“That’s right. This proves that our Dawn Dew truly works.”
Helos nodded, glancing at Kyle and Selina. “Now that Dawn Dew has become a household name in the Upper City… it’s time for us to release Dawn Brew in the Lower City.”
Selina asked in a low, steady voice, “What’s your plan?”
The girl raised her finger, tapping lightly on the table, her tone unhurried:
“Very simple — we’ll push out those special brews completely with low prices.”
Kyle was momentarily stunned, then seemed to understand.
Selina narrowed her eyes: “You mean…”
Helos remained calm as she said, “With your efforts and the guards’, we’ve already secretly gained control over most of the small taverns in the Lower City.”
“Those owners know very well who truly protects them.”
“They may be greedy, but they know even better what lines they must never cross.”
“So you’re saying we use forceful measures to ban them?”
Julius frowned as he asked.
Helos looked at the boy, shaking her head slightly.
“No need. If we use force, we’ll only expose ourselves.”
Her gaze swept over the map on the table, her tone firm: “We just need to tell those tavern owners — when selling special brews, they must give a free cup of Dawn Dew at an even lower price.”
“Wouldn’t that lose us money?”
Kyle frowned, sounding confused. “Why do it that way? Can’t we just squeeze out the toxic brew with value and price, like we did in the Upper City?”
Helos shook her head, voice steady:
“You’re not wrong. We will lose money doing this.”
“But there’s a fundamental difference between the Upper and Lower City.”
She glanced around at everyone, explaining patiently, “The circulation of Crimson Dream in the Upper City can be tracked. The ones who can afford it are never ordinary folk.”
“But in the Lower City? The number of commoners who’ve had special brew is already countless.”
She paused here, her gaze turning cold: “Don’t you understand yet?”
“The Crimson Dream of the Upper City is just their money-making tool. But what truly causes chaos is in the Lower City.”
“And what we’re doing is cutting straight to their lifeline — when people drink the toxic brew, they’ll also drink the antidote at the same time.”
Helos spoke with full confidence.
Why was she so sure?
Because for commoners, no one says no to a good deal like this.
Especially since special brews aren’t exactly cheap for them.
“I should have told you, those so-called special brews are nothing but regular ale mixed with extracts from Heartrot Grass and Bloodstop Vine.”
She paused, then continued:
“And our Dawn Brew not only tastes better and works better, it bears the improved Dawn Dew name, and it’s even cheaper than the special brew.”
The girl’s tone gradually turned chilly:
“And once they lose their addictive edge, those special brews become completely worthless.”
“I get what you mean.”
Kyle couldn’t help but whistle quietly, “That’s ruthless. With this move, they won’t even get the chance to fight back.”
“If we left this to Kyle, he’d probably never think of something like this.”
Selina smiled a little, casting a sidelong glance at the red-haired young man beside her.
“Why’s that?”
Helos raised her brow, a rare look of curiosity on her face.
“Because I’m broke!”
Kyle shrugged, and before Selina could respond, he quickly added, “This kind of money-losing deal? You’d have to kill me to make me bet on it.”
As soon as he finished, Helos instinctively turned to look at Julius.
The boy clearly caught her gaze and, mimicking Kyle’s gesture, gave a slight shrug with a wry smile at his lips. “Compared to you guys, I’m like a total fool… anyway, whatever you say, I’ll just believe it.”
“Really?”
Helos arched her brow slightly, then burst out laughing, “Then I’ll mark you now, so when you’re old I can sell you health supplements and swindle away all your pension.”
“Can you please act like a decent person?!”
Julius couldn’t help but cover his face, looking helplessly at the girl in front of him.
Helos cleared her throat, her eyes glinting with a sly light:
“Don’t worry, with your tiny pension, I wouldn’t even bother.”
Then, unable to help herself, the girl laughed out loud, but quickly composed herself, her tone turning calm again:
“Back to business — the distribution of Dawn Brew in the Lower City will be handled by you and Selina, Kyle.”
“Alright, leave it to us.”
Night settled deep, but the Lower City was still a jumble of lights.
Inside a tavern on the street corner, boisterous shouts and rough songs mingled, the air thick with sweat and the scent of alcohol.
Kyle pushed open the wooden door, with Selina following closely behind.
The familiar owner’s face tightened the moment he saw them, but he quickly plastered on a smile and ushered the two of them into a room at the back.
“Lord Kyle, w-what brings you here? We’ve done nothing extra, just as you instructed.”
Kyle didn’t waste words. He set the wooden box he carried down heavily on the counter.
As the box opened, a gleam of liquor flashed in the dim lamplight, and a crisp aroma immediately overwhelmed the stale air.
“From today, this is the drink you’ll be selling.”
Kyle said coolly.
The owner froze, his Adam’s apple bobbing as he tried to speak, only to be silenced by a chilling glance from Selina.
“Remember, it’s a complimentary drink.”
Her voice was cold and sharp. “If someone buys special brew, give them a small cup of this on the side. We’ll make up the difference, you won’t lose out.”
The room fell silent. Then the owner quickly agreed, not daring to object further.
Word of Dawn Brew quickly spread through the Lower City.
At first, regulars who were used to the special brew only scoffed:
“Free? Probably watered-down fake booze, huh.”
“This is the drink the Upper City lords are drinking! Letting you try it for free is already a huge loss!”
But after hearing the owners’ firm assurances, the first batch of people who tasted that crisp liquor found their laughter turning to shock.
How could there be something that tasted like this?
“My head’s not dizzy, I actually feel lighter?”
“Give me another! Get rid of that special brew!”
“I’ve never realized how terrible special brew tastes!”
With cheap prices, word-of-mouth, and the clever trick of ‘complimentary’ drinks, the name of Dawn Brew began to spread through the streets and alleys of the Lower City.
The tavern owners, who had dared not defy before, now saw which way the wind blew and simply pushed the special brew into the corner, actively promoting Dawn Brew.
At the Ducal Mansion, Kyle brought back the latest news.
“The Lower City’s situation is going even better than expected.”
“Special brew sales have plummeted; a lot of people would rather spend a bit more for Dawn Brew than touch that stuff again.”
“Be honest, did you put something addictive in the Dawn Brew too?”
Kyle asked, half-joking.
“Nothing that miraculous. I just took advantage of what people want.”
Helos smiled faintly, “Besides, none of this could have happened without your help. Without you, I couldn’t have pulled any of it off.”
Saying that, the girl turned to look out the window, her heart brimming with delight.
After all, it seemed everything was moving in the right direction.
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Its Negative reinforcement, the removal of Crimson Dreams addictive power encourages The Dawns power.