Chapter 322: Raid on the Villa (1)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 322: Raid on the Villa (1)
“Hmm… I see. Top, the Chief Manager of the Gold Top Merchant. If that disguise was the best you could do, I’m truly disappointed. As my future business partners, I must admit my faith in you is wavering slightly.”
“Wavering faith! How can you say that? You, of all people, have experienced our skills firsthand! I can’t hide my disappointment, hee-hee.”
As Top laughed, the other three members of the Gold Snow Tribe followed suit.
“I’m Suni, the Second Manager of the Gold Top Merchant. You saw me before when I disguised you as a retired elite mercenary on a journey, remember?”
“I’m Dori, the Third Manager of the Gold Top Merchant. It’s good to see you again, Jin Runcandel.”
“And I’m Songi, the Fourth Manager of the Gold Top Merchant! Looking at you up close, you’re quite handsome for a human. You’re more than qualified to be the face of our Gold Top Merchant.”
Top, Suni, Dori, and Songi. These four were the masterminds who had transformed the Gold Snow Tribe of the cave into the wealthiest figures in the Jhan Kingdom.
“Hey, you little runts! How dare you speak so informally to the Young Lord? Our Lord is a Flagbearer of the great Runcandel, you hear?”
As Jet spoke while comically brandishing his fists, Casimir caught him by the shoulder.
“Be quiet and step back. The Young Lord will handle this himself.”
“Yes, sir!”
“Are you Sir Casimir, the Ghost Sword? Thank you for stopping him. I was about to beat that rude fellow into a pulp!”
Top snorted as he watched Jet’s dejected retreat.
Swish! Swish! The Gold Snow Tribe members threw punches into the air, making whistling sounds with their mouths.
Watching them, Jin and Casimir suppressed their laughter. They were certainly a charming race.
“Hmph, anyway. It’s thanks to the seed money you provided that we’ve become this successful. But the real deal starts now.”
“Everything is ready, but we couldn’t start the business because the main star was missing,” Top and Suni said, looking at Jin.
—I like you. Once I become a Runcandel Flagbearer, we’ll discuss the business in earnest. It was good to see you all, and thank you. I’m leaving now.
Those were the words Jin had left them with during their last meeting.
The ‘business’ they were referring to was the cosmetics business.
Until now, the Gold Snow Tribe had only grown their wealth by investing their seed money into various merchant groups and ventures. However, they now wanted to launch a direct business of their own—an innovative enterprise capable of taking over the world.
Crackle!
Dori and Songi unfurled a roll of paper they had brought. The stack, nearly a handspan thick, contained a detailed business plan and contract.
“Now, take a quick look. Party A is Jin Runcandel, Party B is the Gold Top Merchant. Well, there aren’t any clauses you need to worry about. To summarize the core points: the profit split is fifty-fifty, we handle the management of the merchant group entirely, and you must faithfully participate in advertisements. The contract is absolutely non-terminable…”
“I don’t like it. The profit split is seven-to-three. My side gets seven. As for management, you will have full control within the Land of the Beastmen, but you must partially accept my input in human territories.”
“The latter is acceptable. But isn’t the former too much? Seven-to-three? Are you trying to act like a bandit?”
“In exchange, the Gold Top Merchant will officially receive the protection of the 12th Flagbearer of Runcandel. This means I will personally take full responsibility for any property damage caused by direct attacks—such as raids, looting, or robbery.”
“That’s tempting.”
It was an incredibly tempting offer for the Gold Snow Tribe.
There were two main reasons why they hadn’t launched their own business until now. One was to wait for Jin, and the other was because they lacked the means to protect themselves.
The second issue was significant.
No matter how much money they had, finding a reliable martial force was no easy task. They were, quite literally, the nouveau riche. They had no connections, no prestige, and no power. The Gold Snow Tribe members were simply wealthy beastmen.
They were only managing to keep their earned wealth because some Runcandel Guardian Knights had been dispatched as a reward for recovering Sigmund. However, their money was like a candle in the wind.
The Red Tiger Tribe was already starting to demand tribute while warily watching the Runcandel Guardian Knights, even showing an attitude that they would kill everyone and seize everything if things didn't go their way.
“Will you also compensate for losses if Runcandel attacks us?”
“Of course.”
“Even if Zipple attacks?”
“Naturally.”
“Fine, I accept.”
Top accepted Jin’s proposal with surprising readiness. He judged that it was far more beneficial to have a secure thirty percent than a fifty percent that could be snatched away at any moment.
“You’ll get the gist as you read through it, but the business plan is very specific and innovative. We put a ton of thought into the advertisements in particular…”
Top and the Gold Snow Tribe began explaining the business plan. It was a long story, but it could be summarized in one sentence: they would use the ‘character’ of Jin Runcandel directly in their advertising.
“Think about it, Jin Runcandel. Everywhere you go in the world, your face will be painted on every large building. Roughly the size of a galleon’s sail. You’ll be posing with our cosmetics, holding the products.”
“And there will be text underneath. ‘The Beauty Chosen by Jin Runcandel. Experience Gold Top Color Cosmetics.’”
“Or, ‘Discover Your New Beauty. Recommended by Jin Runcandel, Gold Top Color Cosmetics.’”
“How is it? Innovative, right? When people think of Gold Top cosmetics, everyone will naturally think of your handsome face.”
Certainly, no merchant group had ever advertised their products in such a way before.
“Furthermore, our cosmetics are categorized into three types: the luxury line ‘Gold Snow,’ the mass-market line ‘Silver Snow,’ and ‘Jade Snow’ for special disguises. We will squeeze money out of every human in the world, from ordinary commoners to the imperial family of Viment!”
“The Jade Snow disguise line will feature makeup applied directly by Gold Snow Tribe technicians, providing a perfect disguise just like when we turned you into a retired elite mercenary. This is a special product mainly for those who do ‘dark’ work. It won’t be included in advertisements and can only be purchased through word of mouth.”
“Additionally, we plan to donate a portion of the profits to various organizations to foster a kind and friendly image for the merchant group. ‘Makeup donations’—sounds unfamiliar, right? Gold Snow technicians will travel the world and hold free makeup events every week.”
Throughout the explanation, Casimir couldn’t close his gaping mouth. Even Jin was internally marveling at their business acumen.
“Young Lord, this… it sounds crazy at first, but it will definitely work. I think every young person in the world will be dying to imitate you.”
“Hanging paintings of my face on large buildings in every city…?”
“You’re not a Reserve Flagbearer anymore. Is there a need to hide your face? If you really hate it, we could use another face, but there are few who surpass you in terms of influence and looks. Actually, I don’t think there are any.”
“It’s not that I hate it. I said it because it’s brilliant. Hmm, not bad. No, it’s an excellent method.”
The first time Jin thought it would be a good idea to do business with the Gold Snow Tribe was during his time as a Reserve Flagbearer. Their cosmetics were clearly far ahead of anything circulating in the world. It was a technology sufficient to enchant the entire world if properly distributed.
In that sense, Jin felt that the Gold Snow Tribe’s cosmetics shared a similarity with Zipple’s ‘lifestyle magic products.’
Whether they liked it or not, most people had no choice but to use Zipple’s products. The various lifestyle magic products they developed—such as mana lamps, mana heaters, and other convenience items—literally ruled the world.
Zipple used that economic dominance to gain the upper hand in dealings with any power. If a deal wasn't accepted, they would simply threaten to cut off the supply of their lifestyle magic products.
Of course, not many people in the world knew of Zipple’s villainy. Even if they did, they couldn't easily raise an issue.
On the other hand, all Runcandel possessed was martial power. While the armaments made by Runcandel’s blacksmiths sold like hotcakes, the demand was limited. The world had overwhelmingly more ordinary people than martial artists.
Therefore, as the years passed, Zipple’s influence reached more parts of the world, while Runcandel was destined to gradually shrink. There were simply more things that could be done with magic than with martial force.
It was a decline that wasn't visible yet. But one day, the gap would inevitably be revealed.
‘The family seems to only think about crushing Zipple and taking their influence, but preparing only for that isn't enough. This business with the Gold Snow Tribe is the beginning of change.’
Jin smiled as he offered his hand to the Gold Snow Tribe.
“When do we start?”
“As soon as you sign the contract.”
“Then it starts now.”
As Jin signed the contract, the Gold Snow Tribe members clasped their hands together.
“Let’s make a fortune together! First, we’ll start putting up advertisements in Huphester.”
Jin Runcandel, or simply Runcandel.
From this day forward, when people thought of that name, they would naturally associate it not only with peerless martial power but also with beautifully shining, colorful cosmetics.
*
A week passed.
Joshua personally visited the Kurano Duchy, bringing along Butler Howard and a few of his close aides.
It was because he had heard an absurd story—that a painting of Jin Runcandel, his youngest brother, was hanging in the square of the Kurano Duchy.
Sure enough, just as the rumors said, Joshua confirmed the massive portrait of Jin hanging at the entrance of the Kurano Duchy’s Art Street.
(Jin Runcandel’s Choice, Gold Top Color Cosmetics)
A smile.
The bright smile depicted in the portrait scraped at Joshua’s insides like a blade.
“…Howard.”
Joshua, who had been staring blankly at the painting and the text below it for a moment, finally spoke.
“Yes, my lord.”
“What on earth do you think this is? A Flagbearer of the family promoting mere cosmetics… Ha, cosmetics? I’m so speechless I can’t even think straight. I cut off his funds, and he pulls a stunt like this?”
Grit!
Joshua clenched his teeth. He couldn't even begin to imagine how much people would look down on Runcandel after seeing that advertisement.
What kind of name was Runcandel? For a thousand years, what Runcandel symbolized in the world was terror itself.
But now, the youngest, who had just become a Flagbearer, dared to tarnish that name. Even worse, it was the name of the Runcandel that would soon be his.
Not just Joshua, but quite a few people were gathered in front of Jin’s portrait, smiling—as if they were looking at a curious animal!
The sight made Joshua’s stomach churn until he felt he might go mad.
“Tell the Elder Council immediately to bring that madman up for disciplinary action. And get rid of that damn portrait.”
“What should we do about the portraits outside of Huphester?”
“They’re outside of Huphester too…?”
“I’ve heard that the 12th Flagbearer’s portraits are already hanging in cities within the Lutero Magic Federation as well.”
“…Find out who made this. Don’t just arrest them recklessly for now; find out who they are. Conduct a thorough investigation into who is backing them.”
*
Meanwhile, while Joshua was venting his fury in the Kurano Duchy, Jin and his companions were gathering one by one in a forest in the Ekan Kingdom.
It was the location of Joshua’s secret villa.