Chapter 182: Huge profits. The next few hours passed with shocking speed, and the results were completely unlike what Noah had expected when he’d made his pricing decision. After Valeria left with her energy drink, she had clearly wasted no time spreading word about the price reduction throughout Esta’s powerful practitioner community. Within an hour, she returned with everyone powerful in her guild—adept-rank swordsmen, adept-level mages, and accomplished people who had saved substantial coin from successful missions. But Valeria hadn’t stopped with her own organisation. She had brought back representatives from other major guilds, independent practitioners, and many others. Most surprisingly, Princess Elara herself had arrived with a small retinue of royal guards and court mages, her presence lending official legitimacy to the occasion. "Noah," the princess greeted him with excitement, "Valeria told me about your pricing adjustment. This could revolutionise our kingdom’s defensive capabilities." Every person who entered thanked Noah personally as they made their purchases, their gratitude reflecting genuine appreciation for making legendary enhancement accessible to serious practitioners rather than only the extraordinarily wealthy. The atmosphere in his shop had transformed from routine commerce into something approaching a celebration of national strengthening. Practitioners who had never dreamed of affording or spotting such permanent enhancement were suddenly able to improve their power. Before Noah fully comprehended what was happening, every single premium item in his inventory had been sold. All of it. Gone. Nine energy drinks, twelve beef jerky packages, and twelve protein bars had found eager customers who understood exactly what permanent attribute enhancement could mean for their capabilities and survival. The income from premium sales alone was staggering—4,950 golden coins from items that would have gathered dust at his original pricing structure. Noah gulped as he processed the astronomical figure. He had clearly been foolish to maintain demon kingdom pricing in a completely different economic environment. The massive sales volume at reduced prices had generated far more revenue than slow trickle sales at maximum cost. But premium items weren’t his only success story during the unexpected rush. Those same customers had also purchased substantial quantities of his regular inventory. Thirty-two additional loaves of bread and sixteen bottles of iced tea had found buyers among practitioners who wanted comprehensive enhancement rather than single-item improvement. His total golden coin income for the day had reached 5,190 coins. An amount that represented more wealth than most nobles accumulated in years of careful resource management. Noah stared at his updated status screen with amazement at how dramatically his financial situation had improved through strategic pricing adjustments. — Host: Noah Carter Age: 28 Shop Level: 2 Daily Revenue: $295,000 (or equivalent) Current Assets: $1,118,640 Shop Points: 6,360 Attributes: Strength: 30, Vitality: 30, Intelligence: 20, Agility: 30 Skills: Swordsmanship(Level 9), Mana Control (Level 8), Wind Manipulation (Level 8), Aura (Level 8), Body Tempering (Level 5), Surviving on Ramen (Level 3), Cooking (Level 3), Finance (Level 3), Programming (Level 2), Gaming (Level 2) — His finance skill had levelled up to level three after his decision. It was as if the system was rewarding him for the step he had taken. His current assets had skyrocketed to over one million dollars, while his shop points had increased to 6,360—more than halfway toward the 10,000 required for Shop Level 3 advancement. The auto-maker’s progress showed improvement across all categories: — [Auto-IceTea Maker] Level: 4 Production Rate: 4 Iced teas every hour Max Stock: 96 Progress: 164/400 — [Auto-Baker] Level: 4 Production Rate: 8 Loaves every hour Max Stock: 96 Progress: 256/400 — [Auto-ProteinBar] Level: 1 Production Rate: 1 bar every 2 hours Max Stock: 12 Progress: 16/100 — [Auto-EnergyDrink] Level: 1 Production Rate: 1 Energy Drink every 2 hours Max Stock: 12 Progress: 13/100 — [Auto-BeefJerky] Level: 1 Production Rate: 1 Beef Jerky every 2 hours Max Stock: 12 Progress: 13/100 — The bread and iced tea makers showed substantial advancement toward their next levels, while even their premium auto-makers had gained meaningful progress from the day’s unprecedented sales volume. Princess Elara approached as the crowd began dispersing, her expression carrying satisfaction that transcended personal enhancement. "You’ve done something remarkable today," she said with genuine appreciation. "The practitioners who bought your items represent the kingdom’s defensive backbone. Their enhancement will strengthen our entire kingdom." Noah nodded, naturally understanding the strategic implications beyond simple profit generation. The success had validated Noah’s instinct that strategic pricing could generate better results than rigid profit maximisation. Volume sales at accessible prices had created more revenue, stronger customer relationships, and a genuine contribution to kingdom security. Most importantly, the enhanced practitioners would spread word about what had transpired today throughout the realm’s magical community, creating a customer base that would support sustainable business growth as the kingdom’s economy recovered. The day’s events had transformed Noah from a shopkeeper with interesting products into a genuine contributor to national defence, while simultaneously advancing his personal financial goals through adaptation to market conditions. As he surveyed his empty displays, Noah smiled with satisfaction at having discovered the optimal balance between profit and purpose that would serve his interests in the human kingdom. After everyone had left and the shop had returned to relative quiet, Princess Elara lingered behind while the others departed with their precious items. They were all busy individuals, and they still needed to consume the item and perhaps try to gain more benefit from it than just eating it now. Some decided to head to fight creatures that had been too difficult for them before, whilst others had a different purpose. She reached into her pocket and withdrew a storage ring, extending it toward Noah. "What’s this?" Noah asked, accepting the elegant ring with curiosity about its contents. Elara smiled with a pleased expression. "You forgot already? This is your reward from Baron Richard’s investigation. He had amassed an incredible amount of wealth from ripping off both the extremists and his fellow humans." The confiscated assets from the conspiracy...right. "Even after paying back all those he had wronged," she continued, satisfied that justice had been served. She paused for a second before continuing. "There were still around a thousand golden coins remaining, and as father had promised, these are yours."