EPISODE 3: REVENUE
-Edryan Queendom. Year 7281, Season: Central
Be not afraid, mortals. For I bring salvation, destruction, and wealth. đ
-Madris â The Challenger
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With the Three Faces of Madris watching, three years passed in the blink of an eye until I was now six. With new developments and several birthday parties under my belt, I could safely say Iâve come a long way on my path of development. As time passed there were several minor hindrances I overcame. First, it was much harder to generate revenue than I originally thought. If not for my station and the ability to call upon several ministers as the Crown Prince of Edryan; then starting any sort of business as a commoner would have taken tremendous effort. I was still used to the Earth's manner of advertisements. Here the advertisement was word of mouth. There were no phones, laptops, or TVs to broadcast your product on a wide scale. That was part of the main reason I said trying to start a business as a commoner would take a tremendous amount of effort. You needed clout and reputation to make anything happen. I happen to have both as the Crown Prince.
That didnât even mention the amount of processing work needed to open a legitimate business. I needed to register my business with the Ministry of Revenue, partner with the Merchant Association, and several others. A process that could take up to a year or more. Something I didnât have to wait for.
My experiments with the bees turned into a grand success. Although it took an initial few months to train the proper beekeepers. They needed different ways to handle the more magically inclined bees. Yet it was these bees that produced the most popular honey. To make sure Iâd be able to ramp up production several different classes were hired on. A [Tamer] and [Livestock Farmer] to induce the bees into producing more queens. Once the first few months passed and the necessary personnel was acquired creating a brand was next. Edryan had Merchant Houses, which ran several of the country's operations and logistics. Food, clothing, and different resources, in general, were run by these merchant houses. While a great portion of these merchant houses were subsidiaries of the high nobles if they werenât high nobles themselves. That wasnât to say a new businessman couldnât start and make their own name as the ability for people to get classes and create opportunities for themselves was present. There came special classes related to a bloodline or House.
Most of the nobles in Edryan were classified by their House. Because of these special classes a member of a house had access to, it created a partial monopoly when it came to certain factors. The Oni with chi using warriors. The Drumian with fabled [Spell-Swords] and more. Again, I realized that it meant it was harder for an entrepreneur to branch out into a different field. That didnât mean it was impossible. Edryan Law stated that during the years an individual was to turn thirteen they must take on at least three different professions before they turned sixteen. This was because at sixteen the system unlocked for them. Granting them the ability to level and choose a class. It was an open secret â the more knowledge of different subjects you had, the better class options that would be available. By Edryan law, businesses had to take on a quota of students to show their craft every year.
It was even better for the person to unlock the system with a âTraineeâ class. Among the members of upper-class society. It was an open secret that classes with âTraineeâ in them. Would allow you superior class options once you hit your first-class advancement. It was how the noble houses and others kept their monopoly on the market. A market that I wanted to crack open. Free trade promoted prosperity⌠to a degree. I did not want the trade to be so open that the crown would lose its ability to govern. I didnât like bullies, but I understood I was the biggest fist in Edryan. The country was named after my family after all.
Once the bees produced a steady supply of honey we figured out how to safely smoke them. That would allow us to safely harvest the honey. I began ideas on a brand. I sponged my brain for everything I could recall about brands back when I was an earthling. From the billboard ads to the ads in affiliated shops. I drew on as much knowledge as I could recall. If Celina was here this would have been a piece of cake. She was the business major, not me. Unfortunately, I had to do this myself. It was not that the merchant houses of Edryan didnât have advertisements. It was more so the fact that they had been established so long that they had become household names. Need a sword? The blacksmiths of House Coal would have you right. If you didnât purchase from them directly, they sold goods to various other merchant houses. In turn, they sold to small business owners or from their affiliated shops. Rinse and repeat. Hell, there were even farming houses. Villages of distantly related people forming a coalition of their own. Specializing in growing a certain type of crop. The Consus was the greatest of them. The crown had our own affiliated merchant houses. Some are even distantly related to us. Although I wasnât certain, my mother and I were the only pureblood Edryanis left. Any house that sold weapons was most likely a subsidiary of the crown.
My brandâs logo was a chibi golem with a jar of honey sitting on his lap. After all, I had the prototypes of golems working with batteries already out on the streets of Edrya. The undertaking of selling the honey was a large process. First, I needed to find glassmakers to produce different size jars with my brand's logo. Lawâs Sweet Golems or LSG was a hit to the market. Not only did I produce them in glasses to sell to the middle class and higher, I was able to provide to the lowest income groups. The glass making was accomplished because of [Glassmakers] a class that did as its name suggested.
Magical bees named Imperius Honeybees produce sweet honey with a slight intoxication effect. There were several other magical variants but with the nobility these proved one of the most popular. The nobles and upper class werenât the only ones I wanted to sell to. I had small wooden jars carved with the LSG logo that was sold for the smallest denominator of Edri.
Edri was the official name of our state's currency. There were several different values ranging from copper, silver, gold, platinum, and the highest was the Edri Coin. The same ranking knights of the queendom followed as well. The conversion rate was stable as Edryan had deep reserves of these materials. Each coin had a small and large version with the smaller version usually equaling three of the larger ones. My best conversion to USD on estimates would be 1 small Edri copper is between 50-65 cents. It takes 15 large copper Edri to make one small silver Edri.
The conversion to the other coins from their previous counterparts was the same. Most commoners only dealt with copper and the occasional silver coins. Gold, platinum, and Edri were for trade between houses or large organizations. Plenty of adventurers, the successful ones at least, flaunted their wealth. Edri Coins were the hardest to get a hold of. They were required to be forged directly in the palace itself. They were seen as a thing of status more than used in actual trade deals. If my calculations were correct. The small Edri coin would be worth over 2 million USD. The coin was forged with a mix of metals and even had enchantments on it. It gave off several different features that were valued amongst the high noble society. I didnât understand it yet as I would need to have my class unlocked.
I was certain my idea would work. All that was left was to convince my mother. I thought back to that faithful day I summoned the courage to approach her.
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-Flashback
I looked over the green pastures and large honeybee hives set at an equal distance from one another. Tens of miles of royal farms were occupied for my project, more would come if I succeeded. I pulled in a long deep breath and held in the fresh air. A year and a half ago I began the process of trying to produce revenue to fund myself. I knew in a world of magic, there would be no doubt I would run various operations and experiments. If I was born in a different manner that might not be the case. Perhaps I would have had the ideals of being an [Adventurer] or [Mage].
I was [Born To Be King].
My years of lessons began to instill this notion, this idea into me. Even before I began the lessons. I was already set on this path unknowingly. Now, I reached a major breakthrough on that path and was ready to further expand. I had several hundred colonies producing a stable amount of honey. This would be enough to get off the ground and into the capital market. It would not be enough for the entire country nor further beyond. I did not need that level of production yet. I needed something to show my mother. Something that she would be proud of me producing so that I could ask for money to expand myself even further. I returned to the castle with several jars of Lawâs Sweet Golems Honey and prepared to meet my mother. Although I did not doubt that she knew everything Iâd done so far.
The personnel under her command were loyal to her and the crown. Not me personally. I would have to investigate having my own men eventually. Not because I was afraid of my mother compromising me in some way, I just didnât like the feeling of not having true authority over them. I returned to Edrya late evening, and it took another hour to get to the royal palace. My mother was in the bath when I arrived, so I decided to wait in her study afterward. It was adjacent to her room and would allow me to quickly speak to her without having to wait too long. Her desk was filled with various reports and documents that needed signing off. Reports on troop movements of our neighboring states and conflicts several were involved with. Edryans hadnât warred since High Queen Titiana took over. Hopefully, that peace would last.
I heard my mother enter her room. She was quickly changed by her maids before she entered her study. No doubt informed by one of the various maids or butlers that I was present.
She smiled when she saw me, and I ran over to hug her. A broad grin spread across my face as well. Mother was my favorite person here.
âHello, my little warrior! What grand ideals do you have today?â She asked me curiously. Picking me up and placing me on her hip as she peered down at the documents. Using one hand to sign off on them as I gathered my thoughts.
I didnât know exactly how to ask so I just blurted my request outright. âI wish to borrow money!â
âHow much?â
âWill 3 large Edri Coins be enough?â
âYou will not need to pay back.â
My mouth gaped open at the words of my mother. Honestly, I⌠I hadnât expected her to say anything like that. I borrowed money from my mom and dad before, but it was nothing like this. I think I donât understand the full implications of being the Crown Prince. I was the only other member of the royal bloodline. My mother gently closed my mouth before smiling. She opened her mouth to speak once again.
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âIâve heard of all you have been doing lately. Whether it is building thisâŚ,â she paused trying to recall the term.
âBattery,â I said helpfully.
âYes, this battery or to start a honey farm. These are all genius ideas that will cement you as a gift from the divine. I have no reason to try and stop you from achieving your goals. In fact, I only want to help you achieve them. To see you succeed and go farther in life. You are my little warrior.â
Iâm not ashamed to say I began to cry. I was not new to a mother's love but just the fact that my new mother also held such strong convictions to see me succeed brought me closer to reality. These people were human too. I was not alone in this new world. I never would be as long as my mom remained around.
âThank you, mom.â
âI think that would be too much, however.â
âNonsense. I believe it's too little in fact.
Tell me your dreams and I will help you fulfill them!â
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With her help, I expanded LSG. First into the capital market not that any merchant house, or any house for that matter, would be stupid enough to oppose me coming in to take a share of the market. Several of them saw this as an opportunity to grow close to the crown. Promoting my brand without me having to do so much as lift a finger. The merchants were some of the biggest consumers of my goods especially in the year I only sold in the capital territory. It was because of them that demand began appearing from outside the capital. Various territories all wanted to try LSG. Demand skyrocketed and so did resell prices. I didnât mind the reselling of my goods for higher prices outside of the capital territory. I just wanted to prove to myself that the idea would work. Afterward, I began to rapidly expand my bee farm. All personnel who worked on the royal farms were magically bound to a contract. This kept the secret of exactly how I was producing a stable supply of honey in-house. Stronger guards were stationed at the royal farms in the event of someone being stupid and greedy enough to try and steal my ideas. Not that anyone should be stupid enough to cross the [Iron-Blooded Queen]. That was asking for assisted suicide.
After three years I expanded enough to sell to the entire kingdom and beyond. Partnering with some of the same resellers to sell outside of the capital territory. Mages using magic to accerate the growth of the bee farms and more. The merchants I partnered with would keep a percentage of the total sales. This helped serve as an incentive to sell even more.
To make sure that the people of Edryan would be able to access honey on all levels of society, I created the Stable Price. A set of rules for my products that resellers couldnât break. Basically, I set a price for each of the different honey types. Any reseller found trying to upsell in Edryan was punished heavily. For a small crime, they could be charged a large fee. The more they did it the higher the punishment. To make sure they knew I meant business any House involve in the upselling to Edryan people could be stripped of their assets. These assets would be auctioned by the crown. The prices outside of Edryan? I couldnât care less. As long as I received my percentage of the coin.
Over three years since I first began production, I made close to just under a dozen large Edri Coins. How and why? The basic version of LSG Honey was priced at 3 big copper. The average citizen made around three large silvers a year or roughly fifteen grand in USD, three large silvers equaled forty-five small silvers. The Crown took five silver for taxes roughly 11% of their gross earnings. Leaving them with forty small silver Edri of income to spend on whatever they wanted. Most went to any rent and food expenses while the rest was saved away. Now, I promoted them to spend some of that hard-earned cash on my products. The three large coppers LSG bottle was the size of those half water bottles from Earth. That made them come back for more as the sweet was quickly becoming a cheap and easily accessed delicacy. A discount of half a large copper was applied if you turned in your old container. That way I could save on the cost of materials and earn even more money. This sort of sales tactic hadnât truly been explored in this world. It was a completely open market for me to take advantage of. The prices for the better honey were three large silvers. A jar of close to two liters would be provided. This was the main money grabber for the middle-class market. It produced a ton of revenue for me. The middle size households brought this almost weekly. Not only did I open honey to the market. I partnered with Merchant House Cain. They specialized in the baked goods area and were the most dominant members of the capital. They were not high nobles but now they held my backing. With them, I created special baked goods that could be enjoyed with honey. Once these recipes were spread to the populace. Honey became a necessary component in the lives of the Edryans.
What brought me the greatest source of money was the magical honey. The Imperius Honeybees were one of the most popular. My mom even was an avid fan of them. I held several magical variants, some produced hallucinogenic effects⌠which were only to be sold to merchant houses and higher and were only for personal use. It was fortunate that they were not addictive, yet the feeling they gave you could even affect high-level people. Imperius Honey sold for 3 large gold. Along with several other of its variants. Yet⌠there was a single colony of bees that produced what I valued even higher. These bees were moved to the royal gardens within the palace once their honey effect was discovered.
The Edryani Honey was the most valuable honey I currently possessed. Like the Edri Coin in terms of nature and branding. The Edryani Honey was produced from the now-named [Edryani Honeybees]. These bees took you on a complete trip and I spiked their honey with several other variants that created an effect strong enough to level you. Regardless of the experience type you needed. I hadnât tried them myself but according to my mother they were strong enough to level her. The Edryani Honey took you on a leveling trip that stimulated your mind and potential. Giving you a realistic vision of a simulated event that challenged you in ways that affected your class. This honey held a basic value of 3 platinum coins. There was also a waitlist. The more you paid the higher your name would be on the waitlist. No one paid the actual three platinum coins. These honey jars were sold for Edri in truth. I only revealed their existence of them once I could ensure the safety of the honeybee nest. Those high-level people, adventurers, nobles, and all the above were in my pocket. The higher level you became the harder it became to level. This honey was specifically targeted at them. With a little over 1000 bottles produced every two seasons, the demand was sky high. Once I reveal this product to the market. The continent began to take notice. Nobles, ministers, and everyone wanted a piece. All eyes were directed to the Holy Son.
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âCrown Prince an envoy from the Kingdom of Elraka has requested to meet with you.â
âCrown Prince an envoy from the Federation of Farya has requested to meet with you.â
âCrown Prince an envoy from the Empire of AzâDawn has requested to meet with you.â
âHmm delegate them to the Minister of Foreign Affairs.â
I continued to look over the schematic for Mana Battery Version 3.4 but paused as the last sentence fully registered to me.
âBy the Her Three Faces, did you say Empire of the AzâDawn?â I asked the butler who deliver the message to repeat himself. His eyes widened at my language.
âYes, Your Royal Highness.â
âTell my mother,â I said dismissing the butler.
The fact that an envoy from the âempireâ of the low kingdoms wanted to meet me had me concerned. AzâDawn was the only âEmpireâ of the low kingdoms. In truth, they could barely be considered an Empire. They just had double the land mass of Edryan. It was unfortunate that most of it was a desert. A direct cause for crossing Goddess Madris. If an empire was contacting me⌠most likely about Edryani Honey, then it was best if my mother knew. Although I had no doubt all contact request made for me made their way into her ears first.
Currently, I was observing the third generation and fourth versions of my Mana Battery. The first generation was the concept. It took a few versions before I got a strong enough mana battery to run a golem. The second generation involved making the batteries reusable. I didnât want a battery to be useless after a single use⌠that was a waste to me, and it was the reason I focused on making them reusable. Margret was now permanently assigned to aid me. That didnât mean she took orders from me. She took to her task with gusto having been more and more intrigued by my thought process and the fact that I got working prototypes. Alongside Celcus Kain they began to seriously help in exploring the concept of mana batteries.
Mana batteries wouldnât just be good for golems. They would revolutionize all industries. Especially after more inventions were made to take charge from them. Once the second generation was running we optimized them. Making them more efficient and charging faster. More court mages were enlisted to help me. The project now had proper facilities to conduct tests and experiments. It was considered a partial military partial civilian project. Generation three was about the longevity of the batteries. I wanted Civilian Grade Batteries that could last a week before needing to be charged. For the military I wanted these batteries to last a minimum of two weeks to a month.
Generation four? I would introduce them to rechargeable stations. To take the ambient and plentiful mana of the air and turn it into energy to fill the batteries. Generation five would be solar panels. I had already planned this out and was only waiting for sufficient results. I could see that the Edryan were at this level of technology not because of a lack of resources or personnel. They lack the proper market to promote the advancement of technology. Some houses were too developed and in power set in their ways. This would stop potential new developers from ever reaching maturity. If they werenât drowned out by the competition. Then they were brought. If they werenât brought then they lacked the resources, connections, and other necessary components to make it on their own.
I would change that.
Golems and honey were only the first steps of my plans. The LSG was already in use in the capital. Demand was already called from outside the lands of the capital territory. Golems that did not use the mana of their owner? Nor did they require a mana crystal to be powered? These created workers that would never tire. That would work 24/7. I had to be careful with their use. I would create a city that would never sleep. Jumpstart the industrial age yet with clean energy as the world's mana was never a pollutant.
My real use for the military-grade golem batteries was to make a version that would work for trains. I would soon introduce the concept of a connected Edryan. With the ability to travel swiftly from one territory to another. This would change the military as well. It would also promote new jobs. Different jobs and classes to help replace the vacuum I was causing. The trains and train tracks would need protection. I was already encouraging people to spend their money and not save it. This stimulated the Edryan economy.
I chuckled to myself as I worked. Imagining a modern Edryan. The manpower was here, the resources⌠everything I needed was available. The crown was supporting me. Right now, I felt unstoppable. I would continue to build on this momentum.
My batteries worked from several combined components. Horns of the Thunder Goat, copper, several precious metals, and dried mana crystal dust. Through alchemy, these materials were combined and formed the Mana Battery. With the actual charge being liquid mana itself. Pulled from the air until it condensed into a liquid state. It took months of experience to create something like this. The process even propelled the next idea I held in mind⌠an academy or college.
The Edryan people had several notable academies and orders for young mages and knights. The Royal Academy is the first and foremost. Education usually came from a nobleâs family or a private tutor they hired. Numerous mage colleges required a hefty contract to be signed and whatnot. The same went for the knight orders. The most freeing path was that of an adventurer. I decided there should be a third option.
I wasnât only going to generate revenue. I wanted to cultivate the talent of the Edryan people. To create Edryans first public schools and its first private one for the nobles and well-off houses. I would not allow the status quo to remain. I always believed in using the power invested in me to enhance my community. When my mother said sheâd support me in all my dreams, an idea began to take hold of me. I thought back to the first subject I began to learn once I began my studies. My fist clenched with excitement, wonder, and acceptance. I knew the path laid before me would be daunting. I accepted the burden nevertheless.
System Unlock:
3,430 Days
15 Hours
59 Minutes
3 Seconds
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Power doesnât corrupt people, people corrupt power.
-William Gaddis