Wizards: Starting with Synthetic Gems

Chapter 330 Establishing the Augustus Brand (4000)

Locke entered the top-level VIP reception room, where Lady Irina, dressed in a gold and red outfit with an exquisite shawl draped over her shoulders, was already waiting. When Locke walked in, Lady Irina, dressed in a formal wizard's robe, stood up to greet him.

Locke closed the door, and Lady Irina's serious expression changed, her speech becoming much more conversational. "Locke, I was quite surprised when I heard you became a formal wizard. I never imagined that the little wizard apprentice who used to linger in my two shops, Lijin's Secrets and Owl's Cauldron, is now a first-ring Void Wizard."

"Time really flies." Lady Irina glanced at Locke, a smile playing on her lips. "Perhaps this isn't the fault of time, but rather Locke, your advancement speed is just too fast."

"It's this rapid change that makes me feel like time is passing by quickly."

Lady Irina's gaze lingered briefly on the four honorary invention certification badges hanging on Locke's chest. These were the badges that best represented the achievements of a formal wizard in the Southeast Corner Region, and Locke, at such a young age, had obtained four of them, proclaiming to the world the fruitful results of his magical research.

A look of admiration flashed in Mrs. Irina's eyes.

Locke said, "I also want to thank my senior's shop. It helped me a lot during my apprenticeship. Without my senior's two shops, my products would not have been able to sell so smoothly."

Lady Irina is a wizard in the liquefaction stage, and her magical power far surpasses that of Locke.

In the southeastern region, it is not easy for a first-ring wizard to break through from the vaporization stage to the liquefaction stage.

Mrs. Irina smiled warmly and said, "Not at all. The products you developed have actually helped my shop a lot and earned me a lot of goodwill."

"I've wanted to find a special opportunity to thank you for a long time."

“Who would have thought that you’ve already become a first-ring wizard in the blink of an eye?” Lady Irina said. “Later, I’d like to invite Locke to the Witch’s Kitchen for a meal.”

Locke, of course, gave her that face. "Thank you, senior."

Lady Irina smiled with satisfaction and said, "Professor Harlan Vera already told me your thoughts in advance. Locke, are you going to a larger wizarding land? I'm so envious."

"This kind of freedom, where birds can fly freely, is something only geniuses like you and Sophia can enjoy."

Lady Irina's expression flashed with longing, but when she thought about her established business here, and that she might not necessarily be better off outside, or even worse off, she had long ago chosen the path of a stable life.

So, Mrs. Irina came to her senses and said to Locke, "I think your idea is excellent. You don't have the energy to manage the products of the Southeast Corner, while I have a well-established business in the Chimera Market."

"If the two of us work together, it will definitely be mutually beneficial, and if we separate, we will both suffer."

Lady Irina rose, poured two cups of Wizard's Tea, and handed one to Locke. She liked to steep Wizard's Tea with boiling water so that the aroma would be rich and the tea would be quite bitter, so the cup was still scalding hot.

"But I still want to offer some reasonable advice." Lady Irina carefully chose her tone. Locke was neither his student nor a wizarding apprentice, so she naturally couldn't appear arrogant. When offering advice to her junior as an equal, she couldn't speak too quickly, her tone couldn't be too urgent, and her voice couldn't be too loud.

That would make it seem like she's still viewing Locke with her old perspective, which could easily create a rift in their relationship.

Especially now, Lady Irina really wants to cooperate with Locke, whether it's mass production of a small number of apprentice-level magical plants, emerald iris lichen, or cooperation in the direction of Bear Spirit Gallbladder Potion.

Even though Locke has published articles, registered patents, and disclosed the principles, the specific processes and mass production methods are still in Locke's hands.

Even top research groups at the University of Verdandia would need at least one or two years, or even three or four years, to reverse engineer the article.

This period of time is enough for them to make a fortune, and even in the future, form a relatively stable and healthy industry.

Therefore, Lady Irina attached great importance to this meeting, which was led by her mentor Harlan Vera. This was not only a convenience for Locke, but also a benefit for her.

Thinking of this, Mrs. Irina even felt a little grateful to Professor Harlan Vera, and still missed her in her heart, recommending herself to Locke.

Irina softened her tone and said in a very sincere manner, "I don't think your idea of ​​opening a joint-stock shop with me or someone else will maximize your interests, Locke."

"On the contrary, it will increase working hours and costs, and waste your energy."

"To set up a joint-stock company, Locke, you'll need to send people over to understand the company's internal operations, costs and profits, participate in company decision-making, and so on... In short, you'll have to bear considerable costs and invest a lot of time."

"It doesn't match your current desire to easily obtain subsequent profits while also being able to wholeheartedly pursue a teaching position."

Mrs. Irina said, "I do have a better option that I can recommend to you. I wonder if you, junior, would be interested in learning more?"

Locke sat in a leather chair made of magical creatures, took a sip of wizard's fragrant tea, and said, "Senior, please speak."

After confirming Locke's interest, Lady Irina smiled slightly and said, "I think Locke, you can authorize me to use your potions and magical plants through brand authorization. This way, you won't have to bear any of the related costs; I will cover those costs."

“I will pay you a fixed brand fee of 60,000 Magic Stones per month plus 10% of the net profit.”

"what do you think?"

“I heard that our fellow disciple, Christine the Green Witch of the Four Seasons Garden, has already registered the name Augustus Magic Plant series for you, so I think your potions can also be included in this Augustus Magic Plant series.”

Lady Irina said, “I have shops in the three major markets of the White Wizards in the Southeast Corner Region: the Chimera Market at Lilith's Hut, the Sacred Tree Market shared by Vildantia University, Four Seasons Garden, and Secret Fire Institute, and the Northern Market at Niflheim University in the North.”

“I have 47 shops in Chimera Market, 12 shops in Sacred Tree Market, and 27 shops in Northern Market.”

Lady Irina smiled and said, "In addition, with Teacher Harun Vera helping you manage the project, I believe we can quickly expand our business and sell the apprentice-level rare magical plants, Emerald Iris Lichen, Bear Spirit Gallbladder Potion, Memory Ointment, Eye of Perseus, as well as the Ominous Mandrake Vine and Palm Fire Lotus and a host of other magical plants to the entire Southeast Corner Region."

Lady Irina said, "What's amazing is that if these magical plants and potions you developed can be widely used, they can greatly enhance the strength of the apprentice-level wizards in my Southeast Corner Region. Therefore, I am full of confidence in this."

“I’m even planning to set up a dedicated counter for your Augustus line in every store.”

"I may not be good at magic, but I happen to have some talent in the business world," Lady Irina said with a smile. "Locke, what do you think?"

Locke pondered for a moment, and since these projects were all maintained through Professor Harlan Vera's network of connections, it was unlikely that Mrs. Irina would betray him.

Otherwise, she would be severing herself from Harun Vera's network of connections. Her ability to open shops everywhere is actually beyond her current level as a first-circle liquefaction wizard, and her network is also limited. She relies on Harun Vera's connections to operate these shops. Therefore, Lady Irina would never intentionally harm herself in this way.

'Give me a fixed 60,000 magic stones every month, plus 10% of the net profit, and I'll be a hands-off manager, not having to do anything.' Locke calculated the pros and cons in his mind. 'This is indeed perfect; it saves me a lot of trouble and eliminates the need for me to continuously pay costs in the future.'

"And the money I'll earn will be at least as much as the current 36,000 yuan per month."

Even if I give 20,000 magic stones, or even more, to Professor Harun Vera's students every month, I'll still earn at least 40,000 to 50,000 magic stones after leaving the Southeast Corner Region, far more than I'm making now.

"Furthermore, as the business grows, I can even take 10% of the net profit. And I won't be responsible for these operating costs. So relatively speaking, it's quite reasonable."

This is because Lady Irina has a complete and mature distribution channel, which allows her to easily sell her products to more wizards.

In addition, their ability to mass-produce rare magical plants, Bear Spirit Gallbladder Elixir, and other products makes them truly capable of widespread adoption.

Therefore, after collaborating with Mrs. Irina, he was able to create so much additional value, enough for both of them to reap huge profits.

Locke carefully considered the matter in his mind. Although he could have proposed a more favorable treaty for himself, he decided against it after some thought.

After all, none of his own people are in the Southeast Corner Region. Even if he makes a lot of demands and Lady Irina agrees to sign them, how can he verify the specific accounts and know the specific information if none of his own people are here?

The various wizarding lands are separated by natural barriers, making travel inconvenient and the distances extremely far. Without the help of Lady Irina and Professor Harlan Vera's network of connections, he would not have been able to obtain a single penny after leaving.

At most, they'll gain some fame.

Therefore, the current situation is already the optimal one.

Locke asked Lady Irina for a copy of the contract, then wrote it on the Gray Mist Slate and sent it to Harun Vera's Gray Mist Slate. About ten minutes later, Harun Vera sent a message to both Lady Irina and Locke.

Locke agreed to the terms, but requested that the details be modified.

The payment sent to Lady Irina was for the students on Harlen's side. The contract was amended so that Lady Irina would pay for it, using 10% of her own earnings. Meanwhile, Locke would enjoy 60,000 magic stones per month and 10% of his earnings per year.

Mrs. Irina gave a wry smile. "Locke, your teacher really spoils you."

She mentally calculated her future profit margins, and even so, the potential for future gains and the other benefits that would result were still substantial.

Locke's own distribution capabilities are limited, so his products only generate about 30,000 to 60,000 magic stones in revenue per month in the Chimera Market. If she were to develop it, his revenue in the Chimera Market alone could potentially reach 100,000 magic stones in the future.

There could be even more.

Because future wars will escalate, the value of any industry related to war will increase several times over, and the demand for magical plants and potions will also increase out of thin air.

Therefore, she definitely made a profit.

Even though she was primarily responsible for the operating costs.

She will also be responsible for all future promotion and deployment on her own.

But since Locke was the developer of these products, she had no choice but to work for Locke in a sense.

Lady Irina smiled wryly and instructed the shop staff to immediately draft a new contract, then invited Locke to dine at the Witch's Kitchen. "Locke, I really envy you wizards who can keep developing such revolutionary products."

"These days, researchers like you are still in high demand. The rest of us are just working for you for free."

Locke chuckled. "Senior, you're joking."

“In the future, Harlan Vera and I will only take a portion of the profits; the majority of the profits will end up in your pocket.”

The two chatted and laughed as they walked to the Witch's Kitchen, where they rented a private room for a meal. Lady Irina spent at least three hundred magic stones to order a large number of the most luxurious dishes from the Witch's Kitchen to entertain Locke.

At the dinner table, Mrs. Irina said, "But I still need to use that money to pay for shop rent, employee salaries, various inspections at the larger market, and the cost of equipment purchased to cope with those inspections."

"Sigh, you don't know what's going on until you're in charge. Last month, I spent over five thousand magic stones just to meet the fire prevention requirements of the Sacred Tree Market and installed fire prevention facilities on all the shops there."

"As a result, this month, the Holy Masters of Verdandia University... those crazy people started to suspect that some of the products I sell in my shop are made by undead creatures manipulated by forbidden necromancy, and they want to fine me for it."

"My shop has so many sources of goods, how can I possibly manage them all? I wonder if some of them used necromancy in the production process. Tell me, aren't the demands of those holy priests incredibly unreasonable? I'm getting so annoyed lately."

Lady Irina and Locke are both first-ring wizards now, so Lady Irina is very approachable and becomes quite sentimental in front of them.

She was completely different from the rather assertive Lady Irina that Locke had previously encountered.

Locke chatted and laughed with her, passing the time. After all, she was his biggest collaborator in the Southeastern Region, so he wanted to deepen his relationship with her a little.

The two of them added each other to their [two-way communication] on the gray mist stone slab.

Lady Irina said to Locke, "By the way, even if you go to other wizarding lands, you can still contact me using the Nigwald Astrological System."

Locke looked at Lady Irina with a puzzled expression. "Wasn't it said that this system only works in the southeastern corner of the region?"

Lady Irina took a small bite of the unicorn milk cake, then muttered, "What? I didn't expect Locke to be so honest. This doesn't match your infamous reputation at all."

"If you can't use the Gray Mist Slab outside the Southeast Corner Region, then if you crack it, you can use it."

(End of this chapter)