Collectibles

Foil card!!!

Although Moria did not know what a foil card was, judging from the card itself, it was undoubtedly far more valuable.

By then, most of the people at the front had already received their own cards. As they compared them, they discovered that only that young woman had gotten a foil card.

The value of such a card was self-evident.

To be honest, Moria had originally thought the cards included with the cola were merely decorative extras, but after seeing them in person, he changed his mind.

The cards were exquisite and thoughtfully made. It was obvious that considerable effort had gone into producing them; selling them separately would not have been unreasonable. Yet New Moon Cola gave them away directly with the drinks!

He could not help recalling something a man nearby had casually remarked while they had been lining up at the entrance: these cards would become highly valuable collectibles. At first, Moria had not believed him, but now he felt it had been quite a farsighted statement.

"Hey, miss, I'm willing to pay fifty silver coins for the foil card in your hand."

A well-dressed noble immediately approached the young woman and spoke.

Fifty silver coins was no small sum.

"I'll offer sixty."

As soon as he finished speaking, a slightly plump middle-aged man came over from the other side. Unfortunately, the three cards in his hand were all of the same mage. After thinking for a moment, he added, "I can trade the ones in my hand as well."

"Baron of the Night Alucard Integra? Don't joke around. Almost everyone has that card—it's practically worthless."

A woman nearby mocked him, pointing at the cards in the plump man's hand. Looking around, that predominantly black card truly was quite common.

"How about sixty silver coins plus this Aurora Archer Hydasil Milimit in exchange? There's only one of this card so far."

The woman moved closer and coaxed her along, showing off the card in her hand.

Indeed, only one card depicting the female mage wielding a bow of light, Aurora Archer Hydasil Milimit, had been drawn so far. In terms of rarity, it was similar to the foil card. Moreover, aside from its artwork, that foil card was merely an ordinary Light Chaser Lincoln Woolthorpe, which was not rare at all. The deal actually sounded quite worthwhile.

"You can't put it that way. Even if ordinary cards are unavailable for the moment, you can always collect more and eventually get them. I refuse to believe ordinary cards are rarer than foil cards."

The collector from earlier spoke up, then addressed the young woman, who was already at a loss.

"Miss, I suggest you take good care of that foil card. In the foreseeable future, its value will certainly continue to rise. That is my advice."

"Who are you? What gives you the right to say that?"

The plump man demanded, seemingly angered by the setback to his proposed trade.

"Me? I'm merely a collector pursuing his hobby."

The collector adjusted his glasses and replied rather mysteriously.

Even Rainer had not expected that in just one day, New Moon Cola's card marketing plan would sweep through all of Priest. These exquisite and interesting cards were beloved by nobles and merchants alike. To them, the artwork on the cards was a trendy new form of art, while the various great mages satisfied their curiosity about magic. More importantly, obtaining these beautiful cards cost very little—just buying a bottle of cola.

People soon discovered that different cards appeared at different rates. Some were rare, while others were common. As for foil cards, one might not obtain a single one even after opening several hundred bottles of cola. They were absolutely rare items.

By that evening, New Moon Cola Mage Cards were already circulating in the collectibles market. The highest sale price came from an ordinary Aurora Archer Hydasil Milimit card, which sold for seventy-five silver coins. Foil cards, however, were impossible to buy at any price.

Pilam, who was in Priest, naturally noticed these changes as well.

Earlier, relying on the stolen alchemy array from Sanderson, Pilam had begun producing "genuine" cola. He had not rashly attempted to analyze the alchemy array, because when his alchemists first tried to do so, they had actually suffered magical backlash. This meant certain parts of the alchemy array had already surpassed current theory.

He believed this was Antoine's scheme: deliberately placing such traps within the alchemy array in an attempt to shatter his understanding and cause him to suffer magical backlash.

In any case, it could still be used without analyzing it. When Pilam tasted the cola he had produced and found its flavor almost identical to Antoine's New Moon Cola, he could practically see Antoine kneeling on the ground and begging desperately.

Pilam wrote a letter to the distant Hylair Ian Gray, reporting the latest developments. From the scattered details in Hylair's previous reply, Pilam had learned that Hylair had long since started building his own enterprise and would very likely become the head of the Ian Gray Family in the future. Pilam therefore resolved to cling tightly to this powerful patron and never let go, obeying Hylair's every request.

When Pilam saw in the newspaper that New Moon Cola would include cards, he had felt nothing in particular, dismissing it as a desperate struggle. But when, on the first day of the Month of Flowing Fire, New Moon Cola's Mage Cards had even become popular in his own alchemy workshop, Pilam finally realized the severity of the problem.

He immediately sent people out to investigate, only to discover that Pilam Cola, which had just begun to show some signs of improvement, had once again gone cold because of New Moon Cola's strategy. The reason was simply that only New Moon Cola came with Mage Cards!

Even in the neighboring cities where Pilam Cola had originally held the advantage, the Mage Cards were so popular that people began seeking out shops that sold New Moon Cola. Thanks to Pilam's own advertising, the people of those towns had already accepted cola as a beverage. New Moon Cola tasted good and also came with Mage Cards—it was leagues above Pilam Cola.

Only then did Pilam realize that all his earlier efforts to expand the market were now benefiting New Moon Cola. People ignored Pilam Cola completely, while New Moon Cola opened up the market without lifting a finger.

In fact, in order to strike Antoine as hard as possible, Pilam had set up numerous cola production lines in his own alchemy workshop, even affecting his other businesses somewhat. At that moment, mountains of Pilam Cola were piled up in his warehouses, ready to be shipped to major neighboring cities. If he were countered in this wave, it would be a tremendous blow to the entire alchemy workshop!

Pilam had naturally considered copying New Moon Cola's methods, but designing the cards, producing and printing them, and even redesigning the packaging for the cola already in stock would all take time. At the earliest, it would be two weeks later—and that was assuming Pilam Cola continued selling normally during those two weeks and every store received its shipments on schedule.

Given the current situation, it would take at least a month before Pilam Cola could begin including cards of uncertain quality. This showed that New Moon Cola's plan had been prepared even before sales began. Pilam had already lost far too much time. Unless the Antoine Alchemy Workshop went bankrupt immediately, it would be difficult for him to turn things around anytime soon.

Thinking of this, Pilam clenched his fist and slammed it violently onto the table.

So infuriating!!!