Cornflower Witch

Chapter 66 Agreeing on a Contract
"I wonder how much 'blazing sun' phase raw material you need?" Hiltiya held a folding fan in one hand and tapped her palm lightly, mimicking Madame Fran, as if to say, "I'm not someone to be fooled."

"Of course, the more the better."

The other party didn't pretend to be reserved and directly offered to take it all.

The girl shook her head slightly. How could they talk like that? She hadn't even mentioned the conditions and compensation yet.

“Teacher has indeed cultivated quite a few sunflowers with the ‘blazing sun’ phenotype, but this took a lot of effort, and some of the produce has already been reserved by friends, so we cannot give them all to you,” Hilti declined.

"I understand, that's why I prepared this gift especially for you." It seems the other party had planned this all along.

As if by magic, the shrewd businessman took out a small box from his sleeve. The octagonal box was placed on the table, and when a button was pressed, it opened layer by layer like a lotus flower, revealing a jade stone inside that emitted a strange halo.

【Fluorescent Prehnite】(Tier 1·Emerald Honey): A very rare emerald-green gemstone, occasionally found alongside stalactites. It is extremely heat-resistant and has the ability to adapt to the 'Emerald Honey' property.

Despite being only a first-tier gemstone, its value is roughly ten times that of a typical first-tier extraordinary item, considering its rarity.

"At least one hundred gold flower coins," the girl secretly estimated.

"This is a special prehnite that can contain the power of the 'Emerald Honey' element and assist in related abilities." If it is made into a ring, it can amplify the effects of Hilti's 'Dew Prayer' and 'Blooming Flower' spells by about 30%.

"Such gems are indeed very precious, but the deal we're negotiating is far from enough." The girl opened her folding fan, half-concealing her face, revealing only her bright, gem-like blue eyes.

"No rush, Miss Anluoer, I've prepared something for you." This merchant had clearly done his homework; no wonder he was so confident.

He took out a jar of amber liquid from somewhere again and placed it on the table. The liquid was viscous like honey and had tiny bubbles, but it was not honey.

“Miss Anluor, this is a rare resin that I obtained from the Duchy of Hude. It can be used to make many rare items, and it can also be combined with the grape stone from earlier to make special weapons like the Tree Jade Spirit Sword.”

【Chiffon Pine Resin】(First-tier · Emerald Honey): The resin of the extraordinary plant Chiffon Pine is rare and has a wide range of uses, often used in the production of mirror lenses, jade glass, and precision instrument parts.

It was another rare item, but what he meant by the "Tree Jade Spirit Sword" was something Hilti had never heard of before.

As if knowing that Xilutia didn't understand, Lining stepped forward and said, "Please introduce the [Tree Jade Spirit Sword], sir."

“Of course. Actually, I have some blueprints here regarding the forging method of the [Tree Jade Spirit Sword], which I can give as a gift.” The other party took out a folded piece of paper and handed it to the maid.

【Tree Jade Spirit Sword】(Emerald Honey): A weapon forged using a special secret method by combining 【Prehnite】 and 【Resin】, which possess the properties of emerald honey. After being infused with the power of the 'emerald honey' properties, it can automatically repair its nicks, sharpen its edge, and has excellent toughness.

Ordinary steel weapons inevitably develop nicks when they collide with hard objects, but blades made of resin can instantly harden and soften under the manipulation of the 'Emerald Honey' property. This gives them both hardness and sharpness as well as flexibility and resistance. Even if they are chipped, they can be repaired through their own adhesive flow.

Sword blades made purely of resin inevitably lack hardness and sharpness, and are not resistant to high temperatures. However, the properties of prehnite overcome these two shortcomings, making the two a perfect match and achieving a wonderful complementarity.

Such a weapon is exactly what Hilti desperately needs, as she lacks combat skills. It's unclear how the other party knew about it; it could simply be a guess, since most gardeners at lower levels lack the means to deal with combat.

With her fingers lightly touching her chin, Hiltiya tilted her head, looking at the things on the table, lost in thought.

"Could you tell me how much 'Chiyang' seed oil you expect to receive from the teacher?"

Seeing that the young woman had agreed, the man stroked his beard, thought for a moment, and replied, "We hope to get at least 500 bottles of 'sunflower seed oil' this time."

Five hundred bottles... Hilti closed her folding fan and tapped her palm.

"That's too much. I can only give you three hundred bottles at most."

Actually, there are about seven hundred bottles of sun seed oil in the underground storage room, but these are Mrs. Fran's stock of many years, and Hilti can't sell her teacher's things all at once.

"Three hundred bottles will do. We'll buy them at about 3 gold coins per bottle. I wonder if Miss Anluoer can accept that price." This price can only be described as mediocre.

Considering that selling it elsewhere would require additional time and effort, selling it at this price would only break even, but wouldn't be very profitable either.

“Three gold coins for a bottle, I can’t explain this to my teacher.” An Luo’er shook her head.

“At least four gold coins a bottle.” She held up four slender fingers.

"can."

The other party agreed too quickly, making Hilti regret her decision. She wondered if she was even cut out for business. She should have at least tried to negotiate with her and made her confirm whether the price was reasonable.

However, once she made a promise, she wasn't the type to go back on her word.

“Then let’s continue discussing the transportation and delivery issues.” Hilti knew she couldn’t do it alone this time, so she raised her hand, gesturing for Lining to come closer.

"Go and invite Mrs. Carrie from the Horticulturalists' Guild. Tell her I have a business matter I don't understand and need her help with."

"Understood, Miss." Lining indicated that she understood, and then left the living room. Not long after, the maid returned, leading Siltia to believe that the maid had not left.

“I’ve already informed Mrs. Carrie, and she should be here soon.” Lining didn’t explain how she had informed her, and Hilti didn’t feel comfortable asking in front of the guests, so she just nodded as if she knew.

The merchant was not angry at Hilti's last-minute summons; he simply drank his tea quietly, as if it were all expected.

About ten minutes later, a carriage arrived in front of the mansion, and soon after, Lady Carrie, dressed in a dark green dress, entered with two attendants.

"Long time no see, Anluoer~" She first went to Xilutiya's side to greet her, and then sat down, her eyes scanning the man opposite her.

“Hello, Mrs. Carrie.” The man seemed to recognize her name.

“Hello, but we haven’t met before, have we?” Carrie was certain this was the first time they had met.

“Yes, my name is Albay, I come from Windcliff City, and I am a representative of the local ‘Copper Halberd Merchant Guild’. I have been entrusted by the local guild and the city lord to purchase key raw materials.”

"The Copper Halberd Merchant Guild, or Windfall City... It seems you're procuring for the military." Carrie thought of something.

The Copper Halberd Merchant Guild is a merchant guild specializing in the production of military equipment. They have many blacksmiths and armorers, and many nobles will purchase weapons and equipment for their guards from them. Because of the unified procurement of raw materials and manufacturing, the Copper Halberd Merchant Guild can reduce costs and ensure stable quality, which has earned them high praise from many customers.

"You've actually gotten involved in the business of therapeutic medicines this time. It seems you're cooperating with the local pharmacists' guild."

Currently, most pharmacists in Legas belong to the Pharmacist Guild Alliance. Their qualification certification and training methods are controlled by the Pharmacist Guild, which is difficult for other chambers of commerce to interfere with.

“I’m a friend of Sister Fran. She’s not home today, and Anluer is handling many things. However, as an elder, it’s necessary for me to help look after things. I hope Mr. Albayo won’t mind.” It’s no use for him to mind now; Carrie’s words were merely a polite explanation.

Carrie then inquired about the previously negotiated price and quantity conditions. She tapped her fingers in thought before speaking.

"Four gold coins are still too few, at least five gold coins per bottle."

“No, no, Mrs. Carrie, this price is already quite fair and shows sincerity. In fact, I only offered such a generous price because of Miss Anlor.” Albay shook his head.

"A bottle of basic healing potion costs about 20 silver on the market, and its effects include stopping bleeding and initial wound healing."

"One bottle of 'Sun Seed Oil' is added to the refining process and mixed with other herbal extracts to make 24 bottles of basic healing potion, which costs 480 silver coins, or about 4.8 gold coins."

"At this price, we don't have much profit left. You also have to consider the preservation costs and the pharmacist's share." Not only will there be no profit, but we might even lose money.

“That’s not right,” Carrie said, shaking her head in denial.

"You only mentioned basic healing potions."

"If you use one bottle of 'Sun Seed Oil' as a raw material and add it to the manufacture of intermediate healing potions, you can make 8 bottles, and each bottle of intermediate healing potion sells for 1 gold coin, which is 8 gold coins." It does seem like a profitable business.

“As you know, 1 gold coin per bottle is the retail price. The orders we place with the military won’t be that high, otherwise we wouldn’t have been able to secure the orders at all,” Albayol argued.

The two continued to tug at each other's throats, but Albayrao seemed to have changed his mind, stubbornly sticking to the price of 4 gold coins per bottle, which made Carly very unhappy.

Seeing that the negotiations had reached a stalemate, Hilti had no choice but to step in and temporarily interrupt.

"Let's put aside the price for now and talk about delivery and shipping."

“Due to a shortage of manpower at the manor, we cannot transport the goods to Windcliff City for you, so you will have to send someone to pick them up yourself,” Hiltiya mentioned.

“No problem.” Albayo was also not comfortable letting others transport such expensive items.

"Then there is the issue of inspection upon delivery. Please inspect the goods in person before taking them out of the residence. We will not be responsible for any damage after you leave the residence."

“That’s acceptable, but we also need to consider the issue of losses during transport. So, Miss Anluoer, please agree to give two bottles as a gift for every 100 bottles purchased, to replenish any losses.”

Regarding this, Hilti thought about it. If she didn't agree, it would be troublesome to sell the goods by herself and her wife alone, and such losses were indeed unavoidable.

"Okay." She tapped her palm with her folding fan and agreed.

Seeing that Hilti had agreed, Kali didn't say anything more. In fact, as Albayo said, the price was indeed good. If it were other types of raw materials, a bottle might only be worth 1 gold coin, but as a rare 'Blazing Sun' type, the price was 4 times higher, which was excessive.

"Then let's sign the contract." After saying that, the merchant took out a special contract paper. This paper was made by the 'Candleburg School' and came with a 'secret language' property to prevent forgery. Once signed, it would separate into two identical copies, and the writing on the paper would be covered by a generated pattern to prevent tampering.

The price of this contract alone is worth several gold coins; ordinary contracts are simply unnecessary.

(End of this chapter)