In early September, the Lowland Republic was already suffused with a feverish atmosphere and the scent of money.

The time for bulb harvesting had just arrived, and countless people were waving futures contracts as they waited beside the very limited tulip fields.

"Don't snatch, these are mine, my two hundred kilograms! Hahaha, I'm going to be rich!"

"My ten prized specimens! I made eight hundred Golden Lions, eight hundred Golden Lions!"

"....."

Among these shouting crowds were master craftsmen, small factory owners, and farm owners holding large bank loans.

After taking office, the Republic's Prime Minister Constance Harlan immediately approved a plan to revitalize the real economy, which clearly did not land in the intended places as expected.

There were merchants, citizens, sailors, workers with some savings; even those with almost no assets, only following the trend by borrowing, craftsmen, attendants, maids.

Because the "futures contract" launched by the Tulip Guild last year was essentially "air trading", both buyers and sellers used their credit as a guarantee, agreeing to trade at the current price once the bulbs were dug out in September this year.

And with the total amount of tulip bulbs in the ground limited, many people were standing directly at the field with their delivery slips in hand.

Only upon watching the bulbs being dug out and packed into bags could they finally rest easy.

Additionally,

there were numerous foreigners from surrounding countries in the crowd, all drawn in by the aggressive promotion of the "Eye of Wealth".

It can be said that the tulip craze's influence was already not limited to just the Lowland Republic, but had become a global capital carnival.

To say who the ultimate winner is might be premature, but to say who has gained the most benefits currently is undeniable.

Inside the Wealth Cathedral.

"Hahaha, what a marvelous power this is!"

The gold-robed Archbishop Barrett spread his arms, clearly feeling the tremendous force of capital surging across the entire country and its neighboring nations through the power of the "Angel of Prosperity".

Due to the prosperous financial activities of human society, the power of the "God of Capital and Wealth" was also skyrocketing at a speed unimaginable to the Natural Deity.

If this situation could continue for a decade or even decades, it wouldn't be impossible for their Main God to leap forward and become the Divine King of this era.

Standing before the statue seemingly emitting golden light, the Archbishop hosting this mass, along with numerous believers, devoutly chanted:

"Supreme 'Angel of Prosperity', grant us abundance, please enjoy the feast offered by your lambs!"

Also attending were the Upper House Speaker, Chairman of the Netherlands Bank Group Executive Committee, and Saint William Orange, who concurred while thinking privately:

"This is also a feast for the big capitalists!"

... 𝐟𝐫𝕖𝗲𝘄𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝕧𝐞𝚕.𝕔𝕠𝐦

Tulip Guild's major shareholder Summerfield gazed out through the window of his luxurious carriage, watching the vast land already harvested before him:

"Lucky fellow!"

Amidst a throng of servants, he walked straight into this tulip plantation, which, though remotely located, was hugely expansive.

He met the plantation owner, who was already waiting here.

After a familiar brief chat, he immediately got to the point.

".....Tulips require years of cultivation to mature. After planting bulbs, 1-2 large bulbs and 3-5 small bulbs sprout in the first year. Large bulbs can bloom in the same year and are considered qualified goods.

However, small bulbs must be cultivated for another 1-2 years to bloom again. But..."

In response to his expectant gaze, the plantation owner said what he most wanted to hear:

"Just last year, we stocked up some small bulbs, which can be fully marketed next year.

With our scale, it's certainly possible to boost the tulip supply in the entire Lowlands by ten percent next year, so, you see..."

The Guild usually only controls sales, leaving the source to scattered flower farmers and concentrated plantations. The major shareholder had interacted several times with this plantation owner.

Still puzzled by why he suddenly became so lucky this year, given the current market trend, even a ten percent increase could mean pouring wealth.

Once the breeding expert he brought confirmed the owner's truthfulness, Summerfield took decisive action:

"Let's sign a contract! Same as before, pay a twenty percent advance, and settle at bulb harvest!"

He aggressively gobbled up all the plantation's inventory at the current high market price.

Not just this plantation, but also all scattered sources throughout the Lowland Republic and surrounding countries.

The aim of the alliance is to tightly control all sources of tulip bulbs.

Leveraging this momentum in the imminent winter trading season, they plan to sweep the capital market with next year's futures contracts and seize the largest slice of the pie.

At this stage, everyone buying tulips was no longer for their intrinsic value or for ornamental purposes but hoping their prices would rise infinitely and thus reap profits.

Everyone firmly believes that the "Tulip craze" will last forever.

Wealthy people from all over the world place orders with the Lowland Republic, and no matter the price, someone will pay the bills. Benefiting from such favors, the citizens of the Republic will completely bid farewell to poverty.

No one notices that the real flower enthusiasts and palace procurement personnel have long since gradually withdrawn, leaving behind only speculators hoping to get rich overnight.

When the price of Tulips soared by 6900% compared to before, not even the major Bank Groups and investment institutions could sit still, and they collectively joined forces with the Tulip Guild to enter the fray.

The "profit-seeking" nature of capital is its original sin.

As finance continues to develop, capital will increasingly favor short-cycle, quick-money financial speculation markets, rather than investing in the solid real economy.

Although "futures trading" is a new financial model, visionary big bankers and financial tycoons have already seen it as an opportunity to reap global wealth.

They must seize this trending opportunity.

As time slowly progressed to the end of September, the Tulip bulbs had already returned to the warehouse.

In the hands of speculators who invested their entire fortunes and even borrowed heavily, most held the physical Tulip bulbs that had already been delivered.

While banks and large institutions, having drawn most of their liquid funds, held almost all the futures contracts for next year.

The bustling Tulip winter trading season was slowly unfolding then.

...

"So, if at the onset of the Kingdom's Steam Revolution, we had also played this game of 'abandoning the real for the virtual.'

If we had invested all our ocean trade earnings into fields that merely shifted wealth without producing any value.

Perhaps there would be no present Phaletis Kingdom, and certainly not this imminent [World's Favor]."

Aiven and Liweina, dressed in a resplendent court gown, sat side by side on the sofa in the study, turning off the images transmitted through the [Mind Network].

Her Majesty the Queen, having reached the Knight Peak, still maintained the youthful appearance of a maiden, without any hint that she was about to turn forty.

Having heard Aiven's analysis of the current situation, Liweina had no doubts whatsoever.

In fact, her trust in Aiven's judgment had almost reached the level of blind faith, with her lake-green eyes sparkling with undisguised admiration.

Facts had already proven everything.

Since the implementation of the national economy's top-level design, the strength of asset holders within Phaletis and the Tulip Alliance countries has been firmly controlled.

Whether official or individual asset holders, all their energy has been dedicated to advancing the Steam Industrial Revolution.

Now, it has entered the final stage of "mass producing machines using machines," excluding the gradually unscrupulous Galliot Duchy, Phaletis alone has surpassed the combined steel output of the Old Continent Countries.

This also means that this wave of trends may immediately usher in the harvest period, with a large wave of [World's Favor] underway.

The beneficiaries are not limited to Mennon Watt alone but every cog within the Steam Industrial System.

And undoubtedly, the lion's share will fall upon Phaletis Kingdom, something even the currently thriving Galliot Duchy cannot compete with.

Take, for example, the period of Great Navigation and geographical discoveries, where Hilus saw the emergence of three "Titled Knights" like mushrooms after the rain. One can imagine that this must be a significant tonic for the nation's destiny!

Furthermore, industrialization is a systematic project.

The groundwork laid by the previous Queen Isabella and the sprint effort by the current Queen Liweina also suggests that they are very likely to be the greatest beneficiaries of this wave of trends.

In other words, [Titles] are foreseeable!

Liweina effortlessly brewed a cup of green tea, handing it to Aiven with some anticipation:

"Taste it and tell me how it is? Something new I learned.

Also, why did you previously send out the [Faceless Man] to stockpile a large number of Tulip bulbs?"

A few major issues lied before Aiven.

Aside from his own Tier 4 "Crowned Wizard" advancement and Watt's "Truth Embodiment," the most important task was to snipe the Tulip speculation in the Eye of the Storm within the Lowland Republic.

"Ha, not bad, you've improved."

Aiven praised and then explained:

"The finest ingredients require only the simplest cooking method.

Currently, the top-notch variety 'Smile of the Goddess of Victory' has been speculated up to 3200 Golden Lion, and with foreign capital continuing to flow in large-scale, it may further increase.

By then, the big capitalists, who have already adapted to this new gameplay, are likely to achieve the highest profits through short selling."

Then, Aiven reconnected to the [Mind Network], simultaneously explaining to Liweina and issuing an order:

"The most fundamental factor behind bubble formation is when, with rising prices, producers cannot expand supply promptly.

So, what we need to do is open the floodgates at the right moment and wake up this bunch of hot-headed folks...Come on, start selling Tulip bulbs infinitely for me!"