End of the Magic Era

Damn it. How come Sir Mafa knew the Roosevelt Business Alliance? Reynolds never let anyone from the Roosevelt Business Alliance show up. How did he know?

Why was he so casual even though he knew the Roosevelt Business Alliance was behind it? Was he doing this on purpose?

He was definitely doing this on purpose. He purposefully remained silent and let the customers return the Universal Cores without doing anything. But why?

How could the Gilded Rose benefit from all this?

Over these days, the sales of the Gilded Rose’s Universal Core had plummeted by almost 60 percent. Adding the Universal Cores that were refunded, the Gilded Rose probably only had 10 percent of the profit left. Why was he not worried at all?

If the Universal Cores’ reputation was ruined…

Why was he so confident?

A lot of thoughts flashed quickly in Dick’s head. He saw that Lin Yun didn’t seem to be pretending to be cool at all, but was actually not worried.

The negotiation plan that Dick had prepared was no longer useful. He couldn’t help but ask, “Sir Mafa, are you not worried in the slightest?”

Lin Yun was rather puzzled.

“Why should I feel worried? Since those people refused to use the Universal Core, they won’t have a chance to.

“I believe everybody with brains is aware of the truth. They know the quality of the Universal Core very well too. If anyone thinks that the Universal Core cannot be sold, let’s just wait.

“I’m fine with it. I can always stop selling the Universal Cores to the public, and only provide them for my partners. The productivity is low anyway, and selling to the public gives us great pressure. This is even better.”

Dick hesitated and looked as awful as if he were having constipation. His main negotiation plan and the backup plan both became useless…

Everyone who had used the Universal Core knew how great it was, and how they could benefit from it. They would never give up.

It did make sense. The Gilded Rose’s production of the Universal Core seemed low and unstable. It didn’t take advance orders. Even if it didn’t sell the Universal Cores to the public, a lot of people would still want it.

The cores were always in demand, and could always be sold…

Damn it. This guy was so confident. How could they talk about negotiation? He didn’t care about the Roosevelt Business Alliance’s slander aimed at the Universal Core at all. He could just stop selling it…

If he stopped selling the Universal Cores to the public, the Gilded Rose’s partners would be thrilled as they would have a greater supply and more profits. The Gilded Rose’s revenue wouldn’t be affected at all.

Dick thought for half a minute, but he couldn’t come up with a solution to take advantage of the Gilded Rose. However, it was impossible for him to give up the Universal Core…

“Sir Mafa, in fact, I’m here as a representative of the Lincoln Business Alliance to negotiate with the Gilded Rose about possible cooperation in the Sten Kingdom regarding the Universal Core.”

After much deliberation, Dick decided to treat this negotiation as a common one.

Delight flashed in Lin Yun’s eyes. It was very important who needed whom in such negotiations. If Dick thought that the Gilded Rose was desperately in need of the Lincoln Business Alliance, then he would definitely propose harsh terms and conditions.

However, if the Gilded Rose didn’t need the Lincoln Business Alliance at all, and considering the uniqueness of the Universal Core, it would be the Lincoln Business Alliance that was in need of the Gilded Rose. That was the prerequisite of the negotiation so that the Gilded Rose could make terms and conditions.

Lin Yun meant what he said because the Universal Core always had buyers. He could always just sell them to his partners, which was actually better for the Gilded Rose. He had chosen to sell the Universal Core in public because he wanted to make the Gilded Rose famous and help it establish a network in the Odin Kingdom.

However, that method seemed too hasty, and caused many problems. He might as well seize the opportunity to remove unqualified partners.

As those ideas flashed in his head, Lin Yun put on an expression of regret.

“Mr. Dick, I’m terribly sorry about the cooperation regarding Universal Cores. The Gilded Rose doesn’t have a huge stock. We don’t have a lot of raw materials. It’s troublesome to exploit and refine them. The faulty rate is very high. The raw materials will be wasted if anything goes wrong in the production process.

“Therefore, productivity cannot be improved. We worked for a long time to ensure our supply. Although many Universal Cores were returned recently, they were all bought by our partners.

“The Sky City, for one, has purchased another 10,000, and promised to buy all the Universal Cores that are returned. Unfortunately, we have to meet the demand of our other partners. So, we owe the Sky City 10,000. They’re closest to the Gilded Rose anyway. Their need is our priority…

“I’m terribly sorry, Mr. Dick, but the Gilded Rose doesn’t have so many Universal Cores for sale in the Sten Kingdom.

“Maybe in a couple of years, when the Gilded Rose upgrades its technology and improves its productivity, it will consider selling the Universal Cores to the Sten Kingdom.

“Of course, by then, I’ll definitely consider your Lincoln Business Alliance as our partner.”

Dick couldn’t have looked more awful. All the measures he prepared were useless. He changed his plan again and again, yet he still got the unexpected result.

Lin Yun had given the perfect excuse. What more could he say? Nobody could blame Lin Yun for supplying his partners first and foremost. They could only compliment the Gilded Rose for its trustworthiness. It likely wouldn’t kick away its partners for greater returns…

Dick didn’t expect to be declined, and certainly not with the excuse of low productivity. His head was almost exploding. He didn’t know how to continue the negotiation after hearing the perfect excuse.

Also, everybody knew that the Gilded Rose’s productivity of the Universal Cores was very low, and they were always in demand.

Nobody thought the Gilded Rose could manufacture the Universal Cores. Their price for bulk purchases was 50,000 purple gold apiece. The retail price was even 80,000 purple gold.

They could all imagine how profitable the cores were. They were so profitable and so in demand, so the Gilded Rose would certainly sell all that it had to make as much money as possible.

“Sir Dick, I’m terribly sorry that your trip was in vain. As an apology, I can offer you 20 Universal Cores, as long as you pay for them according to our price for the Gilded Rose’s partners. 50,000 purple gold apiece.

“I hope that you won’t think that it’s too few, Sir Dick, as they’re all I can offer for now…”

Dick managed a smile. Naturally, the Lincoln Business Alliance had bought Universal Cores, but for much higher prices. They were unable to purchase any of the Universal Cores that the Gilded Rose sold.

They didn’t pay much attention to the new product at first. When they did, the rumor about the Universal Core spread out, and many people returned the Universal Cores to the Gilded Rose. Naturally, there were other buyers who hoped to buy the returned cores.

At this moment, the Gilded Rose was not selling Universal Cores openly anymore. It was hard to buy any of them. Buying 20 cores at the same time was definitely the largest deal on the market for now.

With a smile, Dick paid 1,000,000 purple gold quickly, and left with 20 Universal Cores.

After Dick left, Faleau asked in confusion, “Sir Merlin, according to the information I collected, half of the Sten Kingdom is a desert, and the other half is covered in snow. Each of the two halves is inhabited by an ethnic group. Although they’ve merged into one nation, their competition is still fierce.

“This Lincoln Business Alliance is the Roosevelt Business Alliance’s major competitor. If it helps us, the Roosevelt Business Alliance won’t be able to focus all its attention on the Gilded Rose. Why did you…?”

Lin Yun was smiling.

“You want to know why I declined Dick’s offer of cooperation, right? Faleau, remember this. The Sten Kingdom is different from Andlusa and the Odin Kingdom.

“In the Andlusa Kingdom, the mage towers are the most powerful, and the royal family does not enjoy a unique position. It’s only one of the most powerful forces in Andlusa.

“In the Odin Kingdom, the royal family is very strong. It has inherited legacies from the Third Dynasty, and has eyes throughout the country. It is undoubtedly the most powerful force in the Odin Kingdom.

“Then, there are the families with noble titles. They’re the pillars of the Odin Kingdom. The individual nobles, and the noble families that have appeared in the last 1,000 years, aren’t strong enough. Very few mage towers are in the top tier of the power pyramid of the Odin Kingdom.

“In the Sten Kingdom, everything is controlled by business alliances. None of their members is a pure mage. They’re the best businessman mages in Noscent, and they want nothing but profit.

“If I had accepted the cooperation proposal, then they would’ve proposed harsh requirements. If I don’t accept the requirements, those vampires who can smell purple gold from 10,000 kilometers away might even do other things…”

Faleau nodded, but he still found it hard to understand.

Lin Yun didn’t explain further. As Noscent grew more and more prosperous, the Sten Kingdom had become as powerful as the Odin Kingdom after thousands of years.

Thanks to the top warriors of the Odin Kingdom, who were always human-shaped nuclear weapons, the Sten Kingdom had never done anything malicious.

When Noscent rose to the peak, it was not mages or their mage towers that spread their influence to countless planes, but the business alliances of the Sten Kingdom.

They had gathered infinite wealth. When Shelter Towers were established in Noscent, more than half of their funds were provided by the business alliances of the Sten Kingdom.

Those vampires almost wanted to suck up everyone’s blood. The business alliances of the Sten Kingdom were known as leeches wearing human skin in countless planes.

They had conquered a lot of planes just with business methods, although it seemed quite impossible.

7,000 years later, the Lincoln Business Alliance would find a plane controlled by orcs. Then, all the orcs would be exploited in a few decades. Everything they used, ate, and learned would be provided by the business alliance. The orcs could only do mining in exchange for everything they wanted.

The business alliance conquered a plane with no bloodshed, and developed it with a much lower cost. It would be in the textbook of the Sten Kingdom in the future.

Lin Yun didn’t underestimate those business alliances. When enough wealth was gathered, it could be even more terrifying than powerful spells.

While the Lincoln Business Alliance would grow into a classic vampire business alliance, it was still a rookie business alliance that could be destroyed by its competitor at this moment…

Cooperating with the Lincoln Business Alliance was the best choice. It was also a great first step for the Gilded Rose’s march into the Sten Kingdom.

After the Lincoln Business Alliance obtained the Universal Cores, it would definitely suppress the Roosevelt Business Alliance, its old competitor. Since they were both in the magic tool business, it would be easy for the Lincoln Business Alliance to win the competition with an edge.

If the Roosevelt Business Alliance lost its ground in its own country, it wouldn’t have the time or money to deal with the Gilded Rose, not when it might be destroyed anytime…

Both the Gilded Rose and the Lincoln Business Alliance would benefit from the cooperation. Lin Yun had left the Lincoln Business Alliance aside mainly because he had other plans.

When he saw Dick, Lin Yun thought of many things. Besides making sure that the Roosevelt Business Alliance was behind the smearing of the Gilded Rose, he also remembered something else.

When mana ebbed away from Noscent in the future, the vampires of the Sten Kingdom had to help build Shelter Towers with their fortune.

Their fortune had been accumulated for years. There was a material that didn’t exist in Noscent, and the Lincoln Business Alliance was the one that offered it.

It was a new fused material that would be created 18,000 years later. The Lincoln Business Alliance kept the new material a secret for more than 1,000 years, until it was independently created by someone else.

The components of the new fused material were new substances that were discovered in a plane that the Lincoln Business Alliance controlled. It was a skeleton plane that was much less powerful than the planes of the undead. The strongest creature there was only level 40.

The other ores in this skeleton plane were of poor quality, but the new material, named Black Sand, was as important to the skeleton plane as Magic Iron was to the puppet plane.

The Black Sand was made into a new fused material as a component. Considering the need of the Shelter Towers, the Black Sand wouldn’t be used up even if 100 such towers were to be built.

At this moment, the Lincoln Business Alliance didn’t seem to have noticed the plane yet. In fact, it didn’t make use of the Planar Path until thousands of years after its discovery. It had been using the plane as a secret warehouse.

The Planar Path was within the Lincoln Business Alliance’s territory at this moment, but Lin Yun didn’t know the specific location, because there was only rough information on the record. Also, that location wasn’t very valuable to the Lincoln Business Alliance at this moment.

After all, this was not yet the age of population boom. Most of Noscent apart from towns was desolate. Very little land had been developed. In tens of thousands of years, one would have to go to another plane even if one just wanted to hunt a beast.

Lin Yun took out a piece of paper, and calculated the location of the Planar Path with the information Faleau had collected. With the details about the Lincoln Business Alliance, he soon figured out the spot.

Looking at the location of the Planar Path, Lin Yun put on a smile.

Searching for a Planar Path could be a time-consuming task. Also, that gate wasn’t far away from a town. He might be seen if he just went there, and it would be impossible for him to deny it, even though it was just a skeleton plane that was useless to people in this age…

Therefore, he needed a justifiable excuse to appear in the Sten Kingdom, and to search for the Planar Path in secret.

Lin Yun patiently waited in the Gilded Rose. He didn’t care about the vicious rumors about the Gilded Rose anymore, and simply accepted all refund requests. The Universal Cores were no longer sold in public, but only to the loyal partners.

The employees who resigned were let go too. Lin Yun was not afraid that they might leak anything, as they had signed contracts that Lord Shawn had personally created. It would be a miracle if they could leak any secret about the Gilded Rose…

Could anyone crack Lord Shawn’s contract in this age? Of course not. There wouldn’t be such technology in 20,000 years…

Taking care of the hidden problems and removing the untrustworthy partners and employees, things were done in secret. Nobody knew what the Gilded Rose’s purpose was. Those who saw the picture felt that something was wrong, but those who were ignorant simply shouted that the Gilded Rose was doomed.

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