Chapter 119: Four Kinds of Wine
“I will adopt the same price. But unlike the Wisteria Store, their connections cannot compare to ours. Who are we? We are of the six great merchant alliances, what is his Wisteria Merchant Alliance to us?” The Secret Medicine branch manager stated.
“I understand what you mean.” The Flint Branch manager immediately understood and expressed his active cooperation.
Since the six great merchant alliances were all the top dogs in the Sheng Ming Empire, and also because their business areas did not conflict, this was not the first or second time these two had worked together.
“Do we need to unite the other merchant alliances?” The Flint branch manager asked.
“No need. With our combined efforts, why are we afraid of dealing with a minor Wisteria Store?” The Secret Medicine branch manager declined.
The Flint branch manager loftily shrugged his shoulders and approved of the other’s decision.
The Secret Branch manager’s plan was very simple, there were other ways of attacking the market besides slandering the other party’s potion or cutting the price.
Wouldn’t a more direct method be to stop buyers from using the Sweet Blood Potion?
In light of the six great merchant alliances’ influence and strength, achieving this on Two Eyes Island was not difficult.
The most important target was the city guard.
Currently, the Sweet Blood Potion’s biggest consumer was Feudal Lord Hun Tong’s troops. With One Eye heading the patrol fleet, they were the ones who fought the hardest to hold back the beast tide.
The Secret Medicine branch manager found the military supply official himself.
He proceeded to bribe them with a large sum.
The military supply official also saw the Secret Medicine branch’s magic potion sample and found that it indeed had a nearly identical effect.
The Secret Medicine branch manager quickly accomplished his first objective.
He and the Flint branch manager then acted together.
The second objective had three targets, Two Eyes Island’s three mercenary corps.
Besides the city guard, these three were the biggest users of the Sweet Blood Potion.
Compared to the city guard, dealing with the mercenary corps was even easier.
First the easy, then the hard.
The Secret Medicine and Flint branch managers found Commander Tie Bang and Beng Dai and discussed the matter of the magic potion with them.
Beng Dai and Tei Bang of course had collaborated with the island’s merchant alliances many times.
In fact, of the missions in the island’s Mercenary Guild branch, the five great merchant alliances’ mission rewards were the most generous.
In normal times, the two mercenary corps also emphasized protecting their relationship with the merchant alliances. The five great merchant alliances had an intense employment demand, and the mercenary corps were their big long term clients.
The negotiations went very smoothly.
The Bandage and Iron Club Mercenary Corps quickly agreed to change their potions and no longer use the Sweet Blood Potion.
The two managers also asked if the two commanders could join them to discuss this with the Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps.
Commander Beng Dai’s tone was somewhat complex, “The one most in the limelight on Two Eyes Island is the Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps. Speaking of which, when I conversed with Commander Long Fu for the first time, I knew that dragonman was quite remarkable!”
Commander Tie Bang also agreed, “That mercenary corps’ intelligence gathering abilities is very strong, that is why during the beast tide’s early stage, they were like a fish in water. It seems they were also the first to use large quantities of Sweet Blood Potion. I fear that their usage amount of the Sweet Blood Potion exceeds both of ours combined.”
The two managers got the hidden meaning in the two commanders’ words.
It wouldn’t be simple to reach a deal with the Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps.
After all, the Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps was a newcomer.
The two branch managers knew the Iron Club and Bandage Mercenary Corps inside and out, however, they didn’t have such a clear understanding of the Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps.
Although they knew a lot about them, such as the fact that Long Fu and Shi Qi were the Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps’ strongest people, the corps had two fire path magicians, one iron and one bronze, this information was just about surface level things.
The two branch managers especially cared about one thing, that the Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps’ original identity should be arms smugglers.
Concerning this public image, the survivors had begun to craft it on Snake Rat Island.
When they arrived at Two Eyes Island, they were no longer groundless accusations, instead they became the tacit consensus others had of them.
As far as that kind of identity was concerned, Hun Tong had some misgivings about it, while the two branch managers were even more fearful of it.
When dealing with arms smugglers, the two branch managers had to be gentler, they couldn’t be too tough.
Anyways, from the beginning, they never planned on being tough.
Merchants tastefully believed that amiability made one rich. If one could solve things peacefully, why use violence?
Taking advantage of the time of rest at night, the managers and commanders went together.
They were the local bullies here and effortlessly scouted out that the dragonman youngster was drinking in a tavern right now.
When they arrived at the tavern’s doorway, the four heard the clamor inside, there was music, clinking wine cups, and hearty laughter.
There were two Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps members outside the door on guard duty.
“Did your commander reserve all the seats today?” Commander Beng Dai asked.
When the mercenaries saw the four silver level lords, they promptly replied, “Yes, your Lordship. Today, everyone inside drinks for free, our commander will foot the bill.”
Commander Beng Dai and Tei Bang were both envious.
The Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps were the biggest beneficiary of the beast tide.
This was something the entire port, no, all of Two Eyes Island knew.
“We want to see Commander Long Fu, please announce us.” Said the Secret Medicine branch manager.
A guard immediately went in to report.
The other guard remained at his post at the tavern door, and he didn’t relax whatsoever. Even though he was only an ordinary person and couldn’t stop the four people in front of him whatsoever.
The guard who went to report soon returned, “The commander invites your Lordships inside to have a detailed talk.”
The tavern door opened, and when the four people entered, the passionate celebratory atmosphere immediately hit them.
The tavern was the biggest one on the port, but because of how many people were inside, it seemed crowded.
But no matter how many people there were, none could match the dragonman youngster’s elegant bearing.
His physique and appearance attracted many gazes.
The first thing the four noticed was that the dragonman youngster was at the front of the stage, with a magician by his side.
The latter had thick long black hair, and seemed fresh out of the shower, for their hair was still moist. He had heavily puffy eyes and his pupils were purple.
“That is the card magician, Shi Fa.” The four immediately recognized who the magician was.
Shi Fa was a silver level magician and well known across Two Eyes Island.
His bloodline was quite rare and peculiar, every day, moisture would secrete out of him and flow onto his hair.
Therefore, his hair had always been damp year in, and year out.
Shi Fa was a magician but was also fond of wine.
This interest seemed incompatible with being a magician, but Shi Fa held himself together well.
Shi Fa made magic scrolls and possessed unusual mastery at doing it. He mastered an ancient scroll manufacturing technique and could concentrate magic scrolls into the shape and side of a playing card.
Every playing card could be considered to be a small magic scroll, and although the might was smaller than normal magic scrolls, the casting speed was faster.
When Shi Fa fought,,, besides routine chant casting, he also used his stashed playing cards to unleash high frequency and speed attacks., creating a wave of magic attacks in a short time.
Shi Fa’s battle strength was quite powerful, especially in terms of bursting ability.
The four headed towards the counter, the mercenaries along the way automatically letting them pass.
When the dragonman youngster saw them, he nodded to them, then turned around to look back at the magician Shi Fa to continue his discussion with the latter.
Commander Tie Bang had keen hearing, and what he heard caused his heart to skip.
Shi Fa was a silver level magician, if he joined the Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps, then the latter would have three silver levels. More crucially, one of them was a caster.
If that happened, the Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps’ strength would undoubtedly be greatly increased and surpass both the Iron Club and Bandage Mercenary Corps by a distinct margin.
Shi Fa slowly shook his head, “Compared to joining you guys, I much rather be a free man by myself.”
Shi Fa was a hedge magician, a loner.
Hun Tong once actually tried to recruit him, but he was rejected.
When Commander Tie Bang heard this, he relaxed, somewhat happy to see the dragoman youngster kitting a wall.
Commander Beng Dai by him was the same.
Contrary to them, the two branch managers didn’t have strong feelings for the Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps.
When the dragonman younger was refused publicly, he laughed out, “Then we shall continue drinking wine.”
Shi Fa laughed too, “Commander Long Fu, you are different. Although I’ve only interacted with you for a few days, you have a commendable demeanor. Actually, it isn’t impossible for me to join your corps, as long as I get enough wine to drink.”
The dragonman youngster blankly stared.
Tie Bang and Beng Dai both slowed their steps somewhat, their hearts somewhat bewildered.
“What’s going on?”
“Did that come out of Shi Fa’s mouth?”
“Why were you so firm and candid when you refused me?”
“Where is your personal integrity?”
“What’s so good about Long Fu? He isn’t even a human!”
Shi Fa continued, “You know I love to drink, Commander Long Fu.”
“If you can find Spear Wine, Artemisia Wine, Spider Red, and Spring Wine, those four types, I will join you, how about it?” Shi Fa laughed.
Commander Tie Bang and Beng Dai glanced at each other and let out a breath.
Although Shi Fa’s demand seemed very simple, it was anything but.
Of the four wines that were raised, the two commanders only knew of Artemisia Wine and Spring Wine.
Artemisia Wine sounded like a commoner drink (cider), but in actuality, it was a famous elven wine that was brewed with the fruits of magic plants.
Spring Wine was a legend.
Legend said that in some corner of the ocean, there was a spring on an uninhabited island. The spring dried up, and only when the sun and the moon appeared in the sky at the same time did the spring flow with water. The water for Spring Wine was the world’s rarest liquor, and after drinking it, one would forget all of their worries.
Commander Tie Bang and Beng Dai knew Shi Fa was joking with Long Fu, however, the dragonman youngster nevertheless earnestly listened and replied, “I have never heard of those four wines. But I will be mindful, and if I gather them in the future, I will give them to you.”
It was Shi Fa’s turn to stare blankly, but soon after he burst into laughter, “Then it’s a deal, Commander Long Fu!”