Behind-the-Scenes Schemes

The headquarters of Pilam Alchemy Workshop was located in Priest. At that moment, Pilam was handling documents in the spacious office on the top floor. The workshop's income was considerable, and he was already considering whether to buy a fourth villa.

Knock, knock, knock—

Urgent knocking sounded, making Pilam frown in displeasure, but he still responded quietly.

"Come in."

"My lord, I got the goods!"

The moment Sanderson entered the office, he shook the Cola in his hand as though showing off a treasure, sending countless bubbles surging within.

"Is that so?"

Pilam remained expressionless. He pointed beside his desk, where two bottles of Cola sat, identical to the one in Sanderson's hand.

"Eh, my lord, have you already replicated it? You truly are one talent in ten thousand!"

Sanderson immediately flattered him, but when he saw Pilam's expression change, he dared not say another word.

"You idiot! Haven't you read the newspapers from the past two days?"

Pilam roared in a low voice as he hurled the Daily Priest beside him at Sanderson. The lackey did not dare dodge and could only let the newspaper smack him in the face with a series of slaps.

"This thing called Cola has already become a household name in Priest. Everyone is scrambling to buy it, with lines stretching from the shops all the way into the streets!"

When Pilam first saw the newspaper, he had been quite curious about the mysterious beverage. But when he discovered that the shop selling Cola was Warren Potion Shop, which had worked with Antoine for years, he felt a foreboding sense of unease. It was only after sending his men to buy some that he finally confirmed it: this Cola was the product Rainer had commissioned Antoine to make.

He had no idea what trick Antoine or the Rainer behind him had used to get Daily Priest to publish such a far-reaching article.

"It's... it's that famous?"

Sanderson froze. He was barely literate, so naturally he could not have subscribed to newspapers. Still, he knew his boss had invested in several papers, such as Priest Daily and Priest Life. As for Daily Priest, it did not seem to be one of their businesses.

"In just a short time, Daily Priest's sales have risen by fifty percent, and its market share has climbed back to forty percent. Do you know how much money I spent driving that old-fashioned, backward newspaper to the brink of bankruptcy?!"

Pilam was beside himself with rage. He had cultivated those newspapers solely to create favorable public opinion for himself in the future. As a mage, Pilam had found it difficult to advance any further. He could only seek a career in politics, becoming a City Councilor through his identity as a merchant before seizing the position of mayor and successfully entering high society.

A publication like Daily Priest, which had once reported Pilam's unfair business practices, was his enemy!

And now, Daily Priest and Antoine—those two enemies—had joined forces.

"It is time for both of them to fall into the abyss."

Pilam cracked his knuckles, his face dark.

"My lord, are we using that trick again?"

Sanderson naturally meant replicating Cola, then dumping it at a low price. This method had never failed. Their opponents would be furious enough to stomp their feet, yet helpless to do anything, and Sanderson found it immensely satisfying.

"Idiot, do you think I haven't considered that?"

Pilam cursed before picking up a bottle of Cola from the desk.

"I have already had the production team examine it. The main ingredient of this beverage is ordinary sugar water. Replicating a similar flavor would be easy, but that is not the key issue."

"What is the problem, then?"

Sanderson naturally understood nothing about Alchemy and hurriedly asked.

"Hmph. Open the bottle of Cola in your hand, and you will understand."

Pilam looked coldly at the Cola that Sanderson had shaken violently.

Not understanding why, Sanderson tried to open the metal cap with his hand but failed. After thinking for a moment, he bit down on it with his teeth and pried it up.

The Cola opened.

Along with it came a massive release of air.

The bottle cap shot out like a bullet, slamming violently into Sanderson's upper gums and knocking out one of his teeth. The Cola, mixed with a huge amount of gas, erupted and sprayed all over him. The sugar water quickly turned into a sticky liquid, leaving Sanderson in a miserable state.

"What is this?!"

It was Sanderson's first time encountering such a drink. The shock was so great that he even forgot to get angry.

"There is a special gas in Cola. It is colorless and odorless, and it can dissolve in water. It gives Cola its distinctive flavor, and when the gas escapes, it carries away excess heat, creating a cooling effect. Forget it, explaining this to you is a waste of breath. Just know that we currently have no way of producing this gas."

Pilam shook his head. This special gas seemed to be a new substance, yet Antoine had not published a paper on it and had simply used it to make a beverage???

He could not understand it. The Alchemy team had tried several known gases, but they either could not dissolve in water or altered the flavor of the Cola. So far, the alchemists Pilam had hired at great expense remained completely clueless. They could not even produce an inferior version.

But Pilam knew he could not delay any longer. Once New Moon Cola had truly taken root in people's hearts, he would never have another chance.

Thus, Pilam ordered them to use sugar water as the base and make the closest possible imitation of Cola regardless of the consequences. Though it tasted far worse than the genuine Cola, Pilam intended to use a price war to strike at his opponent.

Since Antoine's Cola had a chance of giving customers One More Bottle, Pilam would simply cut the price in half!

Judging by the cost of setting up the alchemical arrays, the profit would be extremely low. Once all the various expenses were included, it would even be sold at a loss. But as long as he could seize the market, it would all be worth it.

"Those lowborn peasants cannot possibly tell the difference in taste between the two Colas anyway. This is more than enough."

By tomorrow, Cola from Pilam Alchemy Workshop would be delivered to all the major shops and restaurants under his control. Pilam also planned to have the newspapers under his command run advertisements on their front pages, using entire sections to promote Pilam Cola.

Such a stunning advertising campaign would surely be far superior to that incomprehensible article.

"As for you, Sanders, go steal Antoine's alchemical array for me. Once I analyze it, I will write this gas into a paper and take everything from them completely!"

Pilam gave the order with an imposing manner, utterly unaware that he had gotten Sanderson's name wrong.

He looked at the damaged photograph on the desk. At that moment, his heart was filled with nothing but endless fury, and he wanted Antoine to die without a burial place.