Chapter 209: Cooperation

Seeing Lady Patti again, Xia Duo noticed that her complexion was much better than last time. Wearing a long black dress accented with a few exquisite pieces of jewelry, she appeared quite calm and elegant. Even though Xia Duo had seen all kinds of beauties on Earth, he still felt his eyes light up and took the initiative to greet her:

"Lady Patti, long time no see!"

"Lord Xia Duo, it hasn't been a long time; we just met the day before yesterday, you just didn't see me." Lady Patti covered her mouth and smiled, then gestured with her hand, "My Lord, please come in!"

Walking into the reception room, the two sat down separately. A maid soon brought tea and snacks, but at this moment, Xia Duo also noticed that on the small table beside Lady Patti's seat, what was placed there were not tea and snacks, but stacks of documents.

Xia Duo didn't pay much attention to it, took a sip of the familiar Elf Hot Drink, and then asked: "Lady Patti, what is the reason for having me over this time—"

"Congratulations to you, my Lord, for becoming a Pioneer of the Empire!" Lady Patti's voice was very sincere, and there was a hint of admiration in her eyes.

But Xia Duo knew that the one being admired here was likely the title of "Pioneer," not himself, and this admiration could even be entirely feigned.

"Lady Patti, there is no need for congratulations. Let's talk about business; it is getting late." Xia Duo looked at the sky outside, which had already darkened, and reminded her.

*Cough—*

Lady Patti masked her awkward expression, "My Lord, I heard that you are preparing to open up a Pioneer Territory in the Green Pearl Forest?"

"How did you know?" Xia Duo was startled and asked subconsciously.

But he immediately realized he had overreacted. Given the ambiguous relationship between Lady Patti and the Lord, it was not impossible for her to know that he and the Lord had reached an agreement.

And Lady Patti, knowing that Xia Duo might have misunderstood something, hurriedly explained: "The other two Pioneers already left the Savile Territory yesterday together with Archmage Greta, and later I heard that someone had obtained the pioneering rights in the Green Pearl Forest, so I thought of you, my Lord."

So that was it. Although Xia Duo was a bit surprised by Lady Patti's various "hear-says," he did not probe further. "That is indeed the case. I have obtained an independent Pioneer Territory in the Green Pearl Forest. I wonder if you have any advice, my Lady?"

"My Lord, you are joking. How would I dare to offer any advice." Lady Patti's expression became slightly tense. "It's just, I wonder if you need support for opening up the territory?"

"Support?" Xia Duo certainly needed support, but could she give it for free? Thinking about it, he knew it was impossible. "Please tell me in detail, my Lady."

Lady Patti first glanced at the documents on the small table beside her, pursed her lips, and said firmly: "To open up a territory, you need manpower and supplies, such as lumberjacks, laborers, farmers, seeds, tools, and so on. The Liyadun Chamber of Commerce can provide all of these!"

After speaking, she looked at Xia Duo with a nervous expression. The Liyadun Chamber of Commerce had recently undergone some unfavorable changes, and she needed to plan more for the future of the Chamber.

Because this was the life's work that Feierbosi had fought for.

Xia Duo thought carefully about Lady Patti's words. He had never done anything like opening up a territory, but he did know some common sense.

It was nothing more than first driving away wild beasts and alien races, then cutting down trees, clearing a plot of land, building a stronghold, and then farming. However, the details needed to be carefully considered.

Seeing Lady Patti's nervous look, Xia Duo suddenly found it somewhat amusing. "I do need a large amount of manpower and supplies, but I don't have that many Gold Coins to pay for them!"

"No, my Lord, no Gold Coins are needed."

"No Gold Coins needed? Then what do you want?" Xia Duo never believed in free lunches falling from the sky. If she didn't want Gold Coins, then what the other party wanted must be more expensive than Gold Coins.

However, as long as it was within Xia Duo's bottom line, he was happy to accept a trade with others. After all, a trade meant there were common interests, and he had absolutely no reason to refuse.

He wanted to see what Lady Patti would actually say.

"My Lord, I hope to obtain the Magic Items you produce, as well as the commercial rights for your future territory."

"Just that?" Xia Duo said in surprise.

He felt that this couldn't even be called a trade; it was practically a benefit delivered to his doorstep. First of all, Magic Items required him to produce them; if he didn't make them, there would be none. And the so-called commercial rights were also based on the success of the territory's development.

In other words, what Lady Patti was trading for was essentially Xia Duo's credit. If someone more ruthless were in his place, they would probably strip him of everything down to the bone.

Xia Duo looked at the young and beautiful Lady Patti, feeling somewhat conflicted. He knew he was overthinking, but he couldn't help but wonder if she had taken a fancy to him.

However, after discussing it in detail, Xia Duo realized that this trade was just swapping Gold Coins for Magic Items. Even if payment could be deferred, interest would still need to be paid.

As for the commercial rights, that was just an add-on.

As for the specific prices, although Lady Patti was not very good at bargaining, she still argued for every point, striving to obtain the maximum benefit.

By this time, Xia Duo had completely dropped his airs as a Mage and was haggling with Lady Patti like a common peddler.

Opening up a territory was not something that could be completed overnight, and it required a massive amount of manpower and material resources—in other words, it required investing a lot of Gold Coins.

Now, even if it was just conceding 1 Silver Coin on a single Scroll, it would involve countless interests in the future.

Xia Duo hadn't made any preparations when he came; all he knew were the finished products and market prices of the few types of Scrolls he could make himself.

As for other more Advanced Scrolls, as well as potions, Magic Wands, and other Magic Items, he had no idea, knowing only the approximate prices, but this obviously couldn't be used to negotiate a trade.

In the end, the two could not reach an agreement on specific Magic Items and could only agree that the market price on the day of delivery would prevail.

Xia Duo would settle with Magic Items at a price five percent lower than the market rate, while Lady Patti would need to provide detailed expenditure reports, specific down to every person and every seed.

Both sides could accept this result; it could be considered a win-win cooperation.

Xia Duo overspent his future to get what he currently needed, while Lady Patti was effectively becoming the general agent for "Xia Duo-brand" Magic Items.

Before the debt was repaid, Xia Duo could not sell Magic Items to other chambers of commerce.

The final step of the cooperation was the contract. Xia Duo was worried that the other party would not fulfill it, and the other party was likely worried that he would default on the debt, so both of them almost simultaneously proposed a contract.

"My Lord, I have already prepared the contract." Lady Patti picked up the small bell by the table and gave it a light shake.

A moment later, the butler walked in carrying a tray, bowed, and handed the tray to Lady Patti. On the tray lay a piece of seemingly very ordinary Parchment.

But in Xia Duo's Magic Vision, this Parchment shimmered with a faint Holy Light, filled with the scent of order and ruthlessness.

This was a Sacred Contract of the Lord of Radiance!

(End of chapter)