Chapter 13: New Opponents
"What does this mean?"
Claire didn't understand it. Did it mean that people could get another bottle after drinking this bottle?
"If you buy a Cola and you find this phrase after opening the bottle cap, you can find a merchant to get a free bottle of Cola. It's as simple as the lottery. Of course, the cost of this free Cola is covered by us."
Reiner explained. This method could be said to be the most primitive viral marketing case. He still remembered how envious he was when he saw someone get a free bottle when he was a child, and how happy he was when he got another free bottle. He believed that this method would also work in this world.
Word of mouth from the masses was the best advertisement. This novel marketing method was unprecedented in the world. At least in the early stage of sales, Reiner could rely on this to make good publicity.
Hearing what Reiner said, Antoine was stunned, and then fell into deep shock.
In this era, manufacturers were misers, they would never give profits to distributors or consumers, let alone paid promotion. Reiner's plan completely broke the common practice.
"Not all Cola can get a chance to get another bottle. Only about 5 to 10% of Cola will have this phrase printed on it. In other words, our profit is estimated to be reduced by 10%. But it is still at an acceptable level."
The production cost of Cola was very low. According to the conventional selling price, even if it was 50% of the profit, they would still be earning. Especially for a small alchemy workshop like Antoine's, the cost of the bottle was probably higher than that of Cola itself.
Reiner continued to explain to dispel Antoine's doubts.
"The text on the bottle cap can be verified by anti-counterfeiting spells. The cost of spells applied to personal signatures is very cheap. As for those who did not win the prize, a sentence like 'Thank you for your patronage' will be written on the bottle cap. We can sell Cola and recycle the caps and bottles to minimize the cost."
His proposal was undoubtedly quite attractive, but Antoine was still hesitating.
At this moment, someone knocked on the door of the alchemy workshop.
The knock on the door was rough and hurried, it made people feel very annoyed. In an instant, the expression on Antoine's face changed, becoming the indifferent and stern look that he had shown at the beginning.
"Excuse me for a minute."
Antoine said, picking up a stick from the corner, and slowly opening the door.
"Antoine, I'm telling you again, Master Piram made this offer on the grounds that he was your classmate. Don't be so ungrateful."
Looking over Antoine's shoulders, Reiner saw that the other party was a tall and thin man, wearing the kind of flamboyant dress that would only invite disdain from the people of the upper-class. Wearing single-sided glasses and a top hat, he said to Antoine with an aggressive manner.
Behind the man, there were a few burly men with the appearance of thugs, who clearly didn't have any good intentions.
"Then I will say it again, I will not sell this alchemy workshop."
Antoine also responded angrily, raising the stick in his hand, causing the man to retreat half a step, and the bodyguard behind him to hesitate for a moment before moving forward slightly to protect the man.
"Think about it, this street is no longer that prosperous. Even if you stay here, you won't be able to make any money. It's much better to join Master Piram. With your skills, you can probably get a good position."
The man rubbed his hands while talking, trying to persuade Antoine. His sycophantic look made him look like a typical lackey.
"This person is Sanderson. He used to be a hooligan in the town. Later, he was recruited by Piram and became one of his men. As for Piram, if I remember it correctly, he is the owner of a big business association nearby. He also wanted to buy Luna Nova Magical Academy, but a certain someone was one step ahead of him."
Claire explained to Reiner in a low voice, of course, in the end, she didn't forget to mock this principal.
"It looks like you dislike that side more."
Reiner teased, making Claire glared at him.
Without further teasing Claire, Reiner walked to the door and said aloud.
"I'm sorry, my friend. Now Mr. Antoine is discussing cooperation matters with us, I think you should come again at another time."
Reiner's unexpected behavior brought the conversation to a halt, and Sanderson noticed him and Claire.
"Uh, a maid?"
When Sanderson saw Claire's dress, he didn't even recognize her for a while, but thought that Reiner was a great nobleman. Otherwise, why would he have a maid following him?
"I am the principal of Luna Nova Magical Academy, Reiner Ian Gray, and Mr. Antoine is our partner, please don't embarrass him anymore."
Reiner said. His righteous remarks made Sanderson hesitant a little. In addition, when hearing Reiner's name, it made this little hooligan even more panicked.
Looking at the entire continent, who didn't know the name of Ian Gray's family. This family has monopolized many industries and has to some extent become a symbol of this glorious era.
Moreover, Sanderson had indeed heard that the third son of Ian Gray's family was in Luna Nova Magical Academy. The temperament of the person in front of him was unique, it did not look like the person was faking it.
But what made Sanderson even more baffled was that what on earth did Antoine rely on to hook up with Ian Gray?
Sanderson's years of hooligan experience made him think very fast. He quickly recovered from the shock and turned into a lackey mode, and said.
"It is my great honor to meet the master of the Ian Gray family here. Master Piram has always been taken care of by the Ian Gray family. After hearing that you came to Luna Nova Magical Academy, he also sent you an invitation, hoping that you could be his distinguished guest."
Reiner thought for a while, it seemed that there was such a thing. But at the time, Reiner was very arrogant, and he didn't even bother to make friends with this kind of hillbilly, so he gave the man a cold shoulder.
"I'll talk about this later. I've decided to invest in Antoine's Alchemy workshop, so if there is any acquisition plan, I suggest that you look for someone else."
Hearing what Reiner said, Sanderson was stunned and spoke slightly puzzled.
"I'm not questioning your decision, but I think our Piram Alchemy workshop can provide better services. Why does master want to look for this kind of person."
Sanderson's words made Antoine fall in silence, and Claire looked at Reiner anxiously. After all, from the perspective of a businessman, Piram Alchemy workshop was far superior to Antoine in terms of equipment and distribution channels. To make more profit, it was naturally more reasonable to cooperate with the strong.
No one could say for sure that Rainer would not suddenly change his mind and want to cooperate with Piram Alchemy workshop.
"No, the Antoine Alchemy Workshop is very good. I think he is not inferior to the Piram Alchemy Workshop. In fact, I chose this one after investigating the seven alchemy workshops in the surrounding area."
Reiner's words surprised all three of them.
Antoine looked at the young principal, wondering why he trusted him.
Claire's eyes became wide open. Reiner's behavior was unexpected. She felt that she was unable to tell what this man was thinking at all.
There was an awkward smile on Sanderson's face. He knew that Reiner looked down on the Piram Alchemy workshop, but such straightforward words also made Sanderson not know how to continue the conversation, so he could only smile awkwardly.
"Hehe, Master Ian Gray is right, we won't interrupt your negotiation."