Wizards: Starting with Synthetic Gems

Chapter 542 An Invitation for Horizontal Project Cooperation from the Store Alliance

Inside the castle commercial building of the Dragonblood Gathering, in the witch's kitchen.

Gregor didn't dare sit next to Locke, but instead took three glasses of duck head green tea brewed using the ice drip method from a wizard apprentice waiter.

Then, he placed the two cups on the table and handed one to his mentor, Locke, and the wizard, the professional manager of the shop alliance.

The last cup was held in my hand, a cup of duck head green tea, which I began to drink.

The ice drip method is a new tea brewing method innovated by tea masters, a branch of breeders. It uses the condensed water dripping from melting ice to brew tea, resulting in a refreshing taste and prominent sweetness. It can bring out the flavor of duck head green tea to the fullest and is also a specialty dish launched by Witch's Kitchen in Yunze Wetland.

As the land of wizard tea, the local wizards in Misawa have higher standards for the taste and quality of wizard tea than wizards in other wizarding lands.

Locke put his teacup aside and then said to the second-ring wizard in front of him, "Master Terence, is there something you need from me?"

Terence Dogu, the professional manager of the Alsace Plantation Shop Alliance, smiled at Locke and said, "No matter how many times I've drunk it, I still think the duck head tea brewed by the ice drip method is the best."

"Speaking of which, the Witch's Kitchen Luxuqiao branch in Yunze Wetland recently launched a new tea, a peach blossom brewed black tea made with steam generated from boiling water. It has a mellow and fragrant taste that leaves a lasting impression and is full of aroma."

The wizard Terence seemed to really enjoy wizard tea, so he said to one of the flavorists in the witch's kitchen, "Two more cups of peach blossom wine, I'll pay for them."

Soon, a wizard apprentice waiter brought over a tray with two steaming cups of peach blossom wine.

Locke took a small sip of the peach blossom wine and immediately felt a refreshing and rich aroma explode between his tongue and teeth, like the first ray of sunshine in spring, like the rising sun.

The residual toxicity of the drug in his body was completely eliminated. In addition, his energy was restored to its peak, and he even felt more inspired.

Many wizard teas are believed to have the effects of purifying potion toxicity, restoring energy, and enhancing inspiration. Therefore, the tradition of wizards drinking coffee or tea while conducting research has a long history.

Locke said, "This peach blossom wine does indeed have a unique flavor."

"No wonder it's a wizard's tea that costs three thousand magic stones per cup."

To be honest, the price is frighteningly high. Most first-level wizards would never drink it unless they were entertaining distinguished guests, and even then, the guests would have to be extremely important.

It is estimated that the target customers for this Wizard Tea are wizards at the second level or above.

But in terms of taste alone, it is absolutely delicious and unforgettable.

After drinking peach blossom wine, drinking other wizard teas will only leave you with regrets.

I wonder what those even more advanced wizard teas from Luxu Bridge taste like.

Wizard Terence chuckled, "Is that so? Wizard Locke, indeed, you are also a wizard who appreciates wizard tea. That way we'll have a lot in common."

"To receive the praise of Wizard Hao and to be recognized as a future second-circle wizard is an extremely high honor."

Wizard Terence said, "I'll get straight to the point. I've come to you this time because I want to discuss a business partnership."

Locke looked calmly at the wizard Terence.

This didn't surprise him. Otherwise, why would Terence, an ordinary second-ring wizard and a professional manager of the Arthas Plantation Alliance, come looking for him?

Wizard Terence said frankly to Locke, "I listened to the defense just now. Wizard Locke is very talented in exploring the mechanisms of magical plants. But this kind of basic research can only serve as a reference for our Arthas Shop Alliance, and it doesn't have much practical significance."

"Even if we discover unknown natural magical structural components, they still need to be transformed into something of practical production value for our shop alliance after being studied in potion science, lightning science, and other disciplines."

Wizard Terence said, "So, that's not why I came to see you, young friend. I came to see you because of the Hydra plant."

Locke was not surprised by this.

In fact, after the Yunze Cup, a lot of people approached him seeking cooperation, including wizards from all over the world.

I've rejected myself a lot.

Because the group is a mixed bag, some people genuinely want to cooperate with him but lack the strength, while others are wizards who want to see if they can swindle him out of money.

In addition, since I was going to Yunze Wetland, I had already declined all previous cooperation offers.

Seeing that Locke still didn't speak, the wizard Terence's eyes flashed with admiration. "As expected of the Eye Demon Wizard, you are indeed calm and composed."

"Let's get straight to the point. The Alsace Plantation Shop Alliance is a large commercial group with numerous plant-related shops and a complete plant-related industry chain. It has a large number of plant-related industries under its umbrella and a well-established distribution channel."

"We want to collaborate with Wizard Locke to produce Hydra plants for sale in our plant shops."

"Our shop alliance generally uses two conventional methods to complete transactions. One is a one-time transaction, where you provide the technology and the seeds of the Hydra Demon Plant, and we provide you with a sum of magic stones that will satisfy you."

"The advantage of this is that you can instantly obtain a large amount of magic stones, and you can do whatever you want."

"This is equivalent to a technology buyout."

The wizard Terence said, "The second type is sales commission and licensing."

“Our Arthas Plantation Shop Alliance can pay you a licensing fee and then cooperate with you. You can get a share of the profits from every magical plant sold thereafter.”

Wizard Terence said, "Generally speaking, we use the first method, which is the buyout system, for breeders who are not well-known."

“But you are the champion of the Yunze Cup and a senior researcher at Jinmian Mountain, so we can also have a second cooperation option: a revenue-sharing system plus a licensing system.”

Locke understood.

Both of these forms of cooperation depend on the individual breeder's ability. If the breeder is less capable, they can only cooperate once, which is also beneficial for them, as they can receive a large sum of money instantly.

Those with strong capabilities tend to prefer profit-sharing partnerships. Although they may end up receiving more money, the returns are slower and the process is fraught with instability.

If the project fails to proceed or sales do not reach the expected figures, then perhaps a buyout partnership would be a better option.

Locke tentatively asked, "Could we form an alliance with your shop and reach some other business cooperation?"

Wizard Terence paused for a moment. "Young friend Locke, what kind of business cooperation are you referring to? I don't understand what you mean."

Locke said, "I mean, could we do this: I'd like to open a joint-stock shop with the Arthas Shop Alliance?"

"Or I could contribute my technology as equity in one of your existing branch stores."

The joint venture shop represents his partnership with the Plutarch family of the Six Towers region, while the technology investment represents his collaboration with Lady Irina of the Southeast Corner region.

The way I cooperate with Lilith Hut Academy is similar to a salary system.

Wizard Terence paused for a moment, then smiled. “Wizard Locke, it’s not that I’m refusing. But not only our Arthas Shop Alliance, but even the other shop alliances in the Three Swamps cannot reach a similar cooperation with you.”

"Even we second-ring wizards are not qualified to open a shop in alliance with the shops in the Three Swamps, or to invest our technology. Only the True Forging stage of second-ring wizards, that is, the Sun Ring second-ring wizards, are qualified."

"That's the way the Shop Alliance collaborates with the Third Ring Wizards. These two collaboration methods do exist, but generally speaking, they are the privilege of the Third Ring Wizards."

Locke nodded slightly.

In fact, he had a general idea of ​​the situation, after all, he had already received so many cooperation invitations.

I'm only speaking up as a trial.

If there's no other way due to these objective reasons, then so be it.

Ultimately, it's because my magic level is too low.

Presumably, breeders at the second-ring level would also have some privileges that belong to second-ring wizards when cooperating with shops.

This is all reasonable.

After all, he would enjoy these privileges when he became a second-circle wizard in the future.

Wizard Terence said, "But cooperating with our Arthas Alliance has an advantage that we don't have when cooperating with individual wizards, wizard families, or wizarding academies."

That is stability and maturity.

Wizard Terence took out a large stack of contracts from his astral ring. "We have a mature cooperation system in place, and the shareholders of the Shop Alliance are a large number of high-ring wizards. In other words, the Shop Alliance will not change because of the will of an individual, or even a few high-ring wizards."

"The pursuit of profit, the thirst for profit, is the sole purpose of this community called the Alsace Shop Alliance."

"Even a third-ring wizard cannot change the nature of the shop alliance."

“Our shop alliance is internally overseen by three major forces: the Wizard Shareholders’ Meeting, the Wizard Council, and the Wizard Supervisory Council.”

Locke knew what the second-circle wizard in front of him was talking about.

To put it simply, Shop Alliance has a certainty of seeking profits and a sound cooperation system. When cooperating with Shop Alliance, you don't have to worry about being scammed.

Or they are unable to make money due to various objective reasons.

The shop alliance would be even more eager to seize any opportunity to make money than the developer of the Hydra plant himself, and to bring them wealth.

In a sense, the Shop Alliance is no longer an inanimate object, but the sum of many wizards.

It is a large entity consisting of shops, industrial parks, and wizards, but with many more components than these.

The large shamanistic organizations in Yunze Wetland take two forms.

One type is universities like Mount Phi Beta and Boniface, and the other is those shops that form alliances.

Collaborating with Wizarding Universities for research is fine, but if you want to make money together, the quickest way is to partner with the Wizarding Alliance.

From the beginning, Locke wanted to cooperate with the major breeder shops of Yunze Wetland. Yunze Wetland has two super-large plantation shop alliances, one is Alsace and the other is Frankfurt.

However, the first to come to me are the Alsace Plantation Shop Alliance.

Locke asked the crucial question. "Then, Wizard Terence, could you tell me how many magic stones the Arthas Plantation Alliance will give me for each of the two cooperation methods they want to use?"

Wizard Terence said, "Of course. It's what I should do." "As you know, our Shop Alliance has different cooperation strategies for wizards of different levels. First-ring, second-ring, third-ring, and even fourth-ring wizards, as well as wizard apprentices, all have different cooperation methods. For example, wizard apprentices can generally only cooperate with individual shops, and it is almost impossible for them to cooperate directly with our Shop Alliance."

"For ordinary first-ring wizards, the usual way is for them to negotiate cooperation with the ordinary project manager of the shop alliance, which is generally the first method."

The wizard Terence introduced himself: "I am the senior manager of the Alsace Shop Alliance in the Golden Crown Mountain region, managing the shops, industrial parks and supply chains under the Alsace Shop Alliance in this region."

"If we adopt the first method, I can directly issue a contract to buy out your exclusive sales rights for Hydra Plants in Arthas for two years. I can pay one million magic stones for this."

"If we adopt the second method, we can sign a two-year authorization agreement and profit-sharing agreement. The authorization fee will be paid to you in one lump sum of 500,000 magic stones. In the future, you and Arthas will split the profits 50/50, and you will receive 50% of the profits from every sale."

"Fifty percent of the net profit after deducting costs."

Fifty percent?
Locke did the math and realized that the Arthas Shop Alliance truly lived up to its reputation as a mature and large-scale business alliance.

In their partnership, the Plutarch family only gave her 20% of the profits. Lady Irina, on the other hand, paid her a fixed monthly fee of 60,000 magic stones, and only gave her 10% of the net profit.

However, the Arthas Shop Alliance undoubtedly had more confidence in its platform, directly paying him 500,000 magic stones, with 50% of the profits still available to him.

Locke said, "The mass production technology for the Hydra plant is not yet fully complete."

Wizard Terence said, "Of course I know. I'm a breeder too, and I've even watched the Yunze Cup matches. So, I know. But it's very simple for you to mass-produce your Hydra."

"In my experience, as long as you have 100,000 magic stones, you can probably complete mass production development. The hydra magic plant you developed is already very perfect. You just need to do a backcross to stabilize the characteristics of the seeds and prevent the offspring from degenerating."

“I know what you’re worried about. When you were developing Hydra, you used the variegated mutation technology. Variegated mutation may weaken the reproductive ability of Hydra’s offspring seeds. But I don’t think the side effects of variegated mutation will be that obvious, especially for your Hydra plant. I’ve seen your competition record, and I don’t think your Hydra plant has been affected too much.”

“We in Arthas have many magical experimental fields in the Golden Crown Mountain. I can lend you one for free. You can complete the [return] there.”

Wizard Terence said, "The magic stones you need to complete mass production can be paid for by our Arthas Shop Alliance. That's alright."

Locke nodded slightly.

From this perspective, signing a cooperation agreement with the Alsace Shop Alliance is not a bad idea.

Moreover, Locke preferred a profit-sharing arrangement.

Selling out Hydra's exclusive sales and product development for two years for one million magic stones seems a bit unworthy.

Only wizards who are truly desperate for money would do this.

However, it is indeed possible to obtain one million magic stones in a short period of time to solve one's immediate problem.

Although I am short of money, I am not so desperate that I would sell my work at a loss for two years.

That was the winning entry in the Yunze Cup.

The Hydra plant is very special, and many wizards within wizarding organizations are interested in it.

Choosing a profit-sharing arrangement undoubtedly allows one to gain more benefits.

However, Locke asked with a doubt, "There's a problem."

"Lord Terence the Wizard."

Wizard Terence took a sip of peach blossom-infused black tea. "Please speak, young friend Locke."

Locke asked, "Why only two years of cooperation?"

"I originally thought the collaboration would last longer."

Wizard Terence gave a wry smile. "Please don't worry. This is for the sake of better cooperation between us, and this method of cooperation has been proven over a long period of time to be more suitable for cooperation between wizards."

"This kind of short- to medium-term cooperation makes it easier for us to adjust the contract and cooperation terms at any time, which is very beneficial to both of us."

“Besides, you have your concerns.” Wizard Terence spread his hands, saying helplessly, “I also have my concerns.”

"The shops in the Three Swamps rarely sign long-term cooperation contracts with wizards on their first collaboration."

"There are many reasons. First, the Hydra plant is undoubtedly an excellent magical plant, but its specific value is unclear to the Arthas Alliance because it is something that has never appeared before. So no matter how it is priced, it will not satisfy either of us."

"So, let's just set a price for a short period of time."

"That way, a small boat is easier to turn around."

Wizard Terence said, "There are other reasons as well. Past experience tells us that for wizards, contracts that are too long... often end up in a mess."

"Therefore, before both sides have built up confidence in each other, let's sign a short- to medium-term cooperation agreement."

“All store alliances do this.”

Locke nodded slightly; that was indeed the case.

Clearly, the Wizard of Terence meant that if Hydra's sales did not meet the Arthas Shop Alliance's expectations, they could downgrade their contract with them at any time, or even terminate the contract altogether.

Conversely, the Arthas Shop Alliance also bears considerable risks, such as the Hydra Plants, which sold extremely well and became a huge hit.

The Frankfurt Shop Alliance also set its sights on Hydra, and its two-year contract with Alsace presented an opportunity for Frankfurt to exploit.

This is the result of a negotiation between the two sides, taking into account their respective interests.

To be honest, Locke quite liked it.

Instead of making one-off deals, we should take it one step at a time, so that we don't end up losing money on Hydra and have to swallow that loss.

Locke estimated that this system was not formed from the beginning, but rather was summarized by the shop alliance in commercial practice.

After all, wizards possess knowledge and power.

Any formal wizard with a permanent defensive field can cause some degree of damage if they really want to.

It's just a matter of degree.

The existence of the permanent defensive force field, like a tortoise shell, grants formal wizards the ability to cause some damage even against wizards who are more powerful and numerous than themselves.

It is precisely because of the existence of the permanent defensive force field that there is a consensus in the wizarding world.

Once a wizard possesses a permanent defensive field, he becomes an adult in the wizarding world.

He has the ability and power to protect himself or harm others, and to make that choice.

Therefore, these store alliances deliberately set up contracts that take into account the interests of both parties, in order to convince their partners.

Wizard Terence smiled wryly, "There's another matter, one that's personally related to me. These business collaborations often start at millions, especially those involving high-value magical plants like Hydra."

"As you can see, it only takes two years to reach a million magic stones. What if it takes ten, twenty, fifty, or even a hundred years?"

"Or perhaps a complete buyout?"

“The amount of magic stones required is too large; I can’t make that decision,” said Wizard Terence. “For us senior managers, signing contracts is also risky. If the project succeeds, we will be credited; if it fails, we will bear the responsibility.”

“It will have some impact on my promotion,” Wizard Terence said. “I still want to be promoted to regional manager of Arthas. Senior positions within the Shop Alliance are tied to specific teaching positions. Regional managers of Arthas also hold teaching positions as wizard instructors in the Supreme Truth Council, which is the White Wizard Association.”

“And the position of wizard mentor means resources.”

"It's a legitimate wizarding instructor position, the kind recognized by the White Wizarding Association, not just some internally created position by other academy students."

Wizard Terence said, "Therefore, I dare not make the decision to extend the time frame for our first collaboration. No wizard manager in the shop alliance would dare to do that. But if the collaboration goes well, we can continue to work together."

Locke thought for a moment. He needed to find a local from Yunze Wetland to help him review the contract, since he had only just arrived in Yunze.

Caution is the boat.

But after thinking it over, Locke realized that his best friend, whom he had made in Yunze Wetlands, was Wizard Daniel, after all, he had only been there for four and a half months.

But if I ask him, he definitely won't know.

But all I have is his contact information, and...

Locke took out the Ganoderma lucidum plant, which was connected to the Water Hyacinth Network System, from his Astral Ring. Its actual name was Wish Ganoderma.

It is a functional magical plant.

It can connect with the water hyacinth magic plant system that covers the surface of Yunhu Lake. It is the communication system of Yunze Wetland. It can send text, images and sound information through the water hyacinth system.

Locke's wish-granting Ganoderma lucidum flashed with magical light, and then the Ganoderma lucidum began scanning the contract contents and sending them to the Celtic team leader.

The Lingzhi Magic Plant was a free communication tool borrowed by Group Six, but I hadn't used it much before. I didn't even get Mason Witch's contact information. The only reason I added her was because I often needed to contact the Celtic Wizard to apply for various things.

At this point, after much deliberation, Locke realized he had no choice but to approach the Celtic leader.

To everyone's surprise, the Celtic team leader responded immediately after Locke sent out the message.

Suddenly, the Wishful Spirit Mushroom shot out a beam of magical light, transforming into a phantom magical screen that only Locke could see. Ripples of water spread across the edges of the screen, like whirlpools.

It is actually a communication panel that resembles the gray fog stone slabs in the southeast corner of the region.

The Celtic team leader quickly sent a text message: 'Locke, where are you? What's this contract for?'

I have so much to say to you!

When the wizard Terence saw this, he understood.

He leaned back in his chair, waiting for Locke to finish discussing things with his associates.

(End of this chapter)