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　The Lord said, “Very well. Nicholas will take care of everything.”

“Edmond, even 50,000 C will be enough to make a profit. But you must be worried if you don’t know what the process is. How about 40,000 C? And I’ll also give you the permission to directly teach your craftsmen how to make it.” (Nicholas)

　Edmond wiped the sweat off his face and thought hard.

“Well 20,000 C… is more than…” (Edmond)

　I looked at Mr. Zacharias, pretending to think. His answer was “No.”

“I see. I’m sorry to hear that. Milord…” (Nicholas)

　I started to speak to the lord, but Edmond interrupted me that was almost as loud as a scream.

“How about 30,000 C. That’s it…” (Edmond)

　Master Zacharias’s order was “Yes”, then I said let me put a condition on it.

“Isn’t there some more conditions from there? We’ve already made a lot of concessions.” (Edmond)

　Edmond was desperately trying to come up with terms, and he began to talk, wiping the sweat off his face.

“…We at Musgrave Trading Company carry a wide variety of products. From jewelry to magic tools, grains, and other groceries. If you have something you need, I can promise to give it away at a discounted price.” (Edmond)

　I had not anticipated these conditions. I had assumed that the only conditions I would have to meet at the meeting with Master Zacharias would be the offering of jewelry and armaments. I was feeling impatient, but there was no way I could ask Master Zacharias.

“You mentioned magical tools, but do you have any magical tools that measure time?” (Nicholas)

“Yes, it’s a little expensive, but I can get you one…” (Edmond)

　When the Lord asked, “How much is it?” Edmond replied, “It’s about 5,000 C for a common one, however special ones are different… Then let me give you one for free.”

　The lord muttered, “Then, 5,000 is enough,” and Edmond began to wipe his sweat again.

“I have one more question. Do you deal in books and the like?” (Matt)

　Edmond takes a moment to ask, “Books, milord?” Edmond’s mouth opens.

“I do. We don’t have any grimoires, but we do have a variety of other books, from technical books to stories for entertainment.” (Edmond)

“Do you have any kind of instructional books? Something about basics of reading, writing, and calculating.” (Matt)

　Edmond looked at me curiously and answered, “Yes, we do.”

　I ask, “How much do you have available.”

“I can give you about one hundred books… Since we didn’t have that much in stock.” (Edmond)

　Seeing that Master Zacharias nodded his head in satisfaction, the Lord said,

“That’s all we ask. We’ll give it at 30,000 C and I’ll give you some guidance. I can assume that you agree to my terms as well, right?” (Matt)

“Yes, sir. We have no objection to you selling it to another vendor or having it made in your village.” (Edmond)

“Later, we will draft the contract. ” (Nicholas)

　Edmond nodded and got up to leave.

“Well Edmond how about I give you some good deal.” (Nicholas)

　Edmond sat back down again, a little wary, “What do you have to tell me?”

“I want to ask you to buy some soap from our stock. We have about a thousand of them in stock right now. I would say 7 C apiece, but how about 5 C instead?” (Nicholas)

　Edmond can’t keep up with the conversation and mumbles, “A thousand pieces of soap…for five C…”

“I heard the market price is 10 C for one small one. Ours is bigger and smells better. Even if we sell them for 5 C, you should be able to sell them. That alone would bring in a profit of about 5,000. I am also thanking you for the favor you have done me earlier. Is that correct, milord?” (Nicholas)

　While Edmond was thinking about it, I obtained the approval of the lord.

　He did not haggle with it and said, “Thank you very much. Our trading company will take care of it,” he bowed.

　Master Zacharias said, “After the negotiations are over if you throw a profitable bait at them when they are off their guard, they will gratefully accept the bait.” He was absolutely right.

　As Edmond left, the lord, Master Zacharias, began to laugh.

“Nicholas, you did well. You have tripled the minimum amount of 10,000 C. And to have a magic tool and an instruction book attached to it.” (Matt)

“Nicholas is really great. I never thought that you would get him to include books on the deal.” (Zack)

　You both praise me, but I was only following Master Zacharias’s instructions.

“Everything was as directed by Master Zacharias. But Edmond was looking unhappy. If I were to force him, I might take a big misstep.” (Nicholas)

　As I said this, Master Zacharias shook his head.

“Edmond is probably gloating right now. If we had stuck with it, we could have sold it for fifty thousand.” (Zack)

　I couldn’t believe his words and asked him why.

“Probably his negotiable price could have been set higher. I think he thought we were amateurs, and he felt he succeded acting deceptively. The reason is…” (Zack)

　Master Zacharias explained, that after raising the price from 20,000 C to 30,000 C, he easily added a magical tool. I don’t know what the purchase price is, but he gave a few thousand C without hesitation, and he even added a hundred books that cost several C each.

　If he were on the end of his rope, he would not have been able to afford it, and he said it was strange that he had accepted our terms so easily.

“If Edmond was really thought at the end of his rope, he would have asked us for a grace period before we could sell it to another merchant. For example, not to sell to the next merchant until their craftsman had mastered the craft.” (Zack)

　I now realized that I had been deceived by the other party’s actions.

“I apologize. I was completely unaware. Not just an instructional book, but something more valuable could have been…” (Nicholas)

　Master Zacharias interrupted my words as I start my apology,

“You were only following my instructions, and I myself only realized it after it was all over. Besides, the magic tool of time and the instruction books are of great value. I especially admire Nicholas’s taste in choosing the books.” (Zack)

　The lord also nodded next to me.

“Nicholas is not a merchant, and even if I had negotiated with him, the result would have been the same. Besides, I never intended to make a profit from soap in the first place. You should be proud.” (Zack)

　And the Lord added,

“You sold it for more than I hoped. Perhaps other vendors will buy it for the same amount. I will leave it to Father and Nicholas to decide how to spend the money.” (Zack)

　Master Zacharias sat up to go to training, but then sat back down again as if he had just thought of something.

“I just came up with the idea why it’s okay to sell it to other vendors so easily, there seems to be more to that.” (Zack)

　The lord leaned forward before asking, “What is it?”

“We seldom go into town. If word gets out that the Musgrave Trading Company has obtained a monopoly on the manufacturing process, or that they have bought it for a very high price, it will make it difficult for other merchants to get their hands on it. If that happens, the next buyer may be hard to come by.” (Zack)

　The Lord asked with a groan, “Um, sure. So what are we going to do?”

　Master Zacharias thinks a little then,

“Let the peddlers spread the word. Then we will ask Nicholas and Guy to go to Kilnarc and spread the word. If Nicholas can talk to the Merchant Guilds and Guy can talk to the Adventurer’s Guilds and Mercenary Guilds, the word will spread quickly.” (Zack)

“What exactly should you have us talk about?” (Nicholas)

“You could say something like this in the merchant guild, ‘it was sold for tens of thousands of C, but it’s still going to sell because they are making it available to anyone who wants to buy it.’ Then, in the mercenary guild and adventurer guild, ‘I’m worried about thieves, but it is good training for the village patrol.’ It’s better to let it flow casually, not so forcefully, as if you have just been talking to a friend.” (Zack)

　Then, with a chuckle.

“In fact, if the bandits attacked, my grandfather would be delighted, but it’s unlikely they’ll come to the Lockhart household since there’s not much money to be made in selling us a fight.” (Zack)

　Master Zacharias left the room after he said that.

　Frankly speaking, the lord and I wondered if the Musgrave Trading Company would go that far, but I trusted Master Zacharias’s opinion more than mine when it came to dealing with merchants.

　Leaving the lord and me, my elated mood was somewhat dampened by the final words of Master Zacharias,

“35,000 C… Nicholas, how do you plan to use it?” (Zack)

“For the time being, why don’t we use it for the distillery where Master Zacharias is putting the most work on? If it becomes a specialty product, the income of the territory will increase, and above all, ‘that person’ will be quite pleased.” (Nicholas)

　The lord laughed at me as he said, “As usual, I’ll leave it to Nicholas.”

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