The Money-Making Game

Freyr didn't even bother to explain. He closed his eyes and began to meditate...

Of course, it was mostly to avoid seeing Natalie's exposed skin... Why did this woman like to sit on the railing and dangle her long legs?

Well... although her legs were indeed very beautiful...

That night, Freyr still didn't feel any so-called "star power."

However, after a night of meditation and reciting the incantation Natalie had taught him, Freyr was delighted to discover that his mental strength had taken another step forward!

Even if he couldn't learn any star magic, simply growing his mental strength like this was a significant gain!

Freyr could clearly feel his mental strength becoming more refined... This kind of "refinement" was hard to describe with words. It made all his senses sharper...

For instance, his vision, hearing, and sense of smell. Originally, during meditation, Freyr could hear the wind in the sky. Now, with his refined mental strength, Freyr could not only hear the wind but also judge its direction just by the sound! He could even gauge the wind's strength!

It was a more detailed perception. His ability to capture the finer details became sharper, making everything clearer... This feeling was very comfortable.

...

On the third day, the first Russell Family Football League, led by Freyr, began.

Freyr knew better than to fish with dynamite. He also knew that relying solely on the thousand soldiers in the barracks wouldn't bring in much in bets. After all, soldiers weren't wealthy, and their pay was limited. Overly exploiting their pay would indeed be too unscrupulous.

So, Freyr figured that to continue making big money... he needed to expand the game!

After a day of discussions with the camp's officers, a compromise was reached.

That day, Focker was ordered to post a series of posters in the nearby town.

In a small town not far from the castle, Freyr used the Russell family's connections to borrow the town square for a day.

Then, Focker led two squads of soldiers to the town for a football exhibition match.

A three-day exhibition match quickly made the townspeople fall in love with the sport.

Then, almost replicating what happened in the barracks, Freyr moved the league's field to the town.

This also avoided constantly occupying the barracks' drill field, which could disrupt the soldiers' normal training.

Natalie, seeing through Freyr's plan, remarked, "You don't want to win any more money from the soldiers, fearing it might incite a mutiny, right?"

After moving the football league to the town, the novel sport quickly attracted a considerable audience, even winning over some children.

Under Freyr's direction, Focker began setting up betting booths before each match!

"I'm the first person in this world to invent football... and the first head of a football betting syndicate," Freyr evaluated himself.

Whether despicable or noble, within seven or eight days, Freyr had made over a thousand gold coins!

There were quite a few wealthy people in the town, and some rich merchants found this form of gambling much more interesting than traditional casinos. Their bets were often several gold coins at a time!

Focker's news left Freyr speechless.

First, people started copying the idea!

The sport spread quickly to neighboring towns, with some places already playing the game. Some casinos even organized teams to use the game for gambling to attract customers.

Secondly... Freyr found it particularly amusing that people were attempting to fix matches! Some tried to bribe his soldiers to throw games! Some casinos started manipulating the betting behind the scenes!

Competing with Master Freyr for business? Unacceptable!

Freyr's money couldn't be touched by others!

Moreover, Freyr was only using this to make some emergency funds; he had no intention of indirectly promoting gambling. He certainly didn't want rampant gambling in Russell territory because of this.

So, Freyr quickly came up with a solution!

Two days later, in towns across the Russell family's territory where football had become popular, a notice appeared:

Exclusive Rights!

Within the Russell family's territory, all football-related betting was exclusively owned by the game's inventor, Master Freyr!

Anyone attempting to conduct such gambling would face severe penalties from local authorities and tax officials!

This decree was officially issued by the governing officials of the surrounding towns!

As for whether this so-called exclusive right complied with imperial law?

What a joke!

This was Russell territory! The officials were paid by the Russell family! If the Russell family's young master spoke, who would dare disobey?

And so, Freyr boldly embarked on the path of monopoly!

...

With money in his pocket, Freyr became more generous. He took out thirty gold coins and gave them as compensation to the thousand soldiers in the barracks.

It was a gesture to make up for the money he had won from them and to reward them for their physical exertion playing football.

This move instantly won the unanimous cheers and support of the garrison's officers and soldiers! Though the football game invented by the young master was indeed fun, it had indirectly drained everyone's pockets, leading to some complaints and discontent.

But now, seeing the shiny gold coins distributed... everyone was satisfied. Most soldiers had recovered their losses.

Freyr kept ten gold coins as a reserve...