After the Fairy Maidens Fell to Darkness, They Captured Me to Ruthlessly "Repay" Their Gratitude - Chapter 285

Chapter 285: I Never Noticed You Had Such Talent for Capitalism

Under the dark night sky, illuminated only by the eerie glow of the crescent moon, two figures huddled together in the Cherrywood Palace, their faces lit by the flickering candlelight as they engaged in some suspicious activity.

He Ange carefully picked up a test tube and dripped the last drop of a mysterious essence into a clear glass cup. With a faint herbal aroma rising, the dark brown liquid inside began to fizz and bubble—finally, the legendary concoction was complete.

Liu Moqing took the glass, sniffed it tentatively, and after a moment, a skeptical expression crossed her delicate, pure face.

“This… is the legendary drink from your homeland, the so-called ‘Happy Bubble Water’?” (tln : cola)

“Exactly!” He Ange grinned with a mix of pride and ambition. “With your vast business network in the Dragon Dynasty, with just a few strategic adjustments, we can dominate the beverage industry with this secret formula!”

He leaned in closer, his voice lowering conspiratorially. “I’ve already done market research—right now, the Dragon Dynasty’s definition of ‘drinks’ is limited to tea, wine, and the occasional fruit juice from street vendors. What a tragedy! How can our great nation have so little variety in beverages?”

“Uh…”

Though she had no proof, Liu Moqing couldn’t shake the feeling that she was being brainwashed by a villain.

Adults drank tea and wine, children drank fruit juice—wasn’t that enough?

“…Is there really a market for this?” she asked weakly.

He Ange smirked. “Try it first.”

Reluctantly, she took a sip.

Her expression cycled through doubt, confusion, surprise, and then—curiosity, as if she couldn’t help but take another sip.

Before she knew it, she had finished the entire glass.

“…This is strange. At first, it tingles with tiny bubbles, then there’s a sweet aftertaste, and some herbal notes… The weirdest part is, the more I drink, the more I want more. The first sip was odd, but by the fourth, I was hooked…”

He Ange was unsurprised.

Coca-Cola.

A simple yet universally addictive drink.

If it conquered the world in his past life, why wouldn’t it work here?

Sure, cultivators had their spiritual wines and immortal nectar, but in this world, only a privileged few had access to such luxuries.

Most people were commoners.

They couldn’t afford high-end wine or celestial tea.

Thus, cheap, delicious soda had huge potential.

And besides—why stop at the common market?

The cultivation world had no shortage of rare herbs and spirit ingredients.

Replace the cheap ingredients with premium ones, and suddenly, this “Happy Bubble Water” could be marketed as a high-end elixir for wealthy cultivators—refreshing, invigorating, and even beneficial to qi circulation!

The more He Ange thought about it, the more profitable the idea seemed.

But until now, he had been too busy—first dealing with An Luo Yi, then handling the Fox Clan’s affairs—so the plan had been shelved.

Now, with time and resources on his side, plus Liu Moqing’s business empire at his disposal, the stage was set for a wave of soda domination across the land!

He didn’t have the distribution network, but Liu Moqing did.

Who said a clothing store couldn’t branch into beverages?

It was just a matter of expanding the business model.

Hard? Maybe.

But in a market with zero competitors?

Business was about to get easy.

“Ange, I think… this drink could actually be huge in the Dragon Dynasty,” Liu Moqing mused, pouring herself a second glass.

Her eyes sparkled as she swirled the dark liquid, already imagining the profits.

“Of course,” He Ange nodded. “In this world, everything revolves around cultivation. The elite dictate trends, and commoners get scraps. But we’ll change that.”

He sighed. “The rich hoard all the good things, leaving the poor with bland, tasteless options. But since they won’t cater to the common folk, we will. Affordable, mass-produced, and delicious.”

Liu Moqing nodded thoughtfully—but then hesitated.

“What if… the cultivators also want to drink it?”

“Then we make a premium version with rare ingredients,” He Ange said matter-of-factly.

But Liu Moqing frowned.

“That might not be the best strategy…”

“Why?”

“If we start by selling it as a commoner’s drink, it’ll be branded as ‘poor people’s soda’ forever. Once that reputation sticks, even if nobles secretly like it, they’ll never admit it. They wouldn’t want to be seen drinking the same thing as peasants.”

She tapped her chin, analyzing further.

“And if we do try to pivot to a luxury version later, not only will the nobility reject it, but the commoners will feel betrayed—like we’re price-gouging them.”

“Starting too cheap makes future price hikes a PR disaster.” (tln a whole company loss / disasters)

He Ange’s eyes widened.

“…Damn. You’re right.”

A seasoned businesswoman indeed.

He hadn’t even considered that.

“So,” Liu Moqing continued, a sly smile creeping onto her lips, “we do the opposite.”

“Launch it as an ultra-luxury product first—exclusive, expensive, marketed to the nobility. Let them flaunt it as a status symbol.”

“Then, once the hype peaks, we roll out a cheaper, mass-produced version for commoners.”

“This way, the poor will feel grateful they get to taste something ‘elite,’ and the rich won’t feel humiliated, since theirs is still the ‘premium’ version.”

“Double profits. Double satisfaction.”

He Ange stared at her in awe.

Then laughed.

“Liu Moqing,” he said, pinching her soft cheek affectionately, “I never realized you had such talent for capitalism.”

“Huh?” She tilted her head, not understanding the term.

But He Ange just shook his head.

“Nothing. The formula is yours now—market it however you see fit. Just make sure it spreads across the entire Dragon Dynasty. As long as it’s affordable eventually, that’s all I care about.”

But Liu Moqing frowned.

“Ange… you seem unusually invested in promoting products from your homeland.”

Lately, her business had expanded at an insane rate—monopolizing textiles, then diving into hot pot restaurants, and now beverages.

If this continued, soon the Dragon Dynasty’s food, drink, and clothing sectors would all be under her control.

And He Ange had even given her three powerful puppets—just to protect her.

Why would a cultivator care so much about mundane commerce?

She trusted He Ange, but…

She couldn’t shake the feeling he had a hidden agenda.

“The answer’s simple.”

He Ange exhaled, his gaze distant.

“The noble cultivators may not care about commoners, but their ruler does.”

Author’s Note:
Capitalism arc begins!