Chapter 380: Chapter 380: Royal Capital Legend, Striking it Rich

Lance submerged his consciousness back into the Bronze Network. "Bazzer, how did it go? Did you stop it?"

When he sent the message to Bazzer that afternoon, he hadn’t explained why he wanted to halt the collaboration. He’d simply wanted Bazzer to stop it as quickly as possible.

Bazzer’s voice came from the other side of the Bronze Network, holding a hint of apology but mostly filled with excitement. "Lance, I contacted the editor-in-chief of Midnight Rose in the Royal Capital through the Star Realm channel as soon as I got your message, but... it was already too late."

’As I thought.’ Hearing the expected answer, Lance felt his vision go black.

Still, he made one last desperate attempt, asking in disbelief, "Didn’t we just authorize it a few days ago? How could they be so fast?"

"Lance, you’re underestimating the efficiency of those top-tier Alchemy Workshops in the Royal Capital."

Bazzer patiently explained from his end of the Bronze Network.

"The very night the merchant association got the authorization, they hired several High Tier Alchemists and modified the designs for the Magical Assembly Line. The first batch of finished Alchemy Toys has been rushed into production over the past two days and circulated through special channels among socialites and noblewomen."

"Aaargh!"

Lance let out a wail of despair.

Right now, he wanted nothing more than for the ground to open up and swallow him. His face was a mask of agony. This was it; his reputation was about to be utterly destroyed.

’So mortifying!’

He could already picture it: in the future, his glorious deeds would be dug up, only for him to be nailed to the pillar of shame in history, dragged through the mud again and again, all because of those humiliating toys.

However, just as Lance was writhing in agony on his bed, curled up like a shrimp, Bazzer’s excited voice came through the Bronze Network again:

"But Lance, you’ll never guess! The trial sales for these toys were an explosive success! The first batch we put out was completely sold out in less than two hours. The noblewomen bought every last one."

"The merchant association is ecstatic, and they’re already rushing to produce the next batch of orders. Our preliminary cut from this batch alone is more than our royalties from writing the biography for a whole month!"

Lance, who had been writhing on his bed in misery and wishing he were dead, froze when he heard those words.

’No wonder!’

No wonder the Legend had suddenly begun to coalesce and then rapidly take form while he was on the train to Ostrara.

He understood everything now.

The physical objects served as a conduit, and when combined with the emotions users generated during their... "in-depth experiences"... the overlapping effect directly catalyzed the Legend’s formation.

’So you can catalyze a Legend just by selling merchandise,’ Lance muttered to himself, feeling like a door to a whole new world had just opened.

After reporting the good news, Bazzer waited on his end of the Bronze Network for a long time without hearing a response from Lance. Finally, he asked, a note of confusion in his voice:

"Lance, why did you suddenly want to stop this project this afternoon? Did you think the profit-sharing percentage was too low?"

Hearing this question, Lance found it difficult to answer.

’What’s he talking about, profit-sharing? Back then, I was just blinded by Gold Coins, thinking any extra money was a win. If I had just asked one more question about what kind of toys they were, I would never have agreed, even if it meant I’d have to eat dirt in the future.’

But there was no way he could admit such an embarrassing truth to Bazzer.

He quickly came up with an excuse:

"It’s nothing. I was just worried that this kind of commercialization might affect the purity of the Legend and diminish its effects. That’s why I wanted you to put a temporary hold on it. But now that the Legend has already formed, it’s not a problem anymore..."

In truth, the source of his embarrassment was the real nature of the co-branded Alchemy Toys; Lance was having a hard time mentally accepting it.

But setting those factors aside, the abilities that came with this Legend were actually very practical.

[Legend: The Royal Capital’s Boudoir Taboo]

[Legend Core Concepts: Creation, Rhythm, Ecstasy]

[Entry Quality: Extraordinary]

[Current Proliferation: Level 1]

[Legend Anecdote]

In the private whispers within the boudoirs of the Empire’s socialites and noblewomen, there is a certain black-haired youth. The story of him and the Snow Lady has moved countless hearts.

Countless women use the Alchemy Creations related to him to experience a moving love story. He is the unspeakable taboo of the Royal Capital’s upper-class women and Sub-human Species.

[Legend Bonuses]

1. Ingenious Creation: Your Alchemy comprehension +5, hand stability +6, and there is a small chance to add a Legend-related mutation entry to your products.

2. Stamina Atonement: When a member of the opposite sex feels negative emotions toward you, you need only initiate rhythmic physical movements on them. The stamina you consume during this process will automatically convert into a special soothing aura. This aura can continuously wash away the other person’s negative emotions until they completely soften and yield.

3. Pink Echo: Desire for you from the opposite sex will charge the "Echo Shield." Current Cap: 500. Growth: 70/day.

These Legend abilities seemed ridiculous, but amid the ridiculousness, they were also damn useful.

What amazed Lance the most was that when this Legend was generated in the afternoon, possibly due to the bonus from the second ability, it directly caused the "Hunter King Line" fate branch on his commission panel to deflect by another 5%.

However, this time it only dropped 10,000 General Experience Points, and not a bloodline like last time.

With this, the Hunter King Line fate branch had successfully been deflected by a total of 15%.

At this rate, he might be able to completely dismantle this ending by the time he finished escorting Ella home.

As for the third ability, it was equivalent to giving Lance a free, extra energy shield that could continuously accumulate and be called upon at any time to reduce damage taken in battle.

Although the accumulation rate and cap didn’t seem like much now, one shouldn’t forget that something like a Legend levels up as its proliferation increases. The thickness of this shield would become quite considerable by then.

"That’s good, then."

In the Bronze Network, hearing Lance say there was no problem, Bazzer, who had been afraid he’d messed things up, let out a long sigh of relief.

"Then you can rest easy. As soon as the merchant association settles the dividends for the first batch of orders, I’ll notify you right away. You can find some time to withdraw the money from a local Balance Vault then."

"Mm-hm, okay. By the way, you said the dividend was huge. Roughly how much will our cut be for this batch?"

Lance asked casually.

He figured that for this kind of small toy, even with the co-branding, the cost was what it was, so the selling price probably wouldn’t be very high.

For this first trial batch, if he could get a cut of One Hundred Gold Coins, he’d be laughing out loud in his sleep.

Lance was now lying spreadeagled on his bed, having completely accepted his destiny of becoming the new generation’s "King of Books."

’As long as I don’t go to the Royal Capital, and as long as I don’t say anything, then the person they’re talking about isn’t me!’

’Besides, with Nieve’s sweet and well-behaved personality, she probably wouldn’t buy such trashy publications if she went to the Royal Capital... right?’

Lance was already trying his best to build up his mental defenses and console himself.

However, Bazzer’s reply struck him like a bolt of lightning, leaving his head reeling.

"For this first batch of orders, after deducting miscellaneous fees, our cut should be around 600 Gold Coins."

"What?!"

Lance bolted upright in bed, his face a mask of disbelief. "You didn’t miscalculate, did you? I remember the agreement we signed gave me only a 12% cut of the net profit! How could it be so much? And this is just the first batch!"

You have to understand, a house in Gray Rock Town only costs a dozen or so Gold Coins.

’The gap in regional Alchemy proficiency is huge, but is the gap in prices really this massive, too?’

"That’s right. You heard me correctly."

Bazzer said with a laugh.

"The production volume for this batch was indeed small, since it was just to test the market’s reaction. But the key is that these toys sold at a high premium in the noblewomen’s circles."

"And this is just the beginning. Future orders will definitely multiply. As long as we keep updating the biography and maintain the story’s popularity, the subsequent authorization fees and dividends will keep pouring in."

’Write!’

’Write like crazy!’

Lance’s eyes were filled with a craving for money. "I’ll work on gathering material soon and try to come up with a new plot. I’ll leave the updates to you then."

Bazzer was startled by Lance’s 180-degree turn in attitude, but he was tactful enough not to press for details on where exactly Lance was going to "gather material."

At this moment, Lance was already brimming with excitement for the future.

When he had first arrived in Ostrara, he felt like he didn’t quite fit in with the City of Trade.

But after just a few hours, he now felt like he was a genuine Ostrara native himself.

As for that Third Ring, once the money arrived, it would be time to go and get a proper taste of what this city had to offer!

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