King
Chapter 1130 - 1130 173 Strategic Extension

1130: Chapter 173, Strategic Extension 1130: Chapter 173, Strategic Extension Greed moves the heart, and under the allure of substantial prizes, the students entered a frenzy of internal competition, with the labs filled to capacity every day.

In fact, it wasn’t just the students who were covetous of the Magic Potions; even many of the academy instructors were tempted.

They simply couldn’t bear to lose face since the competition was aimed at students.

As everyone bustled about energetically, they laid a technical foundation for the creation of the Near East Development Bank.

The first batch of Magic Crystal Cards arrived, and the three branches opened simultaneously.

There were no flowers, no applause—everything began without any fanfare.

A bank that kept such a low profile naturally didn’t perform spectacularly.

The initial customers who came to open accounts were old friends showing their support.

It wasn’t that Hudson was unaware of the importance of publicity; rather, the bank was still exploring its operational approach and simply lacked the capacity to serve a larger clientele.

After all, their main connection was with the Noble Lords, and it simply wouldn’t do to have them waiting in line to conduct business.

Having chosen to take the high-end route, they had to provide service that matched.

A small number of customers in the early phase was ideal for training the team.

The three branches distributed a total of one hundred and thirty-six Magic Crystal Cards, a number that greatly satisfied Master Hudson at the grand opening.

The customer base was indeed small, but they were all high-quality clients.

Over a hundred cardholders deposited cash amounting to more than three hundred thousand Gold Coins, which was a significant face-saving gesture.

The most important next step wasn’t to expand the deposit business or to look for loan customers but to demonstrate the benefits of the bank.

Since the money had been collected, just piling it into the vault was enough; there was no need to pay any interest on funds.

The largest expense was simply personnel wages, and Hudson wasn’t worried about the cost pressure at all.

In the blink of an eye, the day of the skills competition arrived.

As the event’s largest sponsor and honorary chancellor, Hudson’s attendance was naturally expected.

The theme of the event was the skills competition, so naturally, it wasn’t limited to the creation of Magic Crystal Cards.

The two academies also added Alchemy, Potion Refining, Divination, Fighting Law, Magic Formations…

The list of events grew, and so did the number of sponsors.

In addition to Hudson, The Royal Family, some Major Nobles, and business associations also joined in on the excitement.

The value of the prizes they provided couldn’t compare with Hudson’s, but they won out in diversity and practicality.

The event grew in scale, and the attention from the outside world rose along with it.

Perhaps out of sheer boredom, every dignitary, including King Caesar IV, came to join the buzz.

Having no intention to hog the limelight, Hudson declined the invitation to deliver the opening speech and chose to sit in the VIP section alongside the power brokers of the Capital.

Looking at the dense crowd of onlookers, Hudson seriously doubted whether all the Nobles of the Capital had come to join the excitement.

It would have been fine if only they came to spectate, but they brought their families too.

The competition hadn’t even started yet, and the venue was already buzzing with energy.

The students maintaining order were overwhelmed.

In the end, it took the deployment of the Palace Guard by Caesar IV to restore peace.

“Robert, how many tickets did you sell?

There are so many spectators,” Hudson joked.

Comparing the number of people at the venue with the number of seats prepared in advance showed that planning had disconnected from reality, which clearly indicated a lack of experience in managing events.

It seemed the academy’s high echelons hadn’t expected the Nobles of the Capital to be so enthusiastic, all bringing their families to the spectacle.

It wasn’t just the outside that was bursting at the seams, even the VIP area was a bit crowded.

Many dignitaries brought their families, and the organizers had to add chairs last minute.

“Tickets, what tickets?

Marshal Hudson, you can’t slander my innocence!” Robert quickly clarified.

As God is my witness, for this event, he had only invited a few sponsors, and the rest of the guests had arrived uninvited.

To limit the number of people and prevent Cult Members from sneaking in to cause trouble, he had ordered the academy’s security personnel to strictly check identities, prohibiting non-Nobles from entering.

Unfortunately, he had still underestimated the public’s zeal.

With such a significant competition, everyone wanted to come to see it, and since Nobles weren’t solitary beings, the actual number exceeded expectations.

The chaos at the scene was embarrassing enough.

It would have been even more humiliating if people thought he was “profit-driven.”

Consider Robert, wielder of Sanctuary Powerhouses and Chancellor of the Arcane Academy—would he bow down for a little bit of money?

“No tickets?

No wonder there are so many people.

With such a large crowd, you aren’t worried about…” Hudson half-jeered, but upon seeing King Caesar IV’s ashen face beside him, he wisely shut up.

King Caesar III, the former monarch, had perished in an assassination, and to talk of such sensitive matters was like rubbing salt in the wound of the King.

From the arrangement of seats in the VIP area, Hudson knew he would need to perform double duty as a bodyguard.

Deep down, he silently despised Robert’s lack of a business mind.

If one were more entrepreneurial, they could sell tickets at different prices according to the viewing location, not only limiting the crowd but also easily making a profit of tens of thousands of Gold Coins.

Moreover, if they hung banners for advertising, served tea and pastries, the profits would be even more substantial.

No wonder the academy was short on money, they had squandered such an excellent revenue stream.

After all, the prizes were all sponsored; organizing a few such events a year could mean earnings in the millions.

As long as they could attract the Capital’s elite, they wouldn’t lack for ticket buyers.

The Nobility of the Kingdom might be poor, but that was in terms of large expenses.

For a ticket price of one or two Gold Coins, they could certainly afford it.