When doing business, alcohol is a very effective thing... Of course, this is the idea from Ira's previous world, but in this world, when nobles do business with each other, black tea is the only indispensable thing.
Even representatives who came to negotiate business on behalf of the nobility were no exception.
"..."
After taking a sip of his black tea, the envoy of Duke Novak looked at the impeccably polite vampire man before him, frowned slightly, and said, "Three gold coins, that price is a bit too high."
It is indeed very high, but... it is by no means a price that Novak cannot accept. With marketing and hype, it is easy to sell it for four or even three times the price.
But in any case, this posture needs to be shown. After all, although Grand Duke Novak is indeed rich, he is rich but not stupid. It would be best to acquire it at a lower price.
The vampire man in charge of the negotiations calmly sipped his tea, recalling what Lady Ira and Lady Senata had told him, and conveyed their meaning: "We can change the name of the perfume, but three gold coins are enough to express our sincerity."
Although there's room for negotiation, since the Demon King's territory expects twenty-five silver coins, it's always good to earn more.
Ira knew a certain amount about Grand Duke Novak and knew that he was someone who preferred to raise prices rather than save costs, because he did have some good methods.
Therefore, he was also very clear that what Grand Duke Novak cared about most was definitely not the price. Before sending the envoy, the content he absolutely, positively entrusted was something else entirely, it would definitely be...
"So, what have you decided to rename it to?"
The brand name.
...
They've taken the bait... They've taken the bait willingly.
"The 'bee' in 'bee' can be replaced with 'wind, flowers, snow, and moon' when you sell it."
"The latter sounds better and is a good name."
"I'm glad you're satisfied. This was named by Lord Ira himself."
"Oh? Lady Ira Elkaras? Then... did he design it himself?"
"..."
Here comes the crucial question: can the price be enough to sell three gold coins?
The male vampire realized this, and his mention of Ira's name was naturally at Ira's behest. Lady Ira had said, "Mention my name, and if the people sent by Grand Duke Novak are skilled enough, they should be able to recognize the business opportunity in it."
Now it seems that everything was within Lord Ira's prediction.
"If Grand Duke Novak is willing to purchase it for three Thorn Gold Coins, then..."
The male vampire said this, and then, seeing the smile on the face of the seemingly middle-aged negotiator sent by Duke Novak, he also smiled and extended his hand, saying, "It could also be Lady Ira's design."
"It was a pleasure working with you. Please give my regards to Lord Ira and I look forward to our next collaboration."
"It's a pleasure to cooperate with you. May His Excellency Novak have abundant wealth."
——————————
Grand Duke Novak's negotiator sat in the carriage, deep in thought, but... the carriage, which looked unremarkable from the outside, was actually quite luxurious inside.
Either Grand Duke Novak is indeed extremely wealthy and lives a low-key yet luxurious life, which is why he provides such carriages to his subordinates, or... the identity of this "negotiator" is actually not simple.
“Count Novak…the price can definitely be pushed down further.”
Hearing the words of the young servant beside him, the middle-aged man known as Earl Novak nodded and replied, "I know, but even my father wouldn't argue over a few silver coins anymore."
Although three thorny gold coins are equivalent to 36 silver coins, this is far less than the two violet gold coins (20 silver coins) he initially expected and the three violet gold coins (30 silver coins) offered by the monster.
The father that Count Novak mentioned... was Keller Novak, also known as Grand Duke Novak.
Unlike his elderly son, Count Novak [Buts Novak], who is now sitting in the carriage, Grand Duke Novak looks very young... just like Ira, who is already in her sixties.
Grand Duke Novak, who was in his fifties, looked only in his twenties.
In such a world, one cannot judge a person's age by their appearance... Only by sensing the strength of the other person's Mana can one make a more accurate judgment about their age.
The son looks forty years old, but the father looks twenty... This phenomenon is not common in the world. More often, it is either both very young or both very old.
This suggests that either Count Novak has no talent for cultivation—whether as a mage, warrior, or ranger, he has no talent for any power related to Mana—or he is extremely lazy and unwilling to cultivate his combat profession.
Without a doubt, this one is the former.
This was no secret in the duchy and the empire. When it was deduced that the son of Grand Duke Novak, Butz Novak, was a good-for-nothing with no talent for cultivation, the whole country was shocked.
After all, Grand Duke Novak had excellent cultivation talent, and even though his wife was not a powerful professional, the talent he inherited from his bloodline was enough to make young Novak stand out.
In other words, it is very likely that the biological father of Novak Jr. was not Grand Duke Novak.
Although the whole world was speculating about this, Grand Duke Novak himself did not care and still granted Novak the title of Earl and continued to raise him as his heir.
Even in a world that places great importance on inheritance.
"The monsters don't seem to recognize me, but I wonder if Ira realizes that it was me who came in person."
Count Novak… well, the forty-year-old Novak said, looking quite weathered as he pondered, then turned to his attendant and said, “Bee, Flower, Snow, and Moon, it must be Ira’s idea… even if it’s just for sincerity (profit), I have to agree to their price.”
As Novak said this, he leaned back in the carriage. He had clearly sensed that the vampire sitting at the negotiating table drinking red tea was not just a vampire, but an extension of the will of a terrifying being.
Even though that terrifying being had many secret collaborations with Grand Duke Novak, it didn't prevent the father and son from reaching a consensus on this point—Ira was a monster.
It possesses a terrifyingly far-sighted perspective that seems almost prophetic, an indifference to anything irrelevant, a ruthless wisdom that mercilessly crushes those who are not qualified to participate, and most importantly... a terrifying power belonging to Ira himself that transcends the name of "Consul".
"When will our Novak family produce an 'Ira'?"
Attendant: None of the three duchies have produced one, so our Novak family might have a slightly harder time.
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