Chapter 427: Everyone Gets What They Need
April 10th.
Bloodmoon City.
Light rain.
A gentle cold wind slowly swept through.
343 raised her hand, as if trying to feel its presence.
Her expression was complicated, as if she had new thoughts, gazing enviously at the people walking below. A trace of self-mockery flashed in her eyes.
Soon, 343's emotions faded away, and she turned calmly. Receiving a "Communication Spell" message, her lips curled into a slight smile:
"As expected, those guys would definitely get jealous!"
Her figure gradually disappeared and reappeared inside the mage tower. The City Lord Annie, who was enjoying a feast, quickly waved her over:
"Come here. What's the news from there? Are they really planning to make a move?"
Shaking her head slowly, 343 took out the collected information and read it aloud to City Lord Annie:
"A total of 16 caravans and nobles refused our request to purchase more supplies…"
"Most of them are suppliers of golem materials and components. It seems they've joined forces to hike up prices…"
Upon hearing this, a cold glint flashed in City Lord Annie's eyes as she gritted her teeth and said:
"Hmph, these people are getting greedier. It seems if we don't give them a harsh lesson, their appetite will only grow!"
"Golem parts and materials… let me think…"
"The quantities aren't large, and even if transported by teleportation, there's still a big profit margin. Why not skip them entirely?"
Taking a big bite of bread, City Lord Annie suddenly recalled Bay Territory's recent order for another set of large-scale teleportation arrays. She gleefully added:
"Bay Territory is our biggest client; we must meet their production needs at all costs!"
343 was unsurprised by this arrangement.
Anyone threatening the City Lord's revenue stream would be treated as an enemy.
A flurry of data flashed in 343's red eyes as she thoughtfully remarked:
"Instead of letting them make the money, why don't we just buy out their assets? It would only take four months to recover the costs…"
City Lord Annie's eyes sparkled as she licked the sweet sauce off her lips while continuing to eat.
Just as she was about to agree, a new idea struck her.
She turned to 343 with excitement and suggested:
"What if we partnered with Bay Territory to co-produce various golems? Wouldn't that be more profitable?"
This idea was typical of the City Lord—averse to trouble and eager to keep all the benefits in her grasp.
It was precisely this mindset that led to City Lord Annie's frequent bursts of creativity.
While most of these ideas lacked feasibility, some intrigued 343.
For this particular idea, 343 quickly ran calculations on the relevant data.
"To acquire everything outright, we'd need to spend 8.72 million gold coins, which we don't currently have."
"Furthermore, thanks to Bay Territory's recent moves, those parties are likely trying to bypass us and deal directly with Bay Territory…"
City Lord Annie grasped 343's implication. If they saw potential for profit, those suppliers wouldn't give up easily.
However, for City Lord Annie, as long as the plan seemed viable, she cared little about the rest.
Having recently ascended as a high-level Arcanist, she had both the confidence and clout to back her actions.
"Hmph, send a message to the other members of the Truth Organization. Let's remind those people to behave and deliver the goods without forcing my hand!"
Annie's unmasked threat brought memories of her bold and decisive days flooding back to 343.
343 believed that some fools would inevitably defy orders and fall into City Lord Annie's hands.
Their outcomes were bound to be…"grim."
With Annie's power and the Truth Organization's vast influence, opposing them was futile.
What truly puzzled 343 was City Lord Annie's particular interest in Bay Territory.
Even major issues rarely swayed her focus from her experiments.
Yet now, she prioritized production tasks.
343 found it hard to believe this was merely about more gold coins.
As Annie finished her meal, 343 decisively asked:
"If you wish, City Lord, I can immediately contact Bay Territory to discuss potential collaboration on golem production…"
"Considering the different uses of various golems, we'd need to consult with Lord Matthew about the types he'd prefer to produce and sell…"
"Given Lord Matthew's character, he's likely open to cooperating with Bloodmoon City…"
Annie's eyes lit up, and she eagerly nodded, delegating the matter entirely to 343 while making other production arrangements.
Half an hour later.
Over lunch, Matthew curiously observed the polite 343, sensing something was amiss.
However, he chose not to question her and instead followed her lead in the conversation:
"Producing other types of golems might slightly reduce costs but would be time-consuming and less profitable…"
"To make products sell well, uniqueness is key. Let's focus on co-producing six-armed golems."
Hearing this, 343 nodded with a smile and tentatively asked:
"What kind of partnership would you suggest?"
Knowing Matthew's nature, 343 deliberately acted generous, letting him set the terms.
After all, she knew he wouldn't exploit Bloodmoon City or its leader.
Indeed, upon hearing their proposal, Matthew immediately recognized an excellent opportunity.
The number of six-armed golems sold wasn't the main issue.
It was the chance to leverage production capacity limitations to have City Lord Annie help build more elemental energy pools!
With this in mind, Matthew readily proposed:
"Since the City Lord values our partnership, Bay Territory won't disappoint her."
"Your side provides production lines and raw materials; we'll offer venues, energy, and manpower."
"We've recently trained 30 new spellcasters who can join the production, significantly boosting efficiency…"
Matthew skillfully steered the production to Bay Territory and generously suggested a 70-30 profit split.
Pleased, 343 praised Matthew's magnanimity while secretly pondering:
Why was Bay Territory so eager to expand production capacity?
Meanwhile, Matthew's mind entertained a different thought:
"Saving costs and increasing revenue…"
"Heh, money isn't the key. Production capacity is king."
"It's time to showcase the power of a super magic factory!"