All afternoon, the afterglow caused by the band continued to ferment.
Many passersby who had finished listening to the concert began promoting the band on their own. In just a few short hours, Jan'ahrem became a hot topic throughout Piltover.
Because of that, more and more people began looking forward to when the next performance would be.
Naturally, Luke would not miss the current momentum. Since the performances had begun once, there would not only be one.
His plan was to hold one every two days in the short term, then slow down the pace of performances afterward.
The sky gradually darkened.
In the Undercity, Zaun.
This place seemed like another world. The liveliness of the upper city had nothing to do with it. Although someone had brought news over, it was like a pebble falling into a vast lake, failing to stir up even the slightest ripple.
The two cities developed according to their own rhythms, and most of the time, they did not interfere with each other.
The upper city, Piltover, was jointly governed by the councilors. In the Undercity, there was also an underground master.
In a rooftop garden, many fresh green plants had been planted, reflecting against colorful glass. Light fell across a discussion table.
Gathered here were all the minor gang bosses of the Undercity, about several dozen people in total.
And these people were now all looking in the same direction.
In the main seat, Silco wore a high-collared robe. His face was relaxed, his expression calm. "This is your recent summary? Overall income has gone down instead?"
One minor boss sat sideways, then answered casually, "Of course, boss. Under your leadership, our Undercity is developing with thriving prosperity. I think the decline in overall income means we are gradually stabilizing."
His posture was casual in every way, and he did not look at Silco while speaking.
Silco thought that perhaps it had been a long time since he had taught his subordinates how rules were written.
However, for now, he did not care. After glancing at that minor boss, he calmly said, "For the Undercity, stability represents falling behind. I think you should all reflect on this recently. I don't want to hear this kind of bad news again in the next summary."
"Yes, yes, boss."
The minor boss from just now nodded and said, "When I get back, I'll write you a self-criticism."
At this moment, another minor boss raised his hand and spoke. "There are still matters in my gang I haven't finished handling. I think the meeting can end here."
"Yeah, I've still got a pile of things on my side too."
Another minor boss said the same.
Some of the remaining people did not speak. They only turned their gazes toward Silco.
Silco did not look at the three minor bosses who had spoken. He stood, straightened his collar, and said indifferently, "Meeting dismissed."
He could tell that the people here had grown restless, so there was no need to continue this meeting.
Very quickly, the minor bosses left the rooftop garden one after another.
Silco and Sevika walked out one after the other.
After watching the entire meeting from the side, Sevika only spoke now. "According to our predictions, the overall trend should still be rising. But now it has fallen instead…"
Silco raised his hand and interrupted the rest of her words. Calmly, he said, "That's very normal. What rats like doing most is stealing oil. When profit is in front of them for long enough, there will always be people who lose patience."
Sevika's expression turned slightly colder, and she continued, "A few days ago, some subordinates reported to me that Darms and the others have started getting dirty when handling business. Not only have they expanded their manpower, they seem to have privately pocketed quite a lot as well."
Silco's gaze flickered slightly, but he did not pay it much attention. Instead, he asked, "What about Jinx? What has she been doing lately?"
"If even you don't know what she's up to, don't ask me."
Sevika replied irritably, then said, "Right now, those people are almost not even putting you in their eyes anymore, and you're still thinking about that blue-haired girl?"
"You're too nervous." Silco smiled and glanced at her, his tone cooling slightly. "They're only a few rats stealing oil. Since I was able to make them stand up, I can make them kneel just the same."
By comparison, he did indeed want to know more about what Jinx had been busy with lately.
It seemed she had not come to his place for several days.
That girl had a loose personality and loved to play around, so disappearing for a few days was not anything unusual.
It was only that Silco realized he had started to feel a little… worried?
In short, it was strange. Silco changed the subject and asked, "Has anything else happened recently?"
Sevika thought for a moment, then said, "Recently, a force called the Firelights has appeared from who knows where. They have some technological methods in their hands. They move quickly and cleanly. Two minor bosses have reported that their business has already been interfered with by the Firelights."
"Firelights…"
Silco murmured the name, then after thinking briefly, said, "Look into them. It would be best to figure out where they came from."
"Yes." Sevika nodded, then said again, "Speaking of which, you should have that blue-haired girl do something too. She seems to have been idle for a long time."
Silco was quiet for a second. "Mm. I will."
Half an hour later, Silco pushed open the door to his office and saw a figure lying on the sofa inside, bored out of her mind.
Seeing this, his expression did not change much. After closing the office door, he walked toward his desk and asked casually, "When did you get here?"
"About an hour ago?" Jinx yawned, sat up, and stretched comfortably.
Silco noticed that she seemed to be in a good mood. Her face also looked somewhat refreshed, and her eyes were bright and sparkling. She seemed to have been quite happy lately.
Perhaps it was an illusion, but Silco felt that it had been a long time since he had seen that kind of happiness, one that belonged uniquely to someone her age, in this girl's eyes.
He picked up a cigar, trimmed it, lit it, took a puff, then exhaled and asked, "What have you been doing these past few days?"
"Found something interesting to do. Didn't I tell you last time?"
As Jinx spoke, she thought for a moment, then said, "Oh, right, I think I forgot. Anyway, it's really interesting."
"Is that so?" Silco smiled faintly. He wanted to ask what interesting thing it was.
But in the end, he did not ask. Then he remembered what Sevika had said earlier, thought for a moment, and began, "Recently…"
"I'll probably be pretty busy recently." Coincidentally, Jinx spoke at the same time. "So I came over first to tell you."
Silco did not finish what he had been about to say. He nodded. "All right. I understand."
Jinx looked at him and asked, "Is there anything you need me to do?"
"Not at the moment," Silco replied calmly. "Go do what you're busy with. I'll notify you if something comes up."
"Okay." Jinx smiled brightly and waved. "Then I'll go first. See you later."
Silco smiled. "See you later."
Jinx stepped lightly and cheerfully toward the office door and pushed it open. As the door slowly closed, her figure gradually disappeared from Silco's eyes.
He took a puff of his cigar and exhaled a wisp of smoke. Silco slowly withdrew the smile from his face.
But perhaps even he did not notice that the corner of his mouth still unconsciously curved upward a little.
This girl seemed pretty cheerful lately.
He was generally not someone whose emotions could be infected by others, but right now, he seemed to have been affected a little.
After thinking about it, he realized the matter at hand could be resolved even without using her.
Then there was no need to do anything unnecessary.
By comparison, he was a little curious about what this girl had been so absorbed in lately. This time, she had come back and still had not explained it to him.
At the same time, in a bar in the Undercity.
The three minor bosses led by Darms had gathered here. At the same time, they had also invited another minor boss named Konda to attend.
After entering the private room, Konda glanced left and right. With a cold expression, he stood and asked, "Why did you call me here?"
Darms lit a cigarette, slowly took a drag, and said, "Sit first. We can talk slowly."
"I don't have that much time. Make it short." Konda sat down suspiciously. One of them poured him a glass of alcohol, but he did not pick it up to drink. He only frowned at the three of them, waiting for them to speak.
Darms spoke then. "How many years have you followed Silco?"
"Seven." Konda did not refuse to answer, but his gaze still scrutinized the three of them.
"Seven years. Counting the time, you can be considered part of the old guard. You've been working with him even longer than we have."
A faint smile appeared on Darms's face. "After such a long time, you have always lived beneath someone else. Have you never thought of breaking away from him?"
"What are you talking about?" Konda's brows furrowed tightly. "If not for Silco, how would we be sitting in the positions we have today?"
"Yes, you're right. I won't refute that statement." Darms looked at Konda, as if seeing through his heart. "The Undercity's development indeed could not have happened without Silco's contributions. But have you ever thought about it? The positions we hold today were not given to us by him. They were positions we should have had to begin with."
"He simply established himself in this place earlier than we did. We walked out from the crowd after him, so we have to stay beneath him forever."
"I think you understand this feeling best. I remember Silco only became the master of the Undercity seven or eight years ago."
"Back then… who was making decisions for the Undercity? I remember it was… Vander. Yes. At that time, you were still working for Vander."
Darms's narration kept falling into the quiet private room. Konda listened silently from beginning to end.
"After getting to know you, I've always felt that you were someone with especially sharp judgment. That was why, during that period, you decisively switched over to Silco."
As Darms spoke, he had already finished one cigarette. Smoke drifted through the private room. "Silco overthrew Vander, and you successfully became one of his powerful men. You took control of a piece of territory, but it seems things stopped there."
"Over all these years, more and more people have become your equals, while you have made no progress at all. I think you must have noticed this too."
Darms lit another cigarette, but this time it was not for himself. He handed it to Konda. "Silco does not trust you, because you are one of Vander's old people."
Konda accepted the cigarette and remained silent, still not speaking.
"I want to ask you this. Over all these years, have you ever thought that if the person who had stepped forward to overthrow Vander back then had not been Silco, but you, then that position today would be yours?"
Darms smiled faintly.
Konda said, "What meaning is there in saying this now?"
"What I want to say is that it isn't too late even now." Darms kept the smile on his face. "If Silco can sit in that position, we can do the same."
"I think you've had enough of being controlled in everything you do. Right now, you are the most senior one. If you stand forward, many people will acknowledge you. Once Silco is removed, from now on, we decide our own affairs."
Konda lowered his head and sank into thought, his expression as though he was engaged in an internal struggle.
Seeing that he was still hesitating, Darms continued, "Even after so many years have passed, Silco still wants to oppose the upper city. With the upper city's speed of development, I think you can tell that continuing this opposition is not a wise move."
"Every time conflict breaks out between them, the ones whose interests are damaged are always us. Your territory is near the Pilt River area. Because of that, I remember you proposed two years ago that we should avoid conflicts with the upper city. But Silco ignored you."
"Think about it. Why did he hand that piece of territory to you? If one day, the conflict between both sides escalates, where do you think Piltover's Enforcers will choose to attack first?"
After saying this, Darms said nothing more.
Konda's expression darkened somewhat. After a long while, he clenched his fist, raised his head, and asked, "What do you plan to do?"
"No rush." Seeing this, Darms smiled and raised his glass toward Konda. "For now, we're all in the same boat."
Konda likewise raised his glass and clinked it with the three of them, his gaze flickering.
Two days later.
The second concert was nearing its end. The venue had gathered far more spectators than last time. The atmosphere remained high, and cheers rose and fell like waves. The heated mood scattered the chill in the air.
Under this level of enthusiasm, some surrounding stalls selling fruit, snacks, and drinks were practically cleared out in the blink of an eye. The shops on the nearby streets also saw their customer flow surge sharply.
Now everyone could clearly see that this band, Jan'ahrem, which had only held two concerts, was about to directly become Piltover's blazing new star.
Backstage.
Ivo looked at Luke with admiration and said, "Your Highness truly has vision ahead of its time. In today's Piltover, those who don't know Jan'ahrem are probably the minority."
After watching the first performance, he had predicted that this band was destined to explode in popularity throughout Piltover.
However, when he personally saw that day arrive in the blink of an eye, he was still shocked.
At this moment, in the plaza outside, at least thirty thousand spectators had gathered. There were even more spectators who could not squeeze in. Sidereal Plaza could no longer hold this many people at all, and they had to find a larger place for the band.
One had to remember, this was only a band that had just performed twice.
After thinking for a moment, Ivo still said with some concern, "Considering how popular the band is, isn't the ticket price for future performances set too low? I think even if the ticket price were a little higher, people would definitely be willing to accept it."
These two warm-up performances had both been free, but future concerts would begin using a ticketing model.
Depending on the seating, the ticket prices would also differ. However, even one ticket for the very front row was only five gold coins.
It could already be called dirt cheap.
"The only reason for selling tickets is to stabilize order." Luke sat in his chair, calmly took a sip of tea, then continued, "I'm not counting on this to make money. The real place to make money isn't here."
If they did not start using a ticketing model, then the scenes at the next few performances could already be predicted.
Crowds would push in chaotically without any order to speak of, and all kinds of accidents would inevitably happen then.
Hearing this, Ivo asked in confusion, "What does Your Highness mean?"
"That is also why I called you here." Luke glanced sideways at him and said, "Next, we will grandly launch band-related merchandise. For example, glow sticks, matching shoes, and clothing. As long as there is popularity, we can easily make an item become a sensation in Piltover."
After Luke said this, Ivo immediately felt greatly enlightened.
His eyes lit up. "I understand what Your Highness means."
This method did seem easier for making money. If the ticket prices were set too high, there would definitely be controversy later.
If a people-friendly band was no longer people-friendly, it would inevitably lose some fans.
But launching merchandise was different. Whether someone bought it or not depended entirely on the individual. As long as a person liked the band, they would definitely buy at least some of the band's merchandise.
So as long as the band grew more popular, there would be no need to worry about whether the merchandise would sell.
"You helped me a great deal with the promotion last time." Luke looked at him with a faint smile. "So this time, I came to you first with this opportunity. Next, you will be mainly responsible for producing the various merchandise. The revenue created will be split sixty-forty between us."
Ivo was instantly overjoyed. Flattered, he bowed respectfully. "Thank you very much for Your Highness's support. I absolutely won't disappoint you."
Without question, with the band's current popularity, no matter what they did, it would be a huge money-making business.
And that was not even the most important part.
The most important thing was that from now on, he would have an additional identity as this prince's business partner.
That was what was truly valuable.
Ivo was glad he had taken this matter seriously back then. Otherwise, he probably would have missed this opportunity.
Luke thought for a moment, then gave another instruction. "Next, go find a larger venue for the band. If a suitable piece of land appears, you can directly buy it. When the time comes, build it into an open-style venue. The bigger, the better."
"Yes."
Ivo immediately accepted the order.
"Also, go contact the owner of a music workshop these next few days," Luke then said. "This is also a good business. You can cooperate with them to mass-produce three types of instruments, guitars, basses, and drums. Those are also a kind of merchandise."
Without question, as the band became wildly popular, those three novel instruments had also drawn people's attention.
Many people would definitely be interested.
Ivo had actually noticed those three instruments too, so he immediately nodded. "I understand."
Soon, as the second performance came to a perfect close, the audience dispersed reluctantly.
However, even after they scattered, the concert's lingering heat remained. The band continued to be the hot topic on everyone's lips.
Everyone could foresee that in the short term, this phenomenon would not disappear.
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