A few minutes later, a middle aged man wearing a monocle walked out.
“Welcome, esteemed lady. I did not expect such a capable caravan to visit. Please forgive our lack of hospitality.”
He warmly invited Xia Jin inside.
The knight commander and Ellie entered with her.
After walking along a path for a distance and passing through a garden, a luxurious Western style building appeared before them.
There was even a beautiful fountain in front of the building.
“It feels so wealthy,” Ellie whispered from the side, unable to help herself.
After following the man to a spacious office and sitting down, the person in charge smiled and spoke to Xia Jin. “While the Border Forest produces many things, acquiring them has always cost many lives in the past. This has resulted in very little being brought out. If you are willing to sell those two carriages of goods, I guarantee I will purchase them at a higher price than any other merchant guild.”
“That would be for the best. If you are willing to show your sincerity, sir, there is a possibility for even more trades in the future. Although my merchant guild is located far from here, we still have ways to obtain many resources. I imagine this would be a good deal for you as well, wouldn’t it?”
“Haha, naturally. However, I have one small request. I wonder if you would agree to it?” At this point, the middle aged man brought up his true objective.
“Please, speak.”
“I hope that in the future, all the goods you bring will be sold only to us, granting us exclusive distribution rights. We are willing to purchase each fruit for 8 silver coins and each flower for 1.6 silver coins.”
Xia Jin weighed the offer.
If the soldier’s information was correct, this price was actually only slightly lower than the retail price, which meant the merchant guild’s profit margin was not high.
However, the volume of this trade was truly massive. If the other party bought everything, they could still make a fortune even with a low margin.
Furthermore, if they offered too low a price and drove Xia Jin’s caravan into the hands of a competitor, it would be a disaster. The demand for items from the forest was simply too great; there would always be buyers.
“This price is acceptable. I only wonder how much volume you can handle in the future?”
“We can take as much as you have,” the man said with great confidence.
“If it is truly as you say, then our caravan does not mind cooperating exclusively with you. However, if the goods we supply exceed your guild’s purchasing limit, we will no longer be bound by this agreement.”
The man pondered for a moment before nodding. “Agreed.”
He clearly did not realize the gravity of the situation.
The negotiations could be described as very smooth. Afterward, Xia Jin signed a magic contract with him using her identity as the representative of the Rhodes Chamber of Commerce from Termi.
Once the agreement was reached, they quickly inspected the goods. According to the agreed price, the merchant guild paid a total of 6,800 gold coins.
She had to admit, they were exceptionally wealthy.
In her memories from her time as a princess, the entire kingdom’s annual tax revenue only amounted to about five million gold coins.
Yet a single branch of this merchant guild could conduct a transaction worth more than one thousandth of the annual tax revenue.
After the deal was finalized, the man specifically stayed behind to invite Xia Jin to dinner.
“The lord will be visiting as a guest today. I can introduce you to each other. Would you be interested?”
“Of course,” Xia Jin readily agreed.
It was indeed beneficial to know the city lord, as he was the one in charge of the taxes.
That evening, in the banquet hall.
A man in his thirties arrived at the scene with several people.
The person in charge immediately stepped forward to welcome him. “Welcome, City Lord. This lady is the young mistress of the Rhodes Chamber of Commerce. I have already told you about her.”
“Hello, Miss Xia Li, welcome to Duoye.”
The man smiled, placed his hand over his heart, and bowed slightly.
This was the etiquette practiced by people of status within the kingdom.
Xia Jin also lifted her skirt and returned the gesture with a curtsey.
Although she was personally unaccustomed to such feminine movements, thanks to the princess’s memories, she performed them without a hint of hesitation or embarrassment.
Of course, to prevent being suspected of belonging to the royal family, she deliberately altered some of the details in her movements.
“Is the lady also a noble? Your etiquette is very standard. I have seen the young ladies of the court before, and even their poise might not be as perfect as yours.”
These words both praised her nobility and admired her beauty.
Xia Jin gave a faint smile. “You overpraise me. I simply deal with nobles from various places often and had to learn a set of proper etiquette.”
“Please, take a seat.”
Everyone took their places.
The food was standard Western cuisine, which was quite similar to that of humans in the West on Earth.
Fortunately, it wasn't as terrible as the Middle Ages on Earth. In terms of diet, thanks to magical technology, the kingdom never lacked for food. Overall, it was a relatively prosperous country.
During the meal, Xia Jin noticed that the lord and the manager of the merchant guild were like old friends, chatting about casual topics.
They were also very interested in Xia Jin and her group.
Well, it was mainly because she was a beauty.
The attitudes of these two once made her suspect they might try something untoward.
Fortunately, that situation did not occur.
“From the perspective of just getting a free meal, this isn’t bad at all.”
With that thought crossing her mind, she put a piece of steak into her mouth.
The young man sitting to her front left kept swallowing his saliva as he watched her eat.
Xia Jin noticed that this fellow had been stealing glances at her from the very beginning.
Even a pig would know that this guy had a crush on her.
She simply shook her head inwardly at the situation.
Rate on N.U.
