“This is the second issue of the newspaper. It’s been very popular in the Noble District lately.” Lulumia set the paper down and tilted her head inquisitively. “Would Your Highness like to take a look?”
Cinderella did not answer. She simply reached out her hand toward Lulumia, who then placed the newspaper into Cinderella’s palm.
“How much does this cost per copy?”
“It’s one silver coin per copy, but the price sold to a Distributor is six copper coins.”
“Distributor?”
Cinderella raised her eyebrows, her tone clearly filled with doubt. The term “Distributor” did not exist in the Ounheim language, so Lulumia had directly imported the Chinese term. Cinderella was naturally confused by this newly coined word.
Lulumia held up an index finger to explain.
“A Distributor refers to a hub that sells products manufactured in a workshop to customers. They buy a large number of newspapers from my press at the price of six copper coins, and then sell them to customers for one silver coin, earning the price difference as profit.”
The confusion in Cinderella’s expression deepened.
“If you sold them directly for one silver coin, wouldn’t you earn more?”
“That would increase a lot of management troubles.”
Lulumia continued her explanation. Even Cinderella, born of the royal family, could not escape the limitations of the era.
The business model of this world was quite primitive. Manufacturers often directly undertook the task of selling products to individual customers, believing that they could earn more without a middleman taking a cut. This logic was fine under a small-scale peasant economy or a manual workshop model where one produced and sold their own goods. However, once the scale of business grew, the manufacturer would have to bear the risks of both “production” and “operations” simultaneously.
“I have no foundation in the royal capital. I don’t know the local business rules, nor do I have enough connections to assist with management. If I went to sell the newspapers myself, I would have to pay many lessons for my lack of experience—such as not knowing where people are more receptive to newspapers, how to spread them faster, how to avoid trouble with local thugs, or how to deal with higher-ranking nobles who might force their way in for a piece of the pie.”
“If even a single link in the chain goes wrong, the current issue of the newspaper might end up rotting in my hands, which would mean a week’s worth of work for nothing. So, rather than fumbling around and paying a double price in time and money, it’s better to simply hand the sales tasks over to people familiar with the local area. That way, even if the newspapers don’t sell, the losses fall on the Distributor, and I won’t bear the risk. I only need to focus on production.”
“Hoh…”
Cinderella’s deep red eyes lit up. A soul-stirring smile spread across her pale, bloodless face, clearly showing her approval.
“You actually have this much business sense. However, if the content of your newspaper isn’t attractive enough and it fails to sell, aren’t you afraid the Distributors will come looking for trouble?”
“Then they can only swallow their grievances. They chose to buy the newspapers from me voluntarily; it’s not like I forced them. Besides, I won’t do anything to ruin my own brand. As time goes on and more people learn about the newspaper, I can recruit even more Distributors to help me sell. By then, these Distributors will use their local advantages to develop downstream channels. One person tells ten, ten tell a hundred… it’s not impossible for the Kingdom Times to become a sensation across the entire nation.”
As if evaluating the feasibility of Lulumia’s words, Cinderella rested her chin against her folding fan. Her eyes lowered as she fell into deep thought.
She’s probably pondering how to bring this model back to the Theran Empire, Lulumia thought. The fundamental reason the newspaper received Cinderella’s investment wasn’t because Cinderella expected Lulumia to pay her back, but because of Cinderella’s title, ‘The Neglected Royal Heir.’ Her influence in the Theran Empire was not large enough.
“But selling one newspaper for only six copper coins… even if you sell a thousand, you only earn sixty gold coins. After deducting labor, materials, and venue costs, the profit is too low.”
“That’s something for later. If I don’t expand the scale, it’s hard to make real money.”
Lulumia didn’t continue explaining. She hadn’t come here to chat with Cinderella, but to complete her weekly task—helping Cinderella grade assignments. Once she finished, she had to return to the press to prepare for the third issue of the newspaper.
The recent two issues of the newspaper had earned her a total of fifteen gold coins. After necessary expenses, her net profit was close to ten gold coins. That was ten months’ worth of wages for a skilled carpenter like Sean during the peak season, and her press was only just starting.
[…]
Seeing that Cinderella didn’t ask further questions, Lulumia began re-grading the assignments. Then, she glanced at the book Cinderella had placed to the side. It was an ancient book with a tattered cover, yellowed pages, and weathered edges that were becoming brittle. On it were written the words: Detailed Explanation of Ancient Magic and Ancient Elven Language.
Ancient Magic? Ancient Language Magic?
Isn’t that the stuff Athenas, the Mark of Wrath, said she would teach me?
Lulumia pondered this in her heart and asked as if casually.
“Is Your Highness studying Ancient Language Magic?”
“What, are you interested too?”
Cinderella put down the newspaper and tilted her chin slightly.
For some reason, Lulumia felt that Cinderella’s attitude had suddenly softened quite a bit. It was the kind of atmosphere that only emerged when finding someone with similar interests.
“A little… isn’t it said that Ancient Language Magic has been discarded, and only long-lived species like Elves and dragons still use it?”
“You actually know about this.” Cinderella was quite surprised.
“It is indeed as you say. After the Seven Great Demons were sealed, the Ancient Language Magic used by humans was burned by churches everywhere. Now, only a few orphan copies remain. What you see is one of them.”
“Although the incantations of Ancient Language Magic are complex and there are various restrictions on its use, Ancient Language Magic is the essence of magic. It is the language that interprets and compiles magic. As long as one understands Ancient Language Magic thoroughly, one can adapt the incantations themselves to make magic take the form they desire. It isn’t like today’s New Magic, where people know how to use it but not why it works—to the point where if some magic chanter creates a New Magic by sheer fluke, they are immediately hailed as a genius.”
Cinderella did not look up. Her fingertips gently caressed the ribs of her folding fan as she spoke indifferently.
“New Magic has locked away the possibilities of magic. Only by rediscovering Ancient Language Magic can there be a new breakthrough in the field.”
It seems Cinderella really does love magic, given how she said so much in one breath. Lulumia complained internally. The old Cinderella wouldn’t have wasted words on her; she was an ice beauty who treated words like gold.
Speaking of which, if I copy Ancient Language Magic from Athenas, could I get closer to Cinderella? I’ve already learned Spatial Storage from Athenas. I wonder how Cinderella would react after I show it to her.
If I were the protagonist of a galgame, an option box would probably pop up here, offering a choice to enter Cinderella’s personal route. Unfortunately, I’m not the male lead… Wait, even if I’m not the male lead, a twisted yuri-style development would be fine too. Deceiving Cinderella’s feelings, making her infatuated with me, and then kicking her away to watch her pound the ground and wail in the rain—only that would satisfy my desire for revenge.
After all, if I hadn’t been clever back then, I might have been turned into puppet parts by now, assembled onto some other magitronic puppet.
Her spirits suddenly lifted, and she continued to ask, following Cinderella’s interest.
“But wasn’t Ancient Language Magic forbidden by the Church? Why would it appear in a library run jointly by the Church and the Royal Family?”
“The times are different. In the past, the Church did strictly forbid the study of Ancient Language Magic, but thousands of years have passed. The threat of Ancient Language Magic has become history, and the ban has long since faded from view. It’s just that it’s difficult for ordinary people to come into contact with Ancient Language Magic, as there are no avenues to learn it.”
Speaking to this point, a faint hint of regret appeared in Cinderella’s beautiful deep red eyes. “Among the people I know, those who can use Ancient Language Magic don’t exceed the number of fingers on one hand.”
“Then… I want to learn Ancient Language Magic from Your Highness too!”
“You?” Cinderella let out a “tch” of a sneer. Although the smile was breathtakingly beautiful, Lulumia only felt ridiculed.
“You’re too stupid. I don’t teach idiots.”
If Ino or some other elder had said this, Lulumia would have launched a spoiled brat offensive. But since these words came from Cinderella’s mouth, she only had one reaction:
*Pah! You bitch, just you wait!*
Lulumia spat in her mind and didn’t mention learning magic again. She reached out to open the next assignment book, and as a result, two slips of paper fell to the ground.
Lulumia picked them up and found they were two tickets to the opera.
Her expression instantly turned wicked. She pretended to be casual as she spoke.
“Your Highness, there’s a love letter written to you here. Inside are two opera tickets, saying you can go to the theater on Central Avenue with a friend this weekend.”
“Tch.” As expected, Cinderella frowned, her face full of displeasure. “Tell him to get lost.”
“But this was written by a girl.”
Lulumia wasn’t making it up. The writer was indeed a girl. Not only was the handwriting delicate, but the content of the love letter wasn’t full of the flowery romance typical of male students. It only contained a longing to spend a beautiful day with Cinderella.
Cinderella was a magic genius who could use Fifth Rank Magic at a young age, and her appearance was extremely outstanding. In an academy where grades determined everything, she was incredibly popular, appealing to both men and women. Mutual affection between noble girls seemed quite common in this world, something Lulumia had already gathered while grading Cinderella’s assignments.
To be honest, if the recipient had been Lulumia, she might have been moved enough to agree instantly. She had no resistance against this kind of gentle and literary-minded beautiful girl; they were always the first type she would target for a walkthrough in a galgame.
However, Cinderella’s attitude was the same as always.
“What about it being a woman? Tell her to get lost.”
“Isn’t it a bit too heart-breaking to say that to a girl?”
“I don’t even know her. What does her heartbreak have to do with me? She was the one who courted snubbing in the first place. If you disturb me with such things again, you know the consequences.”
“But what about these two theater tickets… how about I accompany Your Highness?”
“Are you looking for death?”
I knew you’d say that.
Lulumia spat. She didn’t actually want to accompany Cinderella; she was just teasing her—of course, if Cinderella really agreed, she would definitely go. On one hand, it was a good chance to get closer. On the other hand, she could tell outsiders, “I have a very good relationship with the Fourth Princess.”
In short, saying “How about I accompany Your Highness” in such a situation was just a matter of words. If she didn’t agree, there was no loss. If she did, it was a guaranteed win.
It’s just that many people are too thin-skinned at such moments to speak up, thus missing a golden opportunity.
However, Cinderella didn’t point a magic arrow at her like she used to, indicating that the relationship between her and Cinderella had improved a little more, which was worth celebrating. As a celebration, she would give the theater tickets to Ino when she got back and go see it with Ino instead. Maybe she could even snag a soft, fragrant lap-pillow from the beautiful girl.
Dreaming of a bright future, Lulumia quickly finished grading the assignments. Since Cinderella hadn’t finished reading the newspaper yet, Lulumia, bored, walked toward the first-floor bookshelves, intending to find something readable—she couldn’t understand any of the books on the second or third floors—and caught the floor librarian looking over with a beaming smile.
Because Lulumia had helped the librarian a lot—for instance, the librarian didn’t dare clear the books on Cinderella’s table, so Lulumia helped with that—the relationship between Lulumia and the librarian was already quite good.
Lulumia asked irritably, “What are you laughing at?”
“I’m laughing at you for inviting Her Highness to the theater and getting rejected.”
“I was joking. Couldn’t you tell?”
“Oho, it didn’t look like a joke to me. Her Highness doesn’t let anyone get close, yet you’re the only one who can talk to her, clean her table, bring her tea, and grade her homework. No one would believe you don’t have ulterior motives. You’ve almost become a legendary figure in the academy lately, with a whole bunch of love rivals among the girls. By the way, why don’t you show this to Her Highness?”
The young librarian suddenly adopted a mysterious expression and pulled a folded newspaper out of a drawer.
“This thing is called a ‘newspaper.’ It’s been spreading like crazy among the nobles lately. I waited for days just to buy one copy; the stuff inside is very interesting.” As she spoke, the librarian waved the newspaper and asked with a smug face, “I’ve already finished reading it. Do you want to buy it to curry favor with the Fourth Princess? It’ll only cost two silver coins.”
“…” Lulumia suddenly felt pity for the librarian in front of her and shook her head. “No, you keep it.”
“Hey, I’m kindly giving you a chance and you don’t even want it.”
Leaving the librarian’s voice of disappointment behind, Lulumia went to the first floor and grabbed a thick copy of Legend of Dragon Slaying. As for the envious and jealous looks cast by the students along the way, Lulumia enjoyed them all and, finally, sat down ostentatiously right in front of Cinderella.
*Hmph. If your skin isn’t thick enough, don’t even think about hitting on a beautiful girl of Cinderella’s level. Learn from me. If I weren’t so young, I would have already won her over.*
Rolling her eyes in her heart, Lulumia opened the book and began reading with relish alongside Cinderella.
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