Chapter 452: What a Profiteer He is!
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
That day, Xu Que didn't go to the store but kept on sleeping in the Imperial Palace.
He had told his underlings everything they needed to know. He didn't need to stay in the assembly line of a fast food store like McDonald's.
However, the Water Empress had heard the news about him.
A maidservant sent someone to buy a Grilled Chicken Burger and took it to the Water Empress.
The Water Empress was surprised by the food.
Could this stuffed bun really create a minor cultivation stage breakthrough for experts of the Infant Transformation Stage? She stared at the burger carefully, eyes filled with disbelief.
It was also a meal the Water Empress had never heard of before; and it could somehow bring about an effect that many potions were unable to produce.
It was extremely difficult to realize a breakthrough for each minor stage of the Infant Transformation Stage. Some people were trapped in a bottleneck their whole lives, never able to experience a breakthrough.
But now could this problem be easily solved by one ordinary, stuffed bun?
The Water Empress was quite surprised even though she had experienced an increase in Soul Strength by tasting the stinky tofu that had been prepared by Xu Que in the past.
The maidservant was also shocked. After receiving the message, she looked totally petrified for she had never expected Xu Que to be able to prepare such a marvelous meal, which was also so hot on the market.
"Your Majesty, your prophetic vision was awesome! General Zhuge really has great magic powers. Now there is a long queue outside his store. Even people from neighboring cities have come for his burger!" the maidservant couldn't help exclaiming.
Before, the maidservant had not believed what the Water Empress had said about Xu Que being a man who could create miracles. Now she was totally convinced.
The Water Empress smiled slightly and said nothing. She continued to fix her eyes on the burger in her hand and watched it carefully.
At this moment, the maidservant said carefully, "Your Majesty, now there are only four days left. Even though so many people are coming to buy his burger, it will still be very difficult for General Zhuge to earn over two billion Spirit Stones in such a short amount of time."
The Water Empress smiled wryly and shook her head. "Look at his personality, this little chap will never stop here. I'm afraid that he will make even more noise."
…
As expected, Xu Que woke up in the afternoon. He ran outside after changing his clothes.
He didn't go back to McDonald's of the Exploding Heavens Faction, but started to take a close look at the stores he had purchased last night. Finally, he chose two neighboring stores. Then he walked inside one of them and pulled down the partition wall with one punch.
After that, he started to renovate the store.
This time he improved the renovation class of the new store, so that it was much better than that of his McDonald's store.
Some passers-by heard the noise and were surprised.
"Look, General Zhuge is renovating a new store!"
"Could it be that he is opening another branch? This is really good news!"
"Yeah! If so, we won't need to stand in such a long queue!"
"General Zhuge is really nice! He always thinks about what's best for ordinary people!"
Everyone was excited and stopped outside the store. They were curious when this new store would be opened, so they wouldn't need to queue up for a long time.
After a while, the onlookers started to feel confused.
"It's strange. It seems this new store is different."
"Eh, obviously, the renovation style of this store is totally different from that of the McDonald's."
"It seems its renovation class has improved remarkably though. It looks very comfortable!"
"General Zhuge's technique is awesome! Look at the decorations, they are excellent!"
"This time the tables and chairs are wooden, which is quite similar to some of our stores."
"Right, this new store represents a more intimate and familiar environment."
Many people were complimenting the renovation of the new store.
However, some people started to shake their heads soon enough.
"I am afraid this kind of renovation will run counter to his objectives."
"Yeah, the more local the style is, the less the novelty will be!"
"Exactly! I'm afraid this time he has outsmarted even himself!"
"Although we have come here for the burgers and french fries, the environment is also very important! Everyone likes a good novelty. He will make a fool of himself if the business of the new store does not do as well as that of the old store."
A lot of people took a dim view of this renovation style.
Someone retorted, "If the store does not perform well enough, General Zhuge may open several more, which will solve all these problems!"
"That's impossible! Those burgers are marvelous, but one person can only eat one burger in their lifetime. It is not a permanent solution. Also, anyone who has already eaten a burger will not buy another, and there are many people who are not able to afford it as well. Opening up a lot more branches would be useless!"
"Don't worry! We can still buy french fries!"
…
People started to argue.
However, Xu Que just ignored the arguments and continued his renovation.
With the help of his True Core Strength and Soul Strength, the renovation progressed rapidly.
After several hours, Xu Que finished his renovations successfully.
When he hung the sign outside the store, all the onlookers were immediately shocked!
"Starbucks of the Exploding Heavens Faction?"
"What is the meaning of this name? Isn't it McDonald's?"
"Could it be that this store doesn't sell burgers?"
"My gosh! Look, the menu has been placed in the store."
"Ca…Cappuccino?"
"Vanilla Latte?"
"Caramel Macchiato?"
"Short – 1 million Spirit Stones; Grande – 1.5 million Spirit Stones; Venti – 2 million Spirit Stones. My god, these are the same sky-high prices as before!"
"Where are the effects? Why didn't he add the effects to the menu?"
"Right. What do Short, Grande and Venti stand for? Is there any difference between them?"
…
All at once, the onlookers outside the store started to complain and quarrel loudly.
They had thought Xu Que was going to open a branch of McDonald's, but they hadn't expected Xu Que to open a new store with a weird name that wasn't even catchy!
Even more frightening was the fact that the prices were very high, several times more expensive than the Grilled Chicken Burger. However, the effects of the commodities were not mentioned, evoking the curiosity of the onlookers very much.
Just at that moment, Xu Que walked out suddenly. He purchased a small blackboard from the System and hung it outside the door, with writing that read"
'This is an exclusive store for 'Diamond Members'. From now on, those who have spent over twenty million Spirit Stones in the 'McDonald's of the Exploding Heavens Faction' may come and claim their 'Diamond Membership' Card within three days.'
…
"Whoa!"
All of a sudden, the onlookers were in an uproar!
What the hell is that?
Only those who have spent twenty million Spirit Stones can purchase things at this store?
Damn! This is outrageous! This is definitely a rip-off!
Twenty million Spirit Stones… does that mean even those who have obtained a membership card for McDonald's will also have to spend another million to earn access to this store?
He is a profiteer, 100% a profiteer!
…
Soon the news spread.
Many people were dumbfounded after hearing that Xu Que had opened a new store to sell new delicacies.
But the next moment, they became so angry that they were about to spit blood when they heard that only Diamond Members who had spent twenty million Spirit Stones could enter the shop.
Holy shit! How could such an unscrupulous profiteer like him exist in this world?
This is annoying!
This is way too annoying!
…
That day, the news passed quickly from mouth to mouth.
The news of the Starbucks of the Exploding Heavens Faction spread all over the Imperial City, and surprised everyone.
However, people didn't know that Xu Que's money-making plan had just begun.