Lord of Entertainment-Chapter 276: HKD

(3rd Person POV)

The Horn Kingdom government had officially approved the use of computers for the mass production of the HKD (Horn Kingdom Dollar).

With Hellfire leading the effort under Arthur's guidance, the moment HKD was established, hidden currency factories across the capital began printing money at an unprecedented rate using Arthur's technology.

One factory alone had already produced 200 million HKD in a single day.

With ten factories in operation, the total daily production surpassed billions, ensuring that once the currency was publicly launched, the transition would be immediate and absolute.

But the biggest shock wasn't how fast the HKD was being produced—it was its design.

Unlike the original proposal, which had been drafted to honor the royal family, the final version was nothing like what the nobles expected.

Prime Minister Valerie had completely ignored the royal family's demands and instead, sought Arthur's input for the new design.

And Arthur, true to himself, had taken full creative control.

When the inner circle of government officials, royals, and nobles first laid eyes on the new HKD, it caused an uproar.

The king's face was gone.

The queen's image had been erased.

In their place were symbolic silhouettes—inspired not by history or monarchy, but by Hellfire's most famous franchises.

Arthur had subtly embedded the Hellfire logo onto every bill, from the smallest to the largest denomination.

The 1 HKD depicted a shadowy figure of a ninja, its stance reminiscent of the Shinobi culture.

The 10 HKD bore the image of a child wielding a power pole, clearly inspired by a certain anime protagonist .

The 20 HKD carried a silhouette of a young wizard, a symbol of magic, learning, and adventure.

The 50 HKD evoked the mystical grandeur of epic fantasy, portraying a cloaked traveler surrounded by an ancient world.

And the 100 HKD—the most controversial of them all—featured Arthur himself, his silhouette unmistakable. Beneath it, written in bold letters:

"We Build the Future."

Though Arthur had not outright branded the notes with names from his franchises, anyone with common sense could see what they represented.

The moment the Horn Kingdom royal family received the finalized HKD, they felt utterly humiliated.

Especially King Magnus Nightstar.

Sitting in his private chamber, the king glared at the currency in his hand, his focus locked onto the 100 HKD bill.

Beside him, Duke Fellwing, a noble and one of his closest advisors, studied the banknote carefully.

He then placed the latest issue of Forbes Magazine beside it.

Arthur's side-profile image on the cover matched the silhouette on the bill almost exactly.

Fellwing smirked. "There's no doubt. This was deliberate."

Magnus's grip tightened around his staff, his knuckles turning white. His anger was palpable.

"That Arthur has no respect for the sovereignty of this kingdom," Fellwing exclaimed. "To erase the monarchy's presence from our own currency and replace it with his—this is an insult!"

Fellwing's voice carried a mocking edge. "What do you wish to do about him?"

Magnus took a slow breath, forcing himself to stay composed.

"I knew he was a threat." His voice was icy. "That's why, years ago ago, I had our media outlets wage a propaganda war against him."

Fellwing's smirk widened. "And has it worked?"

Magnus clicked his tongue in irritation. "Not as much as I had hoped. The international media has also been attacking him, blaming him for destabilizing the global currency. And thanks to the shift toward local currencies, more people are beginning to resent him."

His eyes darkened. "But it's not enough."

Fellwing leaned back, feigning casual interest. "Then why not just remove him? Our knights, our mages—surely they can handle one filmmaker."

Magnus shook his head. "It's not that simple."

He drummed his fingers against the table. "Arthur has professional security. Mercenaries. Even elite guards. He's not the fool many think him to be. And as much as I loathe to admit it, his influence is still useful to our economy."

Fellwing raised an eyebrow. "Then what do you propose?"

Magnus let out a slow, calculated breath.

"We need to force his hand. Make him surrender his patents. His technology. His franchises. If we take those away, his empire will crumble without a single drop of blood spilled."

Fellwing's amusement deepened. "And how do you plan to do that?"

Magnus turned his gaze back to the HKD bill, his thumb running over Arthur's silhouette.

"The shift to local currencies has given us an opportunity."

His voice was smooth, calculating.

"We've already turned public sentiment against him. The fear of financial instability has made people see him as the root cause of their problems. We need only to push further, amplify the voices of those who resent him, and make him the villain in all this."

He leaned back, his eyes gleaming with malicious intent.

"With enough pressure, even Arthur Pendragon will break."

Fellwing said nothing, simply observing his king with calm interest.

But deep inside, he had no intention of standing by Magnus forever.

The king was powerful, yes.

But his own ambitions ran deeper than just serving as an advisor.

Magnus wanted to control the kingdom.

Fellwing?

He wanted to take the throne.

***

At the Hellfire Research Facility, Arthur stood behind a transparent glass panel, observing the development of a motorbike—a personal project that had been in the works for over a year.

The design was heavily inspired by the legendary Bike from Ghost Rider.

He had always wanted a bike of his own, and now, the engineers before him were bringing that vision to life.

The ones working on it were a mix of Japonese engineers and dwarven craftsmen, both renowned for their expertise in motorbike technology.

Arthur had personally provided them with a blueprint, utilizing technology he had managed to acquire from the Dragon Ball world.

The engine, suspension system, and body frame were unlike anything the world had seen before.

Watching them work for a while, Arthur eventually turned away.

He had other matters to attend to.

As he exited the facility, a royal messenger arrived, presenting him with a formal letter bearing the Horn Royal Family's seal.

Arthur took the letter, glancing at the crest before unfolding it.

The contents were exactly what he expected—a complaint regarding the HKD design.

The letter was filled with displeasure from the royal family, particularly from King Magnus, condemning Arthur for removing the monarchy's image from the new currency.

Reading it, Arthur let out an amused chuckle.

It was laughable.

So they only care about their faces being erased, not the economy itself?

This 𝓬ontent is taken from freeweɓnovel.cѳm.

Outside, the media was blaming him for destabilizing the world's economy, with Horn Kingdom's major news outlets leading the smear campaign.

Arthur wasn't stupid—he knew that King Magnus was behind it.

That was exactly why he had removed him from the HKD design in the first place.

Without wasting much thought, he grabbed a quill and parchment, composing his response on the spot.

"As I was formally assigned by the Prime Minister and Congress to oversee the production and development of the HKD, I simply implemented a design familiar to me to ensure future counterfeiting prevention.

Given my knowledge of computer technology, I have structured the security systems to recognize and verify this specific design pattern, ensuring that only legitimate HKD notes can be authenticated.

Rest assured, the decision was purely practical."

Arthur smirked as he wrote the final words, knowing full well he was bullshitting.

He sealed the letter and handed it to the royal messenger without another thought.

His priorities lay elsewhere—namely, in his Star Wars project.

Several days passed, and on May 10, the Horn Kingdom officially released its new currency, the HKD.

Horn Kingdom was the first nation to implement its local currency, marking a significant shift in global finance.

Despite the uncertainty among its citizens, there was immense curiosity surrounding the HKD's design and functionality.

For the first time in 400 years, people would witness a new currency alongside the Global Dollar.

For an entire generation, this was the first time they had ever seen another paper bill in circulation.

And with that, the world had officially entered a new era.