Otto and the person in charge talked until very late, and they initially formulated a strategic plan for development in France.
Since followers had emerged, in addition to continuing to rapidly expand and secure scale, refined management also needed to be put on the agenda.
The selection of suppliers, the arrangement of logistics, the further improvement of internal management, and so on, all needed to be prepared in advance.
Otto was currently in the most hectic period, akin to a startup in rapid expansion, and for this, he decided that after staying in Paris for a while, he would travel to various parts of France to conduct targeted investigations.
Department stores sold mid-to-high-end goods, and in this era, there were only so many target customers with purchasing power, mostly concentrated in large cities in Europe, especially Central and Western Europe, and North America or rather, the eastern United States.
Otto's envisioned three-to-five-year expansion plan for department stores primarily revolved around these areas.
Other places were not nonexistent, but they were not as concentrated, and from a cost perspective, they were not as cost-effective; these markets could be developed, but in terms of priority, they would be ranked lower.
The entire Greater German Region was the basic market, while France and England were the most important front-line positions, and sufficient attention had to be given to them.
The next morning, after breakfast, the staff sent by the Paris government arrived; their position was not high, and they seemed to not pay much attention to Otto.
This was not surprising; Otto was merely a prince, not a king or crown prince, and with many countries in Europe, there were naturally even more princes.
At this time, Paris was the most developed city on the European continent, and many aristocrats from other countries would choose to travel and vacation there.
Just like many Grand Dukes of Russia, in winter, they liked to go to Paris for vacation, as winter in Paris was much warmer than in Saint Petersburg.
Because such situations were too common, the Paris government was considered 'skilled in business' and had its own way of dealing with these visiting grand aristocrats; many aristocrats from other countries came to France, and even the French government did not pay much attention.
This staff member was specially arranged because it was Otto's first time in Paris, and he served somewhat like a tour guide.
In fact, after arriving in Paris yesterday, Otto had already arranged for people to send invitations to local aristocrats and influential figures, inviting them to attend the ball he was hosting.
According to the popular social rules of this era, after these people attended his ball, they would also invite him to attend the balls they hosted.
In those days, there were particularly many social balls and events among the upper echelons of society, as entertainment options in this era were not as rich and colorful as in later generations, and when idle, many people flocked to balls.
As an ancient capital, what surprised Otto was that Paris in this era actually had no city walls.
After explanations from those around him, he learned that Paris originally had city walls, but as the urban population increased, the city gradually expanded beyond the walls.
During the reign of the Sun King Louis XIV, he ordered the demolition of the old city walls and, following the city's outline at the time, built a ring of roads for soldiers to patrol, planning to build new city walls once the government's finances improved.
However, before the new city walls could be built, the city once again expanded beyond this ring of roads.
Now, only the city center and Île-de-France still had some remaining city walls and fortresses in Paris, but they had long lost their former military purpose.
Present-day Paris has a very blurred distinction between urban and suburban areas, just like many modern large cities, where the division between the peripheral urban areas and suburbs is also very indistinct.
However, the street conditions were better than he had imagined; before his rebirth, he had read many online jokes about European aristocrats not being very hygienic, often not bathing or washing their hair, and city streets being too dirty, with excrement visible everywhere.
In fact, not bathing belonged to the Middle Ages; it was already the modern era.
As for the streets being too dirty, it now seemed like an exaggeration; the sewage system in Paris was already well-developed, so it was impossible for the streets to be full of excrement.
Of course, the streets could not be as clean and tidy as the city Otto lived in in later generations.
When carriages moved on cobblestone roads, dust and dirt were unavoidable, and the smell on the streets was not exactly fresh; there was a peculiar odor like clothes that had been worn for a very long time.
The Parisian civil servant, acting as a tour guide, was unaware of Otto's internal grumbling, and seeing Otto looking around, he suddenly said to him:
"Ahead is the Seine River, and then you will be able to see Notre Dame Cathedral across the river; you will surely be amazed."
Otto smiled noncommittally; he had never been to Paris in his previous life, so he had naturally never visited Notre Dame Cathedral, but he had seen it in various online pictures and some highly realistic games, and had even climbed it in games.
As he spoke, the carriage turned a corner and arrived at the bank of the Seine River, and at this point, Otto couldn't help but frown.
The Seine River at this time was dirtier than he had imagined, the riverbed filled with the smell of domestic waste, just like the river in the city Otto used to live in when he was a child, before it was cleaned up.
It wasn't too surprising; all kinds of city waste ended up in the Seine River, so such a strong smell was quite normal.
Noticing Otto's expression, the part-time tour guide looked slightly embarrassed and said, "If you wish, you can go upstream for an outing; the air there is fresh, and the scenery on both banks is very beautiful."
Otto nodded noncommittally; he knew this was an inevitable stage of urban development, so he wasn't particularly disappointed.
For the next period, Otto basically attended various banquets and balls every day; Paris gathered a large number of aristocrats and wealthy merchants, and coupled with the generally ostentatious social atmosphere, Parisians were very keen on attending various balls.
At night, the districts where Parisian high society gathered were brightly lit, with music and loud conversations everywhere, and of course, there were also people who had drunk too much and were making a scene in the streets.
Through these balls, Otto also met with his collaborators in France, and in addition to the department store business, he also promoted several cosmetics from Venus's Secret, which made Otto a sought-after figure among many Parisian noblewomen and young ladies.
"Otto."
Just as Otto was looking at documents related to France, a sweet voice came from behind Otto; Maria, a lady he had met in Paris, had entered the room at some point.
As soon as Otto turned around, her full breasts almost pressed against him, and even with the thin silk nightgown covering them, they continuously stirred Otto's nerves.
Noticing Otto's gaze, Maria smiled gracefully, her eyes conveying infinite charm, and with a slight movement of her red lips, she looked at Otto with a half-smile and asked, "Am I beautiful?"