LIGHTNOVELONLINE Chapter 88: How Can This Business Not Make Money?
Charlotte watched Agatha's figure as she walked away, shaking her head with a smile. This was probably the power of knowledge.
Back in his room, he instinctively took out the black stone and glanced at it. There was a new message from a merchant.
[Merchant: Miracle, I heard from the hermit that you have developed a potion that can cure addiction to magic drugs. Is it true?]
Charlotte's eyes lit up. It seemed that the hermit had already contacted the merchant.
[Miracle: Yes, it's true. The Anti-Magic Drug Elixir not only cures addiction but also creates a strong aversion to magic drugs.] Charlotte's fingers tapped lightly.
[Merchant: That's an incredible treasure! The hermit has already informed me of your intentions. However, I have a passion for making money, and charity is not my strong suit. I never engage in business that doesn't make money.]
A kindred spirit! If this person were in front of Charlotte, he would definitely have a drink with him.
However, the merchant's statement put him in a bit of a dilemma.
[Merchant: I understand what you mean. You want even the lower-class magic drug addicts to have access to the Anti-Magic Drug Elixir, effectively eliminating the market for magic drugs. Before discussing how to proceed, let me ask directly, what is the cost of this potion per bottle?]
[Miracle: Currently, my production cost is 4 copper coins per bottle.]
[Merchant: Holy shit!]
[Merchant: Brother, you managed to create a potion to cure magic drug addiction for just 4 copper coins? If the drug dealers hear about this, they will vomit blood and die.]
[Merchant: With your terrifying cost control, I'll stop here for today. Let's cooperate on this deal, and I guarantee that every person on the Isor Continent who needs the Anti-Magic Drug Elixir will be able to afford it. You will also be able to repay the 3,000 gold coins owed to the Adjudicator and make an additional profit of 3,000 gold coins.]
Charlotte was stunned as he read the message. After carefully re-reading it, he confirmed that the merchant was indeed referring to 3,000 gold coins and not copper coins, causing him to take a sharp breath.
How much was that?
That was 30 million copper coins!
[Miracle: As I said before, I'm not familiar with the Adjudicator, so why should I inherit his debt?]
If he defaulted on the 30 million copper coins owed to the Adjudicator, it would become 60 million.
[Miracle: Besides, how can you make so much money by selling at such low prices?]
[Merchant: You inherited the Adjudicator's black stone, and he even recommended you to join the organization. According to the rules, you are responsible for inheriting his debts.]
[Merchant: As for making money, it's simple. There are many magic drug users from all races, and we will harvest them one wave at a time.
For the top-tier nobles, a potion that can help their children quit magic drugs and ensure they won't relapse, is 500,000 copper coins per bottle too expensive?
For wealthy landlords, is 100,000 copper coins per bottle too expensive?
For the middle-class families running shops in the city, is 10,000 copper coins to kill a Gold Swallower beast too much to ask?
For the commoners who still have some savings at home, is 1,000 copper coins too expensive?
For those who are on the verge of begging on the streets, but can live a normal life once they quit magic drugs, will they not take out the last 100 copper coins in their pockets to buy a bottle?
For those beggars lying on the streets, would they mind 10 copper coins less in their bowls?
And finally, for those who have nothing and lie on the streets, we can give them a bottle for free. How many people will be left?
In the initial stages, the production volume may not be sufficient, so we'll make money by selling at high prices to increase production. This is the basic cycle.
Tell me, how can this business not make money?]
Charlotte looked at the black stone and fell into silence.
He had the phrase "Boss is awesome" right at his fingertips, but he held it back.
Was this the mindset of a business titan?
If he sold the potion using this method, Charlotte felt that 60 million might be too conservative.
Of course, it could also be due to the profit-sharing ratio proposed by the merchant.
In order to promote the potion worldwide and make money from it, Charlotte pondered for a moment and voiced his doubts about this seemingly foolproof business plan.
[Miracle: What about the wealthy people who are willing to pay a high price? Won't they cause trouble?]
Wasn't that treating the rich as fools?
[Merchant: If I can't handle even such a small matter, can I call myself a merchant? We will openly price the medicine, and it will be a mutual agreement. Anyone who dares to cause trouble, I will deal with them, guaranteed. And you just need to hand over the recipe to me, you don't have to worry about anything else, just wait for your share of the money.]
Charlotte thought about it and realized that the Pursuers and the Hermit both highly regarded the merchant's capabilities, indicating his influence and power.
If he dared to play this way, he must have his own confidence.
Moreover, in the entire plan, what did Charlotte contribute besides providing the recipe? Nothing.
The terrifying network of the merchant could sell the Anti-Magic Drug Elixir to every corner of the Isor Continent.
[Miracle: Let's discuss the specific details of the cooperation and profit sharing.]
[Merchant: Regarding the cooperation, the Hermit will act as an intermediary, and we are all members of the Red Moon, so you don't have to worry about me cheating you out of your money. I will take care of establishing the potion factory, promoting and selling the potion, and managing the relationships. You just need to hand over the recipe to me. After deducting all the costs, we split the net profit with a 20-80 ratio, with you getting 20% and me getting 80%. I will settle the dividends with you every three months. How does that sound?]
At first glance, the 20-80 profit split seemed unfavorable.
But when Charlotte thought about what he actually contributed in this cooperation—just a recipe—it became clear that the merchant's tremendous channel capabilities could sell the Anti-Magic Drug Elixir to every corner of the Isor Continent.
[Miracle: Pleasant cooperation.]
The regional overlords like the Harriman Family and the Duru Family clearly didn't possess such capabilities.
If they were to develop the market, it would take an indefinite amount of time.
[Merchant: Before I expand my channels, I need to test your potion to ensure its effectiveness. Wealthy people don't mind spending more money, but if there are issues with the medicine, it could be troublesome.]
Charlotte opened the chat interface and quickly sent a message to the Hermit:
[Miracle: Hermit, the merchant and I have discussed the cooperation details of the Anti-Magic Drug Elixir. He now wants me to send him the recipe. Can I trust him?]
[Hermit: Rest assured, the merchant values both profit and trust. Moreover, the Adjudicator saved his life back then, so he won't plot against you for this amount of money.]
[Miracle: Alright.]
This guy was asking for 30 million copper coins even though the Adjudicator saved his life.
But the Hermit's words made Charlotte completely at ease.
So, this money was just small change in the eyes of the big shots.
Charlotte switched back to the chat interface with the merchant.
[Miracle: I can send you the recipe and detailed brewing process.]
Charlotte took out his notebook from the box and copied the recipe once again, sending it to the merchant.
[Merchant: I will contact you again once the test results are out.]
Charlotte closed the black stone and put it back in the box along with the notebook.
He wasn't worried about anyone trying to read his notebook.
Although he inherited the habit of writing a diary from the original owner, he wrote it in Chinese characters that no one in this world could recognize.
You see, the benefits of learning a foreign language are now being demonstrated here.