Chapter 452: Wealth Beyond Measure

Char 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 along the chimney on the side, while the water tank beneath the chassis rumbled with a splashing sound.

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

"Sir! There are tons of people over at Char 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 chatting enthusiastically, glancing at Li Ang through the rear mirror before shouting:

"You're also going there because you heard about the sale, planning to do some big shopping? 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 Char 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 had taken the bait, the talkative driver grinned and shouted loudly:

"A while back, the public water pipes broke! The water company that contracted the pipes—Char Department Store partnered with someone to run it—but apparently their business was terrible, they still haven't broken even, so Char doesn't even have money to pay compensation. Their boss lady got so frantic she nearly died from a stroke!"

The boss of Char Department Store was left with no options, so he just put 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 insane! I bet half the capital's population 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, red flags waving, crowds thronging," then continued to the stunned Li Ang:

"And behind it, he had men bring out a huge box with openings on both sides—money from buyers just dropped in one end, and people waiting in line for compensation could immediately take it out from the other. Except for the clerks counting cash and verifying patient identities, not a single copper coin passed through their company's hands!"

The most incredible part? The box was completely transparent—everyone could see exactly how much money was inside, guaranteed: one copper wheel in, one copper wheel out. The water company's responsibility was absolute—they'd pay until Char Department Store went bankrupt!"

"Ahahaha! Sir, you really gotta admit—though that old man's company sucks and he keeps losing money, he's handling this whole thing with real integrity! Now a lot of people are terrified they'll go bankrupt too fast, and we won't get our share before it's over—they're all racing over there like mad!"

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

After hearing Char Department Store's antics, Li Ang was utterly awed by the unseen "Old Char."

…

As someone who'd endured every kind of commercial trickery, he knew exactly how much room for manipulation there was here.

The prices in department stores were already absurdly inflated; no one who hadn't lived through the industrial age could imagine how cheap mass-produced goods actually were. If the production cost of Gao Te's cigarettes, sold at three silver wheels a pack, even reached five copper wheels, he'd gladly twist his own head off and kick it around for them!

So this so-called massive discount? It'd still be profitable—probably even wildly profitable!

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

Items originally overpriced, old stock gathering dust in warehouses, goods they could negotiate rock-bottom prices for from factories—just pile them all out! After all, even if you slashed a three-silver-wheel cigarette pack in half, you'd still make a profit—and they'd sell 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 be thoroughly verified. The speed difference between inflow and outflow? Even the biggest box would fill up fast—and once full, how could the department store's staff not just sweep up the overflow?

For those seeking compensation, the worst fear was no money and no action. Char Department Store was faithfully paying, constantly promising to pay until bankruptcy, and that huge, visibly overflowing money box was right there—any doubts would be drowned out by the crowd's eagerness to get paid.

After pocketing this "tiny bit" of surplus cash, Char Department Store would immediately rush orders to every factory, and with their massive sales volume, they'd practically force suppliers into accepting deferred payment—demanding goods first, money later—and squeeze even more price cuts out of them.

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

If this "loss-leading sale" ran for just a week, it'd 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 outright by cash flow and warehouse costs.

But if Char Department Store survived, it would seize over ninety percent of the retail market, and leverage its dominance to bind nearly all related factories—no one would be able to challenge it in department retail for at least the next ten to twenty years.

As for whether the kingdom's authorities would take notice of such ruthless tactics… what nonsense! Am I making money? No—I'm losing money! Losing it badly!

Listen, everyone waiting for compensation: we're truly sincere about paying you! We've even gone bankrupt selling goods to raise the cash—haven't you seen our boss lady collapse from the strain?

But then the kingdom's XX department and noble XX councillor stepped forward, claiming we're engaging in malicious dumping and disrupting the market, forbidding us from selling like this—so please, everyone waiting for compensation, go home for now. We'll pay you once we've raised enough money through normal sales. As for when that'll be…

Heh. That'll depend on when you flush those XXXX into oblivion!

(End of Chapter)