Overnight

Hakan was beside himself with rage.

Ben reading comics was one thing. Children were always playful, and Hakan bore some responsibility for not keeping a closer eye on him.

He should have devoted more attention to the family. Ben was his greatest hope for climbing into the nobility.

But Ben had secretly bought toys. He had played with every kind of toy since childhood, yet now he was buying toys from someone else's shop!

"You're already twelve. When I was your age, I'd already started earning money to support the family!"

"Aren't you selling toys too? Why can't I play with them?"

"Your job now is to study properly. You'll have plenty of time to play later."

"You're just jealous because their toys are better than yours!"

Slap!

The sound of the slap rang out sharply.

Several red marks immediately appeared on Ben's little face. Perhaps out of fear, perhaps out of anger, his body trembled slightly. Tears welled in his eyes, but he did not make a sound. He kept staring straight into his father's eyes.

For some reason, Hakan felt a little uneasy under his son's gaze. But to maintain his authority as a father, he did not back down. He confiscated the newspaper and the Yo-yo, then sent Ben to reflect in his room.

Even the carefully prepared dinner tasted meaningless.

After hastily forcing down a few bites, he retreated into his study.

He did not actually read much, but noble households all had studies, so he needed one too. The several cabinets full of books had cost him quite a fortune.

He opened a bottle of strong liquor, filled a glass, and drained it in one gulp.

The wine seller had told him what aromas the wine had at the beginning, middle, finish, and aftertaste, but Hakan remembered none of it and could not taste any of it either.

He picked up the newspaper that had been torn into several pieces. He wanted to see what had captivated Ben so thoroughly that he had not even wanted to eat.

A special collected edition of Blazing Teens.

The entire newspaper was devoted to that one subject. Hakan roughly understood that it had gathered together all the installments of the comic published over the past week.

"They really know how to do business."

In his view, the comic was no different from the countless adventure, mage, and knight novels on the market. It had merely replaced staffs and swords with Yo-yos.

It did not even have elves, demons, nuns, or princesses to spice things up. It was even more boring. Not many people would like it.

Feeling somewhat reassured, he set the newspaper aside and began calculating.

Drogo's Toy Store was not doing particularly well in business, but the method they had come up with was quite good.

They had created stories for toys and published them in newspapers. That was far more effective than dry advertising copy or plastering posters all over the streets.

He should hire people to create stories for all the toys at Arclight Toy Store too. Better yet, he could have theater troupes stage a few plays.

Bards could sing the tales everywhere, the stories could be printed into booklets and spread across the continent, and then Arclight toys would sell throughout the continent as well.

Once he made a fortune, he could fund an army for the Pope. Wouldn't he immediately be granted a noble title? By then, all those petty nobles in the city would have to greet him first whenever they saw him.

Ben would not need to study all day either. He could do whatever he wanted.

Growing excited at the thought, Hakan poured himself another glass.

Then he glanced again at the two Yo-yos on the table.

"They're nothing special. I actually got angry over these worthless little things."

He tried flicking one a few times, then firmly concluded that the moves in the comic could not be performed. Even if they were real, children could never learn them.

He had sold toys for so many years. How could he not know what level of difficulty children could handle?

Perhaps because he had drunk several glasses, he slept deeply that night.

When he woke, it was already close to noon. As a responsible shop owner, he still needed to visit the toy store.

Having convinced himself that Drogo's Toy Store could not possibly cause any real trouble, he was in a fine mood and chose to walk there.

He was used to carrying candy with him to hand out to children playing by the roadside. The Children nearby all knew him, and truthfully, he rather liked children.

Not far ahead, a large group of adolescent boys had gathered together.

"What are you doing?"

"We're arguing over who gets to play Lifi, Uncle Hakan."

Lifi? Who was that? Some legendary hero from a new story? It sounded familiar somehow.

"Oh? And how are you deciding? You're not fighting, are you? That wouldn't make you good children."

"Of course not. We're competing with Yo-yos."

Hakan did not quite understand what competing with Yo-yos meant. Perhaps it was another newly invented game.

"Elevator!"

"Around the World!"

"Lightning Fast Strike!"

"Wow! He can actually use Lightning Fast Strike!"

As they shouted the names of their moves with fervent conviction, dazzling illusions appeared in the air.

Hakan's eyes widened at once.

Those were Yo-yos!

Why were they different from the ones he had tried last night?

Lifi, Lifi... He was the protagonist of Blazing Teens!

Forget the composure expected of an adult—Hakan squeezed into the crowd of children and looked at what they held in their hands. They were Firepower Warriors, exactly the same as Ben's.

Quite a few of them were holding Yo-yos.

What was going on? Drogo's Toy Store had barely had any customers yesterday.

Panic seized him in an instant. He hurriedly hailed a carriage and raced toward Cornflower Street.

Before he even saw his own signboard, he saw the long line outside Drogo's Toy Store.

Why?

He could not understand it. Years of experience told him that toys should build their reputation little by little and gradually become popular. How could something suddenly sell out overnight?

Naturally, he could not have known that Blazing Teens had just reached the exciting climax where Lifi defeated his opponent at school.

And today was a holiday. Most schools in the city were boarding schools, and students who had been confined for a week with nothing but comics to read had finally been released.

Hakan hurried into Arclight Toy Store, and the moment he stepped through the door, he nearly suffered a stroke from rage.

There were hardly any customers in the shop. Only his younger brother was playing with a Yo-yo. Seeing Hakan, Kalaman said excitedly, "How did they think of this? The moves from the comic really work, and there are illusions too. So that comic is a textbook with a story..."

"Stop playing for now."

"Look, Walk the Dog!"

A little white dog ran along the path of the Yo-yo, while Kalaman chased after it, laughing happily.

Thinking of how he had gone to Drogo's shop just yesterday to mock them, Hakan felt irritated. Now the situation had completely reversed. He had no idea how they would mock him in return.

He paced around the shop twenty times before barely managing to calm himself down.

Analyzing the situation seriously, there was only one kind of toy: the Yo-yo. The variety was far too limited. People always grew tired of the old and craved the new; sooner or later, they would tire of it.

Besides, Arclight Toy Store's greatest advantage was its noble clientele. Those people not only wanted fun toys, but exquisite and unique ones. Yo-yos could not steal that business.

Let them be happy for a couple of days.

Just then, the shop door was pushed open.

Hakan looked over and immediately put on a fawning smile. He bowed as he stepped forward. "Young Master Craig, you're here. What kind of toy would you like this time? Our latest designs—"

"Do you have Yo-yos?" Craig asked urgently before Hakan could finish.

The Craig family was considered an influential and prestigious house throughout the entire country. They possessed the continent's finest magical Construct technology, had produced numerous high-ranking mages and priests, and controlled several ports in Twin Towers City.

Of course, more importantly, Young Master Craig spent several hundred gold coins at Arclight every year.

"Uh, let me first introduce this season's new products—"

"I want Yo-yos! Don't you understand?"

"Yes, yes, but..."

The little male servant beside him ignored Hakan as well. "Young Master, didn't I tell you that only Drogo's Toy Store sells Yo-yos?"

"But... but their Yo-yos are too cheap. They only cost a few dozen copper coins. That doesn't suit my status."

"I heard they can customize Yo-yos too."

"Why didn't you say so earlier?" Craig immediately brightened, though he soon looked conflicted again. "But you know my family forbids us from mentioning Drogo..."

"Oh, come on. They can't possibly have a real evil dragon. Besides, Drogo Toys is insulting it. In the future, you'll definitely defeat it as easily as playing with toys."

"That's right! When I grow up, I'll definitely defeat Drogo!"

Craig skipped out of Arclight Toy Store and ran across the street. From beginning to end, he did not spare Hakan so much as a glance.

Hakan remained bowed as he saw them out. He did not raise his head for a long time. His final line of defense had fallen.