Chapter 164: What a Dark Overlord Should Do

Words : 1591 Updated : Sep 29th, 2025

Two streets away from the Crimson Mage Tower, a figure cloaked in a large hood moved through the crowd. As people passed by this figure, they felt an icy, bone-chilling cold wash over them. Many commoners’ eyes flashed with fear, and they instinctively distanced themselves from this mysterious, hooded presence. In Green City, aside from the nobility, the most untouchable were these mysterious professionals. No one could tell whether lifting the hood would reveal a Level 2 beginner thief or a Level 15 heavily-armored warrior. After weaving through several crowded streets, the figure in the black cloak suddenly turned into a narrow alley. Upon entering the shadowy environment, a long, thin snake-like tongue flicked out from beneath the shadow-covered face. Hiss~ The sound of a snake flicking its tongue sent shivers down everyone’s spine. "Quite vigilant indeed. A high-level mage over Level 10 actually sensed my presence." Hiss~ "This game is becoming more and more interesting." With a turn, the wind slightly lifted the cloak, revealing a pair of narrow, chilling emerald-green eyes beneath it. Brutal, cold, bloodthirsty, dark. This unknown entity was like a bloody hunter hidden in the shadows, ready to strike lethally at any moment. --- Li De remained highly vigilant about the recent encounter, but lacking further information, he could only suppress his various conjectures for now. A Level 15 abyssal demon—though he wasn’t afraid, neither would he underestimate the threat. For now, within the Crimson Mage Tower, he was safe. Unless there was a Transcendent being present, no evil lifeform would dare attack a mage tower in a human city unless they had a death wish. The first thing Li De did upon returning to the Crimson Mage Tower was summon a small bat hanging upside-down on the eaves and send a message back to Dawn City. He wasn’t alone. As the king of a race and the overlord of a city, his status was nothing short of glorious and prestigious. Charging into battle against an unknown enemy alone would be a very amateur move. What a dark overlord should do instead was sip red wine, embrace a cold and proud sexy maid, and command his subordinates to eliminate the enemy. All he needed to do was reward his warriors after victory and claim the spoils. The news of Li De’s return instantly set the already bustling Crimson Mage Tower ablaze with excitement. He had been gone for far too long this time. Even though Vina had managed the tower without error, a leader was irreplaceable. Even if Li De did nothing but flip through magical tomes in his study, his mere presence gave everyone a sense of security. He was the undisputed leader of the Crimson Mage Tower, its sole master. Every mage apprentice who entered the Crimson Mage Tower was required by Vina to study the history of the tower and sign a soul contract pledging loyalty to Li De. The entire tower, including every apprentice, was Li De’s private property. On the third floor, in the study, Vina and several others stood respectfully before Li De. Isha sat quietly on a stool next to Li De, flipping through the magic book Spark had left him. The girl, dressed in a sky-blue mage robe, appeared very well-behaved. As for Spark, perhaps Li De’s mention of "Demon Hunter Spark" had piqued his interest, so he found an excuse to go search for traces of the demon. This unkempt Grand Mage seemed as carefree as ever. Within the Crimson Mage Tower, Vina had established a new management department, and the seven people beside her were her first batch of chosen managers. This small team was now responsible not only for the daily operations of the Crimson Mage Tower but also for the magic factory and the Mysterious Shop—a tremendous responsibility. To Li De, Vina’s performance during this period increasingly satisfied him. The growth speed of his little maid far exceeded his expectations. Looking at the stunningly beautiful girl in a black mage robe, with a captivating figure and a radiant smile, Li De chuckled softly. "Vina, you’ve worked hard. You’ve done well and haven’t disappointed me." Receiving praise from Li De made Vina happier than all her achievements in work combined. "Lord Li De, this is Vina’s duty. For you, Vina is willing to give everything." Looking into those beautiful blue eyes filled with admiration and adoration, Li De cleared his throat and steered the conversation back on track. "Report on the status of the Crimson Mage Tower during this period. The more detailed, the better." He had been gone for two months and needed to know how far the Crimson Mage Tower had progressed. Vina nodded, her expression turning serious. "My Lord, during your absence, the development of the Crimson Mage Tower has not lagged. First, the Magic Factory. You said that the magic factory is the core competitiveness of the Crimson Mage Tower, so we adhered to this principle in our development. Currently, the magic factory has 400 mage apprentices and 50 formal mages producing magic scrolls. The daily production has increased from the initial 200 scrolls to 600 now. Due to material shortages, our production scale has stabilized at 600 scrolls per day." "Oh? Explain?" Li De perked up. Producing 600 magic scrolls daily was an impressive number, though compared to 400 apprentices, it didn’t seem excessive. "Because of the mass production of magic scrolls, most of the magical materials on the market have already been acquired by us. Newly produced materials can’t meet the factory's demands. Thus, the shortage of magical materials has somewhat affected our production numbers." Li De silently nodded. Previously, due to the difficulty of producing magic scrolls, magical materials for their production were abundant on the market. But the appearance of the Crimson Mage Tower changed the entire market. The Crimson Mage Tower produced more magic scrolls in three to five days than the entire Green City did in a month. Thus, the market’s magical materials were being consumed rapidly by the Crimson Mage Tower, while new supplies couldn’t keep up with consumption. This led to a shortage of magical materials. Fortunately, Vina had built good cooperative relationships with many large merchant guilds in Green City; otherwise, the magic factory might have ground to a halt due to material shortages. Upon hearing this, Li De found it amusing. The market had faced raw material shortages because of a single magic factory—how poor was this world’s supply chain? "Have you devised solutions?" Vina nodded. When discussing official matters, the girl appeared very capable, completely different from her cute and soft demeanor when alone with him. "The Mysterious Shop has opened a section dedicated to acquiring magical materials. We’ve also established a task board where we post urgent material needs. Since adventurers frequently buy magic scrolls from us, our task board receives plenty of materials daily." "Second, we’ve strengthened cooperation with large merchant guilds in Green City. These guilds help us acquire magical materials through their channels." "Third, we’re contacting nobles and merchant guilds in other cities to purchase materials." "Fourth..." After listening to Vina, Li De nodded satisfactorily. She had thought things through thoroughly. "Good, move on to the next point." "Yes. Next, the Mysterious Shop." Vina’s expression was confident and composed. After six months of training, her capable demeanor had become even more pronounced, resembling a business queen from Earth. An independent and confident girl had a unique charm. "The Mysterious Shop benefits from the stable supply of magic scrolls. Moreover, the quality of the scrolls produced by the magic factory is consistent, unlike those from other mage towers, which may vary wildly in power, making them ideal for adventurers. During this time, the Mysterious Shop has established a solid reputation in Green City." "With the introduction of the point system, nearly every adventurer in Green City who can afford magic scrolls now purchases them from our Mysterious Shop." "Profits?" At Li De’s question, Vina’s eyes curved slightly, her smile enchanting. "The Mysterious Shop’s business model is divided into three segments: First, selling magic scrolls. Currently, we sell around 200 scrolls daily, earning 2,500 Gold Pucks per day. Second, exchanging magical materials for points. Because our shop’s points are highly useful, many adventurers exchange materials for points. This segment generates about 300 Gold Pucks daily. Third, businesses around the Mysterious Shop. With fixed foot traffic, selling only magic scrolls would be a waste of resources. Thus, I’ve reached weapon cooperation agreements with dwarf blacksmith shops, holy water agreements with the Temple of Life, and partnerships for other essential goods adventurers need. This segment brings in approximately 500 Gold Pucks daily. After deducting costs, the Mysterious Shop generates about 2,000 Gold Pucks daily." Hearing this, Li De was in high spirits. Two thousand Gold Pucks! Just the Mysterious Shop allowed him to easily achieve six small financial goals monthly. "We currently sell 200 magic scrolls daily to cooperating merchant guilds and store the rest." "At nine Gold Pucks per scroll, we earn 1,800 Gold Pucks daily. After deducting costs, we’re left with about 1,200 Gold Pucks." 1,200 plus 2,000 equals 3,200. And they still had about 200 magic scrolls left daily. Tsk tsk tsk, this was pure profit. Magic scrolls truly were the most lucrative business. "How much Gold Pucks have we earned in total? How many magic scrolls are in stock?" Li De’s eyes gleamed with anticipation. 200,000? 300,000? It was exhilarating just to think about.

Chapter 164: What a Dark Overlord Should Do

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