Chess Mage of Faerûn

Chapter 524 Gaoyaling DR 1366 Annual Industrial Development Memorandum (Part Four)
The old city lord received the watch personally handed to him by the mage. Feeling the pure gold bracelet and admiring the exquisite, luxurious, and dazzling watch case, his initial curiosity quickly turned into surprise. The way he kept stroking the crystal dial made the mage worry that the old man might do something out of line like laughing so hard he snot bubbles from his nose.

When a top fashion trend takes off, it's inevitable that nobles and wealthy merchants will be eager to acquire the same or similar products as a tangible representation of their social status.

After all, in this circle, being pretentious and competing with each other is the norm. Take Neverwinter City for example, ever since Nashel accepted that watch, he hasn't been willing to take it off even when showering or sleeping, thankfully it's waterproof.

The old city lord's clothing was not particularly luxurious, and he was even ridiculed behind his back by some powerful families for having no taste. The term "mercenary lord" was not a compliment.

But this time, Nash has undoubtedly turned the tide.

The nobles of Neverwinter suddenly discovered that their lord had changed!

They became incredibly focused on time efficiency. Whether in a meeting or a face-to-face conversation, they would frequently raise their wrists to check the time, frowning and muttering strange phrases such as: "There are only fifty minutes left in the meeting," or "It's already 9:30 in the morning and everyone is still not here."

The strange thing doesn't stop there. He, who used to be indifferent to those tedious etiquettes, changed his tough style and went along with the crowd... no, he reformed and started to pay attention to etiquette and manners like an ordinary nobleman. He frequently touched his chest, waved, and shook hands, and the golden light on his wrist was dazzling.

These perplexing behaviors left many nobles, whose homes did not have magic timers, with a huge question mark in their minds.

But it doesn't matter, there are always knowledgeable people who can see the secret, and their doubts will soon be answered. The concept of clocks as personal portable magic timers will also come into their view.

Time is money, my friend!
Take control of your time, take control of your life!
Such motivational advertising slogans spread unnoticed in several cities, and seemed quite convincing when contrasted with the novelties and actions of certain prominent figures, making it seem as if their status was solely due to this watch.

As we all know, when a concept is hyped up and becomes a hurricane sweeping through the market, even a pig can be blown away, let alone someone like Master Zhang, who is manipulating things behind the scenes and waiting for his chance to strike.

Having completed the three major tasks of market warm-up, inventory accumulation, and production scale expansion in the first month, Gao Yaling can be said to have sharpened its sickle to an unparalleled edge after the leeks had grown vigorously, just waiting for the harvest season to arrive.

DR1366 Autumn, the moon sets.

The clocks that the nobles and wealthy merchants of the three cities of Sword Bay had been eagerly anticipating for almost half a month have finally been launched and are now being sold simultaneously in eight stores across the three cities of No Thun, Sham Shui Po, and Po Tak.

Such rapid and exaggerated logistics and distribution capabilities are naturally beyond what Golden Alfalfa can currently achieve. In the end, the mage himself was forced to operate, storing the goods in storage bags and using teleportation arrays to achieve long-distance transportation.

On the second day after the store opened, people from all walks of life, having heard the news, surrounded the store's doors. Stewards sent by nobles, errand runners dispatched by wealthy merchants, and even some small businessmen who came in person crowded at the entrance, complaining about the store's limited entry rules.

You're being picky even though we're giving you money?!
Such a plan was naturally the brainchild of Mr. Zhang. High-end goods also require a high-standard reception environment. A spacious and bright storefront with enthusiastic staff will certainly provide a different shopping and consumption experience than a noisy and bustling general store.

The customers who were waiting and complaining outside the door didn't suddenly become good-tempered and patient; they just restrained themselves out of caution.

After all, the lineup of people who came to congratulate them on their opening day was quite astonishing, and this new business association called White Tower seemed to be no pushover. White Tower was the name the mage had given to his newly established business association, although the core team was still the same as that of Golden Alfalfa, just with a different brand.

Not to mention Neverwinter and Baldur, those were the bases built by the mages. On the day of the opening ceremony, Lord Nashel, Archmage Balas, and Grand Dukes Iltan and Silver Shield all paid a visit. Their friendly chatter with the mage lord who personally presided over the ceremony and Nancy, who was stationed at Baldur's Gate to handle matters, undoubtedly revealed their support and backing.

Anyone with a modicum of sense could see the implication: despite being a newcomer, the other party had powerful connections and was likely capable of easily defeating someone.

The situation in Deepwater Refugees is somewhat different.

The predecessor of the White Tower Chamber of Commerce, Golden Clover, originated in Deepwater City. Although it was not a major force, it had made a name for itself and was well-known in the industry, with people knowing its capabilities.

The problem lies here: while his former little brother has transformed himself and seemingly climbed up a high branch, he has also unearthed a gold mine!
How can I possibly tolerate this?

Not to mention the apex predators who occupy the city-state councils; they are as greedy as crocodiles and are not to be trifled with.

However, Gao Yaling, or to put it bluntly, Zhang Yuan's reputation and prestige were far from enough to deter those with ulterior motives from raising a banner of their own name in the prosperous yet crisis-ridden Deepwater City.

As for the academy behind them, it was certainly a solid backing, but Faerûn was not an information society. Apart from those in the spellcaster circle who knew the truth, even the nobles of Neverwinter did not understand how important it was until the day of judgment.

Besides, even a powerful dragon can't suppress a local snake. We can't wait until we suffer a loss to ask our elders to come all the way here for revenge. We have to give Black Staff some face, after all.

The city lives up to its name; the water is exceptionally deep.

Unfortunately, Deepwater City happens to be the most populous and wealthiest city-state in the entire Northland and even the Sword Coast, and four high-quality shops belonging to Golden Clover, with excellent locations and spacious areas, are also located here.

Such a huge cake is right in front of me, but I don't dare to take a bite. I can only wait until the special sales period ends and the big fish pounce out to devour it, and then I can secretly nibble on a few scraps.

What a joke! If he could tolerate this, Mr. Zhang wouldn't even bother with this business.

The Church of Gonde, as the beneficiary of the patent disclosure, did not deny its past. The Temple of the Hand of Inspiration in Waterdeep City generously sent a master craftsman with several missionary technicians to offer their congratulations, bringing greetings from Jordiel Zusind the Seeker of the High.

This seeker of heights was no ordinary dwarf female priest; she held the position of temple bishop and was also an outstanding alchemist and inventor.

Thank you to Ssczy, Cuttlefish's Oldest Fan, Jakiro_J, and Tianyuan Kugou for your monthly ticket support!
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(End of this chapter)