Julian wasn't that surprised to see 'Oblivion' as he walked down the stairs, not when he peeked at the effects of the gold-tier card he had just received.
[Imperium Bank Card (Gold Tier)
Current Balance: 10,010 Gold Coins
Effects: 15% discount on any purchase (city level and lower settlements), 10% discount on any purchase (capital city level settlements)
Description: The first card minted to any player. Exclusive to the top 1% of Alpha and the top 0.000000001% of players. Effects are doubled compared to normal cards.]
For any guild, this card was a gold mine of savings. Considering that its effects grew with each upgrade, it was an absolute treasure.
This must've been one of the things he used to grow his guild, Julian thought.
Standing next to the masked Oblivion, however, was the player Mideous, a pale-skinned young man who looked to be of Korean descent.
Seeing him behind Oblivion, it became clear that this opportunity most likely belonged to the young man.
Julian cast a look of pity toward the poor fellow. Whether it had been him or Oblivion, his opportunity would've been taken away.
As he made his way to the back entrance, he paused for a second.
Beside him was the manager of this branch bank, Ms. Jennifer, a middle-aged woman with kind brown eyes.
"Ms. Jennifer, you told me there were some perks and benefits for someone of my status, correct?"
"That's correct, Mr. Caesar. How can I be of service to you?" she smiled.
As Mideous stepped up to be registered for a bronze-tier card, he noticed the mysterious player approach him.
"Could I have a moment of your time?" Julian offered.
"Huh? Oh yeah, man, sure," Mideous replied.
Together, Ms. Jennifer led them to a private meeting room behind the receptionist's area.
The atmosphere of the private room was quite unlike the comfy nature of the bank's front lobby.
Inside were crystal ornaments, lavish furniture, but most importantly, incredibly soft and comfortable couches.
The two parties took a seat across from each other before the manager left the room for privacy reasons.
A moment of silence passed between the two as Mideous began to feel sweat trickle down his neck.
"What kind of person are you, Mideous?" Julian asked.
"I'm sorry?" Mideous asked, confused.
"What am I, uh, here for?" he asked.
Julian felt a tinge of cringe run down his spine as he realized his lack of skill in matters of discussion.
"I want to give you an opportunity and an offer to work for me," Julian clarified.
"I've seen the crowd you've formed outside, so I'll make it quick."
Julian brought out the gold card and showed its effect to Mideous.
"With my privileges, I can give you the same effect on your card. If you accept, I want you and your guild to set up a business."
"I'm sure you can imagine how much money a guild or business could make selling items cheaper than the rest of the competition."
"If not that, you could act as the middleman for guilds purchasing large bulk items."
Mideous rested his chin in his hand to make it seem as if he was thinking deeply.
But deep inside, he already knew his answer. Hell, fucking yes, he thought.
Since it was still the beginning of the game, everyone had to buy from NPCs, as production-type players had yet to advance far enough to make their own equipment.
For the first few months, they would have an absolute monopoly compared to other player-run businesses.
With that amount of momentum, they'd be able to expand until they were self-sufficient to sell their own products.
They'd hire alchemists and blacksmiths with the lure of cheaper costs for materials, while also selling to other rogue production players at less of a discount.
Julian was right in that the card was a literal gold mine for anyone who had it.
Mideous would be a fool not to accept such a lucrative deal; all he had to do was ensure the contract was fair.
"I'll gladly work under you, Boss Caesar!" Mideous saluted.
Julian chuckled at his extra performance but was glad he had accepted the offer.
While the business opportunities were plentiful with this card, he didn't have the time to fully delve into the business world.
It was much better for him to entrust this to someone else while profiting from the fact that his card was the sole core of the business.
As for why he chose Mideous, it was simply because this card was fated to be his. Had there not been a regressor or himself with future knowledge, it would've landed in his hands.
As for who would be in major control of the company, Julian would own 60%, while the rest of the 40% would be handed to Mideous.
Even though he wouldn't handle much of the business, it was his card that could even allow this business to be created, after all.
But even then, most of the money would be handled by Mideous, as unless Julian had a major purchase to make, he had little use for that much money.
His first and foremost goal was to increase his own strength for the upcoming event 10 years from now.
After a few good minutes of discussing the contract, they signed a legally binding agreement that affected both reality and the game.
With a final handshake between the two, the Golden Light Emporium was created.
While Julian quietly exited through the back entrance, Mideous was met with a crowd of players awaiting the results.
Half the players had left after receiving their 5 bronze coins, but the rest stayed to see the effects of the card.
"Ladies and gentlemen, I have exciting news! Because we here at the Golden Light Guild would not only like to show you the bank card's effects, but also the creation of the Golden Light Emporium!" the announcer shouted.
"Golden Light Guild?"
"Never heard of them…"
Mideous stepped onto the small box where the announcer stood and proudly showcased the effects of the card with a bright smile on his face.
Simultaneously, he also posted an image of the card's effects on the players' forum for everyone to see.
"15% discount??"
"Can we enjoy the discounts if we join the guild??"
With the immense rush of players checking the forum to see if their eyes were deceiving them, the post gained rapid popularity.
Eventually, the same post which showcased the card's effect (verified by the forum) and the creation of the Golden Light Emporium garnered tens of thousands of views.
Players not only from Limillion Village but from surrounding villages swarmed the comment section to ask when their store would open and about the discounts.
As the minutes ticked by and the view count rose, Mideous even received contact from large guilds and corporations.
The Golden Light Emporium had truly begun with a big bang.