Sword of Dawnbreaker - Chapter 217 - The Establishment of the Cecil Chamber of Commerce

Before today, Patrick had never thought that the packing unit of alchemy potions could be “boxes”.

How were alchemy potions packaged and sold? The average small merchants wouldn’t even think about this because all alchemy goods were products of Beyonder powers. The so-called magic articles that peddlers at the bottom rungs had in their carts were at the very most, a few pieces of iron sheets and dried sheepskin marked with runes —— the main function of such items was psychological comfort, and the slogan for them was “my grandmother said this was useful”. True alchemy potions were business that only middle- and upper-ranked merchants could afford to do.

And even for these middle- and upper-ranked businesses, the most they would be able to get for one deal or one stock up were a dozen bottles of alchemy potions. —— They would be bottled in exquisite crystal bottles with velvet and top-grade silk wadding padded around them before being packed one by one in an elaborate wooden box. One was about the same price as the most expensive red wine.

It was said there was once a mercenary expert known to all who was instructed to go exterminate a mutated beast that was endangering the borders. This mercenary expert relied on his brilliant skills and a dozen bottles of alchemy potions to forcefully torture an enemy three times stronger than him to death. In the end, when he turned back to glance at the potion bottles that he’d thrown on the ground after his victory, he died a sudden death then and there…

This story was naturally exaggerated in some parts; merchants used overly flamboyant packaging to hold the alchemy potions also for the sake of raising the prices of the potions to aristocrats who didn’t know the market and rookie mercenaries, but the value of alchemy potions was still evident. However, Gawain now got men to carry several big boxes in —— when the boxes were open, they were full of alchemy potions inside. Wood filings used to prevent breakage were stuffed around the neat small crystal bottles.

“Three layers per box, 233 bottles per layer. In this box are inferior potions to restore one’s magic power. In this box are healing mixtures, and the remaining few boxes contain rejuvenation potions.” Gawain pointed to those big boxes and presented them to Patrick. Then, he took out a sheet of paper. “Here are the specific prices and commission divisions. Have a look. The prices that I have tentatively fixed for the rejuvenation potions is 60 Cecil copper coins, or one Anzu silver coin, while it’s two silver coins for the magic potions. The price for the healing mixture is the same as that of the rejuvenation potions.”

Patrick took the price list a little confusedly. He blinked after hearing the numbers that Gawain stated, as if he hadn’t figured out, even after quite a while, what these prices had to do with the potions in front of him.

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Until half a minute later, he then asked hesitantly, “Duke… You… Are all these potions real?”

“Do you think I would be someone who sells fake medicine?” Gawain raised a brow. “Of course, these are real! It’s just that I have a special method to be able to produce potions at a very low cost-price.”

“Lord, of course, I’m not doubting your character!” Patrick immediately clarified nervously. Massive uncertainty had emerged in his heart. In all fairness, no one could remain calm in front of such low prices and the fact that Gawain could casually pull out a big heap of alchemy potions. This signified an unbelievable great wealth behind it. However, Patrick was a clever man; despite being very bold money-wise, he was very cautious when it involved his life. Thus, he did not inquire about any deeper secrets but analyzed these potions that Gawain brought out as an established fact. “Since you are really able to supply such a large number of potions… I actually have some ideas.”

Gawain nodded. “Go ahead. You are experienced in terms of business.”

Patrick said bluntly, “Lord, I hope you can add water to these rejuvenation potions.”

Once this comment was made, not just Gawain was stunned, even Amber beside him, who’d sneaked in to serve as the background, faltered. A moment later, this Miss Half-Elf examined Patrick with a look of admiration. “This… Sir, you are a talent…”

“Don’t add to the mess.” Gawain glared at Amber and then stared at Patrick’s eyes. “You should know that this suggestion isn’t how an honest merchant should act. You probably still have more to say.”

“Yes, Lord. Add water to the rejuvenation potions and rename them to ‘secondary remedy potions’ or ‘inferior remedy medicine’. The same can be done to the healing mixture. Rename it to ‘secondary healing potion’ or the like. If you feel that this does not conform with a Knight’s chivalry, it’s no big deal to make the prices cheaper. Lower the prices, and declare that the effects of these potions cannot compare to true alchemy potions. This won’t be lying then. To the injuries and illnesses that the majority of civilians encounter daily, even such inferior remedy medicines would be enough to save their lives. Even the most-watered alchemy potions would be better than the stinky ointments made using mud and rotten grass roots that they’ve bought from the village herbalists.”

Patrick carefully observed the change in Gawain’s expression, while the latter only nodded. “Keep going. I’m listening.”

“Recklessly selling alchemy potions like rejuvenation potions at an extremely low price would certainly impact the current market and the groups who profit from them. —— Of course, the ‘new chamber of commerce’ supported by you, the Duke, can make nothing of those small merchants and alchemists, but rats in the sewer can be disgusting even if they do not kill. Besides, to the civilians, it might not be a good thing to be able to get alchemy potions at a cheap price. At least, it wouldn’t be a good thing at the very beginning. Those people affected by the new chamber of commerce might not be able to do anything to you, but they can turn their hate to those ‘encroaching’ poor people. They can threaten those who want to buy the medicines, attack those who have bought, even sneak poison into the market, and then spread rumors. ——To the majority of the ignorant masses, they would not be able to distinguish who it was that had harmed them at all.”

At this point, Patrick lowered his head slightly and carefully added, “Lord, you are very powerful, but a courageous lion has to beware of poisonous insects too.”

Gawain had little change in his expression, but his gaze that looked towards Patrick was already slightly surprised. A few seconds later, he then nodded lightly. “You are right. In order to avoid such situations, we have to do some ‘disguising’.”

“Yes, a disguise that isn’t very clever. So long as you declare that all of them are of poor quality, or even byproducts of failed alchemy potions, the eyes watching them would be reduced by a good half. You can also sell actual rejuvenation potions and healing mixtures at the same time, but the prices would have to go higher —— they can still be cheaper than the prices of potions in the market, but don’t go to the extent of lowering them to tens of coins. This way, traditional merchants would be temporarily numbed. They would think that you’re only here to vie for some market share using low prices for the time being or that you’ve found a cheap producing area for medicinal herbs. And by the time they finally realize… they would already be powerless.”

“In this case, you’ve successfully built a trade route and also avoided attracting the gazes of those with bad intentions too early. And even for those civilians who’d bought watered-down potions, they would have also gotten effective potions at prices that they were able to handle. That is already much better than their usual mud and rotten grass roots. They will be deeply grateful for your kindness.”

Yet Gawain did not respond. Instead, he murmured spontaneously to himself, “For the poor, is even buying a bottle of good medication a sin…”

He recalled the eastern region famine in Year 476 of the Anzu calendar that he’d seen previously when he went through the history books; he recalled that calamity where bodies of the starved were everywhere. That year, a severe insect plague that affected numerous count territories resulted in a widespread food shortage. Several compassionate aristocrat organizations released rations for disaster relief. However, a good half of these grains went into the stomachs of Knights who supervised the matter, treasurers, village tyrants, and bandits. Even victims who had received food were almost unable to keep the life-saving food in their own hands. ——Finally, the one who solved this problem was a grain merchant who came forward. His solution was beyond everyone’s imagination:

Mix sand, wood filings, and even maggots into the grains.

Such grains could finally be safely distributed into the hands of the victims, and it was such grains that saved tens of thousands of people.

That grain merchant was known as “the benevolent miser.” In Year 477 of the Anzu calendar, he was hanged to death on the tallest tower of the Count Tamas territory in the eastern region. The charges were for “embezzlement of rations, poisoning residents”.

“I accept your suggestion.” After taking a deep breath, Gawain looked at Patrick’s eyes and said slowly, “But I hope you understand that this is temporary. If someone were to take this plan as his means of getting rich, then the Cecil territory’s laws will strike them down.”

Patrick stood up, placed a hand on his chest, and bowed forward to Gawain. “Just as I will faithfully handle every copper coin that Viscount Kant left behind, I will loyally carry out every one of your orders.”

Gawain smiled. “I also have one more thing to remind you about in advance. This new business organization that I established isn’t only for selling medicines. Although alchemy potions will be its main product in the beginning phase, the Cecil territory will have new products in the future. There are way more things that I want to sell.”

Patrick nodded. “That goes without saying. A chamber of commerce that a Duke personally set up is impossible to have only one kind of product.”

“You’ve probably understood the organization structure regarding this new business organization. I hope that you can first select sincere and astute people from the merchants who you are familiar with to be the agents at the primary level. They can build district sales locations by themselves. But the changes, prices, and procedures of shipping goods in and out have to follow my rules. People who cannot accept this should withdraw as early as possible. And at the higher level of regional agent and general manager… you will make preparations as the general manager, but I will also dispatch my clerks and liaisons for supervision and help at every management level. I hope you can understand.”

“Naturally —— you’ve provided all the funds and supply of goods. This organization naturally has to be within your control.”

Gawain stood up with a smile, holding the teacup in his hands. “Then let us toast to the establishment of the ‘Cecil Chamber of Commerce’. ——Mr. Patrick, do you mind replacing wine with tea?”

Patrick also stood up and picked up his teacup. He actually wanted to say that he didn’t care for replacing wine with tea at all. ——Right now, he minded anything that needed to be drunk into his stomach. But he still toughened his scalp and accepted the Duke’s invitation. He held up his teacup and said, “I… Burp…”

After the meeting ended, Patrick headed straight for the bathroom, while Gawain returned to his own room.

A blueprint was quietly spread out on his study desk.

There was a machine with a symmetrical structure that gave one a sense of the future. It had a rotating structure with blade plates as well as the circular magical equipment located around the blade plates. At the side of the blueprint, there was also an unfolded rune formation diagram with a note on top:

Revered feudal lord, I’ve completed the rune-formation design of the rotor-type Magic Powered Engine and found that its speed could be adjusted by increasing or decreasing the number of rune groups that are activated at the same time or by slightly changing the area of contact of the rune trigger. Please see back for related data.

—— Jenni Perot