Fairy Tail: You said you were just acting, are you serious?

Only after seeing Leila's departing figure did Jiude reveal a gentle look in his eyes.

“Ron, right? Come with me.”

Let's talk in my study.

So Ron followed Judd to the private study on the second floor.

With the door to the private study gently closed, only Ron and Jiude remained in the room.

Now that he had no more worries, Judd, sitting in his chair, looked at Ron and asked:

"Tell me, besides helping the Heartfeltia family, what other business matters do you want to discuss with me today?"

Ron and Judd looked at each other and slowly said:

"That's right, Mr. Jiude."

As you know, our theater troupe has grown quite large now.

"That's absolutely right."

Jiude nodded and continued:

"Now even I, who live not near Magnolia, have heard of the Pure White Theatre's serialized stage plays and your resounding reputation."

Ron smiled slightly.

"Since that's the case, I'll keep it short. My Pure White Theatre is developing slower than I expected, and with more staff, expenses have increased dramatically."

Although the theater's own funds are enough to cover its daily revenue, I need to expand it further. So, I thought I'd stop by to discuss a collaboration with you, Mr. Jiude. What do you think?

Jiude lowered his head in deep thought and remained silent for a while before looking up at Ron.

"Commander Ron, I am grateful that you have come to help Leila. In return, we can offer you a generous sum of money as a reward."

However, if you're here to raise investment, I must say frankly, theater is ultimately an industry that's about to be phased out.

The venue has a limited number of seats. The number of shows you can perform is also fixed, even if you have novels and comics as support, the combined income of the theater and these is still capped.

Why would you think I would invest in something with a capped return?

Ron maintained his smile even after hearing Judd's honest words. As expected of a man with a business empire, his vision was indeed better than others.

“But Mr. Jude, you still underestimate the potential of our Pure White Theatre.”

Ron explained slowly:

“If the theater only had this much potential, then the Pure White Theater Company wouldn’t be so famous. The Pure White Theater Company’s resurgence is not because we are a theater company, nor is it because my theater can earn more tickets and thus get off to a rapid start.”

Jude raised an eyebrow and looked at Ron with an amused expression.

"Oh? How so?"

I'd like to see if this young man truly believes his Pure White Theater has even greater potential, or if he's just being stubborn.

Seeing that Jiude had become somewhat interested, the smile on his lips became even more pronounced.

"What's truly valuable in the Pure White Theatre right now is never the stage plays, but our stories."

You see our seats are always high up because people want to come every day to see those stories. They think the performances brought to life in the scripts are absolutely brilliant, which is why this sunset industry is experiencing a revival.

Jiude listened patiently and slowly said:

"Oh, but even for that reason, as I said..."

"That's right, there is still a certain upper limit."

Ron was not discouraged and continued:

"But have you ever thought that besides being adapted into comics and novels, the stories in my stage plays could be further developed into holographic films?"

Besides movies and TV series, there are also merchandise derived from the story; surely the potential for that is limited.

Jiude paused for a moment, then asked:

"Related products?"

Is this a new term coined by the boy himself?

"That's right, peripheral products."

To help Jude understand the surrounding products, Ron prepared some physical examples to prove it.

He reached into his cloth bag and pulled out a yellow plush toy.

A bright yellow Pikachu plush toy with two long ears and a lightning tail sat on the desk between them.

"What is this...?"

"This is one of the popular monsters from my stage play, Pokémon."

I'm considering setting up a dedicated shop near the exit after the stage play, selling merchandise related to the play.

Upon hearing Ron's words, Jude's eyes suddenly widened.

Looking at the monster doll, Jiude suddenly realized something. With his keen business sense, he seemed to have discovered a new continent.

Seeing Jude's expression, Ron knew there was hope this time.

So Ron pressed on, continuing:

"Mr. Jiude, think about it."

Will the audience members who come to see our theater troupe buy these cute plush toys?

You see, this is our Pure White Theatre's exclusive label; this is our advantage.

Ron picked up the yellow doll and tossed it a few times.

"Although it is just an ordinary doll, once it becomes a character in one of our theater's hit stage plays..."

After others learn about his story and personality, his inner struggles resurface, and that's the commercial value my theater can add.

Upon hearing this, Jude's expression changed, and his gaze toward Ron became intense.

"Moreover, I didn't come here simply to ask you for sponsorship."

In addition to providing me with funding, we can also collaborate to establish a brand new IP company.

"IP company?"

"This is the abbreviation, which is intellectual property rights."

After the new company is established, Pure White Theatre will be responsible for providing a continuous stream of scripts, character designs, and exclusive IP licensing.

Mr. Jiude can use your funds to build factories and production lines, and if we join forces, we can develop a new market.

Then we can just lie down and count money.

Jude stared at the Pikachu plush toy in Ron's hand, unable to tear himself away for a long time.

This really struck a chord with Jiude. There is almost no risk in the merchandise and film and television products derived from this kind of story, and so far no company has shown interest in the script.

If these scripts can be successfully adapted into film and television series, the consequences will once again generate huge publicity.

It might not just be the towns near Magnolia; perhaps the entire kingdom... no, the entire continent, will have stories of people wanting to come and see the Pure White Theatre.

After listening, Jiude regained his composure and sighed.

It's a pity. Although it has great potential, I really don't have the mind to talk business right now.

squeak~

Just then, the wooden door to the study was slowly opened and pushed open a crack.

Then, a head with blond hair popped out.

"dad......?"

In his agitated state, Jiude was a step too late to notice his daughter's arrival.

"Lucy, what's wrong?"

Chapter 196 Little Lucy

Ron turned around at the sound and smiled gently when he saw the blond head.

After opening the study door, Lucy, carrying a painting, walked over to Jiude's side with her short legs.

"Dad... look."

Jiude glanced at it casually, smiled slightly, nodded, and put away the painting Lucy had given him.

"Not bad, it's drawn quite well."

"hey-hey."

He gently rubbed Lucy's head, making her smile happily.

After receiving the praise, Lucy's gaze fell on Ron, and only then did she realize that there were other people in the study.

Seeing that Lucy had noticed him, Ron waved and greeted her.

"Hi."

Jiude smiled wryly and helplessly:

"Oh, I'm sorry, this is my daughter."

Lucy, come say hello to your brother.

Hello, brother.

Upon hearing Judd's instructions, Lucy obediently greeted Ron.

Looking at the blonde girl Lucy in front of him, Ron maintained his gentle smile.

Having been in this world for so long, he has finally met the heroine of the original work. Who would have thought that this young lady, who listens to her father so much, would rebel and run away in the future, and then join Fairy Tail by some twist of fate?

Perhaps it was because Leila died young in the original story that the relationship between her and her father escalated to that point in the future.

If I had saved Leila, would the story have turned out differently?

After pulling himself out of his complicated thoughts, Ron came to his senses and realized that his gaze had already shifted away from Lucy.

Lucy's mouth was slightly open, and her eyes had been staring at the Pikachu plushie on the table for a long time, unable to look away.

Seeing this, Ron picked up the Pikachu plush toy on the table and handed it to Lucy.

Do you like this?

The bewildered Lucy nodded slightly, indicating her liking.

"Ah."

Ron chuckled softly:

"Then I'll give it to you."

Upon hearing Ron's words, her eyes lit up, and she happily accepted the yellow plush toy in front of her.

"Thank you, brother."

She held Pikachu high in the air and smiled sweetly.

Looking at his daughter's innocent smile, Jiude's tense nerves were somewhat relieved.

"Alright, my brother and I have something to discuss. You can go back now."

Then, Jiude summoned the maid and asked her to take Lucy back to her room to have some fun.

After Lucy left, the study fell silent again.

At this moment, Jude sighed heavily and looked at Ron.

“Ron, the business plan you just outlined is indeed very appealing to me. Normally, I would have chosen to cooperate with you immediately.”

But Leila's situation isn't good right now, and as her husband, I really don't have the mood to discuss these deals and business matters.

Jiude glanced at the study door, recalling his daughter's retreating figure, and said:

"My husband and I haven't been paying much attention to Lucy's manners lately because of this matter, please don't take offense."

"It's alright, I completely understand."

Ron nodded in agreement.