God-Tier Enhancement: My Upgrades Never Fail-Chapter 229: Episode _A Hero is Made in Turbulent Times (1)
1.
The justification was impeccable.
“To add a brief explanation, this is a type of charitable organization founded in His Majesty the Emperor’s name. All donations will be managed transparently, and the sources and uses of the funds will be reported directly to His Majesty.”
They were stunned.
On the continent, only Han Simin and perhaps the Emperor thought of him as some neighborhood pushover grandpa with an endless supply of money. No one else did. Even the Pope, the representative of the gods, acknowledged the current Emperor and bowed his head.
This was a chance to make their names known to such an Emperor. To think it was a waste of money because there was no guarantee of advancement was a grave miscalculation. Even a single line of history connecting them to the Emperor was a direct line to him. Even if the Emperor didn’t personally take care of them, the Empire would do so on its own. Not out of genuine gratitude, but to add weight to the Emperor’s name.
The Emperor was a man who did not betray trust. Loyalty to him was rewarded. It was a kind of performance, a give-and-take. In any case, even such a performative opportunity was hard to come by in reality, but it had been given to the VVIP members of the Rich Territory. How could their eyes not light up?
Besides, the connection with the Emperor through donations was just a secondary benefit. The original goal was tea time with the Saintess through a large donation. They momentarily forgot the reality that the one they were trying to win over wasn’t even thinking about them. The future is what you make of it, after all. The people gathered here had all experienced achieving what they wanted through effort.
Thus, the competition was fierce. The betting amounts, thrown down under the guise of donations, were enough to make one wonder if they could win another VVIP membership. Kenji, who had been steadily saving gold for this day, was no different.
’I will win, no matter what.’
His love for the Saintess was also infinite. He just wasn’t going all-in. He would spend within his available means, without betting everything. Nevertheless, as one of the wealthiest men in the world, the amount of money he could spend on a feeling like love was immense.
Even in a room full of wealthy people, one by one, dropouts began to appear as time went on. As always, wealth is relative. And no matter who had more money, the winner would ultimately be decided by who had a greater heart for the Saintess. A brief private meeting with the Saintess versus money. The moment the scales tipped toward money, the rich cleanly gave up.
In the end, only two remained. Kenji, of course, and...
“I will donate 100,000 gold.”
He was stunned.
Saint. His resolute expression showed a strong will to secure a private meeting with the Saintess, no matter what. Simin showed no curiosity as to where such money came from.
’Good. Good.’
Money can be made. The important thing was that this competitive atmosphere didn’t cool down. Simin gently poked Squeaker in the side. Receiving the signal, she smiled brightly.
“110,000 gold,” Kenji bid.
“120,000!” Saint countered.
Each bid increased the pot by $1,500,000. Of course, such bravado was only possible because it was a donation. But Simin trembled with goosebumps as if the money were flowing into his own wallet. If everyone’s attention hadn’t been focused on the two bidders and Squeaker, it would have been a puzzling sight. ’Why is he so happy? It’s not even his money.’
The bidding continued. Kenji and Saint, who could have had a private conversation in the Grand Temple anytime they wanted, bet and bet again with the determination to invest their entire fortunes for the sake of their pride.
And a winner was decided.
“150,000 gold. With Saint’s highest bid, a private tea time with the Saintess has been decided.”
Kenji was silent.
Kenji had lost. A confident winner’s smile spread across Saint’s face. There was not a hint of regret or disappointment about how much he had spent.
Kenji, on the other hand, was furious. It wasn’t that he had lost because he didn’t have the money. Not only was the gold he had exchanged insufficient, but at some point, he had realized it. This was a battle he could never win.
“I am pleased to be able to donate to a good cause in the name of the Grand Temple,” Saint declared.
If it were individual versus individual, Kenji could never lose. But this was individual versus organization. And not just any organization, but the Grand Temple, which might have amassed more wealth than even the Emperor in 『Fantastic World』. How could an individual’s money compare to funds being used for a public cause?
Besides, this wasn’t the real world. The value of Saint’s readily available gold and Kenji’s verbal promise to pay later could not be the same.
Regretfully, he gave up. He judged it better to use that money to create another opportunity.
But Han Simin wasn’t one to let him go so easily.
“As expected, you are all amazing. The donation amounts you have each pledged will all be reported to His Majesty the Emperor and will be put to good use.”
He looked at him, confused.
“His Majesty will be very pleased.”
At the tyranny of a man who would sell out the Emperor’s empire for money if he could, everyone was at a loss for words. It was absurd. But they couldn’t express it. How could they back out now that he had preemptively announced it? If they said they had only bet for tea time with the Saintess and had no intention of donating to a foundation in the Emperor’s name, they would not only lose their initial investment but would also be marked by the Emperor. That would be the end of their lives as nobles.
The expressions of the other eight VVIP members, who had been watching the two men’s spending spree with interest as if munching on popcorn, hardened. The two players who had dropped out early paid up as if they were being forced to eat mustard, while the rest swallowed their tears.
Kenji was silent.
And Kenji, who had been consoling himself with the thought that he had fought well even in defeat, glared at Simin.
Simin smiled brightly and waved at him. A comfortable, family-like relationship! It was a greeting that seemed to cheer on Kenji’s vow to be a winning pushover before he came here.
*
At the fan meeting, 300,000 gold was raised for the relief of the continent’s refugees from the Rich Territory. In cash, that was a staggering $45 million. The only people who knew this fact were the ten VVIP members who had gathered at the fan meeting. No, even they didn’t know the exact amount.
In any case, it was almost exactly the amount Simin had blown on his show at the Grand Temple.
A smile that refused to leave his lips, Simin sent Squeaker off to her tea time with Saint and headed straight for the capital. It might look like the shameless picture of a father selling his daughter for money, and it might seem heartless for him to leave without a worry, but Simin wasn’t concerned in the slightest.
“Squeaker, it probably won’t happen, but if he tries to touch you, subdue him.”
“Okay, Dad.”
He had authorized the use of gold. As beautiful as she was, her essence was that of a dragon. A Gold Dragon that even the Black Dragon Kardian was wary of. If anything, if Saint tried to pull something, Simin would be the one laughing. He would use the gold spent as a pretext to rip him off for everything he was worth.
Upon arriving at the capital, Simin was greeted by the Princess.
“My lord!”
“Oh? Where is His Majesty? I came because I have something to discuss with him.”
“You can tell me. I begged Father to let me handle it.”
“Ah?”
And the Princess’s cute antics stopped him in his tracks. Simin’s steps halted. He met the gaze of the Princess, who was hugging him tightly.
“Really?”
“Yes!”
His mind raced. An answer was quickly reached.
“Full authority?”
“Yes. I’ve decided to proceed with everything in my name.”
“Hoh.”
It felt as if a bright path had opened up before him. He hastily erased the scenario he had roughly planned in his head. Such a clumsy script, designed to give up some flesh to take the bones, was unnecessary if he could just talk to the Princess.
Simin’s hand, which had been wrapped around her back, moved down to her waist. He pulled her forcefully toward him.
“Oh!”
Their bodies pressed together. Her heart rate soared. Simin whispered in her ear.
“Shall we go somewhere quiet to talk, then? We can catch up on all the time we’ve missed.”
“Heehee. I’d love to.”
If the Emperor had seen it, his guts would have twisted, and he would have died on the spot.
*
Han Simin was a master of getting things for free. A master of freeloading. His most frequently used method was to be vague and gloss over things.
“So, about the donations we collected this time, I’ll send them over after deducting the various expenses and labor costs for preparing the fundraising.”
It was an absurd statement. To think of deducting labor costs and expenses from donations. If this were known in the real world, it would be no surprise if protests demanding a prosecutor’s investigation into the charity broke out immediately. The same was true in 『Fantastic World』. Although the concept of such an organization was new, anyone with a bit of sense would know something was off. Besides, there were many players in 『Fantastic World』.
But unfortunately for them, it was a private conversation they would never know about.
“Yes, my lord. Don’t worry. Although it’s operated in your name, it’s a foundation established in my father’s name, so the operating costs will be fully covered by the imperial family. You don’t have to feel burdened.”
“Huh?”
In that private conversation, the Princess’s words unexpectedly flustered Simin.
“I also have funds I’ve saved up to help you, and I’ll use them to improve the Rich Territory’s image. So, would you like to use all the donations for the development of the territory?”
“Uh, huh?”
“I know it won’t be enough, but I heard that while the Rich Casino and other developments have increased the territory’s revenue, the profit is zero. I want to help, but if I step in directly, it might seem like His Majesty’s intentions are too biased...”
“Uh, yeah. But is that really okay?”
“Of course!”
The great Han Simin was being cautious. He couldn’t help but be bewildered. He had come to skim some money, and here she was, encouraging him to just swallow it all. Even Simin was anxious. It wasn’t just a penny or two.
“All of this?”
“Yes. It’s not that much anyway.”
He was speechless.
’I don’t think so.’ For a moment, he felt the urge to tell her the amount they had collected, but he quickly regained his composure and nodded.
“Okay. Thank you.”
Go for broke. He was already planning to scam her out of half of it, so what was the point of finding a conscience now?
“To His Majesty...”
“Come on. Trust me.”
“Yeah. Of course. There’s no one but you, Princess.”
He immediately tossed the heavy magic pouch of gold at his side into his subspace. Then, with sincere gratitude, he hugged the Princess tightly once more.
“I love you.”
“I love you too.”
The Princess had sniped Han Simin’s heart.
*
