Chapter 116: The Massive Asset Verification Fund and the Bicycle Delegation

Chapter 116: The Massive Asset Verification Fund and the Bicycle Delegation

As Mananxi completed her apprentice mage exam, it was as if a floodgate had opened. Every moment, magic apprentices were finishing their assessments.

A day later, 69% of the magic apprentices had completed their apprentice exams.

Why 69%?

Because the remaining 31% had failed their tasks.

It had to be admitted that the Keville mages' estimation skills were remarkably precise. The passing rate they set was almost spot-on.

Of course, it was also possible that the high-pressure passing rate pushed many magic apprentices to prioritize efficiency too much, ultimately leading to their downfall.

However, the battlefield of the future wouldn’t grant anyone the luxury of slow, meticulous work. Thus, this line was drawn just right.

With the conclusion of the apprentice mage exams, the Empire gained over six thousand official mages overnight.

The Internet God also took advantage of this apprentice mage exam to achieve a strategic objective—constructing four Magic Towers in the Dofi domain.

These four Magic Towers weren’t particularly grand in scale, but they were more than sufficient for a small domain.

They were positioned near two large Mithril mines, one large copper mine, and one large aluminum mine.

This place would become the raw material supply base for the Dragon Factory!

And the players? They would be the best workers.

……

……

Mananxi, who had just received the gray robe and medal symbolizing her status as an official mage from her Magic Mentor, was so excited she could almost fly.

After agreeing on a celebration time with her classmates, she eagerly donned the gray robe, pinned the medal to her chest, and rushed toward the gates of the Felix Magic Academy.

She was certain her parents would be waiting anxiously in their carriage for her exam results.

But when she stepped outside, the academy gates were indeed crowded with carriages—yet hers was nowhere in sight.

Something was wrong.

After all, her father was a Duke. Even if he had sent the butler, their carriage should have been parked in the most prominent spot.

So… her father hadn’t come?

Mananxi was stunned.

Could it be… something had happened at home?

Her face paled slightly as she hastily cast Lightweight Body and hurried home.

When she arrived, panting, at the Duke’s mansion, she saw several carriages parked at the main entrance, with crates of gold coins being loaded onto them.

There was no need to ask how Mananxi knew they were gold coins.

The crisp clinking sound of the coins as the crates were tossed onto the carriages was unmistakable.

Her face turned deathly white.

Had their family been raided?

Before her mind could spiral into endless speculations, her father, Duke Mallory, burst out of the mansion, sweating profusely and roaring with none of the dignity befitting an Archmage:

"Hurry up, you’re slower than pigs! I could move these faster with Mage Hand! What’s the point of keeping you around?"

In fact, several crates were already floating behind him, carried by magic.

And the precious Spatial Ring on his finger was stuffed full of gold coins.

At this moment, Mananxi was utterly baffled.

"Dad!"

"Hmm? Little Xi? Ah, my beautiful, radiant Lady Mananxi, you passed the apprentice mage exam?"

Duke Mallory immediately noticed the gray robe his daughter was wearing and rushed over in delight.

"Yes, I passed. But… what’s going on here?"

Mananxi pointed at the bustling servants.

Upon hearing this, Duke Mallory's expression instantly changed. He turned around and roared again, "Hurry up, hurry up! If you delay the deposit, I'll grind your bones to make undead!"

After shouting, he turned back with a pleasant smile and said, "Young lady, you have no idea—Lord Ajef suddenly announced an auction for the bicycle production lines! There are only six in total, for heaven's sake. Who doesn’t know now that bicycles are like golden-egg-laying geese? We must get our hands on them!"

"But... what does that have to do with this?" Mananxi pointed at the servants carrying the gold coins.

Duke Mallory looked as if he were constipated. "Lord Ajef said that to participate in the auction, you must undergo asset verification! Anyone with assets below five million gold coins is barred from the auction. The verification method is to check the bank account."

Mananxi froze on the spot upon hearing this!

Even if she had no concept of money, she knew exactly what five million gold coins meant.

In the entire Empire, the number of entities capable of producing such a sum wouldn’t exceed the fingers on two hands—and that included the Four Pillars of the Empire!

Duke Mallory gnashed his teeth and added, "Now the entire Empire has gone mad. Even those damned commoners are scrambling to pool their money!"

Mananxi knew her father’s term "commoners" didn’t just refer to ordinary citizens but also nobles of lower rank than him.

"Father, this... isn’t this too risky? Such a huge sum... what if—what if—"

"It won’t happen. Ajef is a follower of the Internet God. If he wanted money, the Interconnected Bank has plenty to spare."

"No, I mean—why would he need money to run the Dragon Factory? And if bicycles are so profitable, why sell them?"

Duke Mallory took a deep breath and lowered his voice. "Lord Ajef is producing firearms now. He’s already moved beyond the profits from bicycles, which is why he’s decided to sell them off."

Mananxi was stunned... So the firearms used in the apprentice mage exam were really produced by the Dragon Factory?

Before she could say anything else, her father was already urgently calling for his carriage and speeding away like the wind.

Watching her father’s retreating figure, Mananxi never imagined that the scenario she had envisioned countless times—her promotion to a full-fledged mage—would unfold in such an absurd manner!

Yet, absurdity wasn’t limited to her family.

The great nobles of Willis had practically lost their minds.

The frenzy had even spread to major cities across the Empire.

Everyone had witnessed just how lucrative bicycles were.

The market was completely unable to meet demand.

Even the lowest-end bicycle, priced at 998 copper coins, could be resold for a hefty profit.

In remote regions of the Empire, some minor nobles even took pride in owning a single bicycle!

Among the common folk, blacksmiths had even begun hammering out crude bicycles by hand.

Of course, limited by technology, most blacksmiths couldn’t produce key components like chains, tires, rollers, or ball bearings.

As a result, most knockoffs were extremely rough—some even inferior to the already well-established carriages.

But wealth stirs greed.

Rumors had it that many mages had joined in, using the metal magic branch of earth magic to craft and sell critical components.

From a single glimpse, one could see the whole picture.

This alone demonstrated the explosive popularity of the bicycle market.

In truth, the bicycle’s overwhelming success was entirely understandable.

This thing is indeed convenient. Not only does it not require magic to operate, but it can also be used right away. Compared to traditional carriages, its maintenance and usage costs are much lower.

One could say it’s highly versatile, whether for personal travel or long-distance hauling.

So when the Dragon Factory suddenly announced the auction of bicycle production lines, how could people not be excited?

As for the asset verification deposit?

Honestly, it’s impossible not to have concerns.

But under the temptation of the bicycle’s profits, everyone couldn’t care less.

They simply refused to believe that the Internet God would abscond with a pile of gold coins, right?

However, the five million gold coins required for asset verification were indeed an enormous sum.

Converted into copper coins, it would equal 500 billion copper coins.

Who knows if the entire Keville Empire even has that many copper coins combined?

Thankfully, this was in gold coins!

Nobles, after all, have a habit of hoarding gold coins.

The Keville Empire has endured for a thousand years. Though noble families have changed over generations, wealth doesn’t just vanish into thin air.

Most of the gold coins produced over the past millennium have likely been stored in the vaults of major noble families.

Waiting for the day they suddenly take a fancy to some high-end magic artifact before being laboriously hauled out.

Now, thanks to a single word from Lord Ajef, the great noble families have opened their long-sealed vaults, bringing out gold coins that could practically pass as antiques.

Even so, not everyone could scrape together such a sum.

Left with no choice, some newly risen nobles—high in status but low in savings—had to resort to every means possible: swearing oaths, mortgaging assets, selling possessions, and forming alliances to pool funds for the verification.

For a time, the people of the Keville Empire finally witnessed the true extent of noble wealth.

The sight of wagonloads of gold coins being transported to the bank stunned countless onlookers and sent shockwaves across the internet!

Because of this, the Interconnected Bank’s credibility soared overnight by several levels!

Though the Forum was already abuzz with discussions, and everyone knew the nobles were depositing money to bid for the bicycle production lines, one glaring fact remained undeniable:

Wagonloads of gold coins had been deposited into the Interconnected Bank.

If the Interconnected Bank were truly unreliable, would those shrewd noble lords have entrusted their money to it?

This scene reassured many hesitant, penny-pinching commoners who had been clutching their purses tightly.

If the noble lords dared to deposit mountains of gold coins, what’s there to fear with our measly few hundred copper coins?

Thus, alongside the nobles’ asset verification wave, the empire saw another surge in deposits.

At the same time, the Keville Empire dispatched a large bicycle delegation to the Kaman Union.

Officially, it was to negotiate bilateral trade—but in reality, it was to show off the bicycle and advertise it.