Chapter 128 Magic Refrigerator (Part 2)

While hand-pinch ice magic can also cool or freeze, the biggest problem is that the temperature reached is very random each time the magic is cast. For example, using a little more magic power to cast the same freezing spell can reach -30 degrees Celsius, while using a little less magic power can reach -3 degrees Celsius. The exact scale is difficult to accurately determine.

And if there is no constant temperature equipment, the frozen items will slowly heat up and melt. As we all know, thawed food cannot be frozen again once it has thawed.

This is because after freezing, the water inside the food will crystallize, expand, and destroy the original cell structure. After thawing, these damaged cells will release a large amount of water and protein. Not only will the taste of the food be greatly reduced, but it will also become a breeding ground for bacteria to multiply rapidly, and may even produce toxic substances, causing food poisoning.

The [Alchemical Constant Temperature Cooling Box] uses an alchemical device to continuously supply magic power to the ice magic element inside a sealed box that is insulated from the outside world, allowing it to circulate continuously inside the box, creating a cold environment with a stable temperature.

...and this temperature can even be adjusted accurately.

What's even more tempting is that because the temperature is constant, the magic power required to operate the cooling box is actually not high, and the magic hourglass that serves as the energy supply 'battery' can be recharged and used repeatedly - only two magic hourglasses need to be used alternately to ensure that the user can recharge leisurely without exhaustion.

Jiangyou wants to sell fruit beer in the main store next, so he needs to get an [Alchemical Constant Temperature Cooler] to store fruits, chill wine glasses and ice cubes - no customer likes warm beer, especially in the increasingly hot summer.

However, the main store needs refrigerators, and so do the branches.

Despite its high latitude, Huntington still experiences scorching summers. The temperature is only going to get higher. Even if you use fresh meat every day, you still need to refrigerate the meat you buy in the morning, otherwise it will spoil by the evening.

It’s just that, although the things are good, they are just too expensive!

Jiangyou tugged at the doctor's shirt and asked, "Is this the only place they sell it?"

"As far as I know, yes," Dr. Charles replied quietly. "This type of alchemical equipment is not common, and only his family has this technology. It's a craft passed down from their ancestors. It's a bit expensive, but the quality is indeed acceptable. The cooling box I bought before was purchased from his father twenty years ago, and it still works well."

"Oh?" Jiang You's eyes flickered. "Can I ask how much you paid for it?"

"Of course. I bought an older version of the cooling box, which cost me fifteen gold coins. It can only maintain a constant temperature, but it's completely sufficient to store corpses and prevent them from decaying..."

Jiang You was silent for a moment. She knew that Dr. Bird's Beak's reason for buying the freezer was definitely different from hers.

Once you have a clear idea in mind, it will be easier to talk about business.

"Can't it be any cheaper?" Jiang You looked up at Mel Ho Cielo. She extended her bony claws and wiped the surface of the cooling box. A thick layer of dust suddenly appeared on her finger bones. "Look, none of your cooling boxes can be sold. There's so much dust."

The alchemist's smile faltered. "No, how could I not sell them? I'm just too busy and haven't been cleaning up... Well, Dr. Charles, you're a long-time customer of ours. As far as I know, you've also bought several cooling boxes from my father over the years, haven't you?"

"Yeah, but the last time I bought one was twenty years ago." Doctor Charles leaned on his wooden silver-headed crow cane and smiled inscrutablely. "Oh, you haven't sold a single one in the past twenty years, have you?"

"Of course not!" Mel hastily denied. The young shopkeeper was clearly flustered. "Our business has indeed been a bit of a setback recently, but our reputation and quality have always been industry-leading. Everything we sell will last for centuries! If you're worried about stale merchandise, we can also remake it."

"But if we remake them, we'll have to buy materials at this year's higher prices, so it'll cost us more, right?" Takumi Yuu propped his jaw up with his index finger, like Watson discovering a blind spot. "Wait a minute, these cooling boxes are covered in so much dust, which means they're not recent products. Alchemical raw materials weren't this expensive a few years ago..."

She leaned closer to the young alchemist, her large, deep skull eye sockets gleaming with a faint green soul fire. "Raising the price and passing off old items as new is not the behavior of an honest businessman!"

Mel looked at her skull and couldn't help but shudder. "Ms. Skeleton, you misunderstood, you misunderstood. These cooling boxes are indeed not this year's products, but the rising material prices have increased our store's costs, so the prices of these backlogged goods have naturally risen... We are also open for business, we can't lose money!"

"In that case, I have a good suggestion," Jiang You said. "Look, I want to buy two cooling boxes. This would be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for your store, right? This thing is our inventory, and it's been sitting here like a treasure, taking up so much space, but we can't sell it at all... And who would spend twenty gold coins on this thing? Others might not even earn twenty gold coins in three to five years!"

Mel chuckled twice, but his slightly twitching expression showed that what Takumi Yu said hit the nail on the head.

"These two cooling boxes are now a literal burden to the store. Even glass bottles sell better than them. Goods that don't generate revenue and have no other use other than being displayed are no different from garbage," Jiang You said confidently. "Although I want to buy them, the current price of twenty gold coins is completely unacceptable to me! No, in my eyes, a cooling box is worth at most ten gold coins!"

"Hiss!" Mel gasped. "You're cutting the price in half with just one sentence. Isn't that too harsh?"

I have to be ruthless... Jiang You thought, I still need to save some money to open the shop, and I only have a budget of twenty gold coins... at most, twenty-three gold coins, I can't spend a nickel more!

"Two for twenty gold coins," Jiang You gritted his teeth. "You'll make a profit of the cost price, but it's better than not being able to sell any of them and having them sit in the store! The cash flow from these twenty gold coins will be enough to keep your store running for a while!"

"No, no." Mel shook his head like a rattle. "I'm losing too much money at this price. How about this? Let's each make a concession and get eighteen gold coins per unit."

"eleven!"

"Seventeen!"

"...Twelve!" Jiang You hesitated, "It can't be more."