Chapter 156: 156 Mysterious Gift Pack Reward_1
Qian Aiyu’s problem was not uncommon.
Some people are just Unlucky Individuals, buying dozens of blind boxes and still not getting the card they wanted.
Luckily, it was still early days, and on the first day, there were many people willing to trade cards with each other.
However, some people criticized the Mount Flower Association online, claiming the blind box model was too much of a money trap and unfriendly to players who wanted to collect full card sets.
In response, the Mount Flower Association had already announced its strategy.
They publicly stated that all cards sold by Mount Flower in the future would be released in blind box format, including special editions. The price was very reasonable, and it all depended on your luck.
This single statement indicated that future special editions would be available. Obtaining them via blind boxes would be the primary method, unlike directly purchasing them with money, which would be less common or unavailable. The company completely relinquished profits from these special editions. If you were lucky enough to unbox one, you could sell it to someone else at a high price through private transactions, without official involvement. You were free to set the price.
Another method involved the official website regularly launching interactive card events. Completing small tasks earned you Points, which could be used to exchange for any card you wanted.
This provided an opportunity for completionists to further complete their card sets.
There was profit to be made in this; in fact, it relied on a form of gambling.
Historically, there was good reason for gambling to be listed as an illegal activity. It is simply too tempting for people.
Twenty Yunxia Currency was not a lot of money for people these days. The more popular Mount Flower’s cards became, the more valuable limited edition cards became. If you could unbox one, that was a windfall!
But Mount Flower also made it clear that the Founding Emperor Card Set released for the New Year was a bonus card set, with no special editions released.
Moreover, the quality spoke for itself. The Founding Emperor Card Set took a commanding lead in sales on the first day of the new year, which was expected.
Not only that, but Mount Flower also had a fan base abroad. Although it wasn’t very large, and the overseas factories seemed on the verge of closing down, the Founding Emperor Card Set was unexpectedly popular internationally as well. Compared to domestic sales, its international volume wasn’t negligible and could be considered a good start.
Everyone likes exquisite cards, and buying them could also help one understand the culture of an Empire. Even foreigners were interested in this aspect, especially those engaged in cultural research.
"This Wen Jiang has been underestimated," someone remarked.
The news of the Mount Flower card set topping the sales charts spread through every corner like the heavy snow in the Imperial City, forcing even the lofty Nobility to reassess Wen Jiang with new regard.
"Previously, we thought she was messing around, but now it seems her abilities are indeed substantial."
"This blind box model is terrifying. Whether she releases a limited edition or not, it will change the inherent sales model of cards in the future. Should we follow suit?"
It was obvious to anyone that this kind of blind box was a critical hit to the market.
Mount Flower said every card was priced uniformly, but there were too many cards, and the key point was that the quality was high, which made people feel compelled to buy.
Under this model, many people aimed for the perfect card set, and once they invested in blind boxes, it was like entering a path of no return.
Moreover, if Mount Flower’s card sales were temporarily halted, the price of certain scarce cards would rise, and many people would hoard them.
"We can’t learn from that. We’re not capable of releasing so many cards at once," a member of a profit-obsessed association gritted their teeth. "Mount Flower has quality, and people are willing to pay. Despite complaining about the blind boxes, they’ll still buy them. We can’t guarantee the quality. If we sell them in blind box format, ordinary people, aside from our fans, might not buy them."
Investing too much in blind boxes meant that if no one bought them, the association would bear the loss.
With so many Card Associations, attracting casual buyers in addition to fans is essential. The market is oversaturated with card types. To ensure good sales, an association must either have a unique style or the backing of a well-known Card Association’s reputation. Otherwise, why would anyone buy their product?
The price of a paper card can range from ten Yunxia Currency for a regular edition to hundreds or even thousands for a limited one. While people might occasionally buy one or two cards to cultivate their tastes, ordinary people don’t have the spare cash to collect piles of cards they deem useless.
The Mount Flower Association was so determined this time, confident that the Founding Emperor Card Set would sell well. Even if the sales weren’t explosive, the sheer volume of this card set alone would give other Card Associations a run for their money, and you couldn’t accuse them of haphazardly throwing these cards together.
On the first day of the New Year, heavy snow sealed off the city. Wen Jiang, wrapped in a snug down coat, boarded a plane to Card City with a few teammates.
This was her first long journey since arriving in this world.
She was accompanied by over a dozen staff members from Mount Flower, accompanying assistants, and naturally, Coach Tang Qian was also joining them.
Aside from the upcoming tournament, Tang Qian was also interested in the sales of Mount Flower cards. The Chairman’s beaming face when he visited the Mount Flower Association that morning was enough to indicate that sales were good.
As the plane took off, Wen Jiang gazed at the land outside becoming increasingly covered in snow, reminding her of her own world.
After the emergence of cultivation, technology had advanced as well, but it was rare to see the land in such a primitive state.
After she had reached the Foundation Establishment Stage, airplanes had become a backward mode of transportation. Besides cultivators flying on their own, various other means of travel surpassed airplanes.
Occasionally, she could see flashes of Card Spirit light twinkling on the ground below.
Wen Jiang sat next to Tang Qian, who held up her phone screen and leaned over. "The sales are really good. This batch of card sets will revive the Card Factory."
The page displayed an official announcement from Mount Flower: offline card sales had broken through 500,000 units. This was equivalent to each type of card in the set having sold 10,000 copies.
Considering it was only early morning on New Year’s Day, the numbers were only expected to rise by evening. Normally, a red-hot card set with total sales exceeding one million would definitely be considered a hit.
However, that benchmark usually applied to sales figures from a single, smaller card set.
Mount Flower, however, was steadily aiming for a blockbuster with this release. Although the sheer number of different cards contributed to the total, they were bound to achieve a new sales miracle sooner or later.
No one could have imagined, prior to the release of this card set, that Mount Flower could truly turn things around and suddenly gain such a dominant advantage.
Glancing at the page, Wen Jiang felt quite pleased as well. "Not bad, it’s a good start."
Next to her, Shi Qi was complaining, "I knew these blind boxes were no good! I bought fifty-two cards this morning to test the waters, and guess what? I got thirty duplicates, damn it! The one I got most of was Liu Bang—a whole five of them! The emperor I disliked the most when I was in school was him. So frustrating!"
Wen Jiang: "..."
This luck is just endlessly terrible.
As soon as Ruan Chunen heard this, she understood what a trap it was; the probability was chilling. "We might as well wait for the Mount Flower Association to give us a complete set through unofficial channels."
Tang Qian also chuckled at this. "Completing a card set isn’t easy. I saw on the official website that there would be a mystery gift for completing a set. What is this gift?"
Wen Jiang didn’t hide it. "It’s related to the new cards."