'H-how…?!'
How possible was this? He had to be dreaming!
Aldred went to open even more sacs, and he was greeted with the same result every time.
His eyes had been trained from a very young age to detect the quality and quantity of items just from a glance.
As a result, he could accurately guess the Grade of Monster Cores without even using an appraising tool.
'They're authentic too!'
Aldred could spot fake products a mile away, but this… this was genuine!
He could even feel the Mana that pulsated within each Core.
'How does he have so many? This is just too—!'
"There's more where that came from." As soon as the words of the man echoed in Aldred's ears, his eyes bulged.
'WHAT?!"
"Here are fifty sacs of Grade 6 Monster Cores. You can confirm their authenticity for yourselves. Each sac contains a little over 300 pieces…"
The more the seller spoke, the more unreal it all sounded.
"That's over 16,000 pieces you have there. Feel free to count."
'Ridiculous!' Aldred would have had such thoughts if he wasn't currently staring at the proof.
'Who is this man?! He defies everything I've been taught… everything I've learned!'
Aldred felt as though all of his experience as an expert were nothing in the presence of the man before him.
'Did he do all of this intentionally? Is he messing with me? Did he…?!'
Aldred did not know for sure.
All he knew was that he had been wrong.
'He has value! More value than all of our present customers!'
On an individual level, this seller was far superior to their best client.
'He says he has even more? What kind of…? No, I should stop now!'
Aldred tried to recover from his shock and focus on the matter at hand.
He had to think about what was best for the business.
'It would be a major loss for us if he goes elsewhere with this much. Even if he sells to us, there's no guarantee he'll bring the next batch here…'
That had to be fixed!
'We need to have this man on our side. If we can have a monopoly on his goods, then…!'
Scarcity determines value.
If the market was flooded with these Grade 6 Monster Cores, it would be catastrophic!
'That's what makes this guy so dangerous. He's also a Spatial Magic User, which means he's a big deal.'
Aldred felt like a fool! He had fallen for the trap of judging a book by its cover.
If he had made a blunder early on, the company would have lost so much money.
And it wouldn't just stop there.
'For him to have so many Grade 6 Monster Cores, he must be a man of many means. He could be a powerful Adventurer for all I know.'
If that was the case, it would mean this guy had enough power to hunt down over 16,000 C-Tier Monsters.
The fact that he had access to more meant his limits were currently unknown.
'He's a Spatial Magic user, so transporting so many Monster Cores isn't a problem for him. In essence, if we can forge deep connections with this man…'
They could finally take their products to the next level!
'This is a bigger deal than the batch of Grade 6 Cores we got a few days earlier.'
That one felt like a miracle—so much so that they even gave the customer an Invisibility Necklace for free.
But this… this was just superb!
"H-how much…" Aldred found it hard to properly mouth the words, but he did so anyway.
"How much do you want?"
He gave a serious look at the masked customer and was prepared to hear an absurd price.
However…
"How much can you offer?"
… He was surprised by the reasonableness of the counteroffer.
'This is a good chance to forge good connections with him! If we grant him a good price, and he sells to us, we can draw him in and become his sole buyer.'
The KariBlanc Group dealt with the production and distribution of Enchanted Items and Luxury Products.
They had been running out of stock with the former—especially when it came to the high-end products—thanks to the scarcity of such high-quality Monster Cores.
With 16,000 of Grade 6 Monster Cores, not only would they be able to get back on track, but they could finally expand their business to the other places where their competitors had a monopoly.
This was a goldmine.
Aldred knew he couldn't let it go.
"H-how about… Six Gold Coins per piece?"
"What?"
"S-seven! I meant seven!"
He could instantly tell the dissatisfaction from the seller, so he quickly adjusted the price.
It was clear that he had all the bargaining power.
'With the authority I have, seven is the highest I can offer him. I doubt there's any other place that will cough up such an amount up front, but I can't take that chance…'
Even the last purchase of Grade 6 Monster Cores was priced at 4 Gold Coins.
This was honestly the best he could do.
"I see…" As the seller spoke, Aldred hoped his nervousness wasn't being displayed on his face.
He gulped down another round of saliva and awaited his answer.
"You want to be my sole buyer, don't you?"
"That's right! The KariBlanc Group would like to establish a long-standing connection with you, sir." Aldred spoke excitedly.
He was so glad that the masked seller understood.
"We have a lot of benefits for those we are in this kind of relationship with. Not only do you have massive discounts on any product you want to get—as high as 60 percent—but you also have first priority on the products we use your Monster Core to make."
Aldred went on and on about the benefits that he felt like a shady salesman.
But he didn't care!
He had to get this person on their side at all costs!
"I understand. Fair enough. I don't mind establishing such a relationship with you."
Aldred couldn't properly express how relieved he was to hear that.
He did his utmost best to hide his excitement.
'Yes! YES YES YES YES!!!'
"I just have one small favor to ask. Aside from the benefits, of course…"
The moment he heard that, Aldred felt a tight feeling clutching his chest.
'What favor? Will we be able to deliver…?!'
He gulped before proceeding to ask.
"O-of course! What favor would that be?"
"Hmm. A subordinate of mine came to sell a few Monster Cores a few days ago. Grade 6, naturally. It was just a sac…"
Aldred's eyes bulged the moment he realized what was going on.
'He was the one responsible for that too? Why? Could it be…?!'
Had he sent that one sac their way in order to test the waters? Just how many other establishments did he do this for?
"Apparently, it was sold to your establishment for 2 Gold Coins per piece."
'WHAT?!' Aldred could not believe it.
He was certain they bought those Monster Cores for 4 Gold Coins per piece.
"S-sir, I think—!"
The seller raised his hand to indicate he was not done talking.
"Let me finish."
Aldred gulped and nodded at his words.
'What is he about to say?!' Beads of sweat appeared on his face.
He could only brace himself for what was coming.
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Thanks for reading!
I love writing chapters like this! The exaggerated tension just makes me smile.
I hope you smiled at least once while reading…
