Chapter 265: Chapter 49 Resource Developnt Rights
“You want a Fire Lizard Slave?” Vladimir raised an eyebrow, “Ordinary ones, or Fire Lizard Warriors?
If it’s the ordinary kind, I have a few here, I can give them to you if you want.”
“Oh?” Richard smiled upon hearing this, “Are you looking to clear so space in your pocket for those Fire Lizard Warriors?”
Not everyone had sothing like Secret Realm Fragnts as a personal storage space; most wizards, when capturing slaves, would store them in Slave Pockets.
Such pockets were modified Synthetic Beast Pockets capable of storing living creatures. And to clear a pocket ant to purge it of low-value slaves to make room for higher-ranked ones.
Vladimir sighed, “I’m nowhere as rich as you are; I still need to make money from selling slaves.”
“What kind of rich man am I?” Richard waved his hand dismissively, “Just scraping by on army rewards.”
Vladimir glanced at Richard and tapped his head with his pipe.
“Kid, you’re a representative of the Wizard Comrce; in the Red Sun World, you could simply acquire mining rights to any mine, and Magic Essence would flow into your pockets like water.”
Richard rembered upon Vladimir’s reminder; he was not a hired rcenary but a technical advisor for the Wizard Comrce, having joined the battlefield only due to a temporary conscription.
“Haha, I’d forgotten if you hadn’t ntioned it, Master.”
Richard smiled awkwardly and then steered the conversation toward the specialty produce of the Red Sun World.
With a hint of ingratiation, Richard asked, “Master, I lack experience; which of the Red Sun World’s minerals would you say sells the best?”
Resource developnt wasn’t a simple matter; resources varied by rarity, effect, and scope of application, and they were graded accordingly. A resource only needed to excel in one of these aspects to be valuable; if it excelled in two, major rchant guilds would fight over it.
As for those that excelled in all three: rare, widespread in application, and significantly effective.
Such resources would definitely not be available to the Wizard Comrce; they would be devoured solo by a Great Wizard.
Vladimir took a drag from his pipe, the corner of his mouth revealing a mischievous smile.
“Kid, the answer to your question is all about those dark, shiny Magic Stones.”
Richard’s expression didn’t change as he took out a pouch of Magic Essence from his pocket.
“An equivalent exchange, Master; please see if it’s enough.”
Vladimir chuckled and waved his hand, not accepting the pouch of Magic Stones Richard offered.
“No need for money, lest Jolod that old guy accuses of conning money from a kid. If you want to talk about resources, you need to ask more precisely. If it were soone else, asking like you’d be like handing out money for free.
There are plenty of things that sell, but just because they’re marketable for established Wizard Comrce doesn’t an they’re the sa for new ones like yours.”
Richard quickly grasped the underlying principle.
Established comrce guilds, due to their long history, had sufficient reputation, a steady custor base, and ample distribution channels. They were present in places like the Wizard Academy, the Tower of Truth, as well as various scattered Wizard Gatherings in the Wilderness.
As long as a resource wasn’t completely worthless, the old comrce guilds could surely sell it.
But the new ones couldn’t.
Lacking sufficient reputation and a stable custor base, with only limited distribution channels, they would inevitably encounter stockpile issues if their chosen resource wasn’t in broad demand.
Mismanage this, and a venture that should have made a fortune might even end up costing money.
“So, Master,” Richard asked with a smile, “considering our comrce guild’s situation, are there any mineral resources in the Red Sun World suitable for new comrce guilds like ours?”
Vladimir took a puff from his pipe and slowly began, “There are, but you’ll probably have to shed so blood to secure them.”
Richard felt a tremor in his heart upon these words.
Vladimir continued, “There’s a mineral in the Red Sun World called Red Sun Gold Pattern Stone. Once processed, it can be used as the main material for high-grade Alchemy Ink. The Enchantnt effects are excellent, no worse than any other company’s high-grade Alchemy Ink.”
Alchemy Ink was essential for any Alchemy Wizard. Whether crafting Magic Equipnt, writing Magic Scrolls and Magic Books, or drawing intricate Magic Arrays, they all required the aid of Alchemy Ink.
A good bottle of Alchemy Ink could even directly affect the final product’s effectiveness.
“But several comrce guilds have their eyes on this mineral. Although the ore isn’t particularly rare, it’s still too scarce in comparison to the appetites of these guilds. Moreover, your comrce guild is too weak, known for taking shortcuts, lacking any real competitive edge.
In a fair competition, you wouldn’t even get the scraps.”
Richard sighed helplessly, inquiring sowhat painfully, “How much blood do you think it’ll take, Master? I don’t have much Magic Essence on .”
“You don’t have to worry about that,” said Vladimir with a smile, “During war tis, the Wizard Comrce’s funds are tight; no one will demand imdiate paynt from you.
As per the norm, if you can strike a deal, you would need to hire them as consultants for your comrce guild, paying them a sum of Magic Essence every five or ten years. As for the duration, it depends on the negotiated price.”
Richard was slightly startled to hear this.
“Master, it sounds like such affairs are common, even standardized. Doesn’t the Great Wizard care?”
Vladimir narrowed his eyes, his smile turning cryptic.
“We little wizards are well aware of the ins and outs; the Great Wizard surely knows it all. But you must realize, those involved in resource developnt auditing are all the Great Wizard’s confidants. So long as it doesn’t violate principles, the Great Wizard turns a blind eye to this sort of thing.”
“These people sit in the command post and can’t make money on the battlefield, so it’s only reasonable that they want to earn a little extra on the side. Plus, they know their limits; as long as we win the war, the Great Wizard won’t let any investor lose out—that’s a principle.”
“If soone were to violate this principle, well… to be honest, I’ve yet to see such a fool.”
Upon hearing this, Richard could only sigh in his heart, realizing that wizards are humans too, and human flaws are just as present in wizards.
“Then I would like to ask the Master to introduce , and when I return to the Wizard World, I will make sure to express my profound gratitude.”
Vladimir waved his hand dismissively, “No need for profound gratitude. Just look after that stupid student of mine when I’m gone.”
Richard was taken aback by Vladimir’s words; it was then that he noticed the increasing scent of decay emanating from him.
He estimated that after this war ended, Vladimir’s life would reach its conclusion.
Richard earnestly said, “Master, rest assured, if my senior brother ever needs my help in the future, I will do my utmost to assist him.”
Vladimir just smiled without saying anything more and turned to beckon Richard back to the Floating City.
…
The Floating City was bustling with people coming and going. Following Vladimir’s twists and turns through the city, they eventually arrived at a bar-like establishnt underground in the Floating City.
In the bar, several creatures that looked like octopuses were mixing drinks. In front of them, a few wizards clad in white robes were chatting leisurely.
“Villefort, have you seen the resource application from the Jiuyao Chamber of Comrce? It’s hilarious,” one comnted.
The addressed White Wizard downed his drink and casually replied, “Yes, I’ve seen it. They sure are bold to ask—for Red Sun Crystal Iron Ore, they even want exclusive rights. If we gave it all to them, Chalake, Volga, and a few other chambers would be up in arms.”
“Exactly. So I rejected it. Their person in charge really needs to cast an Awakening Technique on their brain before writing applications…hmm?”
The White Wizard squinted at the two wizards approaching him and said uncertainly, “Master Vladimir? Am I drunk?”
Imdiately, a wave of Magic Fluctuation emanated from the wizard, and a strong sll of alcohol wafted off him.
“Gano, it’s ; no need to sober up in a hurry,” Vladimir said.
“Sigh, Master, you’re too late. I’m already sober.”
After sobering up, the White Wizard’s deanor changed in an instant, transforming from a tipsy coworker sharing amusing tales of the workplace to a serious and no-nonsense corporate professional.
Gano quickly assessed Richard, who stood next to Vladimir.
“Isn’t that Gregory? Master, have you taken on a new student?”
Vladimir sat down beside Gano and responded:
“No, this is a friend’s student. He’s co to talk about so ‘serious business’ with you.”
As soon as Gano heard Vladimir ntion serious business, he instantly caught on.
He stood up and extended his right hand to Richard, “My friend looks sowhat unfamiliar; you must be Advisor Richard.”
Richard shook hands and nodded, saying, “Indeed, I am. The Master certainly has an impressive intellect.”
Gano laughed, “It’s not really about impressive intellect; it’s just that my position allows to deal with Chamber folk often. You look like a new face who has co to discuss serious matters. In the entire Floating City, you’re the only Advisor Richard I haven’t t yet who fits the bill.”
With that, the two released each other’s hands.
Vladimir introduced Gano, “This is Master Gano, the youngest student of the Academy’s headmaster. Don’t let his age of just over two thousand years fool you; his strength has already reached that of a Three Rings Wizard.”
“Ah, Master, such things are not worth ntioning; after all, we’re not natives, and early promotion isn’t necessarily a good thing.”
Although he said this, anyone could see a hint of pride on Gano’s face.
Advancent for wizards requires vast resources and sufficient spiritual cultivation—neither of which is a simple matter.
Even though Gano was a student of Great Wizard Qing Shuang, when it ca to resources, a Great Wizard would only ensure that his students had the opportunity to obtain them; whether they could actually succeed depended on their own abilities.
In the current Wizard World, no wizard would nurture hothouse flowers.
After so casual conversation, Vladimir got down to business.
“Gano, the shares of Red Sun Gold Pattern Stone haven’t been completely allocated yet, have they?”
Upon hearing this, Gano pulled out a Magic Book from his pocket, flipped through it for a mont, and then looked up:
“No, there’s still so left. Are you, Advisor Richard, looking for a share as well?”
Richard’s face showed a trace of helplessness: “As the Master knows through dealing with the Chamber, us new chambers are in a tight spot. Developing niche items is just losing money for us.”
Gano nodded in agreent, “Indeed, new chambers certainly face many inconveniences. But…” Gano changed his tone, “while there are shares for Red Sun Gold Pattern Stone, the sites of these mines are very deep and require a considerable number of slaves and Alchemy Machines for assistance.
Forgive my frankness, but these conditions are sowhat too difficult for a new chamber.”
Upon hearing this, Richard looked at Vladimir, whose brow furrowed slightly before he nodded again.
Gano was not being difficult; the situation was indeed as he described.
The remaining veins of Red Sun Gold Pattern Stone, in actuality, presented significant challenges for a new chamber to mine.
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