The Strongest Form of Promotion

[If Boss Caro insists on selling this card, I have a great idea that'll make the prince settle on it faster.]

"What idea?" Caroso asked curiously.

[Hehehe, leak this card's effects to the Cleric Academy and the Nature Academy.]

[I get the Cleric Academy, but why the Nature Academy?]

[You're such a casual. The Nature Academy has priests too; they just don't worship the Goddess of Dawn. There aren't as many elves as there used to be, but they haven't disappeared. They worship the Tree of Life.]

[Holy crap, you're right! The entrance ceremony is in three days, and their first class is practical combat too. We can pull off a wave of hunger marketing!]

[This card's materials are all basic materials, and the schools have plenty in stock. If one priest has it and another doesn't, now that'll be a show!]

[Hell, isn't this making the Cleric Academy and the Nature Academy compete themselves to death? If you don't have it, your card pool won't be as deep as mine.]

[So it's not just about comparing normal decks anymore—it's about luck too.]

[Not just luck. You've got to see how it's used. Wei Ansheng, Hearthstone brain.]

[Blizzard has been ancient history for ages.]

"Mm..." Caroso realized that these people had quite the head for business as well.

When Caroso discussed business with Rayne, all he knew was how much he ought to ask for.

As for the actual negotiations, Caroso knew nothing. He had simply followed the negotiation methods used by the Azure Wolf Province Ministry of Commerce.

"How should I promote it, then? Put up flyers?" Caroso had originally planned to go straight to the newspaper office, but perhaps these people had better ideas?

[Isn't that easy?]

Holding his magic crystal card, Caroso returned to the cafeteria.

The cafeteria remained open twenty-four hours a day, after all. Many students trained until late before coming to eat.

"Hello, I'd like a steak," Caroso said politely to the cafeteria lady serving food.

"Sure." The woman casually placed a piece of steak on his tray. "Tap your card here."

Instead of taking out his magic crystal card, Caroso seemingly absentmindedly placed his own card on the counter.

The woman froze when she saw it. "You took out the wrong one."

"My apologies." After hearing her reminder, Caroso seemed to realize it as well.

As he reached back to retrieve it, his hand appeared a little unsteady, and the card fell to the floor.

"Student, your card."

A girl waiting in line behind Caroso picked it up for him, glancing over the card as she did.

After that one glance, she could not look away.

"This card..." The girl's eyes widened. "It's actually a card for priests?"

"Yes." Caroso held out his hand toward her.

"Could you transfer this card to me?" the girl asked excitedly. "It's such an amazing card!"

"I'm sorry, I use this card myself," Caroso declined politely.

"Oh..." The girl returned the card to Caroso with a crestfallen expression.

The card was soul-bound to Caroso. Unless Caroso severed that soul binding, it would be useless in her hands.

If Caroso were killed, most of the cards bound to his soul would cease functioning at that instant. Only a small number might remain by chance, after automatically severing their soul bindings.

It had to be said, this setting was very game-like...

"This card will be available for sale later. I'm working with Prince Rayne, and we're preparing to release it on a large scale," Caroso said.

"Huh?" The girl froze. "You're...?"

"Caroso Kolea," Caroso said.

The girl's face was full of confusion. Clearly, she did not know who Caroso was.

A first-year challenging a third-year would spread quickly, but it would not become common knowledge to everyone within a few hours.

Besides, not everyone paid attention to which grand duke or marquis governed areas beyond their own.

"The matter of this card is a secret. Thank you for picking it up for me." Caroso smiled faintly and even gave the girl a wink.

The girl blushed all the way to the roots of her neck.

"Mhm, I understand..." she said shyly.

Caroso tapped his magic crystal card and left with his steak.

After buying her own food, the girl eagerly said to the people she was dining with, "Let me tell you a secret..."

The cafeteria lady who had seen the card earlier saw that things had quieted down, and hurried over to another cafeteria lady. "I just heard a secret. Don't tell anyone else..."

News of Caroso and Rayne's partnership spread through the entire academy like a plague.

In less than a single night, this secret had become common knowledge.

Karei, who had previously been brutally beaten by Caroso, listened to others describe the card's effects, his teeth grinding so hard they were nearly shattering.

Karei drained the draft beer in his cup in great gulps, pulled the girl drinking with him into his arms, and squeezed her thigh hard.

Damn it, no wonder a first-year like him had dared to clash with me head-on!

I'd been wondering—any way you looked at it, a straight fight should have favored me!

So that was it. It only lasted ten minutes?

As long as I kept him tied up until the card's effect wore off, wouldn't he just have to stand there and let me beat him?

Damn it, that bastard was too underhanded. Didn't they say everyone from Azure Wolf Province was a brute?

"Uncle, this card is truly useful. If we acquire it, we can continue researching along its line." Rayne told the prince who had appeared in the headmaster's office earlier.

This was Rayne's dormitory, the same size as Caroso's.

Although many commoners felt that this academy was steeped in political influences, only those who had stayed long enough knew that it was already relatively fair.

As long as one paid for a single-person dormitory, regardless of one's title, the room would be the same size and the treatment would be the same.

By the rules, every student was to be treated equally.

If there were problems, they lay with individual teachers, not with the academy's system.

"You're still too young." The prince explained calmly, "You only know that this card is good, but do you know how far Azure Wolf Province has researched it?"

"If we continue researching and are just about to produce results, what if they unveil the card's follow-up?"

"This..." Rayne froze. He had never considered that question.

"Besides, if this card truly had research value afterward, why would Caroso make it public? Why wouldn't Osiris continue developing it? You don't actually think Osiris is a philanthropist, do you?" The prince lit a pipe and took a satisfied puff.

"Sorry, Uncle. I didn't think that far..." Rayne lowered his head.

"Leave the rest to me." The prince said calmly, "Negotiations aren't settled overnight."

At that moment, the magic stone in Rayne's room lit up.

The prince casually tapped it, and a young man's figure appeared within. "Your Highness Rayne, has that card gone on sale? I want two."

Flash, flash, flash...

Rayne's magic stone began blinking frantically. Who knew how many people were trying to reach Rayne.