. While the Soul-Binding Bracelet was excellent, they couldn’t buy it! As surrounding countries began to develop their own imitations, understanding the potential of Fearless Space, the Dark Night Guard had completely restricted the outflow of Soul-Binding Bracelets. The only mass-produced similar product on the market was the Kingdom of Terra’s Totem Bracelet. Regardless of the higher price or subsequent service fees, the great powers had no choice.
After all, cost analysis showed that Blissful Illusion reduced peasant uprisings and stabilized public sentiment. As long as it achieved this and kept the populace working diligently, the costs would be quickly recouped. Controlling citizens’ emotions through such virtual spiritual spaces was an “epoch-making” invention. Those imperialists were truly insidious!
The great powers, prone to insecurity and comparison, feared being outclassed by the empire if they didn’t adopt such technology. Upon confirming that the Kingdom of Terra genuinely possessed this technology, the surrounding great powers immediately dispatched merchant caravans to procure Totem Bracelets and expressed their intention to establish closer cooperative relationships with the Kingdom of Terra. “Tasika, go ahead and fleece the Azurevine Empire; we’ll back you up!” they declared. “Of course, if the Totem Bracelets could be sold a little cheaper, our friendship would be even more enduring. Don’t you agree?”
Representatives from various worlds flocked to Skrena City to negotiate Totem Bracelet procurement contracts with Tasika, customize the content of Blissful Illusion, and discuss potential military cooperation. Meanwhile, along the border of the Kingdom of Terra, the Azurevine Empire’s army rapidly assembled, preparing to launch a righteous war over the counterfeit of their core technology.
Suddenly, the Kingdom of Terra became the focus of countless eyes in the Eternal Night World. Both the Azurevine Empire and the surrounding great powers began to “re-evaluate” this new nation, reorganized by the beastman tribe. Tasika, having received the promises and support of the great powers, adopted a strong stance, dismissively responding to the empire’s war threats by stating that beastmen never feared war. “The empire’s Soul-Binding Bracelet technology was illegally plundered from the beastman tribe; we are merely reclaiming what belongs to us. If the Azurevine Empire insists on war, then let it be war!”
Such pronouncements infuriated the mages of the Arcane Society who were unaware of Tasika’s true identity. Weren’t the Soul-Binding Bracelet and the Fearless Space, which they had painstakingly researched and developed from scratch, technologies that the Kingdom of Terra had possessed all along? “Have some shame! How can shamans, with their backward professions, compare to innovation by us mages?” they grumbled. “If it were your technology, why does the final product perform worse than ours, the thieves?” “Preposterous, utterly preposterous! To hell with the War Goddess’s posterior! I’m buying a hundred War Goddess pigs to vent my anger! That War Goddess is as shameless as ever, and her believers are just as vile!” Taibela, engaged in combat in a distant Plane, sneezed: “Who’s cursing me now? What’s the grudge?”
This was truly an undeserved misfortune. She had done nothing, yet because of her past misdeeds, as a goddess, she had to pay the price for her believers’ actions. However, there was no real injustice. If not for her indulgence, her believers would not have left behind an image of unscrupulous behavior, leading people to blame Tasika for any misdeed and shift the blame directly to the War Goddess.
The surrounding great powers were naturally pleased to see the Kingdom of Terra’s defiance. Even the Saintess of the Naga Sea Kingdom publicly expressed her support for Tasika, believing she was merely reclaiming what was hers. A contingent of elite Naga warriors had already arrived in Skrena City via teleportation array. Nicole declared, “Tasika, just give the word, and I will personally lead the Naga priests to support you until the end!”
With the advantage of equipment, the Naga advanced rapidly in their battles against the merfolk, stunning the Mermaid Sea Kingdom. The merfolk couldn’t comprehend how the Naga Sea Kingdom suddenly possessed so many steel weapons and a significant improvement in magical equipment. In this World, magical equipment and alchemical tools were all hand-crafted by mages, requiring long periods and generations of accumulation. The Mermaid Sea Kingdom, existing for ten thousand years, had always held a leading position in this regard compared to the Naga. Yet, the Naga Empire’s magical equipment had suddenly increased dramatically, an unbelievable development that defied the general laws of military growth.
Because of this, Nicole was on the verge of successfully securing her desired landing point and still had the capacity to monitor international affairs and offer assistance to Tasika. Seeing the support from her new best friend, Tasika felt increasingly sympathetic. “What a kind and loyal girl,” she thought. “If this wasn’t a grand performance with Lord Charles, I would truly be moved.” However, she could only politely decline Nicole’s offer of help, stating that everything was still under her control.
Tasika wasn’t boasting. Although countless mages in the empire requested to be sent to war, and the Arcane Society was willing to supply its latest equipment to the border guards, she had also secured the maximum support from the great powers. This was because the Totem Bracelets they had purchased were still mere orders awaiting fulfillment, and the Kingdom of Terra needed a safe and stable environment to produce the goods they required. This also indicated the strong demand for Totem Bracelets from the great powers, who were willing to accept prepayments and queue up with hard cash to receive them sooner. Of course, it was also related to Tasika’s negotiation strategy: the higher the proportion of prepayment, the more she was willing to discount the price.
A product ostensibly costing two gold coins, when needed in such vast quantities—this was destined to become a national product. Even a 1% price fluctuation could save a significant amount of expenditure. At this time, the rulers had no concept of “cash is king.” They simply felt the money would be spent eventually. The higher the prepayment, the lower the total price they would ultimately pay, and the sooner they would receive their orders. Why wouldn’t they agree?
Thus, many countries, even if they had to wait three months, paid a 50% prepayment instead of the usual 10% to 30%. This was the advantage of a seller’s market. Moreover, transporting large sums of gold was inconvenient. Various factors led to them not realizing that their sunk costs had turned them into supporters of the Kingdom of Terra. To protect their own interests, they had to ensure the interests of the Kingdom of Terra.
While it was implicitly understood that the enemy of one’s enemy was one’s friend, the leadership of opposing the Azurevine Empire theoretically should not have fallen to a rising power like the Kingdom of Terra. Yet, fate intervened. Under Roger’s arrangements, the humble Totem Bracelet had indeed pulled the great powers onto the train, with Tasika firmly at the helm, like an experienced driver. Furthermore, due to the sheer volume of orders sold, the Kingdom of Terra’s cash reserves reached a considerable sum.
“Lord Charles, with so much money, I feel uneasy…” Tasika outwardly appeared calm, always projecting an air of control to her subordinates, but she had been restless for days. She had thought Roger’s earlier prediction was just a casual remark, but the situation he foretold had actually come to pass. The wealthy countries and guilds were indeed coming to her with their gold, and she couldn’t refuse to sell even if she wanted to.
Roger had been in Skrena City during this period, communicating with Tasika to ensure the grand play unfolded smoothly. The situation had developed much faster than he predicted, indicating that the rulers of the great powers were also very intelligent, quickly grasping the potential applications of Fearless Space and recognizing the benefits it could bring. However, the smarter they were, the more they would fall into Roger’s calculations.
“It’s fine. Continue building the factories as planned. The focus of the upcoming war will be our performance, to keep the great powers complacent about the empire,” Roger paused. “Then, we can begin the second phase of your money-making plan.”
Tasika was stunned. “Adult, you’re not going to tell me this is just the beginning, are you?”
Recalling the unprecedented sum of money in the treasury, Tasika was already suffering from insomnia, eager to spend it and fulfill the orders. And now, she was being told there would be even more money in the future? She truly couldn’t imagine becoming an Empress and finding herself unable to sleep due to having too much money.
Roger comforted her, “If you owe them ten thousand gold coins, they are debt collectors. If you owe them a hundred million gold coins, they are your personal attendants. Rest assured, you and your kingdom will only become safer and more prosperous.” The great powers were already on board, and there was no getting off. They would just have to empty their coffers to build a great Terra! Besides, leverage hasn’t even been applied yet, so why are you so tense? Today, you are the Tasika dynasty; sooner or later, you will detonate the fragile prosperity of the great powers!
