Firstly, pricing it that low simply wouldn't give them enough profit to make it worthwhile, and it would also raise more than a few eyebrows if a much better dicine had suddenly flooded the market while being priced at just one-seventieth of the earlier option of using losuvil paste. That would start an even bigger scrutiny over what was already going to be a revolutionary dicine, so they simply couldn't risk it at the mont.
Secondly, for Tiranat to be able to make any profit at all, they needed a way to scale up the production by many orders of magnitude, but they simply weren't in a position to do that yet. As of now, Syrene had to do everything by her own hands without the use of any kind of chanical devices at all, and she simply couldn't produce more than a certain amount of this dicine like this. Right now, they didn't even have enough free labourers in the village for her to teach them to repeat the sa processes to increase the production. Even if they could sohow allot enough workers for that, they would also have to pay the wages of them, which would again increase the cost of production of the acelos dicine.
That ant, to be able to sell it to other towns and cities, they needed a way to chanize the production - or at least the simpler steps for now - while also being able to afford to allot enough workers to do it at a scale big enough to keep their prices low. While they would still need to pay a few workers to operate those machines - as well as having to pay the cost of making those machines to the craftsn who would make it - it would still be much lower than doing every single thing manually. That way, they should be able to keep the prices low enough to make it affordable to everyone. However, doing all that would take quite so ti, so they simply couldn't afford to sell the dicine that cheaply until then.
Thirdly, until they could produce the dicine in a large enough quantity, the small amounts of it which they could sell right now would simply be gobbled up by any nobles who heard of it, no matter what the prices they had to pay for it. That ant the common person simply wouldn't see this dicine until the market was basically flooded by it, which would take a long ti. That's why if he kept the prices low right now, at sothing like one silver per tablet or even lower, the rchant making the final sale to the nobles would simply price it as high as he could, like 10 or 20 silver, or maybe much higher, and the nobles would still be willing to pay it once they realized the benefits of it. In that case, only Tiranat would be the loser in the whole sche, while the rchants would be reaping huge profits and the nobles would begin hoarding this dicine for future use, since it would easily last a long ti, while the common person would never even see the dicine anyway.
That's why until they could scale up the production of acelos, and by a lot, it would be better to keep the major share of that profit to themselves, which would earn them the gold they needed to invest for producing this dicine cheaply in the future, instead of the rchants getting richer and richer.
He looked at Pydaso. "If the losuvil paste sells for 7 silver coins per use, then I would like to keep our prices at least sowhat comparable to that, so anyone who wants to buy a healing dicine would prefer our acelos tablets over the losuvil paste because of its much more potent benefits and its ability to last for a long ti."
Trying to hide the fact that for now they had access to the raw material for basically free in the eastern hills, he continued, "After taking into account the costs of the raw materials and the labourers' wages required in the production, I think we can sell it to you for... 20 silver coins per tablet. Your profits, as well as those of that Ulrigan trader could add up maybe another few silvers to the price, which would still keep the final sale price more or less comparable to the losuvil paste, but with its ability to be stored for very long, everyone who can afford it would prefer our dicine. That's why you have to make sure to explain clearly to the buyers that Acelos will be useful even after 4 to 6 months. Once we have better data... uh, numbers, of how long this dicine will last, you can promote its even higher shelf life which would make this dicine seem even more attractive."
"Uh... shelf life?" The rchant asked with confusion.
"It ans how long sothing perishable can be safely kept on... a shelf. Basically, it ans how long sothing is safe for use."
"Oh," Pydaso nodded. "Well, I think this is a reasonable price for now. If it was even higher, like 30 or 40 silver coins, only the rich nobles would be able to afford it, but this way even a commoner would prefer it over the losuvil paste in case he has so savings to buy it. Well, that's after the market gets enough of this dicine, anyway. In the beginning it is most likely going to be stocked up by the nobles as well as the rich rchants and landowners anyway, no matter what we try."
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"I realize that," Kivamus said. "We simply can't make enough of it right now to provide to the general public anyway, but hopefully in the future we will be able to make it in bulk, and we can also change the price accordingly at that ti."
"Well, that's a decision for later then..." Pydaso added with a smirk, "So is that all you have to sell this ti, or have you made so other revolutionary products?"
Kivamus laughed, rembering the crossbows and the seed drills, as well as the scorpion he planned to build in the future - not that he wanted to sell it to anyone else. "No comnts on that."
Pydaso looked stunned. "I was just joking... Have you really made other things like this?"
"Perhaps..." Kivamus chuckled. "but that's a conversation for the future."
The portly rchant shook his head in wonder. "I can't even describe how glad I am that I t you, milord. If things keep going like this... I might just have to beco a rchant who only travels to Tiranat to buy its wondrous products before selling it to other towns."
Kivamus laughed, hoping that day would co sooner.
Pydaso seed lost in thought for a mont, before he continued, "Well, for today, I'll gladly buy all the paper you have with you this ti. However, since you said that making more of that acelos dicine would take ti, I would like to put an advance order for a hundred tablets of it."
Duvas looked excited after hearing that, but the rchant interrupted, "Actually, make it 200 tablets. I simply can't say how big a market would be for this dicine at triple the prices of losuvil paste, but I think I should still be able to sell this much when including both Cinran and Ulriga as the markets. After that, we'll have to see how it goes."
"Of course," Kivamus nodded with a grin. "I think we should be able to produce that much dicine to sell to you in around a month. However, I have a favour to ask of you."
"What is it, milord?" Pydaso asked curiously. "Trading with you is always good business for , and I would like to maintain this mutually beneficial relationship between us. Just tell what you want. If it is in my power, I'll make sure to fulfil it."
Kivamus continued, "As I ntioned earlier, we have to pay the taxes to the Count right now, so I would like the paynt for the dicine and the paper in advance, if it is at all possible."
Pydaso stroked his beard for a mont. "Usually it wouldn't have been possible, but you seem to be in luck." He shrugged. "The price of that dicine will run in hundreds of gold, and I rarely carry that much gold with on the road. Too much risk of being looted, you know? However this ti I was planning to buy cheap iron ingots from Ulriga in bulk on my second trip, before taking it to sell to Cinran and so other places. That's why I'd brought more gold than usual from my ho this ti, so I think paying in advance should be fine. It's the least I can do for you."
"That's wonderful," Kivamus smiled. "Now Duvas will finalize the prices of everything we have sold and bought."
The majordomo began scribbling on the back side of a used parchnt, "We have 17 furs of good quality, and 41 of average quality with us. We also have just above 100 sheets of paper to sell, while we have to account for the prices of the adzee pelt and the acelos dicine you ordered in advance. On the other hand, we are buying two full wagonloads of iron ingots from you."
Kivamus tuned out their conversation while the rchant began listing out the prices he was willing to pay for everything. After a while, Duvas put down his quill, making Kivamus look at him in curiosity.
"That is acceptable with ," the majordomo announced to the rchant before looking at Kivamus. "We will be getting 82 gold for the adzee pelt, while all the other furs will give us a total of 96 gold. Individual sheets of paper aren't that costly, and we don't have a big stock of it, so Pydaso has agreed to buy all of what we have for 21 gold, while buying all the iron ingots will cost us 67 gold. That turns out to be a net total of 132 gold and a few silver coins that we will gain. Finally, the advance order for 200 tablets of the acelos dicine at a rate of 20 silver coins per tablet cos out to a total of 400 gold."
Pydaso nodded. "So that's a total of 532 gold that I have to pay. You want all of it in advance?"
"If you can manage it," Kivamus asked.
"It will leave short on coins to buy the iron ingots I wanted," the rchant mused, "but I can sell these in Ulriga first, and that's where I have to buy the ingots anyway, so I guess it will work out in the end." He smiled. "Although it's always a risk for a traveling rchant to sell things on credit, by now I know that you will stay true to your words and that I never need to doubt your honesty, so I'll give you the full amount by evening."
"That's wonderful," Kivamus nodded gratefully, knowing how much they needed that cash right now.
Pydaso added, "By the way, I know that you said that you don't have much stock of the dicine left, but can I still get a few small samples of it to take back with ? Even though I believe in your claims, I will still have to show so of it to the trader in Ulriga for him to accept that acelos really works."
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