Dimensional Codex System: I'm really not a cultist!

Chapter 177: Chapter 176 Cooperating Party

“Forty percent is simply too high, Mr. Ezio, we really can’t bear it…”

Fress’s expression of anxiety was half genuine, half feigned. The Northern Trading Company may not have had a first-rate intelligence network in the Northlands, but it was still a local power. During this period, several merchants’ associations had sent representatives to make contact with “Nanali’s Alchemy Workshop,” putting Fress somewhat on edge. Although he was the undisputed leader of the Northern Trading Company, there were many things… that were not solely up to him.

“At most, we can only bear twenty percent…”

“The Red River Merchants are willing to discuss up to forty-five percent, Mr. Fress.”

Fang Zheng unapologetically interrupted him, and Fress just pursed his lips. frёewebηovel.cѳm

“I find it hard to believe that you, Mr. Ezio, are unaware of the current state of the Red River Merchants. Their president is almost bankrupt. Say forty-five percent, even ninety, and he would nod and agree! But the question is, even if he agrees, can he fulfill the contract?”

...

“You’re right, but that’s not important. Because no matter whether he goes bankrupt or not, the contract has to be fulfilled.”

Fang Zheng made a light comment, and Fress’s face fell immediately.

Indeed, as Fress had said, before, nobody would care whether the Red River Merchants lived or died. But if the Red River Merchants really signed a contract with Fang Zheng, that would be different. Even if the Red River Merchants ultimately collapsed, went bankrupt, or were acquired, the contracts they had signed would remain valid unless the other party was willing to relent. Otherwise, the contract would still need to be honored after the acquisition.

It was like someone had bought a cursed piece of equipment and then died in battle, leaving their cursed gear to be taken as spoils of war. The outcome would be either the new owner continuing to use the cursed equipment or finding a place to seal it away.

And with technologies such as greenhouse farms and Slime Fertilizer, it was obviously impossible not to use them.

But to tear up a contract was even more impossible. The Alchemists’ Association was not the Tower of Heaven, but it was not to be trifled with either. After all, it served both as the “National Patent Office” and the “Quality Supervision Bureau.” If they get unhappy and cancel all your sales qualifications, your entire chain store could turn into an unauthorized operation, or you could be fined so heavily that you bleed money. Who could withstand that?

And the last option would be to just toss the cursed equipment aside and ignore it.

But who could bear to do that?

Standing behind Fang Zheng, Kuliya was also wearing a smug smile, watching the scene unfold. Nymph was currently studying nutrient solutions with Nanali, so Kuliya naturally became Fang Zheng’s secretary by default, accompanying him in the negotiations. For Kuliya, the experiences of recent times were a rare treasure. Not only could she work for free with Fang Zheng, a very handsome man, but she could also watch all sorts of reactions from representatives and heads of various merchants’ associations.

And after working with Fang Zheng for a few days, Kuliya’s admiration for him had grown. To obtain these two technologies, representatives of the merchants’ associations had come up with all kinds of clever schemes. There were those who bullied by leveraging power, others who pleaded and fawned, and even those who made a huge fuss. To be honest, upon self-reflection, Kuliya felt that if she were the one facing these people and the big shots behind them, she would likely have to think long and hard.

But this “Mr. Ezio” remained remarkably composed. No matter what moves the opposition made, he could block them without hesitation, and he could pinpoint the loopholes and weaknesses in the opposition’s statements with just one word. This impressed Kuliya greatly.

“We really can’t bear the pressure of forty-five percent. Thirty percent, perhaps…”

Fress gave in; he couldn’t persist any further. Recently, Fang Zheng was not just selling the Tachibana Fruit on the market; on the contrary, he had been continuously growing various out-of-season vegetables with the greenhouse technology plus Slime Fertilizer. These products sold out as soon as they hit the market, but Fang Zheng had no intention of increasing production.

It was clear to any observant person that Fang Zheng was doing this to show them that these two alchemical inventions weren’t just for Tachibana Fruits; rather, they were applicable to almost all crops. This also pushed the value of these two inventions higher, compelling Fress to concede due to this realization.

But asking a merchant to give up profits is harder than killing his whole family.

“Thirty-eight percent.”

Fang Zheng was not buying Fress’s bluffs. Any concession made by a merchant was an illusion; the discounts they proposed were mostly bluff. It’s just like that bespectacled fat man who always has sales and supposedly loses two billion! People still buy, buy, buy.

“Thirty-two percent… Mr. Fang Zheng, please consider the situation of our Northern Trading Company. We need to build factories and raise slimes… To tell you the truth, nobody knows how to raise these slimes. If you could also provide us with this, we would accept forty percent.”

“………”

Hearing this, Fang Zheng shrugged helplessly. They were into alchemy, not Animal Planet, and the problem of how to raise slimes was indeed challenging for them. On Earth, this would equate to a brand new wildlife domestication project, and Fang Zheng had no such expertise. He had wanted to try previously, but Nymph had no interest in those squishy jellies, and Nanali was too busy to care about that.

According to Fress, they could solve the problem by hunting slimes in the short term, but if they wanted to do long-term business, they would need to farm them. Since Fang Zheng couldn’t provide this technology, they would have to spend their own money to research it slowly.

I hope we can achieve results before slimes become extinct.

“Thirty-five percent, I can’t go any lower.”

Fang Zheng finally gave the price he deemed suitable from his heart, while he also stated his additional conditions.

“Half of it, I request to be settled in spirit crystals, the higher the quality, the better.”

After all, this was the main reason Fang Zheng came here to farm, not to develop some Otherworld urban black technology group.

“Spirit crystals?”

Upon hearing Fang Zheng’s condition, Fress couldn’t help but be startled.

“…That’s no problem, but how do we settle it?”

Spirit crystals, aside from being produced from demon beasts, can only be found in certain natural crystal mines, and like gold or oil and other bulk commodities, their price fluctuates. Maybe the price goes up this month and falls the next. Fang Zheng certainly wouldn’t put all his eggs in one basket; he would not pass up the Alchemists’ Association, and he also wanted to get his hands on the Northern Trading Company.

“Once a month, purchase and settle at the market price of that month, high quality, unlimited quantity,”

Fang Zheng paused at this point, then added a sentence.

“The higher, the better.”

Fang Zheng didn’t care about money; in the Main World, no matter how much money he had, it was just a number to him. Only by converting it into spirit crystals to recharge the system did the money have significance. Otherwise, it was as if the money had no meaning at all.

“Hmm…”

Listening to this, Fress frowned, but after thinking it over, he nodded in agreement quite readily.

If Fang Zheng had insisted that all profit sharing be settled in cash, then the Northern Trading Company might have indeed had to think it over. After all, liquid assets are extremely limited, and a thirty-five percent share of profits is highly coveted. But spirit crystals are different; the Northern Trading Company has its own spirit crystal acquisition channels and even controls several spirit crystal mines. Currently, there are no wars among the nations, nor are there any large-scale technical revolutions, so the demand for spirit crystals is very stable, without much fluctuation. Allocating some from the market price is not difficult.

At least it’s easier to accept than cash.

“I agree to your request, Mr. Ezio.”

“Pleasure doing business.”

Fang Zheng revealed a smile on his face when he heard Fress’s agreement; he didn’t want to spend too much time either. As the value of the greenhouse and slime fertilizer became increasingly apparent, some forces had stopped being cautious, and some even became aggressive. Fang Zheng, of course, didn’t care about their military threats, but if he could avoid disclosing his identity, it would be ideal. With this in mind, and in light of Fress’s prompt agreement, Fang Zheng didn’t mind offering him a little extra concession.

“Since Mr. Fress is so generous, we will not be stingy… How about this, when we sign the contract, we can add an extra preferential purchase clause, allowing the Northern Trading Company to obtain the option to make an advance purchase offer when the next invention from our Alchemy Workshop is completed.”

“A preferential purchase clause?”

Stunned by this, Fress paused and then asked curiously.

“May I ask, Mr. Ezio, what is your workshop’s next alchemical invention…?”

“I am sorry, but I can’t tell you at the moment.”

With a slight smile, Fang Zheng responded to Fress’s inquiry.

“That’s a trade secret.”