novelraw Chapter 251: This isn’t deceit, it’s called marketing
Chapter 251: This isn’t deceit, it’s called marketing
"How did you... How on earth did you guys do this?" After once more sending away the other participants, this time an additional ghost remained—Kassadin.
His face painted with astonishment, Kassadin’s eyes darted back and forth, finally resting on Alexander.
"We broke a cycle and utilized the rewards from that cycle to obtain instance-specific props. Not only did we completely restrain the chef, but Alexander also temporarily assumed the chef’s identity using a prop," Edward explained.
"I’m fully aware that you’ve used these props to your advantage, but can any of you tell me whose bizarre train of thought led to not breaking the cycle but to running off to become a chef in Dining Hall No. 9?"
Kassadin Imperial’s mouth was asking, but his gaze, like Edward’s, was fixed directly on Alexander. Who else but the man before him could have such unconventional thinking?
"Kassadin, why don’t you join us?" Alexander looked at Kassadin and proposed directly. "Having an Imperial as a partner would be much stronger than just Edward, who’s only a Ghost King. His status isn’t quite sufficient."
"What are you thinking?" Kassadin Imperial immediately shook his head, his face awash with sardonic disdain. "I’m a distinguished Imperial. Do you actually believe I’d lower myself to be your accomplice? I’ve never done anything disgraceful in my life!"
"That’s a shame," Alexander expressed, his face dripping with regret. "The chef’s dashboard has functionalities not possessed by most participants. It would be a waste if you didn’t join us.
To deal with emergencies, the chef can not only use ghost energy to buy lifespan but can also transfer it to other accounts! It seems Kassadin Imperial is unwilling, and we can’t force him. It’s truly a pity."
"Um..." Kassadin paused, his expression stiffening slightly. "The profits for doing something like this can’t be that high, right?"
"True, not particularly high," Alexander shook his head, speaking earnestly. "We have more than two hundred participants doing promotion for us. Even if we can’t pull in all the participants from this instance, gathering a hundred thousand or so shouldn’t be an issue, right? Even if these people only order the discounted sandwiches, our final revenue would be..."
"Oh my God!" Kassadin Imperial didn’t let Alexander finish, slapping his thigh with sudden realization. "I want in!"
A hundred thousand multiplied by a hundred thousand—that’s billions! And that’s just one meal; participants eat three times a day!
Besides, not everyone will opt for the cheapest sandwich. With just a few wealthy participants, generating billions in revenue in a day is child’s play.
Kassadin Imperial had spent countless years amassing assets in the billions, while Alexander would only need a day working as a chef. To pass on this would be madness, wouldn’t it?
"No, no, no! That won’t do," Alexander now waved his hands in objection. "Kassadin, you’re a man of integrity. How could you engage in such deceit?"
"Exactly!" Edward chimed in, smirking. "Having Kassadin Imperial as an accomplice would be a joke. Is Kassadin Imperial that sort of person?"
"Yes! I absolutely am! Whoever says I’m not can go to abyss!" Kassadin Imperial had given up any pretense of integrity, quickly leaning into his newfound lack of scruples. "We’re running a Dining Hall, it’s a business! This isn’t deceit, it’s called marketing!"
Who would have thought? Kassadin Imperial’s acting skills far surpassed Edward’s! Soon enough, Kassadin Imperial became the lead actor in promoting the venture, relegating Edward to a supporting role.
Watching the reputedly short-tempered Kassadin Imperial heatedly debate with participants alongside Alexander was nothing short of Oscar-worthy.
His righteous indignation toward capitalists, his triumphant demeanor when he spotted a loophole, and his urgency as he charged outside, loudly declaring his intent to pull more people from other Dining Halls—it was a spectacle.
Alexander couldn’t help but ponder. Had Kassadin Imperial truly been ignorant of his identity back at the Happiness Clinic?
Just a mere invitation had led an Imperial to consider him a peer. What was even more baffling was that Kassadin had sought him out in the middle of the night for a kidney transplant.
Rumors had it that alliances between the various apartments and the city lord’s mansion in the Dark Hell were not exactly harmonious. Several had secretly supported Hurricane and Anlan. Otherwise, with their standing in the mansion, how could they have access to so many treasures?
Had Kassadin Imperial’s initial approach been calculated to endorse Louis preemptively? Indeed, these old foxes had more going on in their heads than one would think.
Only Alexander, honest and naive as he was, had been easily swayed all along. Yet with Kassadin Imperial’s involvement, the mobilization work had become much smoother.
Soon, a bus labeled "375" pulled up in front of the No. 9 Dining Hall. A white-haired ghost king stepped off, and shockingly, dozens of people swarmed out behind him.
Standing there with a group of participants, they waited as a series of black and white buses, seemingly trailing the "375," pulled up one after another.
Soon enough, crowd after crowd disembarked from the vehicles. Clearly, the first wave of promoters had successfully drawn people in.
When the newcomers saw the prices, they naturally grumbled.
Unlike the first group, they couldn’t invite each other to become VIPs; that loophole had been closed.
Without VIP status, the prices at Alexander’s establishment were significantly higher than those at their own No. 10 Dining Hall.
"Chef, I want to recharge my ghost energy—let’s go for 20 million!" At that moment, Edward, disguised as Leopold, stepped forward.
"No problem! A 20 million recharge qualifies you for a 2-million spend. Congratulations, you’re now an SVIP with a 10% discount," Alexander said, handing a membership card to Edward.
"Give me a sandwich," Leopold continued.
"The sandwich costs 110,000 ghost points. But given your SVIP status, the discounted price is 99,000 ghost points. Your balance now stands at 1,901,000 ghost points," Alexander explained with a smile as he handed over the items.
Leopold carefully pocketed the card and then took a voracious bite of the sandwich. As he tasted the ham and cheese tucked within, he couldn’t help but exclaim, "Spend more, save more—it’s worth it!"
The surrounding participants felt a twinge of temptation. This was the mist instance, and the people here were at least of ghost king level; they had tens of millions of ghost energy to spare. If they could save over 10,000 ghost energy with a recharge, that would indeed be a value proposition.
After all, recharging didn’t mean the money was gone; they could still use it later. No one doubted that Alexander would abscond with their funds.
His identity as the chef of the No. 9 Dining Hall made him an NPC, as trusted as game mechanics in the real world. You might worry about a gaming company going bust, but who would suspect an NPC of dishonesty?
"I want to recharge—100 billion!" As the crowd still hesitated, Kassadin Imperial emerged from among them.
"A hundred billion? This gentleman is recharging a hundred billion! Honorable Lord Imperial, may I inquire about your preferred name?" Alexander, in the guise of Alistair, immediately feigned shock.
"Spare me the chatter, just give me Combo Meal No. 3! Take 20 million straight from my account!" Kassadin Imperial put on an air of opulence, acting as if ghost points were no object.
"Honorable Lord Imperial, with your 100-billion recharge, you’ve attained the status of a Diamond VIP, eligible for exclusive discounts. Your order will cost only 12 million ghost points. Your remaining balance is..." Alexander began, grinning ear to ear, but Kassadin Imperial sharply interrupted him.
"I’d like to ask about this potion. Does it instantly improve one’s skills, replenish ghost energy, or heal wounds? Are there any side effects?"
"It’s instant and without any side effects," Alexander assured him.
This time, Kassadin Imperial dropped all pretenses. Being a frequent participant in the Cangshan city instances, he had built quite a reputation.
The entire crowd was spellbound by his breathtaking billion-buck bombshell. However, they didn’t pay much attention to his questions about the potion.
It was merely soldier-grade stuff; whether instant or gradual, it was far too low-level to be of any use to these ghost kings.
"Fine! I don’t need your discount. How about you throw in an extra potion as a gift?" Kassadin Imperial proposed.
"Ah?" Alexander feigned a look of utter astonishment before nodding his head and instructing Katie to bring the dishes and two bottles of potion.
Eagerly taking the tray from her, Kassadin Imperial first carefully stored away the three bottles of potion before making his way to a nearby table.
The surrounding participants were stunned. Foregoing millions in ghost energy to ask for an extra gift potion?
Even when you add in the limited-time promotion of receiving one free bottle after spending ten million ghost energy, Kassadin Imperial had only gained two extra bottles of potion. But he had willingly spent an extra eight million ghost energy just for those two bottles?
"Has Kassadin Imperial lost his mind?" whispered a participant. Anyone daring enough to make such a remark about an Imperial clearly wasn’t ordinary.
In fact, the aura around this participant suggested he was at the level of a Ghost Emperor.
"This Imperial is smarter than you think!" another participant, shaking his head, lamented.
The Ghost Emperor recognized him as Leopold, the one who had just recharged twenty million and instantly became an SVIP. "What’s your reasoning? How can you tell that Kassadin is not senile?"
"It’s simple!" Leopold lowered his voice, "Kassadin Imperial’s aim is clearly those gift potions. The reason you all think he’s foolish is that you believe these gifts are too low-level to be of any interest."
Heads nodded in agreement.
"But you’re wrong. The true value of these potions doesn’t lie in their levels or attributes!" Leopold revealed.
"What do you mean? Do these potions have other uses?" The Ghost Emperor and other participants were now all ears.
"Don’t you find the effects of these potions... somewhat familiar?" Leopold intoned mysteriously.
"Familiar? The ability to instantly improve one’s skills, or replenish ghost energy, or heal wounds... wait, these are the functions of ghost crystals!"
The Ghost Emperor caught on, his eyes almost glowing red as they fixed onto Leopold."You mean to say Kassadin Imperial wants to study these ghost crystals or potions?"
"Of course, what other reason could there be? Do you think he’d really spend millions of ghost energy just to buy two bottles of potion?" Leopold retorted.
The atmosphere in the entire Dining Hall grew tense, a collective pause in breath and thought marking the moment. In the wake of Leopold’s words, an unspoken agreement spread like wildfire.
Ghost Crystals!
These objects, as if they were the purest concentration of ghost energy, have always been coveted among ghosts. They are the only treasures that can be instantaneously absorbed to elevate one’s cultivation level.
While many have sought to study these enigmatic crystals in the past, their studies were all in vain. These ghost crystals seem to be pure concentrations of ghost energy, with no special characteristics and an inexplicably elusive formation process.
Now, however, a new item strikingly similar to ghost crystals has emerged. Although it is of a low tier, only at the soldier level, it represents hope—a hope that it can be artificially created.
"Recharge! I want to recharge! I want to make a purchase!" Without another word, the Ghost Emperor turned and headed towards the counter of the Dining Hall.
"Esteemed Ghost Emperor, may I inquire how much you wish to recharge?" Alexander’s face was awash with a grin as he asked.
"Twenty million... no! One hundred billion!" The Ghost Emperor initially wanted to recharge twenty million, clearly aiming for the bonus potion.
But after a moment’s hesitation, he reasoned that the recharged money would not vanish—it would merely reside temporarily in the Ninth Dining Hall and could be used during future visits. Why not just go for the full one hundred billion, earn a diamond-level VIP status, and enjoy additional discounts?
"Congratulations, Esteemed Ghost Emperor, you are now our Diamond VIP member. What would you like to purchase?"
The Ghost Emperor, evidently also keen on the potion, opted for the same Number 3 Combo that Kassadin Imperial had chosen.
"Recharge! I also want to recharge! Charge me one billion!"
"I’ll recharge twenty million!"
"I’ll recharge ten billion!"
The cacophony of shouts reverberated incessantly throughout the Dining Hall, transforming it into a scene of unrestrained frenzy. Anyone with even a modicum of ghost energy reserves began to recharge like mad.
Many among them were driven by the allure of the mysterious potion. After all, if research on the potion yielded results, the value of it would be astronomical—worth every point of ghost energy spent here!
Even those who considered themselves ill-equipped and chose to stay aloof from the competition for the potion couldn’t resist the infectious atmosphere.
At the very least, they recharged twenty million to secure an SVIP status or directly went for a Black Diamond status. And why not?
A Black Diamond status would grant them an 80% discount on standard dishes and Combo 1, making it an unquestionable bargain compared to other venues.
The ghost energy would serve as reserves whether it remained in their possession or was stored in the Ninth Dining Hall.
Could it be that the chefs in the mist instance would go bankrupt like capitalists in the real world or abscond with the funds? All participants dismissed such a possibility, recharging their accounts with unbridled confidence.
When participants from the Seventh Dining Hall arrived, they were greeted by the startling spectacle of patrons nonchalantly recharging by the tens and hundreds of millions. Upon grasping the situation, these newcomers quickly joined in the frenzy.
Leopold—or should we say Edward and Kassadin Imperial—watched in astonishment from the sidelines.
They were business partners, so the money they had recharged would be fully refunded by Alexander. Meanwhile, they would receive a 10% commission from the recharges made by the other participants.
While 10% may not sound like much, under the current circumstances, that 10% amounted to an astronomical figure!