Money-Making Plan

When Oscar and Karl returned to Potsdam, it was already evening. However, Oscar did not stay overnight at the palace. Instead, he moved out at once. He knew that the agreement he had reached with Dean Ludwig Birkenhagen would soon reach Wilhelm II's ears. Perhaps Wilhelm II already knew. To avoid unforeseen complications, it was better to leave as early as possible.

Oscar left the palace with only simple luggage, though naturally he did not forget the most important thing—his bankbook. Karl von Jonerait also chose to leave with Oscar. Although Oscar's plan looked like nothing more than a castle in the air, Karl instinctively believed that Oscar would succeed.

Oscar and Karl went straight to Berlin. If they wanted to earn enough money, they had to go to a major city.

The German Imperial Family had its own fiefs and various industries. These fiefs and industries brought in substantial revenue every year, and members of the Imperial Family received fixed shares from them. As a Prince of the German Empire, Oscar stood far down the line of succession. Even so, his annual income was considerable. Over the years, he had accumulated a sizable sum of savings. The number in his bankbook was a full five million marks. This money would be Oscar's startup capital.

After arriving in Berlin, Oscar and Karl checked directly into a luxurious hotel. Although it cost quite a bit, once Oscar's money-making plan succeeded, it would amount to nothing.

"Your Highness, what exactly are you planning to do? Earning at least forty million marks in four years is no small sum!" Karl was somewhat worried. Inside their hotel room, he voiced his doubts.

"Karl, have you truly made up your mind to do this with me? We may very well fail. And if we do, there is no need for me to spell out the consequences. You should know them already." Instead of answering at once, Oscar looked calmly at Karl and waited for his reply.

"Of course, Your Highness. You are my best friend. I believe you will succeed." Karl answered without hesitation.

Indeed, among the many princes in the palace, Oscar was one of the least arrogant. That made Karl, who was close to him in age, very willing to spend time with him. It was also why, despite Oscar being far from outstanding among the princes, Karl had still chosen to serve him.

"Good, Karl. Since you believe in me so much, I definitely will not disappoint you. I believe that before long, we will leave the entire German business world and high society utterly stunned." Oscar brimmed with confidence.

Karl seemed to be infected by Oscar's confidence as well.

"Karl, this is my proposal. Take a look." Oscar took several sheets of paper from his suitcase and handed them to Karl.

The main purpose of the proposal was to establish a company called the German Welfare Lottery Company and earn profits through selling welfare lottery tickets.

At this time, lotteries were nothing new. Germany and all of Europe had many countries selling lottery tickets. However, after investigating, Oscar discovered that the prizes offered by lotteries in this era were not large, while their formats were singular and crude. Although plenty of people bought them, the market had never truly taken off.

The lottery Oscar intended to sell was copied wholesale from the Double Color Ball format of later generations. There would be thirty-three red balls and sixteen blue balls. Matching six red balls and one blue ball would win the first prize, with a jackpot as high as five million marks.

Oscar chose the Double Color Ball lottery because its grand prizes were huge and its smaller prizes plentiful. As long as someone selected one blue ball correctly, they could win a prize. To lottery players, such a lottery was undoubtedly worth buying and chasing after.

Judging by the popularity of Double Color Ball in Huaxia in later generations, Oscar did not doubt in the slightest that once this lottery was launched, it would trigger a frenzy across Germany and even all of Europe. The wealth earned from it would naturally be an astronomical figure. Of course, Oscar planned to sell it within Germany first. Only after gaining a firm foothold would he expand into other countries, striving to earn sufficient funds before the war broke out.

Though it was only a few sheets of paper, Karl took a full half hour to finish reading them. As the son of the emperor's steward, Karl had received an excellent education from a young age and was very intelligent. While reading the proposal, he was also estimating its chances of success.

"Your Highness, I have to admit that this lottery called Double Color Ball is simply far too powerful compared with the tickets currently on the market. It can completely crush them. Once it begins selling, it will definitely become wildly popular." Karl's face was full of excitement. He was only two years older than Oscar and could not control his emotions as skillfully as those old foxes.

"Karl, you think we can succeed too?"

"Of course, Your Highness. We will definitely succeed. Germany has more than sixty million people, and several million of them buy lottery tickets. Once Double Color Ball appears, it may even expand the market further. Although taxes in the lottery industry are heavy, after taxes and costs are deducted, we will certainly make enormous profits." Karl was absolutely certain.

Oscar nodded in satisfaction. If Double Color Ball truly sold like wildfire in Germany, then setting aside anything else, as long as they could earn one million marks from each draw, with three draws a week and one hundred and fifty-six draws a year, they could earn at least two hundred million marks annually. Building a Battleship only required several tens of millions of marks. Their yearly profits would be enough to build several Battleships.

"However, Your Highness, if it truly becomes wildly popular, I am afraid it will attract the covetous eyes of others," Karl reminded him.

Even though Oscar was a Prince of the German Empire, he was ultimately just a prince unloved by Wilhelm II. If the German Welfare Lottery Company he established sold like wildfire and earned vast profits, other capitalists would inevitably grow jealous. When that time came, they would certainly use every conceivable method to plunder Oscar's wealth.

Oscar nodded. The plunder and expansion of capital had always been bloody. Once there was enough profit, those greedy people would inevitably go mad. Therefore, Oscar had to find a way to protect his wealth. He regarded lottery sales as one of his most important moneybags. Many of his future ventures would need to rely on lottery sales for massive funding. Otherwise, everything would become empty talk.

There was no longer any doubt that the Double Color Ball lottery would succeed. The question now before Oscar was how he could protect this gold mine.