“Sorry to keep you waiting!”

Karien fully opened the warehouse door, peering through the gaps in his mask and saying to Simon:

“You’re here quite early.”

Simon smiled as he lowered his hand.

“When doing business, it's always best to be early, especially when it comes to collaborating with the Mechanized Faith. I can't afford to be late.”

For the past month, Simon had been corresponding with Mr. Sixteen through letters, and he had already received a considerable amount of investment.

Thanks to this, the Tumbling Post Office had resumed part of its old business, and the caravan representing the Mechanized Faith had also been steadily expanding.

This not only helped Simon avoid bankruptcy but also allowed him to earn more through the caravan.

So, regardless of whether he believed in the faith, as long as it brought in profits, he considered himself a member of the Mechanized Faith.

As for Karien, he didn’t trust Simon, but at least their current partnership was beneficial to both sides, and Karien had no other options at the moment. For now, he entrusted all matters regarding the caravan to Simon.

In the short term, Karien didn’t need to worry about Simon betraying him.

After all, Simon was a savvy businessman who wouldn't pass up easy money or do something self-destructive.

“The herbs and spiritwood are inside. You can move them out now.”

As he spoke, Karien handed Simon a list.

It was a detailed inventory of the herbs and spiritwood, and the final selling price had to be calculated according to this list.

Simon respectfully took the list, then instructed his men to begin unloading the herbs from the warehouse. Afterward, he pulled out an exquisite bag and handed it to Karien, saying:

“Mr. Sixteen, this is the revenue from the last shipment. Apart from the remaining balance from Greyhawk Duchy, everything else is here—13,000 gold coins in total.”

Karien took the pouch and asked:

“I remember the balance from Greyhawk Duchy has been delayed twice. They still haven’t paid it off?”

Simon stepped aside to give room for the workers and explained:

“There’s nothing we can do. The lord of Greyhawk Duchy was summoned by the king to go to the northern counties for some investigation. Apparently, the whole knightly order has been dispatched.”

Karien paused, then asked:

“The northern counties? Is there going to be war again?”

The northern counties were located on the border of the Durand Kingdom, close to the Ollo Kingdom to the north.

For nearly a century, the Durand Kingdom and Ollo Kingdom had frequently been at war, and the northern counties were often caught in the middle as a battleground.

So whenever something happened in the northern counties, people naturally assumed it meant war was about to break out.

Shaking his head, Simon replied:

“I’m not sure about the specifics, but we just signed a peace trade agreement with Ollo Kingdom, so it’s probably not war. I heard it has something to do with ancient ruins.”

Ancient ruins…

Karien didn’t know much about the history of Enze Continent, so it was hard for him to infer anything from this.

He set the matter aside for now and pointed to another crate, saying:

“This crate is special. It contains the new magical devices created by the Mechanized Faith.

“I plan to sell them in the capital, so you don’t need to move it. Just put it on Archie's cart.”

At that moment, Archie, who looked gaunt with heavy eye bags and a hunched back, was moving goods with the others. Hearing Karien’s voice, he walked over and asked:

“Mr. Sixteen, are you calling me?”

Karien turned to him and said:

“Archie, you don’t need to go with the caravan this time. Just load this crate and come with me to the city.”

Archie quickly pressed his palm to his forehead, saluting in the manner of the Mechanized Faith, and replied:

“No problem, sir.”

...

While Simon took the caravan to sell herbs and spiritwood in the surrounding territories of the capital, Karien rode in Archie’s cart toward the city.

“Archie, have you secured the store I asked you to find?”

Once a carriage driver, Archie skillfully guided the large cart while replying with a little more confidence than before:

“Yes, sir, the store is secured. I’ve also cleaned it out and, as per your instructions, hired four shop assistants.”

Compared to a month and a half ago, Archie’s tone had grown more self-assured—he no longer spoke with the same submissiveness.

This change was a result of the influence of the Mechanized Faith, which had also altered his social standing.

At the very least, Archie now earned several times more than before, and his work was no longer as grueling.

He wasn’t subject to the same verbal abuse as in the past.

In fact, Mr. Simon from the Tumbling Post Office treated him with respect, thanks to the connection with the Mechanized Faith.

So, Archie cherished the changes the Mechanized Faith had brought him and had become a steadfast believer, striving to better himself and make further improvements.

In the South District, Glory Street.

After stopping the cart, Archie began to untie the ropes securing the wooden crates at the back while calling over two shop assistants to help.

Karien stepped inside the shop and took a look around.

In the capital, a shop of several hundred square meters was considered a decent size, especially with its proximity to the street—it was exactly what Karien had wanted.

The only downside was the cost.

The rent for this place was 50 gold coins a month.

But in a place like the capital, this price was still reasonable.

After Archie and the assistants finished unloading and arranged the magical air conditioners and lightbulbs as Karien had instructed, Karien took the pre-written labels and attached them to the magical air conditioners.

“100 gold coins!!!”

The assistants, who were helping arrange the items, were shocked, their eyes nearly bulging out at the price.

“Don’t be surprised. This is a magical device, and selling it for 100 gold coins is already cheap.” Karien said indifferently.

“Magical devices!”

The assistants were even more astonished and confused.

In the eyes of ordinary people, mages held high social status, and the magical devices they used were beyond the reach of commoners.

What puzzled the assistants was, if these were magical devices, why not open the shop in the mage market?

This area was mostly populated by ordinary folk who could hardly afford such luxuries.

Though confused, the assistants didn’t dare question further and continued setting up the air conditioners as per Karien’s instructions.

Karien had priced the magical air conditioners at 100 gold coins and the magical lightbulbs at 5 gold coins.

He knew well that these prices would be out of reach for most ordinary people.

But he also knew that no new product started out with a price for the common folk.

For now, building the brand and creating a buzz was more important than sales volume.

His target customers were relatively wealthy families—merchants, small nobility, and the like.

This group cared about their quality of life but, unlike large families or powerful nobility, they had no access to mages or magical devices.

Karien’s magical devices would meet their practical needs while satisfying their vanity about owning something magical.

A month ago, Karien had already written to this group, advertising and piquing their curiosity.

Now, with the shop open, Karien had Archie continue delivering letters to inform these people that the Mechanized Faith’s store was officially open.

The first day the Mechanized Faith’s store opened, sales were… zero!

Although many relatively wealthy clients who had received Karien's letters came to check out the store, they were still amazed by the fact that ordinary people could use magical devices, they hesitated when they saw the price and did not make an immediate purchase.

Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

However, Karien was not worried in the least. He entrusted the store to Archie and the staff, then returned to his rented apartment in the capital to focus on his research.

By the next day, more customers came to the store.

But, for the most part, they only tried the devices before leaving.

The staff began to wonder, would such expensive items really sell?

The third, fourth, and fifth days went much the same.

Every day, more people came to try out the products, but not a single magical air conditioner was sold.

On the other hand, a few magical lightbulbs were sold.

But the magical lightbulb didn’t attract as much interest. After all, wealthy families could easily use candles or oil lamps at night; spending five gold coins for a small item that only produced light seemed unnecessary.

The few who bought the lightbulbs did so mainly out of curiosity.

Karien didn’t seem to care much about the store's sales. He occasionally checked in but mostly focused on his teaching at Redleaf Academy.

New and unusual products always required time to adjust to the market.

Especially expensive luxury goods, which took even longer to catch on.

After all, even the wealthy wouldn’t throw their money around carelessly.

Though the sales for several days were disappointing, the discussions about magical air conditioners in the capital were increasing.

After all, this product had a huge selling point—magical devices that ordinary people could use.

For those who weren’t mages but still desired magical items, this was a major temptation.

At first, these discussions were mostly among the people Karien had previously contacted via letter.

But everyone had their social circles. After experiencing the magical air conditioner at the store, many of them were already eager to buy, though the price gave them pause.

When they returned to their circles, they casually mentioned their experiences at the store to their friends.

Some of those who had bought magical lightbulbs even took them out to show off to their friends.

Before long, discussions about the Mechanized Faith’s magical devices had spread far and wide.

Karien started hearing these conversations in several cafés, and as the buzz grew louder, he began his second step.

He spent a large sum of money to have Simon from the Tumbling Post Office contact various newspapers in the capital and place advertisements.

At this point, the newspaper industry in Durand Kingdom was relatively mature, and advertisements were common, mostly for job postings, transportation, rentals, and similar services.

But Karien spared no expense. He invested 1,000 gold coins and worked with multiple newspapers for a grand advertising campaign.

Not only did he personally write the content for the advertisements, but he also employed some familiar tricks from his past life—clickbait!

“Shocking! This device lets you use magic in just one second!”

“Incredible! Ordinary people can use magic!”

“Earth-shattering! A magical device that will change the world!!!”

“...”

The exaggerated headlines covered the whole of Yadri City.

Soon, discussions about the Mechanized Faith and the magical air conditioners reached a fever pitch.

Even the illiterate street vendors could talk passionately about them.

After the full coverage of the advertisements, Karien initiated his third move: a limited-time discount!

“On June 10th at 8:00 AM, the Mechanized Home Magic Air Conditioner will be sold at half price for only 50 gold coins! Only 100 units available!”

"Mechanized Home" was the name of Karien's store.

When this announcement spread, those who had already been interested in the magical air conditioners could no longer sit still.

On June 10th, before dawn, many people were already crowding in front of the store, eager to grab the sale.

Most of the people in line were servants from small noble families or merchants, or hired runners.

After all, as upper-class individuals, they wouldn’t deign to do something as undignified as queuing up for a sale.

These people cared deeply about their social standing.

Even if they were itching to buy the magical air conditioner, they couldn’t let others know they couldn’t afford the 100 gold coin price and had to wait for the half-price deal.

The store faced a busy street, and with so many people packed together, accidents were bound to happen.

So, Karien had already asked Simon to hire a small mercenary group to maintain order.

Mercenaries were common in Durand Kingdom, from high-level mages to low-level apprentices.

The mercenary group Karien hired was small, consisting of about ten people, only two of whom were first-tier mages; the rest were magic apprentices.

This type of mercenary group wasn’t capable of handling serious missions. They mainly did guarding, transport, and errand work, all under the guise of being “mage-affiliated.”

Together with the store staff, they set up winding wooden barricades to guide customers into an orderly line.

Karien knew well that sales promotions like this often led to chaos, so he made sure to prepare in advance.

The people of Yadri City didn’t have the concept of courteous queuing like in his previous world.

So, deploying a mercenary group to maintain order was completely reasonable.

By 8:00 AM, when the Mechanized Home store opened, there were already hundreds of people craning their necks, waiting for the sale.

With the mercenary group in place, the crowd was organized into a long, winding line.

As Archie opened the door, a flood of people turned to look, giving him a shock.

But with Mr. Sixteen’s earlier instructions and his recent experience with Simon's business dealings, Archie wasn’t too scared.

He cleared his throat and recited the prepared speech:

“The Mechanized Home Magic Air Conditioner is now on limited-time sale at half price, only 50 gold coins each! Each person may only buy one unit. No crowding. Sales will follow the order of the line. Anyone skipping the line will not be served.”

As soon as he finished, the crowd outside erupted.

“Why only one per person?! I’ve been here since before dawn! Can’t I buy two?”

“You’re taking them all! What about us?”

“Only 100 units?! Can’t you sell a few more?”

“Forget the half price, even 60-70% off would be fine!”

The last few complaints came from those at the back of the line. They knew they were too far back to get one of the 100 units, but after waiting so long, they weren’t willing to leave empty-handed.

Archie, remembering Mr. Sixteen’s instructions, didn’t engage with them but instead told the staff to begin selling.

Half an hour later, all 100 air conditioners were sold out.

When the 101st person in line heard that the half-price sale was over, they immediately became disgruntled and tried to cause a scene.

The mercenary group quickly stepped in and restrained them.

Most of the people in line were ordinary folk, and when confronted by mercenaries, they had no means of resistance.

Once the scene calmed down, Archie and the staff continued:

“Don’t worry, everyone, there will be another sale next week. You can come back then.

“Alternatively, you can purchase the magical lightbulbs, which are also on half-price sale today, with no limit on quantity.”

After some persuasion, the agitated crowd calmed down. Some left, while others decided to buy the magical lightbulbs.

Once the rush was over, discussions about the Mechanized Faith and the magical air conditioners in the capital reached another peak.