The Magic Empire for 20,000 years

Chapter 163 Eldoron's Gradual Enrichment

Rich in soul?

Doron was surprised by this answer.

The elven student lowered his head and began to ponder whether it was necessary for him to pay more than double the price for the so-called "soul".

Why is a soul so expensive?

Seeing the student opposite hesitate, the elf shopkeeper spoke even louder:

“My child, you might consider supporting our own elven kingdom’s industries instead of letting those foreigners make money.”

"Think about it, less than 10 years ago, the Elven Kingdom and Eldoron were at war. Who knows if we'll go to war again in the future..."

"At that time, every penny you spend on magical items from the human kingdom of Eldoron will become their arrows and spellcasting materials, striking the flesh and blood of our elven warriors!"

Doron lowered his head and remained silent, clearly more hesitant.

Seeing that the elf student in front of him was almost persuaded, the elf shop owner said sternly:

"Moreover, you may not know that the human kingdom of Eldoron also makes extensive use of necromancy and undead work, which is why the cost of goods is so low."

"By spending money on their products, you're essentially supporting that blasphemous and evil magic. You should really think about it."

Duolun rubbed his teeth together, his mind wavering, and briefly felt an urge to "support domestic products".

However, the fact that he was penniless when he touched his pocket brought him back to his senses.

"Okay, I'll think about it."

"But I didn't bring that much money with me today."

Doron took one last look at the wand on the wall that read "Made by Elves," "Ancient Method," "Hand-carved," "Full of Soul," and "Production Process Does Not Involve Necromancy," before turning and leaving under the shopkeeper's slightly disappointed gaze.

The next day.

Doron finally made up his mind and went back to the magical item shop where he had previously bought the robes—

A shop run by moon elf shop assistants, but actually owned by the human merchant Antonio, with all its goods supplied by the Eldoron Magic Production Base.

"Could you please give me a basic wand, the kind that I can use until I graduate in 10 years?"

"Okay, 4 gold coins."

"The price has dropped again?" Doron couldn't hide his delight.

"Yes, the competition has become increasingly fierce in recent years," the Moon Elf shop assistant replied naturally.

In recent years, even wand shops owned by elven wand masters have started to import wands from the Eldoron magic production base in addition to selling their own wands, targeting consumers who value cost-effectiveness.

On his way back to school after buying the cheap wand, Doron stroked the small crystals and magnets on it, as well as the texture that was impossible to tell if it was handmade, and sighed softly to himself:
"Sorry, the value of souls and racial justice is too high. A poor student like me can't afford it."

After a series of complex inner struggles, with angels and devils clashing repeatedly in his heart, Doron ultimately chose to defect to the enemy.

Despite this, Doron, as a student of the Moon Elf, still followed his heart and bought Eldoren products that offered better value for money.

However, in the towns of the Sun Elves, the marketing strategy of emphasizing "Made by Elves" has had some effect. When making purchasing decisions, most Sun Elves are more inclined to buy goods made in the Elven Kingdom, especially by the Sun Elf family.

……

Meanwhile, in the east, in Eldorlon.

At this moment, the floating city was flying very low. Elian stood on the fence of the floating city, looking down at the land below.

Compared to ten years into the Empire, Eldoron now seems to be much more prosperous.

Numerous new houses sprang up like mushrooms after rain. Compared to the simple and durable stone buildings of the past, the new buildings not only pursued practicality but also increased their aesthetic appeal, with more decorations on the eaves and houses painted in different bright colors.

Horse-drawn carriages traversed the roads, mule caravans and wagon trains carrying goods sped along the trade routes between towns, and even passersby occasionally jogged along.

There was a busy atmosphere everywhere.

On the streets, people's clothing and appearance seem more refined than before, and the colors of their clothes are more vibrant—bright red, deep purple, and orange-yellow are commonplace. Some girls even adopt an elfin style, pinning a flower to their clothes or hair.

While the overall clothing still prioritizes sturdiness and durability, some of the relatively wealthier residents have clearly developed higher aesthetic standards.

Elian knew that this was a natural phenomenon influenced by the culture of the Elven kingdom after the two countries began trading relations.

Moreover, to his relief, this also represented, to some extent, another welcome fact—

The country is becoming rich!

With more money in their pockets, many people, after meeting their basic survival needs, have higher-level demands.

The benefits of trading with the Elf Kingdom are gradually becoming apparent!

During the four years that the two countries traded, Eldoron's magic production base operated at full capacity every day, producing terrifying output.

To meet the huge demand gap in the Elven Kingdom, under Elian's leadership, many new magic production bases were also built.

This continuous output of production capacity earned Eldoron a large amount of Elven gold, silver, and copper coins.

These precious metal currencies, minted by the Elven Royal Court and recognized throughout the continent, circulated within Eldoron, injecting fresh vitality into this previously impoverished nation and promoting economic development.

Speaking of this, we must mention Eldorlon's current economic model—

State ownership is the main economic force in Eldorlon.

All magical production facilities are state-owned, and most were built under the personal supervision of Elian.

However, the profitability of a magic production base is closely related to the income of its staff.

If the production base is profitable, then employees such as production engineers will receive higher wages and bonuses to maintain their incentive.

In addition, there are some individuals who have been investigated by Elion (【Detective Thoughts】) and have the right to contract a certain magical production base, bearing their own profits and losses within a reasonable scope.

Therefore, in recent years, the employees of the magic production base—including production mages and non-spellcasters engaged in auxiliary work such as government affairs and procurement—have earned a lot of money from trade between the two countries.

They and their families then spend money in El Dorado, further boosting the local economy.

Many small restaurants and pubs sprang up like mushrooms after rain.

Thanks to this model, El Dorado has been gradually becoming wealthier in the four years since the two countries began trading.

In addition, some shrewd merchants in Eldoron also profited considerably from trade between the two countries.

Antonio, the previous owner of the magic shop, was a typical example of a businessman—he ran a shop in the elven kingdom, employed elven shop assistants, and contacted domestic magic production bases to supply goods based on the sales of the products.

These merchants, moving between magical production bases and end consumers, act like a special conveyor belt, playing a positive role in the economy.

Looking at the thriving atmosphere below, a faint smile appeared on El-Erian's lips:
"Indeed, trade has been conducted more frequently in recent years, and the national treasury has become much more abundant."

"With this sum of money, Eldoron can soon start its magical military industry and prepare for the Empire's 30-year invasion of the Abyss."

Yes.

Thanks to taxes and profits from production bases, most of the revenue from trade between the two countries naturally went into the national treasury!

In addition to the large amount of treasures looted from the Emerald Nest of the Green Dragon Lord, after repaying the cost of materials used to create the Bone Dragon, the remaining amount went into the national treasury.

The treasury of Eldoron is now more abundant than ever before.

"I should find some time to order a batch of magic diamonds from the Elven Kingdom—these are materials for the [Otherworldly Bondage] spell, the core of the magical military industry..."

Just then, a subordinate rushed in and reported:
"Your Majesty Elion, in the past month or so, several towns in the elven kingdoms have simultaneously launched movements to resist what we, Eldoron, have created."

"They claim that the items we produce lack soul, are a destruction of the elven tradition of pure handcrafting, and may even involve evil necromancy."

"This trend is escalating and is seriously affecting the sales of our Eldoran products in the Elven Kingdom!"

(End of this chapter)