1022. The Launch Event Goes Smoothly / 1023. Shirou's Request to the Girl

Many of the adventurers in the audience were already determined to get their hands on the scabbard, but the host unexpectedly kept them in suspense.

But just as she said, the scene was so shocking that everyone wanted to know exactly what had happened. So the burly men, who were usually so irritable, patiently waited for the appraiser to arrive.

"Too much dawdling!!! Move aside! I'll do the appraisal!" At this moment, an old man's voice rang out from the audience.

"It's Gubinyu!"

"What? Even this god came to the sword sheath launch event?"

The rabbit-woman host, having obtained Penthesilea's permission, then said:

"Then please welcome Your Goddess to the stage. Thank you for your help, Lord Gubinyu."

"Hmph! I'm not helping that brat. I just want to find out what's going on." Gubinyu stepped onto the platform, placed the sword on a table, and began to examine it carefully with a magnifying glass.

Meanwhile, the Amazon, having taken the stage, quietly gathered up the weapon racks and debris and took them off the stage.

"Sorry, we messed up." Tiona pulled her sister along, and together they bowed to Shirou and Penthesilea in apology.

"No, you did a great job," Shirou said, waving his hand.

"Yes, the results this time were very good." Penthesilea nodded, acknowledging the two girls of her own race.

"That's great..." Tione and Tiona breathed a sigh of relief; they both thought they were going to be killed by the boss.

"But... if you do this again next time!" Penthesilea's eyes flashed with a fierce light as she glared at the two sisters and threatened them.

"Yes!!" The two girls stood at attention and answered in fright.

"Alright! Remember what you said." Penthesilea stared intently at the two girls, as if trying to etch their faces into his mind. If they broke their promise, he would hunt them down even if they fled to the ends of the earth.

The two girls, who were making a ruckus on stage and almost dismantled the booth, were trembling like small animals.

"You may leave," Penthesilea said.

"Yes!" Tiona and Tione ran backstage as if fleeing, wanting to find Ais and Leifya, to find warmth to soothe their frightened little hearts.

"Haha, is it really necessary to scare them like that?" Shirou said with a light laugh.

"I didn't scare them, did I?" Penthesilea replied casually.

"Huh?" Shirou paused, watching the two girls run off into the distance, feeling that their future was bleak.

At this moment, Gubinyu, who was on the display stand, had finished appraising Shirou's sword, walked to the front of the stand, and announced to the crowd:

"I have confirmed that this sword has not been damaged!"

"Wow! Wow! Wow! Wow!" Cheers erupted from the audience once again.

"So it's the real deal! Gubinyu was absolutely right!" the adventurer, who had long wanted the scabbard, exclaimed excitedly.

"God of Gubinyu! How did you do that?!" someone shouted in disbelief.

"Yes! The sword worth 500,000 is made with dragon scales from the dungeon. Even the lowest grade of Wyvern are still dragon scales! How could 150,000 worth of fine steel compare!"

These people are dwarves and blacksmiths who came to cause trouble.

"It's because of that scabbard. The concentrated magic protects the sword," Gubinyu said, examining the wooden scabbard beside him.

"Sheath? Even if it has the attribute of enhancing equipment, this is too exaggerated, it's impossible to do." The blacksmith shook his head in disbelief.

"Can't you accept the emergence of new technologies? That's why you've fallen behind." Gubinyu sighed as he looked at the several down-on-their-luck blacksmiths.

"That's just a brat who's not even twenty years old. I'm eighty and I haven't developed any new technology. How could he possibly do that!" a goblin said resentfully.

"Shut up, brat! I've lived for hundreds of millions of years and witnessed countless inventions and discoveries by geniuses. It's your problem that you haven't made any achievements yet."

"I... I don't believe it! There's definitely something wrong with that sword! You can't tell from the outside, but it's definitely broken inside. It would break if you just dropped it!" a dwarf shouted, his eyes red.

Bang!!

Gubinyu used his sword to cut the table in two and kicked it off the table!

"Fools!!! Are you trying to say that I've been bribed?!" Gubinyu glared at the group, his beard flying in the wind, and shouted angrily.

"No... I wouldn't dare!"

"If you have any doubts, then stand still and see if I can cut you with this sword!"

"Waaah, we know we were wrong!"

"Don't Run! I'll chop you all in half! You bastards!"

"Sorry!" The dwarves and goblins scurried away in embarrassment.

The press conference for Chapter 1022 proceeded smoothly.

"Thank you for your help, Gubinyu." Shirou thanked the old god.

"Hmph! It's only because your sword sheath is decent that I wouldn't even glance at you." Gubinyu snorted and turned to walk towards the audience.

Gubinyu also runs a blacksmith shop, so there's no reason for him to praise a competitor. Besides, Shirou is quite familiar with Hephaestus, and Gubinyu competes with this Fire God for the high-end market, so it's even less likely that he would help Shirou.

However, in the end, what he did helped Shirou a lot. Not only did it prove Shirou's skills, but it also drove away the other blacksmiths who came to cause trouble.

As for the dwarves and goblins who ran away, Shirou didn't think they had done anything wrong. Perhaps that's just how the business world is. If you don't want to be eliminated, you have to do something.

The business world is like a battlefield. If you only want to stay in one place and not conquer new territories, it's impossible, because the market is constantly changing and everyone is constantly evolving. If you don't keep up with the times, you're destined to be eliminated.

So even if they are just trying to maintain their current status, the businessmen are doing their best every day.

Investing in things that bring benefits and destroying things that harm oneself is an essential survival skill.

Those who possess unique and novel technologies are more easily targeted, since no business is stupid. However, they often cannot stop the trend of the times.

Therefore, when dealing with competitors, there can be no room for leniency; one must be prepared to crush them or be devoured by them. No means should be spared in achieving the goal.

Shirou chose to collaborate with Penthesilea for the same reason: to ensure comprehensive distribution and technological leadership before being imitated or copied.

By this time, the troublemakers from the other blacksmith shops had dispersed, leaving mostly those interested in the scabbards. In the audience, quite a few people were already itching to make their move.

"If we want to commission you to customize the scabbard we want, what do we need to do?" the greatsword adventurer asked.

"Yes, please bring your current weapon here. I will record all the details and then have a custom-made sheath made. It will be even more effective," Shirou said.

"Um, I don't have a suitable weapon, but I want to change my class to swordsman. What should I do?" someone asked.

"Of course, I can also forge weapons for you. In fact, if a weapon is forged by me personally, all the necessary considerations can be taken into account during the design process. It will also fit the scabbard better, and its power can be increased by 100%," Shirou said.

"Besides the enhanced power of the greatsword, are there any other types of scabbards?" asked a sharp-eared Elf Race swordsman who favored agility.

"I can make adjustments to the scabbard to best utilize the sword's characteristics and ensure the amplitude of the sword's attributes, thus improving its overall capabilities," Shirou replied.

At this point, Ais, who had rested, changed into new weapons and returned to the stage, led by the Amazon.

"Now, please welcome Miss Ais Wallenstein to demonstrate the next type of scabbard." Shirou said, stepping back into the passageway and nodding to the blonde girl.

Ais nodded to Shirou, took the new sword and scabbard from the Amazon, and walked towards the display stand.

The second time Ais appeared, she wielded her signature fast and light rapier, which had the attribute of 'sharpness'. It was sheathed in a silver scabbard engraved with Hippogriff patterns.

"Roar! Aaaaaah!"

The field trembled as the giant monster 'Bear-Headed Mantis' was released. It flapped its wings and roared. Its six long, hairy arms were connected to sharp scythes, like a trident, and could extend, ready to strike its prey's head at any moment.

This is a giant praying mantis with a head that resembles a bear's. Its entire body is covered in fur, and it possesses extremely fast speed and sharp scythes. It has cut through rock walls and rubble in the dungeon.

"Hey, hey, it's this monster! How did they even bring it up here? The Amazon are truly terrifying." A veteran adventurer in the audience looked at the scene with surprise and said.

"That's exactly what I mean. If we let them out, it could cause a huge disaster," a rapier wielder said, cold sweat beading on his face.

The Bear-Headed Mantis is a solitary creature that lives in mazes above the fortieth floor. A single one possesses the strength of a mid-level boss, and it has six wings and six extendable scythes. Both its speed and destructive power are astonishing, especially its speed, which may even surpass that of the floor's boss.

Even a level 4 adventurer cannot defeat it alone; a six-person team is required. If you encounter it alone, you can only hide, and if you are discovered, you will only be killed.

At this moment, Ais activated her wind True Magic, infusing magic into the scabbard, causing the silver scabbard to glow faintly. This scabbard, made of mithril, is characterized by the Magic Resistance energy, making it particularly suitable for enhancement with status-boosting True Magic.

"Roar!!!" The bear-headed mantis sensed the magic and pounced on Ais.

Ais deliberately didn't dodge, but instead raised her sword to meet the ever-growing scythe in front of her.

The bear-headed mantis swung its scythes very quickly, but Ais retaliated even faster, taking on six opponents at once.

At this moment, Ais drew her slender sword, which gleamed with silver light, and swung it. A silver diagonal line curved and danced in the air, and the sword made no sound when it collided with the scythe.

When the silver thread stopped, all six arms of the bear-headed praying mantis were severed.

The bear-like mantis monster was shaved into an insect club. Now that it had lost its weapon of survival, it remained ferocious, its bear-like mouth wide open, gathering magic power as if it were about to unleash Beam Cannon.

Ais acted decisively, thrusting the tip of her sword at her opponent.

The slender longsword pierced deep into the center of his chest, penetrating his back.

The bear-headed praying mantis didn't even have time to scream in its death throes before it gradually lost its pigment and eventually collapsed into a large amount of dust.

Ais silently flicked her sword, making a 'whoosh' sound, causing the tip to tremble slightly. The remaining blood fell with the wind and returned to its sheath.

"Liar! That monster was among the top ten most difficult to deal with in the first forty floors, a veritable cold-blooded killer, and it was taken care of so easily."

His entire movement was graceful and imposing, drawing loud shouts from the adventurous onlookers.

"Ooh ooh ooh ooh!!!"

"As expected of Sword Princess!!!"

Chapter 1023 Shirou's Request to the Girl

"The scabbard that the Sword Princess is using this time is a mithril scabbard that accelerates the flow of magic and can quickly complete the energy injection. Mithril itself is a crystal that can increase the effect of True Magic. For example, for status True Magic, it can not only speed up the charging speed, but also increase the duration of the True Magic itself," Shirou explained to the guests in the audience.

Without the interference of competitors, Shirou's presentation proceeded very smoothly.

They simply answer questions from interested guests.

"This scabbard is perfect for agile True Magic swordsmen or adventurers with enhancement True Magic."

"Um! I don't have enhancement True Magic, but I have companions in my familia True Magic. Would using this scabbard be of any help?" a swordsman asked, raising his hand.

"That's a good question. What you've described is also possible. You just need to have your companion infuse the True Magic beforehand, and because it's mithril, the duration is guaranteed. If you have a companion with powerful support True Magic and often fight alongside them, you can also consider this scabbard." Shirou greeted the swordsman and replied.

Penthesilea smiled as she walked through the corridor; the press conference was even more successful than she had envisioned.

Of course, this victory doesn't mean everything will be resolved; the real battle has only just begun.

There are many good companies in the world, but they can often be divided into two types.

It is a unique entity that relies on innovation, masters entirely new technologies, creates leading products, establishes a completely new industry, sets industry standards, becomes a trendsetter, and is sought after by customers.

Another approach is to improve and refine existing products, aligning them with the social circles everyone interacts with, and striving to meet people's needs and provide convenience. Eventually, these products will become an integral part of customers' lives, allowing them to generate revenue through a large user base.

Although the former is more popular, the disruptive effects of innovation are sometimes more pronounced than its benefits.

Because innovation often relies on overthrowing the old.

While established forces may not be as powerful as they seem, it doesn't mean they are weak. In particular, industry leaders won't sit idly by. Sometimes, it's even possible for established businesses to form alliances to suppress upstarts, even if it means engaging in cutthroat competition at a loss, to completely crush their future rivals.

As long as there are no competitors and they maintain a monopoly in the industry, they can eventually recoup the money they initially invested from the public.

Shirou only drove away some vanguard soldiers this time; they were just blacksmiths who didn't have much power and ran their own businesses.

What would happen if they were targeted by a large forging company run by a powerful clan?

Moreover, the other blacksmiths aren't fools either. The craftsmanship of the scabbard will eventually be figured out and copied. Copying is impossible to prevent; rather, imitation is an innate human instinct, and trying to completely stop it would actually be against nature.

Who says that imitations are necessarily inferior to genuine products? There are countless examples of imitations surpassing genuine products.

Jobs' Apple smartphone ushered in a new era, but he wasn't the first to make smartphones, and it's been less than a decade since Apple was overtaken by others. However, there are countless failures in the smartphone market as well.

Shirou still has many problems to face.

Initially, transactions were conducted among acquaintances. However, when the main customers changed to strangers, the business model inevitably changed again.

It's no longer about mutual trust and maintaining relationships; more often, it's about affordability, lower prices, and better value for money.

However, Shirou has developed groundbreaking innovative products and divided sword sheaths into three grades—superior, middle, and inferior—making the prices suitable for all levels while ensuring quality. Now, with effective advertising and experienced Amazon handling sales, there is no reason for him to fail.

"That concludes today's exhibition. Guests interested in purchasing a sword sheath may register at the service desk!"

At Penthesilea's command, the Amazon ladies took on the role of receptionists, carrying tables and chairs and arranging them in the venue to greet customers who wanted to make reservations.

"I want fifty low-end sword sheaths!" someone shouted impatiently, seeing a business opportunity in the sheaths.

"I'm sorry, but because all the scabbards must be made by Mr. Shirou, the supply is limited, and each person is limited to two scabbards," the Amazon salesperson said with a smile.

"Get out of the way, you scalpers! I want to order a high-end Europe- style greatsword scabbard!" The burly man shoved aside the scalpers and squeezed to the front of the stage.

"Yes, we'll register you now. The prepayment is one-fifth of the actual product price," Amazon said with a friendly smile.

After the handover was completed, she didn't forget to slip a small note into the other person's hand. She didn't dislike rich and strong men.