Chapter 214: The First Batch of Personnel

After the banquet came the formal consultation and negotiation. With Dailike present, Xia Duo could not use his status as a Mage to suppress them, and the other party dared not rely on their professional expertise to hoodwink Xia Duo.

Originally, this was a collaboration both sides were willing to enter; most issues were settled in just a few words, and agreements had already been reached on the most critical points: price and stability.

Just as they were about to sign the contract, they hit a deadlock over one issue.

"Gentlemen, this exclusivity clause is absolutely impossible," Xia Duo said coldly.

This had already touched his bottom line. Not to mention that the strength of these three chambers of commerce was limited, even if they were very strong, Xia Duo would not agree to a so-called exclusivity clause.

There is a saying back home: "Holding the sword by the blade, handing the hilt to others." Entrusting all the territory's supplies and affairs to these three chambers of commerce was extremely unwise.

Besides, he had already signed a cooperation contract with Lady Patti; he couldn't possibly go back on his word!

If he were to go back on it, he would likely end up on the Lord of Radiance's blacklist immediately!

Xia Duo's attitude was firm, with no room for compromise. If it works, it works; if not, so be it. In any case, he had a free meal tonight and a bottle of Elf Fruit Wine, so it wasn't a loss.

The scene reached a stalemate. At this moment, Dailike, acting as the intermediary, stepped in to smooth things over. Having dealt with Mages often, he naturally understood that once Mages made a decision, it was very difficult to change.

"Removing this clause is fine, but all deliveries of supplies and personnel must be settled on the spot—cash on delivery," suggested President Hans of the Hans Shanghui.

Previously, the two sides had discussed that Xia Duo, in the name of a Pioneer and Mage, would have a certain credit limit, within which he could withdraw supplies at will.

He would repay them once the territory became profitable.

But all of this had a prerequisite—exclusivity!

Now that the exclusivity clause was removed, everything had to be settled on the spot. This was too realistic. Xia Duo frowned, but if it could truly be guaranteed that money would buy goods, it was still acceptable.

Xia Duo was considering whether he could advance some Gold Coins from Lady Patti to settle with these three chambers of commerce, or perhaps transfer the channels of these three chambers directly to Lady Patti.

The latter would be less trouble, while the former might be safer.

After hesitating for a moment, Xia Duo decided to keep things in his own hands for now. Once his trust with Lady Patti increased, or once he became stronger, perhaps handing it over to her would be a good choice.

The presidents of the three chambers were waiting for Xia Duo's reply, and Xia Duo did not want to dwell on it too much, so he agreed directly.

Although it was now a matter of on-the-spot settlement and cash on delivery, it was still necessary to sign a contract; Xia Duo needed to ensure the stability of the input and output of personnel and supplies.

Stability is relative, and Xia Duo also had to guarantee a monthly procurement volume.

Xia Duo roughly calculated that if he organized 100 commoners and 20 guards to pioneer 20 units away, the food expenses alone would be at least several thousand Gold Coins per month!

Of course, this was calculated at market price; during actual pioneering, a portion of the food could be obtained locally from the forest, so let's count it as half.

Other things, such as buying serfs, recruiting workers, guards, and so on, were all money pits. Once the pioneering machine started, what awaited Xia Duo was either successful pioneering and massive profits, or a complete failure and bankruptcy.

In truth, Xia Duo felt quite uncertain. He decided that once the pioneering began, he must borrow heavily from Lady Patti, and even borrow extensively once he got familiar with these three chambers of commerce.

As long as they were locked in, Xia Duo could feel much more at ease. In any case, his worst-case scenario was that the pioneering failed and he didn't make money.

He would continue to be a Mage.

Becoming a Pioneer and obtaining a Territory was an unexpected joy; being a Mage was his primary job.

Thinking this way, Xia Duo felt his heart open up. He readily signed the Sacred Contract with the three presidents and Dailike, who acted as an unexpected witness and supervisor for the Lord of Radiance.

"Three presidents, happy cooperation!"

"Mage Xia Duo—no, Lord Xia Duo, happy cooperation!"

The group looked at each other and smiled, and the previous tense atmosphere instantly became much more harmonious.

……

After leaving the Aideliqi residence, Xia Duo did not immediately return to the Mage Tower, but stopped by Lady Patti's home to mention his cooperation with the three chambers of commerce.

Although Lady Patti was surprised that Xia Duo had found three partners so quickly, she revealed a confident smile when she heard the names of those three chambers.

"Lord Xia Duo, the Liyadun Chamber of Commerce has already organized the first batch of personnel. When will you have time to take a look?"

"So fast?!"

Only two days had passed since the last contract was signed. Xia Duo was very surprised that they had organized a batch of people so quickly. "How many are there? What kind of people are they?"

"The first batch is only 20 people. They are all free citizens in the town, living in poverty. They find it hard to get ahead in the Savile Territory and all want to start from scratch in the Daxia Territory to find a way out."

"Good!" Xia Duo immediately offered a promise: "As long as the territory's pioneering is successful, everyone will be rewarded, whether it be land or gold and silver. Even if their descendants want to learn Magic, I will provide the opportunity."

People who participate in the entire pioneering process and have a certain level of initiative will, barring any accidents, become Xia Duo's staunch supporters.

They entrust everything to the pioneering of the territory and to Xia Duo, so Xia Duo naturally would not let them down; the promise was certainly real.

Moreover, the pioneering here was different from the upcoming pioneering in the Savile Territory. The Daxia Territory was starting from zero, from nothing. As long as they could persist, they would see hope.

The ancestors of many big figures in the Savile Territory were mostly commoners who followed the first-generation lord to pioneer. Although Xia Duo could not compare to a Great Arcanist, as long as there was hope for successful pioneering, he could attract people.

Lady Patti continued to introduce, "Among these people, one is a tanner with decent skills, but he managed poorly and owed a lot of money, even mortgaging the shop left by his ancestors. Most of the others are porters at the docks, and some have even been Adventurers."

"By the way, there is also a cleric of the Lord of Radiance. Hearing that the Liyadun Chamber of Commerce was recruiting people to pioneer a new territory, that cleric requested to participate."

A cleric? Requested to participate? Xia Duo's brow furrowed. He did not dislike the Temple, nor did he dislike the Doctrine of the Lord of Radiance, but having a member of the Divine Office of the Lord of Radiance involved so early made Xia Duo feel uncertain.

"What is that cleric's name? Did he say what his purpose was?"

"That cleric calls himself Laidun. He only said he wanted to participate in the pioneering and did not mention any other purpose," Lady Patti explained.

But her explanation only made Xia Duo more confused, so he asked, "Can you contact him? Can you arrange a meeting?"

Xia Duo remained cautious about people from the Temple; after all, they had the Father God backing them. If he didn't figure out the other party's purpose, it would be hard for Xia Duo to feel at ease.

"Cleric Laidun said you can go to the Temple to find him; he won't be leaving anytime soon!"

Xia Duo looked up at the Timing Rune at the top of the Mage Tower to the west and found that it was already nearly 9 o'clock in the evening, so he proposed to take his leave:

"In that case, please help me arrange a meeting with him tomorrow afternoon."

"Also, we can discuss the specific pioneering plan then. You should have some preparations by these two days, right? It's too late today, I'll head back to the Mage Tower first and we'll talk tomorrow."

……