Weekly chapters (1/2)
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Translator: Raizu
Editor: Shirayuki
Chapter 55 – Margott House of Commerce part 2
[This time around, I came to do business.]
Ignoring Giovanni"s sharp gaze, Ares took out a small wooden box from within the small bag he carried along.
[This is still a prototype. The one we will sell to the people would be a miniaturized version of this.]
Ares opened the small box as he said so. Cold air immediately wafted out of the box.
[This is the cooling box. It"s been put to good use in Schwarzer territory. It"s originally made for commoners……or otherwise restaurants, to store food and drinks. I want to spread this item in the capital…..and eventually sell it in a large scale.]
Giovanni and Lorenzo looked at each other.
[Can we take a closer look?]
[Sure.]
Lorenzo slowly picked up the box.
[This…..how does it work?]
[It uses an ice element magic stone. Right now it"s still in trial production. I will work together with Rozenburg clan to research on how to improve it. It"ll be completed in a few years time…give or take.]
[Is it difficult to ma.s.s produce at the current stage?]
[It"s difficult indeed. The price will only rise because of that. I for one, want to find a way to improve it so that even commoners can obtain it…]
Ares explained with a fresh smile.
Lorenzo held the box with both hands, looking at it from various angles.
Giovanni quietly took the blueprint and studied its content.
[I"m thinking about selling this through your company, how is your opinion about that?]
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Lorenzo and GIovanni took turns to examine the box and exchanged some words in between. Ares did not break his smile as he watched the scene unfold before him.
Then Giovanni who had remained silent up until now said.
[Amazing. This is really a great deal.]
Lorenzo also chimed in
[The food industry will surely change once this enter the market. Frightening invention.]
Then he added,
[We would like to help fund the research to improve this product. Any amount will be of no problem.]
[However…]
At that time, Giovanni suddenly cut in.
[We can leave the matter of research to other people, and I can understand that. But, the distribution will be our job. So I"d like to negotiate the share of profit in advance.]
[Ee, of course. It"ll make no sense if your side doesn"t get anything from selling it.]
Lorenzo nodded in agreement.
[Since the development will be a joint work, how about fifty-fifty share of profit?]
[Impossible. Using our sales channel, with such a low profit, it"ll be difficult to keep the item price low.]
Giovanni stared sharply at Ares
[Then, can you work together with another company to spread this?]
[No, we can"t do that. It"ll only turn that other company into our enemy, and without profit, any company will surely decline.]
[…….in that case, should we refrain from selling it for now?]
[Without the help of Schwarzer territory, can we develop it on our own?]
[I think it"ll be impossible. You won"t understand the underlying method to produce it. Even if you do, the development and the improvement itself will most likely take more than 10 years.]
The negotiation continues on.
When both sides finally went silent, Giovanni said decisively.
[What if we forcefully seize the box and the blueprint? Do you have the power to defend it from us?]
Hearing that, Ares" eyes turned sharp as he also changed his att.i.tude.
[It won"t matter to me even if you try. But know that you"re as good as dead already if that really come to pa.s.s. Do you honestly think that a mere a.s.sa.s.sin can kill me?]
At that moment, the room was filled with thick killing intent. Lorenzo turned pale, and GIovanni was sweating profusely despite that there was no change in his expression.
[It"s a misunderstanding. Stay calm.]
It was such a dense killing intent that they never felt before.
As if the air inside the room had vanished all of a sudden.
[It was just a joke. Young lord. If it"s okay, would you please reduce the pressure?]
Lorenzo, somehow managed to find his voice back, quickly said that.
Ares recalled his killing intent soon afterward.
[……fuu. Pardon me.]
When he said that, smile returned to his face. At that very moment, the stagnant air also returned to normal.
[Then…let"s continue.]
Ares turned to Giovanni.
[The share will be 7 to 3. Of course, the 3 will be my share. But there are some conditions.]
[What are those?]
[There are three. One, you must not break off the joint venture in the future. Two, the development funding should be as flexible as possible…..and three, tell me all the『information』you have concerning the capital. That"s all.]
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After Nina took Ares outside, both Giovanni and Lorenzo finally relaxed their posture and breathe out in relief.
[He hasn"t changed one bit…that boy.]
Giovanni had met many deadly adversaries during his career to raise his company. But this boy"s killing intent was actually enough to scare him.
[Father…..that was nerve-wracking. Like stepping on a tiger"s tail….]
Lorenzo sighed.
Naturally, they"re aware of Ares" capability. No regular a.s.sa.s.sin is capable of killing him. And yet Giovanni still dared to spout that threat.
[No matter how much money we have, once that boy becomes serious, it"ll be no hard task for him to crush us.]
He said that with a bitter smile.
[Then why…..?]
[He was never after the share profit in the first place. What he really wants from Margott House of Commerce…is the information regarding the capital and for us to be his ally.]
Giovanni then added.
[Becoming an ally and even sharing profit, it"s all good…..I give him that. But if that boy has no way to threaten others, his belief won"t go far in this wide world.]
That said, Giovanni laughed happily.
[Lorenzo. Let"s start planning things out.]
[Nina…she should be able to overhear our talk from the side room, isn"t she? She"s a half-beastkin, yet a member of high ranked aristocrat like him is willing to befriend her? Perhaps his clan is the few places where she can be safe…]
Giovanni told Lorenzo with a slight bitter look.
[That boy is one of a kind. Bonding with him will only bring fortune to Margott. Apparently Nina also realized this. If a child is born between him and Nina, then the future of Margott House of Commerce will be settled in stone.]
Giovanni laughed as he said so.
[We, the Margotts, will join Archduke Schwarzer…no, that boy Ares Schwarzer. This is the right path we have to take. We must not give up on him. Bet all of our property in him if we must.]
[Haa….]
Lorenzo had a wry face after seeing Giovanni showed an amused smile that he rarely saw before.