Chapter 1349: Harvesting Adventurers, Preparing Trump Cards

Xia Duo is not a negotiation expert proficient in human nature, but he is a Great Arcanist who is quite skilled in mental spells.

It is not unacceptable to cheat occasionally, provided one is not discovered.

Of course, he is merely peeking at the other party's bottom line for the negotiation to make a choice that better serves his own interests; he is not influencing or manipulating the other party's mind.

If it were someone else, perhaps they would do even more excessive things.

However, Xia Duo constantly reminds himself that while doing this occasionally is harmless, if it becomes a primary method, then crashing and burning is only a matter of time.

……

After the contract was signed, Lord Halan left behind a batch of materials and departed; not long after he left, Evans also arrived at Azure Manor.

And this time, Evans's arrival truly brought Xia Duo a surprise—an order for a total of 52 Demon-Slaying Amulets from four Adventurer teams.

According to the price of 5,000 Gold Coins per unit that Xia Duo previously gave Evans, which can be settled with precious metals or Gemstones, the cost for such a large order would at most not exceed 100,000.

Yet, such a large quantity put Xia Duo in a difficult position; apart from the 100 Demon-Slaying Amulets delivered to Lord Halan, he only brought an extra 25 this time.

That is not even half of the order Evans brought in!

Moreover, for the purpose of hiding the true production capacity of the Tower of Time, it is impossible to sell all of the 25 existing ones; Xia Duo originally only intended to sell about 10.

But given the current situation!

This is truly a happy problem!

And those veteran Adventurers are all filthy rich, yet they want to go to the Underdark to participate in the war against the Drow; if one does not fleece them now, what if they die in the Underdark? Wouldn't their wealth be wasted?

After thinking about it, Xia Duo felt that releasing all 25 Demon-Slaying Amulets would be fine; in the long run of trading, Lord Halan and even others would eventually notice the true production capacity of the Tower of Time.

Besides, once other Mage Towers popularize mass production, the true production capacity will have to be actively exposed (partially or fully) as an absolute competitive advantage to win orders.

It is just that even if all 25 are taken out, the current situation is still not enough!

Xia Duo is certainly not worried about being urged by Adventurers for orders, but it is truly frustrating to have great wealth placed before him yet be unable to earn it!

"Evans, do you know the specific departure time for those four Adventurer teams?"

"I don't know the specific time, but I know they all plan to set out after the Northland Alliance is established."

"I see!"

Xia Duo now knows that the establishment of the Northland Alliance is on the fourth day of next month; it is now the end of the month, the true end of the month, with only four or five days left until the Alliance is established.

However, with the production efficiency of the Demon-Slaying Amulet Group in the Magic Technician Department of the Tower of Time, four or five days is enough for them to produce enough semi-finished products.

The only inconvenience might be the cost of teleportation (using the Magic Array) to and from Nan Jing.

If he does not want to waste money in this regard, Xia Duo can also cast the teleportation spell himself; however, for a large order involving a profit of one or two hundred thousand, Xia Duo is not so stingy as to care about a few thousand in teleportation costs.

Thinking of this, Xia Duo knew what to do, so he immediately instructed Evans:

"There is no need to take more orders for Demon-Slaying Amulets for now; those Adventurers going to the Underdark will definitely need Warning Amulets and Communication Magic Tools. Additionally, Missile Wands or some high-power Magic Scrolls can also be used as a final trump card; promote these to them."

The latter types of Magic Items Xia Duo mentioned are all things the Tower of Time can mass-produce, and they are also available for sale in Saivendun now. He believes those Adventurer teams must have their own preparations, but a good salesperson can make the other party buy more even if the target already has similar products.

Even if just for the sake of the Demon-Slaying Amulets, those Adventurers will buy at least something; at this point in time, the Tower of Time is likely the only one that can produce Demon-Slaying Amulets for sale.

As for Adventurers, fleece them whenever you can; one never knows when they might kick the bucket, and if you don't fleece them now, you might not be able to later.

Evans immediately understood Xia Duo's intention and hurriedly guaranteed, "I will certainly not let you down, sir."

"Very good! As for the Demon-Slaying Amulets, I will contact you again in a few days. Tell those Adventurers that the total number of Demon-Slaying Amulets might be relatively small, and those paying with Adamantine, Mithril, or Five-Colored Gemstones can be prioritized."

In fact, what might be more valuable on the Adventurers are some Ancient Magic Artifacts from ruins, but those things are troublesome to identify; besides the identification itself, getting those Adventurers to take them out is also a hassle.

Even in Saivendun, it is not impossible for incidents of "black eating black" to occur.

Xia Duo knows he is not that kind of person, but those Adventurers do not; rather than racking his brains to build trust, it is better to settle directly with hard currency.

The days ahead are long; the names of the Tower of Time and Xia Duo will one day become a golden brand trusted by everyone.

"Also, you have met Aiwa, right? He hasn't been in Saivendun for long and is not familiar with many aspects; take some time to guide him. I will not mistreat anyone who has rendered meritorious service."

"Yes."

Evans immediately responded respectfully.

Seeing this, Xia Duo said nothing more and waved his hand to let him leave. Watching Evans's departing back, Xia Duo could not help but let out a long sigh.

Evans's ability to handle affairs in all aspects is excellent; if he were not a person of the Seven Towers, Xia Duo would have been willing to personally recruit him.

It is a pity that the current reputation of the Tower of Time in Saivendun is far inferior to the Seven Towers, and it will be difficult to surpass them for a considerable period.

For now, Xia Duo can only use Evans as an ordinary clerk; once Aiwa is more familiar with Saivendun, he will naturally employ the closer and more trustworthy Aiwa.

……

Sending a message to Niya to have her notify the Magic Technician Department to continue producing Demon-Slaying Amulets, Xia Duo returned to the Arcane Union after chatting with Aiwa for a while.

He had just received a message from Iolum saying that they would depart one day early; the specific time is noon on the third day of July, which is four days from now.

Taking advantage of this time, Xia Duo decided to craft one or two insurance Magic Items for himself; after all, he is going abroad, and in case of any accidents, even if safety is not a major issue, he cannot afford to be too disheveled.

……

The private Laboratory at the Arcane Union is always reserved for Xia Duo; as soon as he arrived, he sealed the interior and exterior and set up a Magic Array for Avoidance of Detection before taking out the materials just left by Lord Halan.

He will misappropriate some first; there is plenty anyway, so he is not lacking this bit.

The first step is, of course, to purify the Mithril; the Mithril provided by Lord Halan is only a Third-Grade Mithril, one grade higher than Standard Mithril, while high-quality Magic Items require at least First-Grade Mithril.

Just in time for the purification process, Xia Duo can also think a little about what to do next.

Having become a Great Arcanist only yesterday, he really does not have much time to design Magic Items containing 9th Circle Spells, but 8th Circle is still possible, and there are quite a few pre-planned designs.