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Chapter 129: Arcade Machines

"You want to buy my company?" Donald said quietly, attempting to project an intimidating aura despite his diminutive stature. The effect was more comical than menacing to Arthur.

"Yes. I'm willing to buy your property firm for 220 thousand dollars," Arthur stated matter-of-factly.

Donald's expression darkened. "220? No, I think my company is worth 500!"

Arthur sneered, "500? Get real. Your property firm is in the red. No one wants it, and if you keep running it, you'll only sink deeper into debt. You won't even break even; you'll be in the negative."

Donald visibly struggled, realizing Arthur wasn't as naive as he'd initially thought. "Okay, how about 450?"

Arthur shook his head firmly. "No can do."

"Come on," Donald pressed, "Dominion Estates has two hotels and one mall, Hellscape Center. Even if we're struggling, those establishments are doing fine—"

"Doing fine?" Arthur cut him off. "I don't think so. Your properties have maintenance issues, they're in poor condition. Tenants are complaining, profits are declining, and businesses are leaving for that new mall in town or Fantasia Plaza."

Donald sweated, his composure crumbling. "How about 350? That's the lowest I can go—"

Arthur stood up, feigning to leave. "Alright... I guess I won't be buying a property firm anytime soon—"

Donald panicked, practically leaping from his chair. "Okay, how about 250?"

Arthur paused, a faint smile playing on his lips. "220," he said, unmoved.

"240?" Donald's 'intimidating' act had completely dissolved, his face a mask of desperation.

"220." Arthur didn't flinch at the counter-offer.

The tension in the room was palpable. Donald's eyes darted between Arthur and the door, weighing his options. He knew his company was in dire straits, but pride made it hard to accept Arthur's offer.

Arthur, for his part, maintained his calm demeanor. He'd done his homework on Dominion Estates and knew exactly how much leverage he had. The properties might be struggling now, but with the right management - and the introduction of his arcade machines - he could turn things around.

"Okay, this is really the last offer. If you don't accept, you can leave," Donald said seriously. "235, that's the lowest I can go."

Arthur looked thoughtful, then pulled a coin from his pocket. "How about we toss a coin?"

Donald flinched. "You want to gamble?"

Arthur chuckled. "Not quite. If it's heads or tails, depending on which side we choose, we'll go with either 220 or 235. Whoever wins, that's the price we agree on."

Donald's interest piqued. "So if I choose tails and win, you'll buy the company for 235?"

Arthur nodded. "Yes. It's that simple."

Donald gritted his teeth. "Alright, let's do it."

"Head or tails?" Arthur asked.

"Tails," Donald decided after a moment's thought.

"Okay, I'm heads," Arthur nodded and tossed the coin. He employed a subtle trick, facing the 'heads' side up when tossing to increase his chances of winning.

After all, the 50/50 chance in coin tosses was a myth. In reality, the odds slightly favor the side facing up when tossed, due to the coin's center of mass.

The coin landed on Donald's desk. They both leaned in to see the result...

"Yes!" Donald jumped in triumph.

Tails.

Arthur shook his head. 'Must be an off day for my luck.'

"So you'll buy my company for 235?" Donald asked, grinning.

Arthur nodded. "Yes."

Donald laughed. "Alright, let's discuss the procedure, hehe."

***

The transfer of Dominion Estate to Arthur, which typically would have taken weeks or even months, was completed in just two weeks. Horn Kingdom politicians favored Arthur's takeover, expediting the process.

Arthur felt grateful. In Morningstar, this would have dragged on for much longer.

With ownership secured, Arthur turned his focus to addressing the declining state of the two hotels and the mall. He knew he had his work cut out for him, but the potential rewards - especially with the introduction of his arcade machines - made it all worthwhile.

As Arthur surveyed his new properties, his mind raced with plans. The hotels could be renovated to attract a new clientele, while the mall - Hellscape Center - would be the perfect venue to introduce video games to this world.

Despite losing the coin toss and paying slightly more than he'd intended, Arthur couldn't help but feel satisfied.

While addressing the hotels' and mall's issues, Arthur turned his attention to promotion. His ace in the hole: James Blaze, now a household name throughout Horn Kingdom.

An event featuring James at Hellscape Center would draw crowds in droves.

As renovations on Hellscape Center progressed, Arthur selected a prime location to showcase his video game arcades.

In the short span of two weeks, Arthur's computer research team had doubled their output, increasing the original four arcade machines to eight.

"We'll set them up here, boss?" A behemoth demon asked, hefting an arcade machine.

"Yes," Arthur nodded, pointing. "They need to be highly visible to passersby."

As the behemoths positioned the machines, curious onlookers began to gather.

"Look, isn't that Arthur Morningstar?"

"You don't say. Yeah, he looks like Arthur..."

"Maybe it's just a lookalike."

"No, it's definitely Arthur!"

Their chatter caught Arthur's attention, but he remained focused on the task at hand.

"What are those devices the behemoths are placing?" One bystander wondered aloud.

The crowd's curiosity grew. "I don't know, but they look interesting."

Indeed, the arcade machines were eye-catching. Their cabinets boasted vibrant, thematic artwork. The screens glowed invitingly, and the control panels gleamed with colorful buttons and joysticks.

As Arthur departed with the behemoth demons, curious onlookers approached the mysterious arcade machines.

Stickers on the cabinets instructed users to "Insert a coin and get surprised!"

A dwarf, stroking his beard thoughtfully, pulled out a precious coin. "Alright, let's see what this is about..."

He inserted the coin while others watched intently. The screen flickered to life, startling everyone.

"What should I do now..." the dwarf muttered.

Text appeared on the screen: "You can control the arcade machine through the controller and choose games."

The dwarf and onlookers leaned in, fascinated. The screen displayed instructions that corresponded to the controller's layout. Gingerly, the dwarf grasped the controller.

He pressed a button, and a list materialized:

=Space Machine=

=Ping Pong=

=Tetris=

The left side of the screen provided control instructions. The dwarf, quick to learn as his race was known for, navigated the menu using the arrow buttons.

Unknowingly, he was providing a tutorial for the watching demons and elves, who were slower to grasp the concept.

The dwarf selected "Tetris." As he hit enter, the program sprang to life.

To everyone's astonishment, simple animations of colored blocks in various shapes began to fall from the top of the screen.

"What's this?" the dwarf wondered aloud.

Being clever, he quickly grasped the game's mechanics from the introductory instructions. Soon, he was rotating and placing blocks, his fingers dancing across the controls.

The onlookers watched, mesmerized, as the dwarf cleared line after line. The simple yet addictive nature of the game was apparent even to those who didn't fully understand it yet.

Within the hour, all eight arcade machines were buzzing with activity. The initial confusion gave way to excitement as patrons quickly grasped the concept of these novel devices.

An old demon fiend, engrossed in a game of "Ping Pong," reminisced about his younger days. "I never thought such a device could exist," he muttered, recalling the Magical Ping Pong Tournaments he'd played against humans in his youth.

Though the pixelated representation barely captured the feeling of a real match, it stirred a pleasant nostalgia in him.

From a distance, Arthur observed the scene with a satisfied smile. His decision to let the mall-goers discover the arcade machines on their own had proven wise.

Initially, he'd harbored doubts about this hands-off approach. But watching the growing crowd, their faces lit with fascination, he knew he'd made the right choice.