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Path to Prosperity - B3 Chapter 5
🕑 Added 2024-10-18 10:00:14 +0000 UTC“Your plan is to grant everyone a good standard of living.” The Minister of Finances mumbled while reading through the pile of papers she had been fighting for a while.
“That’s about it,” Percy nodded, “But the children are the real treasures of the Kainesh Kingdom.”
It was fun to think about how often he and the Minister of Finances had been meeting in the last few weeks. Percy couldn’t recall the last time they didn’t see each other for more than 24 hours. That must have been weeks ago.
“Some of the children will gain access to mana, which will be noticed if all children have to go to school. You can start nurturing the Gifted Ones the day they awaken, which will change…everything. It is rare for the Gifted of common birth to advance to the Master Tier because they’re discovered too late – their precious opportunity to develop quickly will be wasted – or their families do not have the means to support their children even if they wanted to. The school system you’re proposing will change that.” The Minister of Finances nodded in agreement.
“The youthful Gifted Ones will be given everything they need to grow in the most suitable environment and will be given the opportunity to join the Knight Orders as long as they graduate with flying colors. There are some points that should be improved. For example, you can offer jobs to the normal graduates as well. For example, most graduates can be hired as shop managers. Maybe we should add a proposal to add a few weeks of practical work experience to give senior students an opportunity to find out what they’re good at and what they want to do in the future. Still, overall, your proposal doesn’t seem too bad. Did you show this to the Ministry of Education?” She asked.
Percy nodded, but he groaned in frustration: “This guy is an idiot. He doesn’t want to ‘waste’ funding by investing in the education of the poor. I don’t understand him, but I don’t think I have to. The ministry of education is filled with jerks.”
The Minister of Finances nodded in understanding, but he could also understand her colleagues’ point of view. It was uncertain whether the school system would work or if it would be a waste of time and effort. Then again, if it were to work as intended, a handful of merchants and noble households would retaliate.
Maybe not at first, but as the power of Gifted from common birth increases, more people of higher birth would stir. The status of the common folk would change slowly as their standard of education and power increases, potentially creating problems in the hierarchy at some point in time.
Percy didn’t care about that. His only hope was to start with as many projects as possible, both long-term and short-term, to prepare everyone for the Devil’s arrival. Improving the educational standard and the opportunity for the common Gifted across the Kainesh Kingdom was crucial for most of these long-term plans. It may be expensive and wouldn’t succeed in every region, but Percy hoped to find some diamonds in the rough with the potential to stay by his side and fight the hordes of demons once they stepped foot into the mortal realm.
“Can you talk to the Minister of Education?” Percy asked, but the Minister of Finances shook her head, “He doesn’t like me. Maybe…I punched him in the gut when he didn’t stop pursuing me after he proposed to me thrice…”
Percy’s jaw dropped to the ground, but he regained his senses after a few seconds, “Yeah…okay…that does make sense…”
He scratched the back of his head and nodded slowly, “Maybe I can convince my parents…”
There was no confidence in his voice because he was certain his parents would find something wrong with his proposal. It had been like that for the past few weeks already. They were busy with various issues regarding the Beastlands and had little time to spare for Percy’s plans and proposals. It was a nuisance, but Percy understood his parents. The problem with the Demons was already troublesome, but the issues with the Beastlands worsened everything. Percy couldn’t remember the last time he saw his parents at ease and full of energy. All he could see these days was their exhaustion and lack of sleep.
“I leave this here. If you change your mind, you can show it to the Minister of Education,” Percy tried one last time before turning around. He sighed deeply.
Percy left the minister’s office without wasting any more time. He disappeared, leaving the minister alone. However, she wasn’t alone for long. A few seconds later, the door behind her opened, revealing Phillip Kain.
“Was it necessary to run away from your child, your majesty?” She asked the King, who smiled awkwardly, “Your son has some great ideas, but it looks like he doesn’t dare to show them to you. What do you think, your majesty?”
“I think I have a great son.”
The Minister looked at the King with a ‘That’s not what I meant’ look but didn’t respond. She grasped Percy’s paper stash and handed it to the king, who nodded slowly.
He was proud of his son, but a trace of sadness overcame him. The path his son had taken wasn’t going to be easy. Maybe it was one of the most challenging paths he could have chosen. But if it worked…If it worked, everything would change for the better.
“A reformation of the old system has long been overdue, either way.”
***
Percy spent the rest of the day in the Dragon Nest’s warehouse, Ego-enhancing hundreds of armaments and potions.
If the Minister of Finances won’t help me convince his people, the crown will probably not help me either. Gramps told me everyone would be against it, so it wasn’t like I was hoping for a miracle…but still…
He ruffled through his hair in annoyance.
In that case, I will fund everything. Since I started selling Monster Cards in the Dragon Lair, my income has been increasing. It won’t be long before my income will increase even further.
Percy did not only invest into other Gifted or the Dragon Nest. He also invested in the Dragon Lair shop, which he expanded. He leased four more buildings in the capital, spread across the four remaining districts, including a decentish building in the capital's central district. The buildings were expensive to lease, but Percy was experienced enough to know how much money he could earn with his Ego-manufactured Artifacts and what items were the most sought out in each district – that one took a while to figure out, but it worked eventually – and how much he would have to invest to make the most profit most efficiently.
It was hard and it was certainly not perfect, but Percy gave his utmost. He worked hard and spent sleepless nights improving everything. Still, his businesses were still far from perfect.
But it was a start. A very good one.
If not for the complaints and reports from dozens of merchants and nobles with one or multiple businesses spread across the capital and the Kainesh Kingdom.
If you’re unwilling to work hard to retain your customers, you shouldn’t start your business in a highly competitive field. You can complain about sudden losses all you want, but nobody will care.
At least, that was what Percy had been hoping for.
Unfortunately, the problem was more extensive than the sudden loss of profit. Some merchants were unwilling to accept the Dragon Lair’s rise to the top and chose to go down the wrong path.
They hired ruffians to beat everyone who purchased something from the Dragon Lair shop. That was shocking, but it was also an opportunity to get rid of the corrupted businessmen who had been tarnishing the roots of the Kainesh Kingdom for way too long.
A reformation was needed, and that did not only involve the educational system.
