Chapter 680 “Request for Subscription” Dark Demon’s Goodwill Trap
“Sold so quickly…”
Professor Lily, appearing suddenly in the afternoon, sat behind the counter like a shopkeeper, watching the “Flower Cards” disappear from the shelves at an alarming rate, couldn’t help but sigh.
“Perhaps it’s because last year’s ‘Flower Cards’ have already established a base user group?” Dark pondered with slight confusion.
“Or perhaps simply because Christmas is coming?”
Regardless, the popularity of the “Flower Cards” was indeed a fact.
Moreover, judging by the current situation, this first batch of three hundred cards seemed insufficient.
Normally, even if every student bought one card, it could only sell up to a thousand.
But the students of Saint Maryann Academy were never normal.
After a senior with a collection habit bought twenty cards in one go, Dark put up a sign limiting each person to three cards.
Even so, the demand still exceeded supply.
“It seems the final reason is that the price is too cheap.”
When he sold one-third of them, Dark finally realized this.
But it was impractical to raise prices now, and he didn’t care much about the credits anyway, so he decided to enjoy the outcome.
However, selling the cards was just the beginning; whether his plan would work as intended still needed further observation.
If buyers merely kept the cards as collectibles, his plan would fail.
He had two plans…
One plan was to use these “Flower Cards” to find the owner of the unknown book, who was also the “Brain Fluid Demon’s” cultivator.
The second plan was to harvest “Bliss”!
After selling one-third of the cards, he finally summoned the “Soul of the Moon Goddess” beside him.
The “Soul of the Moon Goddess” appeared with a serious expression, very different from its usual demeanor.
Dark’s heart skipped a beat. “How is it?”
Now that one hundred cards had been sold, even if only half of the buyers provided 0.1 “Moon Goddess Bliss,” that would be fifty points.
Fifty points was already quite significant.
But facing Dark’s question, the “Soul of the Moon Goddess” suddenly revealed an excited look and exclaimed, “It’s been too long, too long! The last time I felt this good was ages ago!”
“Be quiet.” Dark’s face darkened, sensing the customers’ gazes converging on them.
What was the “Soul of the Moon Goddess” going crazy for?
But his casual reminder was useless.
The “Soul of the Moon Goddess” became even more excited after noticing the gazes, almost expecting such attention.
Being adored by the masses, worshipped, standing above, looking down upon all, I am a god!
…
After a while, the “Soul of the Moon Goddess” finally calmed down under Dark’s stern command.
Its cheeks flushed red, still excited but lowering its voice, “It’s faith, that must be faith! I can feel the faith gathering!”
“What?” Dark bluntly exposed, “That’s just a special type of energy.”
The “Soul of the Moon Goddess” rapidly cooled down, “Tsk, can’t you let me enjoy this for a bit longer?”
“Your golem is really interesting.” Professor Lily chuckled.
The “Soul of the Moon Goddess” turned to glare at her, correcting, “It’s the Moon Goddess, not a golem.”
Lily laughed, “I understand, it’s the soul of armor, not a golem.”
The “Soul of the Moon Goddess” lunged at her.
Dark rubbed his forehead. After the “Soul of the Moon Goddess” and Lily finished their banter, he repeated his question.
“About ten points!” Finally, the “Soul of the Moon Goddess” gave a satisfactory answer.
Ten points of “Moon Goddess Bliss” equated to roughly 3.3 points of his own “Bliss.”
More than expected!
This meant each person provided more than 0.1 “Bliss” when using the “Flower Card” for the first time, closer to 0.2.
“The first time is always the best.”
Dark understood and continued to anticipate the continuous increase in “Bliss.”
…
Around evening, the first batch of three hundred “Flower Cards” was sold out.
Not long after, Fernando personally delivered the second batch of “Flower Cards.”
The first batch took longer due to being the initial production, but this second batch was made in just one afternoon—seven hundred cards!
“For a full set,” Fernando said, waving goodbye.
Dark held a large box of seven hundred “Flower Cards,” his face stiff.
To activate and bind all seven hundred “Flower Cards,” he needed to focus for two and a half hours.
“It looks like I’ll have to rush again…”
To gain, one must give.
Especially when the effort was minimal.
Thus, new “Flower Cards” were continuously stocked.
…
The reappearance of the “Flower Cards” spread like a wind, quickly sweeping through the entire castle.
Last year’s buyers, discovering this year’s “Flower Cards” were better optimized, couldn’t resist getting one.
Upon purchase, they immediately noticed the improved functionality, appearance, and technical level compared to last year.
Two different styles of “Flower Cards” were easily distinguishable.
Thus, more people came to buy them.
Even the first-year students eagerly rushed to grab them once they heard the news.
A single “Flower Card” cost only five credits, a fair deal.
By the end of the night, over a hundred more were sold, leaving Dark with only five hundred “Flower Cards.”
Originally, he thought selling a hundred in a day would be considered a success.
He never imagined selling over four hundred.
Once those four hundred were sold, “Flower Cards” could be seen everywhere in the castle.
Students exchanged topics related to “Flower Cards” on Sunday evenings, especially interested in the displayed goodwill.
This method of quantifying goodwill made “Flower Cards” even more popular.
Through these cards, one could even know others’ feelings toward them.
In the common rooms of various houses, there was a festive atmosphere.
Particularly since “Flower Cards” weren’t magical cards and could be freely exchanged, couples exchanged them to check each other’s feelings.
If both parties had high goodwill, the atmosphere became livelier.
Conversely, unexpected results…
Dark never imagined that his “Flower Cards” would become a breakup tool.
Over time, students nicknamed them “Love Detectors!”
Compared to last year’s “Love Divination,” this year’s “Goodwill Detection” was another clever innovation.
From the moment the idea was conceived, the trend of “Flower Cards” was unstoppable.
…
Knight Academy Tower.
Robert Broheim proudly demonstrated the functions of the “Flower Cards” to Wit Gold.
Wit Gold, meanwhile, fiddled with his “Forbidden Love,” feeling sour.
When what was once unique became ubiquitous, anyone would feel discontent.
…
Dark didn’t return to the tower until nine o’clock.
As soon as he entered, he was caught by Diana and Rose.
They had gone to the dungeon on Friday and only returned this evening, having been taken by Professor Kazel for testing after leaving the dungeon, then rushing to the task hall to complete their missions.
Only when they finally had free time did they notice the changes in the academy.
It was as if overnight, everyone had the same toy, and those without felt disconnected.
Diana and Rose curiously observed their classmates’ “Flower Cards,” intrigued when they learned these cards could show goodwill.
After a brief inquiry, they found out these “Flower Cards” were purchased from the Public Dueling Society’s branch store!
Exchanging glances, they immediately agreed that this must be Dark’s doing.
But neither in Dorm Room 301 nor in the Magical Animal Club’s clubroom was Dark to be found.
So they waited in the common room and successfully caught him.
“So, how many do you want?” Dark asked.
“One each is enough!” Diana exclaimed joyfully.
Dark took out two cards, giving one to each of them.
Holding the “Flower Cards,” they immediately injected mana, mimicking their classmates.
With petals materializing, the fragrance filled the air, and both cards displayed the same person.
Diana quickly checked the number of hearts on the card and looked at Rose’s card.
Rose subtly tilted her card, changing the image from Dark to Diana, with a series of hearts.
Diana counted, her cheeks flushing.
She turned her card to display Rose’s image, checking the top of the card.
“Heh!”
The number of hearts wasn’t less than Rose’s.
Their friendship, tested by the “Flower Cards,” grew even deeper.
…
“Then, I’ll head back?”
Seeing Diana and Rose chatting again, Dark tried to leave.
The prolonged concentration left him exhausted. He wanted to return to his dorm, take a bath, and wait for dinner.
But the worst happened.
Diana grabbed him, her eyes gleaming, “Dark, can I see you use the ‘Flower Card’?”
…
Facing Diana’s earnest look and Rose’s hopeful gaze, Dark’s expression stiffened but quickly relaxed.
“The number on the ‘Flower Card’ isn’t just about the person displayed; personal willpower and resistance to change also affect the number.”
He explained as he drew the first card from his deck.
This unrefined “Flower Card” lacked floral embellishment but had all the necessary functions.
“And as long as you understand the basic logic of the ‘Flower Card,’ you can achieve this.”
He showed Diana’s image on the card and turned it towards her.
Diana stared at the image, which flickered like neon lights between one and twelve stars!
“How strange…”
Diana frowned (??ˇ?ˇ??).
Rose sighed in relief, “The original highest was twelve? I thought…”
Dark put away the “Flower Card,” “Generally, nine is the limit; the extra three open the upper limit.”
He yawned naturally, “I should go, I’m tired.”
“Okay.” Rose raised her hand, whispering, “Good night.”
“Good night.” Dark nodded slightly.
“Aaah?! Then good night…” Diana echoed.
And Dark slipped away!
…
“Quite dangerous.”
Dark opened the door, finally returning to his dorm.
The cat grass迎面扑来的猫猫草让他感到暖心。
the cat grass touched him warmly.
The Eevee holding a “Flower Card” on its ribbon antenna made him feel cold.
“Miscalculation!”
For years, he had been outwitted.
Dark Diemon never imagined that before the “Flower Cards” could fulfill their purpose, they had become his prison.
Suddenly, he felt like he had dug a big hole for himself.
The golems at home, somehow obtained “Flower Cards,” stared at him with wide eyes.
When Aurora, carrying a tray, entered and suddenly pulled out a “Flower Card,” Dark couldn’t help but smile bitterly.
Unlike Diana, Aurora was not easily fooled…
He couldn’t bluff his way out anymore.
“The ‘Flower Card’ cannot truly measure someone’s goodwill accurately.”
But Aurora’s gaze remained unshaken.
Facts proved that even if the “Flower Card” couldn’t precisely measure goodwill, it could provide a close approximation.
And if one knew some math, even though the numbers alone were unreliable, comparing the number of people displayed on the cards…
For example, if Dark used the same “Flower Card” and showed Diana’s count as seven, he could use this as a reference to compare others’ counts.
In this way, the degree of concern would become clear.
