Chapter 1288 - Unpersuaded (1/2)
A few days later in another city, the news that the Carter Family became the Gilded Rose’s vassal family spread out too. Posters with Wolkrie’s bounty had been hung in several places. His name was not on the posters. There was only his picture. He was wanted like a bandit…
Seeing the bounty, Wolkrie almost fainted. Whoever caught him would be given 5,000,000 purple gold. One could even claim 50,000 purple gold for any information about him.
He quickly left the city, and snuck into the towns nearby. However, there were posters in the towns too. Whoever provided information about his whereabouts would immediately receive 50,000 purple gold.
Wolkrie prudently hid in the wild, and didn’t dare to enter any city. He was infuriated and desperate…
Everything was back to normal. The Gilded Rose had subdued the Carter Family, and turned it into its subordinate. All of the Gilded Rose’s branches immediately became the safest places in the city. Nobody dared to attack the buyers who had just paid a huge amount of purple gold in the Gilded Rose anymore.
The people who planned to rob the buyers as what happened in League City earlier went missing. Nobody saw them again.
The sales of the Universal Cores had been rising. The Gilded Rose had sold 10,000 more Universal Cores than scheduled in the month, but that couldn’t meet the demand at all. Many families and organizations had sent representatives to stay in the Gilded Rose’s street so that they would purchase the new Universal Cores the moment they became available.
The stores that had obtained the Universal Core three days in advance developed magic tools that used Universal Cores. In fact, not many of such magic tools were sold, but the overall revenues of the stores were doubled in this month. Their profits were even three times greater than before.
That was the advantage of getting ahead. The alchemical items that were of a higher quality than the items with the same prices were very competitive. The potions that were 10% better than those of the same kind could be sold for a price 10 times higher.
As long as there was one great item in the store that other stores didn’t have, the overall sales of the store would be boosted. That was the general situation of the alchemy business.
While the Gilded Rose’s profit from the Universal Cores was catching up to the profit from potions, the Lodney Family, after months of silence, received the first visitor.
“Sir Reynolds, welcome to the Lodney Family.”
Wilder was wearing a smile. His metal arm which was blown up earlier had been restored. He had recovered from his wounds too. He stood there with the pride of the Lodney Family. Although he sounded courteous, everybody could hear that he was proud of himself.
On Wilder’s opposite side was a mage in a white robe. He wore a black hairband, and had green eyes and chocolate skin. He also had a neatly trimmed beard on his cheeks.
With a smile, Reynolds followed Wilder into the Lodney Family’s meeting room.
Wilder walked with Reynolds, his eyes glittering.
Why did Reynolds come to the Lodney family? This cunning man had already become the second most powerful man in the Roosevelt Business Alliance’s branch in the Odin Kingdom, right?
He was responsible for all matters of the Roosevelt Business Alliance in the north of the Odin Kingdom. The Lodney Family had never cooperated with the Roosevelt Business Alliance. Why was this man here?
The family didn’t discover any new planes or resources. Why would this fox, who could smell nothing but purple gold, visit them?
These vampires of the Sten Kingdom would never have even bothered to look at the Lodney Family unless the returns were huge enough. The Lodney Family was in the potion business. It barely had a chance to cooperate with the Roosevelt Business Alliance, which earned most of its wealth from magic tools…
Wilder was befuddled. He had no idea why the Roosevelt Business Alliance, which was in an entirely different business from the Lodneys, would come to him.
The Sten Kingdom was unlike the Andlusa Kingdom and the Odin Kingdom. It was founded in the most desolate place in Noscent. There wasn’t even a royal family when the kingdom was established. It was a union of a few business alliances at first. Then, it swallowed the small kingdoms nearby, and became one of the three biggest kingdoms at this moment.
The parliament held absolute power in the Sten Kingdom. Every member of the parliament was the leader of a business alliance. It was divided into the Upper Parliament and the Lower Parliament. The Lower Parliament consisted of regular businessmen. Although they made a lot of money too, the things that they sold were all for the ordinary people to use, such as food, clothes, and low-level magic lamps.
All members of the Lower Parliament combined weren’t as powerful as one member of the Upper Parliament, which held the real power of the Sten Kingdom. Members of the Upper Parliament sold almost all the alchemy items that mages, swordsmen, and archers needed, which made them the most powerful force. The dozens of business alliances that they controlled had the greatest profit from selling alchemy items.
From basic materials to final retails, those business alliances controlled everything. Therefore, even though the Sten Kingdom’s land was much more barren than the Andlusa Kingdom’s, the Sten Kingdom was much wealthier than Andlusa. With enough gold, the country would grow more and more powerful. Also, the Sten Kingdom was home to many special materials, which made the business alliances even richer.
Even yourself has a price. That was a proverb popular in the Sten Kingdom. It meant that everything and everybody could be sold out, even if they were families or friends, as long as sufficient price had been paid.
The Roosevelt Business Alliance’s leader was a member of the Upper Parliament in the Sten Kingdom. It had been in the magic tool business. Reynolds was one of the top most powerful men in the Roosevelt Business Alliance, or he wouldn’t have been in charge of all affairs of the Roosevelt Business Alliance in the north of the Odin Kingdom.
It was impossible to meet such a man unless there were enough interests. Yet, he had come to visit…
Wilder was baffled. The other elders of the Lodney Family were confused too, not knowing why Reynolds had come.
Wilder prudently didn’t ask anything. He simply chatted with Reynolds on all sorts of stuff for more than half an hour, without asking about the visitor’s purpose.
After the near-death experience, Wilder became less arrogant and much more cautious. It was unlikely for him to cooperate with the Roosevelt Business Alliance anyway, so he simply regarded the visitor as a normal guest and chatted…
After a three-hour-long conversation, Reynolds found it impossible to continue.
Damn it, didn’t they say that Wilder was a reckless, short-tempered genius? Why was he still chitchatting after three hours? Did he not know that this was not a regular visit?
Oh my goodness. Did this guy really not feel anything? Fine. Reynolds decided to cut to the chase. He might have to wait until the next day before the guy asked him about his purpose otherwise.
Reynolds heaved a sigh, and thought that Wilder was an absolute idiot despite his great gift.
“Sir Wilder, I’m here because I hope to cooperate with the Lodney Family.”
Reynolds couldn’t afford waiting any longer. Although Wilder was the current leader of the Lodney Family, the family would be fine even if he was away for half a month. However, if Reynolds left the Roosevelt Business Alliance for three days, bad rumors would definitely pop up.
Wilder was confused. How could he cooperate with the Roosevelt Business Alliance? From materials to alchemy products, there was not any field that they could work in together.
“Sir Reynolds, is the Roosevelt Business Alliance planning to enter the market of alchemy potions?”
Hearing that, Reynolds immediately heaved a sigh in his heart.
As he expected, that guy was a moron. He asked such a stupid question. How could the Roosevelt Business Alliance possibly enter the potion market? The business alliances back in the Sten Kingdom had already monopolized that market. If the Roosevelt Business Alliance intended to enter the potion market, it would have to construct a complete business chain by itself…