Chapter 322:
C322 - Assault on the Villa (1)
"Hmm... Alright then. Golden Peng, First Leader of the Peng Clan. If this is your best disguise, then it's truly pitiful. I'm feeling a bit of confidence loss as we proceed as business partners."
"Confidence loss, you say?! After experiencing our technical skills more than anyone else? I can't help but feel disappointed, hehe."
As Peng laughed, the other three members of the Golden Snow Tribe joined in.
"I'm Golden Suny, Second Leader of the Peng Clan. Do you remember when we disguised you as a retired mercenary traveling the world?"
"I'm Golden Dori, Third Leader of the Peng Clan. Nice to meet you again, Jin Runcandel."
"I'm Golden Song, Fourth Leader Peng. Looking closely, your face is quite unique for a human. It certainly befits our Peng Clan's reputation."
Peng, Suny, Dori, Song. The four of them were the esteemed figures who portrayed the Golden Snow Tribe as the greatest merchants in the Zhan Kingdom.
"Well, how should we treat these little ones who keep talking disrespectfully to our lord? My lord is the honorable flagbearer of Runcandel."
When Jet made a joking remark while clenching his fist, Kashimir grabbed him by the shoulder.
"Shut up and step aside. The Young Master will deal with it in due time."
"Yes!"
"Are you the Phantom Sword, Sir Kashmir? Thanks for stepping in. I was thinking of giving that rude friend a lesson."
Peng snorted as he watched Jet walk away with a lonely expression.
Shush! Shush! The members of the Golden Snow Tribe extended their fists into the air, making a whistling sound.
Seeing these Golden Snow Tribe members, Jin and Kashimir suppressed their laughter.
They were undoubtedly a likable bunch.
"Thanks to you, we've managed to amass wealth. But the real business begins now."
"We've prepared, but we couldn't start the business ourselves without a protagonist."
Peng and Suny told Jin.
-I like it. After becoming the Flagbearer of Runcandel, we'll discuss the real business. Well, it's been a pleasure meeting all of you. I'm leaving.
That was the last thing Jin said when he met the Golden Snow Tribe.
The business they were talking about was the "cosmetics business."
So far, the Golden Snow Tribe had accumulated wealth by investing their fortune in various merchants and significant businesses.
But now, they wanted to start a business directly themselves.
An innovative business that could conquer the world.
Chrrr!
Dori and Song unfolded the thick paper they had prepared in advance.
The paper, almost two centimeters thick, contained business plans and contract details.
"Well, take a quick look. The contractor is Jin Runcandel, and the contractee is the Peng Clan. Well, there are no particularly significant provisions to worry about. In summary, the profit split is 50:50, full operational control is our responsibility, and you must faithfully comply with advertising. Contract termination is absolutely prohibited..."
"I don't like it from the start. The profit split should be 70:30. I'll take the 70. As for management rights, you can have full control over the beastmen land, but in human residential areas, you should consider my opinion to some extent."
"The latter is acceptable. But isn't the first one too much? 70:30? Are you trying to act like a bandit against us?"
"Instead, the Golden Snow Tribe will officially receive protection from the Twelfth Flagbearer of Runcandel. It means I'll take full responsibility for material damages caused by direct attacks from anyone, let's say assaults, looting, robberies, and so on."
"It's tempting." As members of the Golden Snow Tribe, it was genuinely an interesting story.
The reason they hadn't started their own business until now was primarily due to two reasons.
One was waiting for Jin, and the other was a lack of means to protect themselves.
The second problem was significant.
Even if they had a lot of money, finding a trustworthy armed group was not easy.
They had no lineage, no great reputation, no power. The Golden Snow Tribe was nothing more than a group of small, money-grubbing beastmen.
The Guardian Knights of Runcandel had sent some troops to recover Bradamante, so they were protecting the money they had accumulated.
But the money was in a fragile state like a candle in the wind. The Red Tigers were carefully watching the Guardian Knights of Runcandel and demanding payments, and their attitude seemed to indicate that if they resisted, they would kill and plunder them entirely.
"If Runcandel attacks us, will you compensate for the losses?"
"Of course."
"And if Zipple attacks?"
"Naturally."
"Alright, we accept."
Surprisingly, Peng readily accepted Jin's proposal. He judged that it was more advantageous to have a secure 30% than to risk losing the 50% they currently owned.
"I've been listening to your business plan, and it seems very detailed and innovative. Especially when it comes to advertising... you've put a lot of thought into it."
Peng and the members of the Golden Snow Tribe began to explain the business plan.
It was a fairly long story, but it could be summarized in one line.
They would directly use Jin Runcandel's character in their advertisements: "Imagine this, Jin Runcandel. Wherever you go, there will be large paintings of your face on prominent buildings. The size of a ship's sail. You'll pose with our cosmetics, holding the products."
"There will also be text below. 'Experience the beauty chosen by Jin Runcandel, try the cosmetics of the Peng Clan.'"
"Or 'Discover your new beauty. Recommended by Jin Runcandel, cosmetics from the Peng Clan.'"
"How does that sound? Innovative, right? Whenever people think of Peng Clan cosmetics, they will naturally think of your face."
In fact, no one had ever done product ads like this before.
"Furthermore, our cosmetics are divided into three categories. Premium Golden Snow, affordable Silver Snow, and costume-specialized Onyx Snow. We will extract money from all the humans in the world, from ordinary commoners to the nobility of Vermont."
"Onyx Snow cosmetics for costumes will be applied by the expert technicians of the Golden Snow Tribe themselves, providing a perfect transformation as if you were a retired mercenary. This is a special product mainly intended for those involved in covert operations. It won't be included in the ads and can only be discreetly purchased."
"Additionally, a portion of the profits will be donated to various organizations to promote a positive and friendly image of the Golden Snow Tribe. Have you heard of cosmetic donations? The technicians of the Golden Snow Tribe will travel the world and hold free makeup events every week."
Throughout the explanation, Kashimir couldn't close his mouth.
Jin was also inwardly amazed at their business acumen.
"Young Master, this is... It may seem crazy at first, but it will undoubtedly work. It seems like all the young people in the world will try to follow the Young Master."
"Will my face be painted on every big building in every city...?"
"Well, you're not a Provisional Flagbearer anymore, right? Do you need to hide your face? If you really don't want to, we can use another face, but there are few individuals who can surpass you in influence and appearance. In fact, it seems like there are none."
"I don't dislike it. I only said it out of naivety. No, it's a very good idea."
The first time Jin thought about doing business with the cosmetics of the Golden Snow Tribe was during his time as a Provisional Flagbearer. Their cosmetics undoubtedly surpassed the most well-known products in the market. With proper distribution, they had enough technological advancements to captivate the world.
In that sense, Jin thought that the cosmetics of the Golden Snow Tribe had a similar look to Zipple's "vital magic products."
Most people in the world, whether they liked it or not, could only use Zipple's products.
Zipple had dominated the world using various vital magic products like magical lights and magic-powered appliances.
Often, Zipple would impose itself in negotiations with various powers by threatening to cut off their supply of life magic products if they didn't accept the deal.
Of course, not many people in the world knew about Zipple's misdeeds. Even if they did, they couldn't easily raise issues.
On the other hand, Runcandel only possessed physical strength.
Although the weapons created by Runcandel's blacksmiths sold well, the demand was limited.
There were far more ordinary people in the world than warriors.
As a result, over time, Zipple's influence expanded to more places in the world, while Runcandel's power inevitably waned.
Because there were more things that could be achieved with magic than with physical strength.
The decline was not yet visible, but it was an inevitable fate that would eventually become evident.
The Runcandel Family seemed to be solely focused on defeating Zipple and undermining its influence.
However, that alone was not enough.
The matter with the Golden Snow Tribe was the beginning of a change.
Jin smiled and extended his hand to shake hands with the Golden Snow Tribe.
"When do we start?"
"As soon as you sign the contract."
"Then let's start right now."
When Jin signed the contract, the members of the Golden Snow Tribe shook his hand.
"Let's make money together! First, we should start with advertising in Hufester."
Jin Runcandel, or simply Runcandel.
From that day on, whenever people thought of Jin Runcandel, they would naturally associate him not only with his formidable combat skills but also with a variety of beautiful cosmetics.
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And so, a week passed.
Joshua, accompanied by his Butler Howard and his closest aides, personally visited the Kingdom of Kurano.
They had heard a strange story about a portrait of Jin Runcandel, his younger brother, hung in Kurano's central square.
To their surprise, Joshua was able to confirm the existence of a giant portrait of Jin at the entrance to Kurano's Art District.
(Choice of Jin Runcandel: Peng Clan Cosmetics)
The brilliant smile depicted in the portrait was like a sharp blade that scratched Joshua's heart.
"...Howard."
Joshua, momentarily lost in thought as he read the text below the portrait, opened his mouth.
"Yes."
"What on earth is this? Our clan's Flagbearer approves of such cosmetics... Cosmetics? I have no words. We cut off his money supply, and now this massive disaster happens."
Shriek!
Joshua clenched his teeth.
Thinking about how people would mock and ridicule Runcandel after seeing those ads was beyond his imagination.
What did the name Runcandel represent?
For a thousand years, Runcandel symbolized terror in the world, but now the youngest, who had just become the Flagbearer, dared to tarnish that name. Furthermore, he dared to besmirch the name of Runcandel, which would soon be his.
Not only Joshua but many people gathered in front of Jin's portrait, laughing as if they were witnessing a curious creature.
Witnessing such a scene, Joshua felt his judgment warping and feared going insane.
"Immediately inform the Council of Elders and recommend disciplinary measures against that lunatic brat... and get rid of that damn portrait."
"What about the portraits outside of Hufester?"
"Do they exist outside of Hufester too...?"
"I've heard that the portraits of the Twelfth Flagbearer are already displayed in cities of the Lutero Magical Federation."
"...Investigate who is responsible for this. Don't apprehend them lightly; first, find out who they are and what they intend to do. Thoroughly investigate who is behind them."
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Meanwhile, as Joshua vented his anger in the Kingdom of Kurano.
Jin and his companions gradually gathered in a forest in the Kingdom of Ekan.
It was where Joshua's secret villa was located.
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