Chapter 452: Wealth Beyond Measure

Charle Department Store headquarters… that's got to be twenty-two kilometers away, right?

Seeing such a big fare, the steam carriage driver instantly perked up, tossed his cigarette aside, and flicked the reins lightly against the horses' flanks.

"Giddap!"

"Neigh~"

With both short-legged horses braying in unison, a thin plume of smoke rose from the small boiler at the rear of the carriage, tracing upward through the chimney along the hull, while the water tank beneath the chassis rumbled with a steady splash.

Then, as the engine groaned and the axles clacked, the entire carriage lifted slightly off the ground from the rushing air beneath it; by the time the clopping of hooves on the street began, the noisy steam carriage had already shot forward eight meters.

"Sir! There are crowds at Charle Department Store!"

It seemed no matter which world you were in, anyone who drove this line was bound to be a chatterbox—even with the boiler's roar right beside his ears, the driver kept up his enthusiastic banter, glancing at Li Ang through the rear mirror before shouting:

"You're also going there because of the sale, planning to buy in bulk? Or did someone in your family get sick from drinking the public water pipes, and you're heading over to register for compensation?"

Sale? Register for compensation?

Li Ang, who had no interest in chatting, suddenly stiffened at the driver's question, instinctively clutching his folder tighter, his face full of confusion:

"Has Charle Department Store… already started paying compensation to victims? And what's this about a sale?"

"Ahahaha, those two are actually the same thing!"

Seeing Li Ang take the bait, the talkative driver grinned and shouted loudly:

"A while back, the public water pipes broke! The water company that contracted the pipes was co-owned by Charle Department Store and some others—but apparently their business was terrible, they still haven't broken even, and now Charle doesn't even have money to pay compensation. Their boss lady got so frantic she nearly fainted dead away."

The boss of Charle Department Store was at his wit's end, so he just hung up signs saying "Sell Goods, Lose Money," dumped everything in the store onto the streets, slapped prices on them, and sold everything at a loss—so cheap it was unbelievable. I bet half the capital's population has rushed over to grab the stuff!"

Feeling words alone couldn't capture the spectacle, the driver let go of one rein, raised his hand, and mimed "drums beating, firecrackers exploding, flags waving, crowds thronging," then continued to the stunned Li Ang:

"Then he had people bring out a huge box with openings on both sides—money from buyers gets shoved into one side, and people waiting in line for compensation can immediately pull cash out the other. Except for the clerks counting money and verifying patient identities, not a single copper coin passes through their company's hands!"

"The best part? The box is completely transparent—everyone can see exactly how much money's inside. They guarantee one copper wheel in, one copper wheel out. The water company will take full responsibility—pay until the department store goes bankrupt!"

"Ahahaha! Sir, you've got to admit—though that old man's company is a mess and he keeps losing money, he's handling this whole thing with real integrity! Now a lot of people are terrified he'll go bankrupt too fast before they get their share, and they're racing over there like mad!"

"..." He's losing money like a damn fool! If you keep buying like this, he's going to end up the richest man in the kingdom!

After hearing about Charle Department Store's antics, Li Ang was utterly awestruck by the unseen "Old Charle."

…

Having endured countless commercial tricks, he knew exactly how much room for manipulation there was here.

The prices in department stores were already absurdly inflated. People who hadn't lived through the industrial age couldn't imagine how cheap mass-produced goods actually were— if the production cost of Gao Te cigarettes sold for three silver wheels per pack was even five copper wheels, he'd gladly twist his own head off and kick it like a ball!

So this so-called massive discount? It was still profitable—probably even wildly profitable.

Besides, the buyers were already brainless from the frenzy, but the sellers weren't. Who decided what got discounted? That was entirely up to the department store.

Items originally marked with inflated prices, old stock gathering dust in warehouses, goods they could negotiate ultra-low prices for from factories—just pile them all out. After all, even if you slashed a three-silver-wheel cigarette pack in half, you still made a profit—and they sold out instantly. Why not go all out?

As for the money going straight from buyers to compensation recipients… you're kidding, right?

Buyers hand over cash and walk away; those claiming compensation have to go through identity verification. That delay between inflow and outflow? Even the biggest box would fill up—and how could the department store not just scoop up the overflow?

For those seeking compensation, the worst fear was no money and no action. Charle Department Store was paying out steadily, promising to pay until bankruptcy, and that giant, overflowing cash box sat right there—no matter how many doubts arose, the claimants wouldn't dare make a fuss.

After pocketing this "tiny" surplus, Charle Department Store would immediately rush orders to every factory, or even leverage their massive sales volume to force suppliers into credit terms—demanding delivery before payment, and squeezing even lower prices.

In the commercial age, the one who sells is king!

If this "loss-leading sale" ran for just a week, it would drain half a year's purchasing power from the entire capital. Every other department store would suffer massive losses on paper; the weaker ones would be crushed under debt and inventory.

But if Charle Department Store survived, it would seize over ninety percent of the retail market, bind nearly all related factories to its will, and for the next ten to twenty years, no one would dare challenge its dominance.

As for whether the kingdom's authorities would take notice… what nonsense! Am I making money? I'm losing money! Losing it badly!

Listen, everyone waiting for compensation—we're truly trying to pay you! We've even gone bankrupt selling goods to raise funds! Haven't you seen our boss lady collapse from the strain?

But then the kingdom's XXX department, alongside noble XXX legislator, would step forward and declare: "This is malicious dumping disrupting the market! We forbid you from selling like this. Please go home for now. We'll let you know when we've raised enough money through normal sales."

And when will that be?

Heh. That'll be when you've flushed all those XXXX into the sewer!