Chapter 186 - 159: How to Sell Red Bull?
"Mr. Salumu, I’m very sorry, but Red Bull is just a little beverage our boss created for himself. It isn’t for sale at the moment." Mary politely declined the man’s request with a smile.
"No, Miss Mary, I think this beverage is excellent. It’s refreshing, effectively relieves physical fatigue, and boosts one’s spirits." Salumu continued to stress his fondness for Red Bull. This time, he needed to take even more Red Bull Powder back with him.
Vivian had met with him once before the merchant ship set sail, specifically asking him to purchase more Red Bull. She said the beverage was effective at combating mental fatigue and was beneficial for a Mage’s training.
But when Salumu proposed buying more Red Bull, he was flatly refused.
"I understand, but we really aren’t selling it right now." Mary shook her head again. Her boss, Shire, had previously instructed her to gift the man a small bag of Red Bull Powder to gauge his interest. If he returned wanting to buy more, she was to politely refuse at first, and then they would carefully plan a reasonable price.
"That’s a real shame. My family is also very fond of this drink," Mr. Salumu said after a moment’s thought. He then asked, "In that case, when I leave this time, could I trouble your boss to give me some more as a gift?"
Fearing she would refuse, he quickly added, "I can make a small concession on the price of the honey."
Mary looked at the middle-aged man across from her, who was holding up his thumb and index finger pinched together. She replied confidently, "I think my boss will agree. After all, this is the second time we’ve done business together."
"If your boss is worried about the price..." Salumu retracted his hand, brushing it against the Ruby Necklace on his chest. He recalled Vivian’s words. "If the terms are right, I can purchase a large quantity, as long as the price isn’t outrageous."
Hearing his subtle hint that they could set a high price for Red Bull, Mary’s heart leaped with joy. She had seen the little goblins cultivating Red Bull Mushrooms in the Fortress. It was a far cry from the bleak scene she’d witnessed upon her first arrival. Now, the 700-square-meter stone chamber was filled with dozens of fir logs, at least half of them covered in growing Red Bull Mushrooms. Shire had even told her that the cultivation was steadily improving and that the little goblins were incredibly diligent.
However, she kept her expression neutral, simply smiling as she replied, "I will pass that along to him. I’m sure my boss will give your proposal serious consideration."
"Alright. If possible, I’d hope to fill at least half a ship with Red Bull on my way back." Salumu nodded. He had achieved his objective. Now, he could only hope that this White Shell merchant guild would add a new product to its inventory: Red Bull.
Before he left, Vivian had given him a deposit slip for a large sum of Gold Coins. At the time, Salumu had told her, "You shouldn’t secretly spend your teacher’s money like this, it’s not right." But Vivian explained that this time, the High Tier Great Mage himself had transferred the large sum specifically for the purpose of buying Red Bull in bulk.
Unfortunately, after arriving, he had asked many merchants and Adventurers, but none of them had ever heard of Red Bull. That was why he had to come and ask Mary.
"I will pass on your message," Mary said with a nod. "As for the honey on your cargo ship, I will arrange for it to be transferred as soon as possible. The Healing Potions we agreed upon will also be ready for you soon."
"There’s no rush," Salumu said, waving his hand slowly. He had more important matters to attend to. "I’ll be staying in Yangjiao Town for a while longer. Just make sure the potions are prepared to the agreed-upon quality and quantity."
"Furthermore, if you decide to sell Red Bull, I’m prepared to offer a large sum of funds for its purchase." He looked at Mary across the counter, reiterating his intentions.
"So, you’re prepared to purchase the Red Bull with Gold Coins as a separate order," Mary said with a small smile. She had been worried he might want to substitute the Red Bull for the Healing Potions, so hearing him say he wanted to sign a completely new order made her even more overjoyed. "I will pass that along. You can leave your contact address, and I will notify you as soon as my boss has a response."
"Alright. I hope this works out." Salumu wrote his current address in Yangjiao Town in the guestbook she offered him.
"Oh, one more thing," Salumu asked after he finished writing, "are the Adventurers still very active these days?"
"They are," Mary said, glancing quickly at the book. "However, they’ve certainly quieted down since Count Valentine put the corpses of those Giant Spiders and Giant Bees on display. I’ve heard some of them have already left Yangjiao Town."
"I did hear about those terrifying creatures." Salumu tapped the counter lightly a few times. "It’s a shame I was still in Torch City at the time. I couldn’t witness it with my own eyes."
’When I left, Vivian mentioned her brother was still in the Nightmare Forest, which means he might still be an Adventurer. But the forest is too dangerous. Shire has only had some basic Swordsmanship training. If he and his team encountered those Giant Spiders or Giant Bees during a quest, it would most likely be a disaster. I absolutely must find him while I’m here in Yangjiao Town.’
’Now that Miss Mary says there are fewer Adventurers in the area, he should be easier to find. I’m sure I’ll be able to bring Shire back to Torch City to Vivian and her teacher soon.’
"Well then, I shall await your reply." Salumu nodded, gave the Drink Undying Alchemy Workshop another look, and then turned to leave.
...
"A bulk order for Red Bull?" Shire looked at the intelligence report in his hand. ’So, Mr. Salumu took the bait.’
’The amount of Red Bull we can sell right now is still small. Yun Xiya and her people are diligently cultivating the Red Bull Mushrooms every day. If we’re just selling it as a beverage, what should the price be?’
He stared at the blue mushrooms on the ceiling, his fingers drumming a steady rhythm on the desk.
’After we killed those two Chimeras, I led my men on a full patrol of the area. For a few days after that, I kept checking around the collapsed zone, but I never saw that Mage. I doubt they’d just abandon two of their pet "big cats" so easily. They’ll probably come back to the forest eventually.’
Shire let out a soft sigh. ’Killing those two Chimeras was a last resort. Normally, I’d want to fully understand the situation before figuring out the most reasonable approach, but we were attacked directly. If Evita’s arrow hadn’t stopped its lunge, I might have been seriously injured. If I run into that Mage again, a fight is unavoidable.’
He tapped the desk, recalling the battle with the Chimeras. ’The team’s coordination was pretty good last time. The Skeleton Warriors have solid combat strength, and the coordination between the goblins and Centaurs was decent too. Now we finally have a multi-race fighting force.’
’But there were still some problems during the fight. For example, our enemy detection is still lacking, which let the Chimera ambush us from the air. The formation’s reaction time is still too slow; the goblins didn’t get into position right away. The coordination between the different unit types needs more work.’
’We can fix those issues with more training.’ Shire smiled and hopped off his chair. Grabbing the intelligence report, he decided to check on the Centaurs’ situation before deciding how much Red Bull to sell and what to do about future cultivation.
A short while later, Shire arrived at the entrance to the Fortress. In the distance, several Centaurs were diligently clearing a plot of land. Using tools Shire had provided, they cleared away the grass and shrubs before turning over the topsoil. Along the edge of the field, tubers had already been planted in a few spots.
"How’s it going?" he asked, walking over to Evita with his hands clasped behind his back. She was in the middle of building a fence.
"Not bad." The Centaur maiden heard his voice and glanced back. Seeing it was Shire, she returned to her task.
These days, the Centaurs were assigned a massive amount of work. Their tasks ranged from felling trees and leveling land to building houses and deer pens, and that wasn’t all. They also had to make time for combat training, including archery and Charge practice. Every Centaur’s life was full, with an endless list of things to do each day.
"I hear it’s smoked fish for lunch," Shire said, walking over to help Evita by grabbing a few logs.
"They’ll be happy to hear that," Evita said, forcefully tightening a rope in her hands. She took the logs Shire offered her. "Thank you. My people must be consuming a lot of your provisions."
"To be honest, it is a lot. But..." Shire paused, looking at the Centaurs toiling in the distance. "I think it’s worth it. You are an industrious Race and very self-reliant. I believe that helping you is helping myself."
’In the future, these Centaurs will be excellent "neighbors." Not only can they help shield the goblins from attacks, but they can also provide other resources for my own people. More importantly, they’re a self-sufficient Race of the forest, completely unlike the Earth Goblins, whose entire way of life is based on constant raiding and slaughter.’
"I see even the young Centaurs are helping out. I think you all deserve a better life in the future." Shire smiled as he watched a few young Centaurs in the distance pulling weeds. He was already wondering if the Centaurs could produce some other kind of goods to sell.
’After all, I still have the White Shell merchant guild as an external trade channel.’
"Yes, everyone is full of hope for this place." Evita stopped her work and straightened up, gazing out at their surroundings. This large clearing in the woods was still expanding. They wouldn’t stop felling trees until it was large enough for their people to live on. By then, she hoped, everyone would have forgotten their past "suffering."
At that moment, in the distant woods, a bush began to rustle. RUSTLE, RUSTLE. A green head with three long scars across its face and only one ear poked out.