Chapter 100

Our Discord Server: https://discord.gg/PazjBDkTmW

Chapter 100: Modern Business Models

Shandela jumped off her horse and casually patted a passerby on the shoulder. The person turned around, saw her uniform and medal, and his smile instantly froze on his face. “Can-can I help you?”

“Don’t worry, I’m not here to arrest anyone.” She nodded towards the church doors. “I’m just curious about what’s going on here.”

“Oh, that…” The fear in the man’s eyes immediately subsided. “I heard a pharmaceutical company is officially opening. They’re having some kind of grand opening ceremony. Right now they’re giving out free candy, and later they’ll give out free medicine too.”

A grand opening ceremony?

That was a rather new concept.

Shandela had only ever witnessed launching ceremonies for new ships before. Never a grand opening for a company, let alone one where they were handing out free stuff to ordinary people. It seemed like a losing proposition.

Merchants were naturally very cautious about losing money and abhor that.

“Free medicine? What kind of medicine can they give away for free?” Wudi walked over, leading his horse. “It’s not some kind of poison, is it?”

“Whatever it is, might as well take some. You don’t have to eat it right away.” The man forced a smile. “The nun said there are medicines for colds and coughs, and some for diarrhea and stomach pain. I’ve been having some stomach problems lately, so I thought I’d grab some to have around.”

Wudi leaned over to whisper in his superior’s ear, “I’d bet eight out of ten that it’s just a publicity stunt.”

“Why do you say that? what did you figure?” she asked.

“The Peaceful Life Company also sells a treatment for diarrhea—a bottle sells for fifteen seryls!” Wudi explained. “Even When they were trying to promote their medicine, they’d give it as gifts to nobles—No reason not to hand it out for free on the streets. If a company really did that, their owner would be either crazy or its all a scam, using a placebo to fool people.”

However, resolving commercial disputes was not the primary responsibility of the City Guard.

As long as they hadn’t poisoned the medication, it was considered a legitimate product—after all, the effectiveness of drugs varied from person to person. If someone got tricked, they could only blame themselves for being gullible.

Just as Shandela prepared to leave, the commotion in the crowd suddenly increased!

Looking ahead, she saw several nuns pushing carts appear at the entrance of the Cathedral. These carts were piled high with colorful boxes, making them look quite appealing.

“We’ve kept you all waiting! We’re about to hand out the medicine!” a nun announced, straining her voice. “Please don’t forget to spread the word about Destiny Gate Pharmaceuticals. Our specialty is a treatment for the Scarlet Curse. If someone you know has been infected with this disease, make sure they come to Yeni Cathedral for treatment. With just a word from one of you, they have a much better chance of survival!”

“Alright, give us the medicine already!”

“If it works, I’ll help you promote it!”

“That’s right, let us try it first!” The crowd cheered on.

But to Shandela, these words came as a shock.

“What did she say… a special medicine for the Scarlet Curse?” Wudi also looked surprised.

This curse-like disease had always been the army’s biggest headache. Especially after the widespread use of flintlocks and steam rifles, many soldiers who would have died instantly on the battlefield now survived long enough to be rescued. But then they often died later from wounds that couldn’t be healed. Of course, the high priests and divine messengers of the Divine Machine Church could use some secret magic artifacts to remove curses. But not every army was lucky enough to have the Church’s support. At least in a new frontier city like Glorious Fortress, they couldn’t count on the higher-ups caring much.

For example, during this recent operation to clean out the miner gangs, several City Guards had been shot and infected. They later died in the camp. All the City Guard could do was give these men painkillers from Peaceful Life Company so they wouldn’t suffer too much before they died.

“Go get some of that medicine,” Shandela ordered.

“Right away.” Wudi passed the reins to his superior, then pushed through the crowd and squeezed his way forward. After about five minutes, he returned to his boss, drenched in sweat. “They’ve limited the quantity to one box per person! But there’s still a big pile on the handcart—I’d guess there are easily over a thousand boxes!”

Shandela took one of the boxes, surprised by how fresh and clean the medicines seemed.

No, that’s it—clean and fresh. The tablets were packed in small square boxes, only three or four centimeters across, and they looked quite elegant. Even more elegant were the different designs on each box! For example, “Destiny Gate” was printed in gold letter, while the door was green, and all the other words were black.

Just printing these boxes would be quite expensive!

She’d only ever seen similar designs on fancy gift boxes before.

“They even put usage instructions on them!” Wudi said, sounding amazed. “Don’t they know most people in Glorious Fortress can’t read?”

Shandela saw the instructions too. For example, under “Gut Cleansing Pills,” it said to take twice a day with warm water; keep out of reach of children. It made it seem like whoever made these medicines really cared about patients getting the right treatment.

She opened the box to find only a small, thin paper packet inside. As she unwrapped it, golden-yellow tablets were revealed, along with a strong, spicy smell. The scent was intense but not unpleasant, reminiscent of raw garlic. If this was a scam, they wouldn’t bother adding flavors to starch tablets.

“What if… there’s another possibility…” Shandela mused.

“What do you mean?” Wudi tilted his head curiously.

“Beside assuming the owner being insane or a fraud, there’s a third option—maybe they genuinely want their product to help more patients, even if it means sacrificing some profit,” Shandela said slowly.

The deputy hesitated, remaining silent. It was clear he didn’t believe her.

A subtle smile played across Shandela’s face, and she didn’t pursue the topic further. Yet, as if mirroring her thoughts, the previously gloomy sky seemed to regain a hint of its former brightness. Undeniably, there were still some people in this city who hoped for a better future. For instance, the nuns at Yeni Cathedral, or… someone like herself.

“I remember there were a few soldiers in the camp infected with the Scarlet Curse, right?” She put away the medicine box and mounted her horse. “After you finish searching the houses on Oak Street, bring them to Yeni Cathedral for a try.”

“My lady, I’m not sure if that’s a good idea,” Wudi frowned. “Only miners and poor people are usually sent to Yeni… We have our own doctors and plenty of medicine. Sending them here might just seem like abandoning them to the other soldiers.”

“We have everything, but we still can’t cure the Scarlet Curse, can we?” Shandela replied.

“What if even the temple can’t cure it? Everyone knows the Scarlet Curse is hard to treat,” the deputy suggested. “If they die in the military camp, it will just mean they were unlucky. But if they die in Yeni Cathedral, it might hurt your reputation!”

Shandela looked intently at Wudi.

Her eyes were bright and seemed to hold a silent authority. After meeting her gaze for a moment, Wudi couldn’t help but look down.

“I need my soldiers to live more than I need this reputation, do you understand?”

This time, the deputy didn’t oppose her.

“Yes, commander. I’ll do as you say.”