Cornflower Witch

Chapter 181 Signing the Deal
In the morning, a horse-drawn cart loaded with wheat set off from the valley. The cart consisted of three sections, carrying a total of 3000 jin (1,500 catties).

The tall horse pulled the carriage forward without much effort, even with a little extra strength, because it knew the way. Hiltiya didn't need to give any directions; she could simply lie down on the haystack of the carriage and take a nap until they arrived.

The carriage swayed and rattled as it traveled across the long plains and grasslands.

At noon, Hilti arrived at Whitestone Fortress, first parked her carriage at the post station, and then went to the bakery she had previously worked with.

A faint sweet aroma wafted through the air, along with the warmth from the oven. After entering the bakery, Hiltiya explained her purpose.

"Please have a seat in front for a moment. Mr. Fred is busy in the kitchen making bread and pastries for today."

So she went to the restaurant in front to wait, and the staff brought her some delicious snacks.

"Miss Tia, this is a cake we just made today."

[Watermelon Cake] (Excellent): Delicious watermelon chunks paired with soft, sweet cake cream offer an exceptional taste experience. (Stamina Recovery +2, Cooling +1, Deliciousness +2)

"Thank you."

Hiltia used her delicate fork to take a small piece and taste it. The cool watermelon mixed with cream melted in her mouth, creating an excellent flavor.

Today she was wearing a pale yellow dress with white ruffles on the hem, and white ribbons on the cuffs and collar, making her look as if she were in the height of summer.

This dress was specially made for her by Mrs. Fran last year, but unfortunately she only wore it twice. She only took it out this time when she came back, and wore it today.

The ends of her silver hair curled up slightly, probably from being bent during her morning nap, adding a touch of endearing charm to the girl's demeanor.

After enjoying the cake, Hiltiya didn't have to wait long before the familiar baker came out of the kitchen, still carrying a faint, sweet aroma of baking.

"So it's Tiya." He sat down at the girl's table.

"Is it another bumper harvest this time? I was planning to come to you to buy another batch of goods, but unfortunately you weren't in the valley at the time. Only a group of toads were taking care of it." He shook his head with some regret.

“I have indeed come here to continue our trade.” Hilti thought for a moment, then took out a small packet of wheat flour and placed it on the table.

"This is a rare type of wheat."

“Oh.” Fred the baker looked a little surprised. He took the small bag of wheat grains and tasted the faint flour flavor.

"This batch of goods is quite good. I wonder how much Tiya can provide?" He assumed that the other party's output would not be large.

Upon hearing this, Tia tilted her head, placed her fingers on her chin, and thought for a moment.

How many do you need?

"Normally, our bakery consumes 100 jin of flour every day. However, most customers don't require high-quality flour, so the demand for high-quality flour is around 20 jin, which is 600 jin per month."

"I see," Hilti said after a moment's thought.

“I will be leaving Huijin Plain next year, but in the six months before I leave, I will cultivate a large quantity of high-quality wheat. If you want to stock up and buy it, just tell me a specific number and I will make the necessary preparations later.”

"In addition, there's another point. The superior-grade wheat that I sold to you before is no longer available. Now we only have 'rare' and 'perfect' quality wheat. I don't know if you can afford the corresponding prices."

Hearing the girl's words, Fred's fingers unconsciously rubbed together. What did she mean by saying there was no such thing as "superior grade," only "rare grade" and "perfect grade"? Was that even humanly uttered? He had indeed used rare and perfect grade ingredients before, but he always had to be careful and frugal. After all, those noble gardeners wouldn't sell their produce to him; instead, they would directly supply the various large organizations within the association in exchange for benefits.

Seeing that the baker opposite her had not responded, Hilti thought for a moment and took out the badge from the inside of her collar.

Fred's eyes widened at the sight of the mithril-lustered badge. He never expected to encounter such a student. Now, all his questions made sense.

No wonder she wasn't afraid of being questioned and investigated by the association for selling high-quality products; no wonder she was so confident, saying she could provide as much as needed.

"Sorry, I was a little distracted just now. Let's continue discussing the cooperation." Seeing that the other party finally answered, the girl breathed a sigh of relief; she thought it was hopeless this time.

“Since you said you’ll be leaving in six months and may not be able to return to Huijin Plain for a long time, we will order enough food to store.” He was also thinking about how much they needed.

If it's just for his own use, 600 jin per month, that's 7200 jin per year. Considering future needs, he can only purchase enough food for two years at most, which is 14400 jin.

However, he does have friends. Although the baker's guild he belongs to is a very small organization, he has a group of acquaintances who also need high-quality ingredients. If he sells some of his ingredients to them, he can earn a commission, and they will be willing to pay.

This way, his own purchasing pressure will be reduced.

"I plan to first purchase 5000 jin of rare-grade wheat and 300 jin of perfect-grade wheat. If the quality is up to standard, I will increase the order within the next three months for reserves, and may purchase up to 15000 jin of food for reserves," Fred told the girl.

“No problem.” The girl blinked. She had enough crops stored in her warehouse, and in a few months, she would be able to harvest the next batch of crops.

Afterwards, the two negotiated and settled on the specific details and prices. The market price of rare wheat was 10 silver, but there were very few channels to purchase it, so Tiya finally gave a price of 12 silver per catty. As for perfect wheat, it was 2 gold coins per catty.

"12 x 5000 = 60000 silver coins = 600 gold coins, 300 x 2 = 600 gold coins, totaling 1200 gold coins." This is no small amount; it's roughly eight months' revenue for Luhuo Bakery. If you deduct the costs, it's almost a year's profit.

The bakery has 3 second-level bakers, 26 first-level baker apprentices, and more than 20 other staff members, each of whom receives a good salary.

After the contract was signed, Hiltiya delivered 3000 catties of wheat carried by a wagon directly to the market, and the remaining portion would be delivered again in a few days.

"Oh, this batch of goods is so pure." Fred's expression changed several times as he inspected the 3000 pounds of wheat. First, he was surprised, then he was delighted, then he was intoxicated, and finally he was completely immersed in his own world.

"With this batch of goods, the few of us in the bakery can also try to break through to the third tier. If we can advance to the next level, and a fourth-tier superhuman emerges later, we can officially register with the association and establish a small organization..."

“Ahem, alright, Mr. Fred, if you are satisfied, please sign the receipt.” Hiltia had to interrupt him.

Wheat should be described as having a beautiful color and plump grains, right? Why does this guy talk like he's enjoying something illegal? It makes Hilti Ya facepalm in exasperation.

However, the other party was indeed very generous and bought it without hesitation, whereas she originally thought it would take a long time to negotiate.

Now that I have enough gold coins, I can also choose my favorite courses to study at the Seraphim Academy.

Perhaps it was a hamster-like obsession she developed in her past life, but she always had to add things she liked to her favorites. When she saw the dazzling array of course lists, she also had the urge to add them all.

This is partly due to Hilti's own personality, and partly due to her yearning and curiosity about the various mysteries of this world.

　Thanks to Pandaman Cutting Watermelon, and reader 20220323135154724.
　　Donations from readers including Mianyu, Wuyuyunyan, Shenqi Taitai Xiang He Alice, Book Friend 20220428093007711, Simosimo, and My Brother's Middle School Syndrome

　　
　
(End of this chapter)