Before the morning mist of Windrest City had fully dissipated, the doors of the shops in the circular square had already opened.
Isha sat behind the counter, a scroll of a newly drafted sales proposal spread out in front of her. Lena stood half a step behind her, as was her custom.
Then, the bell at the entrance chimed.
Isha looked up and saw a man wearing a dark green robe push open the door and walk in.
But Isha's eyes narrowed slightly.
She recognized the man in front of her, having seen him from a distance once at the chamber of commerce's annual meeting.
Conrad Vane.
Why had this old fox come to her doorstep in person?
Showing nothing on her face, Isha set down her teacup, stood up, and offered a polite smile. “Mr. Vane, what a rare guest.”
“Miss Val, please forgive the intrusion.”
Conrad's voice was gentle, his movements carrying an air of ease. He sat in the chair opposite the counter, his gaze naturally sweeping over the shop's interior.
“It is my honor to speak with an influential figure like you face-to-face.”
Isha sat back down. “May I ask if you came today to purchase some Egg Tickets?”
Conrad smiled at her words. “Egg Tickets are indeed quite nice, but I came today to discuss a much larger business venture.”
Instead of rushing to show his hand, he first withdrew a slender glass tube from his sleeve, placed it on the counter, and slid it forward.
A light blue liquid swirled inside the tube.
“Miss Val, do you recognize this?”
Isha's gaze fell upon the test tube. When she saw that familiar light blue color, her eyelids twitched slightly.
Eggshell extract.
Of course she recognized it.
Long before the Silver Sand Lake Eggs were introduced to the market, Shane had commissioned Elon to perform a preliminary assessment of the eggshells' mana composition.
The conclusion reached back then was clear.
If this substance was properly refined, it could completely replace Moon-glow Herb juice as the core ingredient for mana potions.
She had never spoken of this to anyone, and only a handful of people in the market knew about it.
“An alchemical potion?”
Isha's expression remained unchanged as she arched an eyebrow. “Mr. Vane, you might have come to the wrong person. I sell eggs, not potions.”
“You jest, Miss Val.”
Conrad's smile remained, but his gaze sharpened slightly. “Since you are unwilling to admit it, I will speak plainly.”
“A high-concentration mana extract can be purified from the shells of your silver-white eggs.”
“As of right now, only one person in all of Windrest City knows about this. Oh, no, to be precise, three people.”
He held up three fingers and slowly curled them back in. “You, me, and a minor alchemist who is currently lying in his laboratory, alive but with a knife wound to his chest.”
Isha's expression finally flickered, but she quickly suppressed it.
She took a sip of her seabuckthorn tea, using the motion to conceal the thoughts racing through her mind.
Just as Mr. Leynas had planned, someone had indeed noticed the uniqueness of the eggs.
And they had already come knocking on her door.
“Mr. Vane.”
Isha set down her teacup and looked directly at him. “So, you came today because you want...”
“Exclusive distribution rights.”
Conrad stopped beating around the bush as well. Leaning forward slightly, he clasped his hands on the table. “I want to buy up all of Silver Sand Lake's eggs. We can negotiate the price; even twenty percent above the market rate is fine.”
“But there is one condition: you cannot sell them to anyone else.”
Isha did not rush to agree after hearing this. Instead, she fell silent for a moment, as if seriously weighing the terms he offered.
But her mind was already calculating rapidly.
Exclusive distribution rights?
To put it bluntly, he wanted a monopoly.
Conrad was a shrewd businessman. He wasn't just interested in the eggs themselves, but in the undeveloped downstream processing chain behind them.
As long as he secured exclusive supply rights, he could take advantage of the temporary shortage of Moon-glow Herb juice in the market. By using the Silver Sand Lake eggshell extract to mass-produce mana potions, he could seize the market.
By the time his competitors realized what was happening, he would have already devoured most of the market share.
This was indeed a brilliant move.
But the corner of Isha's mouth curved slightly, and she spoke: “Mr. Vane, your proposal is very sincere, but I decline.”
The atmosphere instantly froze.
The easy smile on Conrad's face did not vanish, but a flash of coldness swept through his eyes.
“May I ask why?”
“Of course.”
Isha leaned back against her chair, appearing perfectly relaxed. “Because the long-term plan for Silver Sand Lake is not to sell eggs to a single person, but to let everyone know the benefits of these eggs.”
“Exclusive distribution rights certainly sound tempting. However, surrendering the entire supply of eggs to you alone means Silver Sand Lake would lose its pricing power and say over the product.”
“Once everyone in the market grows accustomed to buying Silver Sand Lake eggs from you, they will only recognize your brand, not the Silver Sand Lake brand itself.”
Conrad's eyebrows arched slightly. He had seemingly not expected a fourteen-year-old girl to utter such words.
Paying no heed to Conrad's reaction, Isha continued, “What Silver Sand Lake wants is to build its own brand influence, not to act as someone else's upstream supplier.”
“Therefore, Mr. Vane, as for exclusive distribution rights, it is out of the question.”
Having said her piece, she took another sip of her tea, her movements leisurely.
Conrad stared at her for a few seconds before suddenly chuckling, his laughter carrying a hint of meaningful chill.
“Miss Val, do you know the consequences of doing this?”
His tone was still gentle, but his words had taken on a different flavor. “The shortage of Moon-glow Herb juice is only temporary, and the deficit of mana potions in the market is likewise temporary.”
“The eggs in your hands are indeed valuable, but that value is predicated on someone being willing to turn them into finished products and sell them for you.”
“If none of the alchemy workshops in the entire Western Region can obtain your eggs, do you think they will still remember the name Silver Sand Lake?”
Isha set down her teacup and met his gaze without flinching. “Mr. Vane, are you threatening me?”
“I am merely stating facts.”
“What a coincidence.”
Isha smiled, her expression completely devoid of apprehension. “I happen to be someone who is least afraid of facts.”
“It is true that the sales of Silver Sand Lake Eggs are still in their infancy. But do not forget, in less than half a month since the Egg Tickets were launched, over three hundred people in Windrest City have already lined up to purchase them.”
“Do you really think all the eggs these people bought were for their own consumption?”
Conrad's expression shifted slightly.
Isha continued, “The Vice Chairman of the Windrest City Chamber of Commerce has already sent people to discuss cooperation. The owner of the alchemy workshop in the east of the city has also sent inquiries, as did a director from the Apothecaries' Association who visited yesterday... Do you think they did all that just to eat eggs?”
“Silver Sand Lake is not lacking in buyers, Mr. Vane.”
She stood up, leaning her hands on the counter as she bent forward slightly, pinning her gaze directly on Conrad's face. “The ones who are truly in short supply are those who have no Moon-glow Herb juice and cannot get their hands on Silver Sand Lake Eggs.”
“Wouldn't you agree?”
Conrad fell silent.
This was the first time he had been silent since entering the shop.
He looked at the fourteen-year-old girl before him, noting her strikingly bright eyes, and suddenly realized something.
He had done thorough research before coming today.
Yet this young girl's business acumen and psychological resilience during negotiations far exceeded his expectations.
Not only was she unafraid of his threats, but she had even drawn a line for him in return.
“Interesting.”
Conrad slowly rose to his feet and smoothed the hem of his dark green robe. The smile remained on his face, but it no longer reached his eyes.
“Miss Val, I will remember you.”
Isha stood her ground, keeping a polite smile on her face. “It is my honor.”
When Conrad reached the door, he paused, turned his head, and left behind a final remark: “I hope you can remain this composed the next time we meet.”
Then, he pushed open the door and stepped into the morning mist. The door slowly closed behind him with a very soft click.
Isha stood behind the counter, only slowly letting out a long breath after the door had shut completely.
She felt her back completely drenched in sweat.
“Miss.”
Lena stepped forward from behind her, handing over a clean handkerchief.
Isha took the handkerchief and wiped her brow, her voice trembling slightly with the relief of surviving a disaster. “How did I do?”
“Perfect.”
Lena's tone carried a rare hint of amusement. “You refuted him so well his face completely changed.”
Isha couldn't help but curl her lips into a smile, though she quickly reined it in. She looked down at the test tube Conrad had left on the counter.
The light blue extract shimmered with a gentle luster under the sunlight.
“Send word back to Silver Sand Lake.”
She stowed the test tube away, turned, and walked toward the back room of the shop. “Tell Mr. Leynas that the situation in Windrest City has begun to shift. Conrad Vane is likely just the beginning; there will be even bigger fish biting later.”
“We must prepare in advance.”
Rate on N.U.
