Chess Mage of Faerûn

Chapter 525 Sailing Through the Business World

After ending her youthful travels and adventures, she shifted her focus to the workshop located in the temple, and as an expert, she immediately recognized the value behind this novel contraption upon receiving the patent backup documents from the Mystic Temple.

The Bishop of the Hand of Inspiration really has a lot of influence. Don't underestimate Gonde just because he's only a mid-level god; sometimes, things aren't settled like that.

The prosperity of Sham Water City's industry and commerce is closely related to the development of its handicraft manufacturing industry. As a labor-intensive rather than resource-rich city, Sham Water City has undertaken most of the processing and manufacturing sector in the Sword Bay area, thus supporting the local affluent population.

Therefore, as the god of craftsmen, Gondar's status in Waterdeep, especially in industry and commerce, cannot be measured solely by his divine power level.

Incidentally, the Temple of the Hand of Inspiration is one of the largest temples in Waterdeep.

If the intervention of the Church of Gonde made some restless merchants and nobles stop in their tracks, the arrival of another lady made them start to have doubts.

Elonia's strength as a high-level spellcaster is not to mention his status as a senior lecturer at the Vigilant Order Academy, which makes him even more formidable.

When it comes to spellcasters in Waterdeep, Kelburn the Black Staff is undoubtedly a towering figure.

But precisely because of his own strength and status, living in the high halls of power and being far removed from the common people, no one would be so foolish as to drag him into the mud to fight for food.

On the contrary, the Vigilant Order Academy, which opens its doors wide and recruits talents from all over the world, can be said to be the most approachable and down-to-earth mage organization in Waterdeep. In other words, it is also the organization with the most involvement in secular affairs and has a great influence.

Putting aside the reputation of these mages, who are revered as guards and protectors, among the common people, most wealthy merchants and nobles who can afford to hire magical advisors can easily tell the difference by considering the social standing of their advisors.

It's only two months anyway. Most people who know the stakes choose to wait and see. Of course, there will inevitably be some impatient wolves eager to get a taste of something new. After all, you can't expect everyone to be rational when faced with huge profits.

However, due to the pressure from both the temple and the mage academy, even if they had ideas, no one would be foolish enough to jump out and take direct action. That would be like slapping the two institutions in the face with a slipper, which would be suicidal.

As the saying goes, we don't punish the greedy or the lazy, but we punish those who are blind to reason.

The support from the Vigilance and Order Academy didn't come out of nowhere. A few meetings and a platinum ladies' watch were only enough to serve as a stepping stone. The Academy's reputation wasn't that cheap.

The 20% profit margin from Deepwater City sales is the price paid for seeking the college's support and cooperation. Only by truly investing and participating can we raise that banner to shield and quell the open storms.

As for the underhanded tricks and business schemes behind the scenes, those are not things a mage like him should concern himself with. Having gone to such lengths to bring in a powerful backer for protection and to lay the groundwork for future plans, if this newly reorganized White Pagoda Merchant Guild is still an incompetent fool...

There's no need for any resource integration. We should cut our losses, kick these useless people aside, entrust the sales rights for the Deepwater City area to the Gonde Church, and just collect our share of the profits.

What happened next did not disappoint Zhang Yuan. Darius, that old fox, hadn't been doing very well when he was running his Golden Alfalfa business, but if it weren't for that unlucky encounter with the troll tribe that killed and robbed him, he would actually have been doing quite well.

Now that he has resources, he is more meticulous and experienced in handling matters, prioritizing stability. He has seen all sorts of underhanded tricks in the business world, and he is truly helpless against the usual intrigue and backstabbing.

The first month of exclusive sales passed in a flash, and the White Tower Chamber of Commerce gradually gained some recognition in the corner of Sword Bay.

The eight shops were lavishly decorated from the outside, and their interiors were equally sophisticated and tasteful. Upon entering, pretty and charming female shop assistants accompanied customers as they shopped. Their gentle and kind words immediately transformed the customers, who had been fuming from waiting in line, into polite and well-mannered individuals. It was as if their hearts had opened up, and they suddenly realized that such a classy and stylish place deserved some unique rules and standards.

These attractive shop assistants aren't trained in a short time; they're selected from previous employees or poached with high salaries.

In addition to a favorable consumption environment, the core products are also novel and appealing.

There weren't many items on the shelf, just three: clocks, bicycles, and soap.

The renowned magic clock goes without saying, but the other two new items also opened the eyes of the Ferrenbars.

The White Tower Chamber of Commerce's thoughtful marketing services allowed them to experience the unique joys of another world: washing their hands of their past lives and riding a bear on a bicycle.

Cleansing spells or potions were nothing new in Faerûn, but even the high nobility couldn't afford to use them every day to show off their refinement, let alone the visiting stewards or small merchants. Looking at the murky, oily wastewater in the basin, and then at their hands, which felt refreshingly clean after washing, they were astonished.
Magic! There must have been magic added to this!

As for the bear riding a bicycle...

The Chamber of Commerce provided the cars, and the customers played the role of the bears. As non-agile professionals, they stumbled and bumped around while learning to drive, but fortunately, the specially reserved courtyard was covered with grass, so a couple of falls didn't hurt much.

After a few test rides, some people start to get the hang of it. Watching others gradually speed up as they circle around, most people who are still struggling are filled with curiosity mixed with envy, not to mention the few who are already riding.

The thrill of driving at high speed is quite different from that of a horse-drawn carriage. The clever stewards have already started planning how to persuade their masters to buy a few more carriages, hoping to improve the efficiency of their loyal servants by just a little bit.

Yes, it's definitely not because I want to ride it around town to show off.

After experiencing these novelties, customers finally face a choice between their wallets and their restless hearts. Those with ample funds readily pay up, but a considerable number of customers lack sufficient funds or authority, and hesitate.

At this point, the female shop assistants or owners will step forward and say something very considerate:

"If you're unsure what to do right now, that's alright. You're welcome to come again next time. How about..."

"Let's get a card first!"

???

Applying for a card is great! After you apply, you'll be a VIP customer of our Baita Chamber of Commerce. What? What does VIP mean?

The shop assistants, with smiles on their faces, gave the group of barbarians a free lesson on the concept of privileged customers and VIPs, especially emphasizing their privileges of having reservation rights, not having to wait in line, and receiving a gift back with purchases over a certain amount. The latter couldn't help but show a kind of sheepish, honest smile.

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(End of this chapter)