Chapter 109: The Fashion Trend

Chapter 109: The Fashion Trend

"Dad, are you still holding on?"

Little Mallory, only eight years old, pedaled the bicycle with all his might, occasionally shouting excitedly yet anxiously.

"No!"

Duke Mallory strode behind the bicycle, his hands already long released.

In a corner of the garden, the Duchess, the young lady, and the maids all wore amused smiles, watching silently.

"Dad, you’re still holding me, right?"

"No, I’m not. Just keep riding."

Duke Mallory responded, but as he walked, he gradually stopped.

He watched as his son pedaled the bicycle farther away.

Little Mallory rode around the garden, lap after lap, until after two full circles, he suddenly realized his father was standing to the side.

"Dad, hold me! Hold me!"

Little Mallory instantly panicked. The bicycle wobbled precariously, and he was too afraid to look at his father, keeping his eyes fixed ahead as he struggled to maintain balance.

Duke Mallory laughed. "You’re riding just fine, aren’t you?"

"Dad, hold me!"

Little Mallory burst into tears, pedaling through his sobs as he desperately circled the garden again and again.

He wanted to stop but didn’t know how.

"Dad, hold me! I can’t get down… Mom… save me…"

Little Mallory’s desperate cries echoed through the garden, yet everyone except him was laughing. His sister, Mananxi, even doubled over in laughter.

After a long while, Little Mallory finally lost his balance and fell with a thud.

This time, however, he didn’t cry. Instead, he scrambled up, wiped his tears, and shouted angrily at his father, "Dad, I hate you!"

With that, he stormed off in a huff.

Duke Mallory watched his son run away with a smile, though a flicker of heartache flashed deep in his eyes.

"I thought you were using Mage Hand to hold him?"

The Duchess walked over, glaring at her husband. Even past forty, she retained her graceful charm.

"He has to face difficulties on his own eventually. I can’t shelter him forever!"

Duke Mallory’s smile faded.

At that moment, the doting father vanished, replaced by the authority of the Empire’s second-largest mine owner.

Recently, Duke Mallory’s mood had been as turbulent as drawing water with fifteen buckets—seven going up, eight going down, a constant seesaw of emotions.

As the Empire’s second-largest mine owner, the sudden outbreak of war and the soaring demand for weapons and armor had filled his coffers to the brim.

But before his good mood could last even two days, the Internet God inexplicably established the Interconnected Bank.

At first, this had nothing to do with him—until the God of Magic, Dandell, suddenly ordered him to use the Interconnected Bank for large-scale transactions.

Upon hearing the order, Duke Mallory’s first reaction was fury and resistance.

For the Empire to meddle in business dealings between nobles was an absolute taboo!

He didn’t even bother considering whether this might benefit him. The mere act of interference was enough to disgust and enrage him.

If they could dictate his payment methods now, what else would they control in the future?

Yet when the God of Magic, Qimoer, and Beixi issued similar orders to their followers, he found himself with no room to maneuver. He had no choice but to grit his teeth and comply.

However, once he started using the Interconnected Bank for transactions, he suddenly realized—business had become much easier.

Not only did he no longer need to dispatch large numbers of guards to escort gold coins, but the funds sitting in his bank account would also continuously accrue interest.

It must be noted that his funds were often measured in the tens of thousands, and the daily interest growth was substantial.

Tempted by the benefits, though cautious enough not to deposit all his assets in the bank, he had grown accustomed to keeping his business transaction funds there.

He reassured himself—after all, this was the Interconnected Bank of the Internet God.

Why would a god covet his gold coins?

The only thing he couldn’t fathom was where the god sourced the interest from.

However, when Ajef, a follower of the Internet God, established the Dragon Factory, he finally understood how the interest was generated.

From what he knew, all the capital Ajef used to set up the Dragon Factory was borrowed from the Interconnected Bank at a 3% interest rate.

This revelation nearly made him curse in frustration!

After all, the money the bank lent out was his.

What if the loans weren’t repaid? Wouldn’t his money be lost?

Before he could consider whether it was worth the hassle of withdrawing his money after every transaction, the bicycle appeared.

That day, Ajef rode this miraculous metal construct through the streets and alleys of Willis.

Overnight, it took the internet by storm and dazzled all of Keville!

A mage used a recording spell to capture the moment of Ajef riding the bicycle.

In the image, Ajef wore a bright smile, the wind tousling his hair as it streamed backward.

Behind him sat a graceful woman, shyly embracing his back, her long, dark tresses dancing in the wind.

The virtual screen billboards lining the streets of Willis stretched into streaks of dazzling, multicolored light, flowing and blooming between the two.

At that moment, his white robes were like snow, her red dress like a flower.

That carefree, almost divine scene struck a chord in countless hearts.

Nobles and commoners alike scrambled to inquire about the contraption beneath Ajef.

Thus, the bicycle became an overnight sensation across the Empire!

Countless nobles and wealthy merchants sought to purchase and imitate Ajef’s actions.

During this time, the young nobles and rich merchants of Willis abandoned their carriages and no longer flaunted their unicorn horses.

Everywhere, scenes of men riding bicycles with women perched behind them became the norm, sparking a nationwide fashion trend.

Even commoners eagerly followed suit.

The only thing that displeased the nobles was how cheap the bicycles were!

The cheapest model cost only 998 copper coins—less than 10 silver coins.

In Keville, a skilled blacksmith earned between 100 to 200 copper coins a day, meaning one could buy a bicycle with just a week’s wages.

This was downright humiliating for the nobility!

Fortunately, the Dragon Factory quickly responded by introducing high-end custom bicycles.

They were more beautiful, more eye-catching, made with superior materials, and even allowed for personalized detailing.

Under the sunlight, they gleamed like works of art.

Most importantly, their prices started at no less than 10 Keville gold coins—a sum commoners could never earn in a lifetime.

The nobles were finally satisfied.

And so was Mallory.

The prosperity of the Dragon Factory meant its debt repayment capabilities were excellent, so he no longer had to worry about the Interconnected Bank running a deficit.

What satisfied him wasn’t just the security of the bank’s deposits, but also the fact that the Dragon Factory’s bicycle production consumed vast amounts of steel—and he happened to be the Empire’s second-largest mine owner.

Rumor had it that the Dragon Factory’s orders were already backlogged until next year.

And his own orders were pouring in like snowflakes.

Here, Duke Mallory couldn’t help but praise the Internet God!

The advent of the Internet had made business incredibly convenient.

In the past, his clients had to personally contact his butler to negotiate deals.

Now, even if they were as far as Twit Town on the Empire’s border, they could reach him anytime through the Internet and place orders remotely.

What?

What if the orders were fake?

No problem!

Just demand a deposit!

Through the Interconnected Bank, paying a deposit was as simple as a flick of the fingers—no more need to send people trudging across long distances or spend exorbitant sums on magical portals.

Moreover, the transaction records kept by the Interconnected Bank ensured neither party could renege on their commitments.

It could be said that the emergence of the Internet and the bank had boosted his business efficiency countless times over.

"I heard this year’s apprentice mage examination is about to begin, and it’s an unusual unified examination. I’m a little worried about Mananxi."

The Duchess watched Mananxi chasing after her younger brother, her eyes filled with concern.

In the past, even though the apprentice mage examinations varied between Magic Academies, they were all quite dangerous.

Every examination had cases of noble children perishing.

Even someone as high-ranking as a duke could hardly influence the magic examinations—this was the foundation of Keville’s nationhood, and no external force was allowed to interfere.

That made this unified examination all the more concerning.

"Don’t worry. I heard this year’s apprentice mage examination will be held online."

Duke Mallory said, unable to resist praising the Internet God once more in his heart.

"Is the news reliable?"

The Duchess was both shocked and delighted upon hearing this.