"You’re talking about Spirit Calming Wood."
Hearing Brand mention Spirit Calming Wood, Andy looked a bit troubled. "That is indeed a specialty of our region, but the production quantity is very low..."
Before Andy could finish, another voice interrupted him.
"Brand, I have a recently harvested, unprocessed Static Spirit Wood Tree Heart right here! I’m very interested in the seasonings you have. Let’s make a trade!"
Brand turned his head to look. It was Finn Chesire, the eldest son of a Count Clan from the Northern Province, just like Andy. Unlike the "scrawny" physiques of Brand and Andy, Finn was quite burly. If an outsider were to look at him, they might think he was a Knight rather than a Mage.
If Brand remembered correctly, the territories of the Chesire family and the Claude Family were quite close to each other. Because their family businesses overlapped significantly, the two families often had conflicts, but sometimes they would unite over shared interests. The complex relationships between the families were usually reflected in their younger generations. One only needed to look at their current expressions to understand. Andy was glaring at Finn with hostility, while Finn returned a provocative gaze.
"COUGH." Brand cleared his throat lightly, drawing the attention of both men. He then said, "Because the production quantity is limited, this is my entire quota for the next two years." Pointing to the few bottles of seasoning on the table, Brand continued with a smile, "So if both of you want it, it goes to the highest bidder."
Andy turned back to look at Brand, his eyes once again filled with disbelief. He wondered if Brand had just thrown their friendship under the bus.
Hearing Brand’s words, Finn also looked somewhat shocked. He admitted to himself that he indeed had intentions of poaching Brand and driving a wedge between the two of them. But wasn’t this way too damn easy? Even a fake friendship shouldn’t be this fragile!
Faced with their shock, Brand simply smiled without saying a word. Nobles were like that. As long as no interests were involved, everyone was like brothers and sisters. But the moment profits were on the line, all previous interactions could be dismissed as nothing more than putting on an act. It seemed the two heirs of the Count Clans were still not acting maturely enough. Of course, it was also highly possible that they were just deeply immersed in their act.
Seeing Brand acting like he was just waiting to see who would bid higher, Andy calmed himself down and argued:
"Brand, perhaps these seasonings really have as low a production quantity as you say, but the production quantity of Spirit Calming Wood is equally scarce.
"Moreover, seasoning is a consumable, whereas Spirit Calming Wood is not. Even if used for a hundred years, the efficacy of the Spirit Calming Wood won’t diminish in the slightest! Therefore, a direct trade is unequal; you have to make up the difference with some Magic Gold Coins."
"Andy, although the production quantity of Spirit Calming Wood isn’t high, it’s been around for many years now, hasn’t it?
"Which prominent noble family in the Empire doesn’t have a few pieces in their collection?
"My old man’s collection vault also holds two ornaments made of Spirit Calming Wood.
"Its market has long been close to saturation.
"So, compared to the precious seasonings in my hands, the already widespread Spirit Calming Wood isn’t anything novel. I simply want to add a little something to my personal collection."
Whether Elder Master Holland actually had Spirit Calming Wood ornaments in his collection, Brand had no idea. After all, Elder Master Holland had never shown his collection vault to Brand or Yelsen. However, that didn’t stop Brand from bluffing here.
At this time, Finn spoke up, immediately exposing Andy’s secrets:
"Andy, you’re out of line here! It’s just mere Spirit Calming Wood! How can you compare it to the Holland family’s new product? Don’t think I don’t know that the bed and pillows you sleep on in your dorm are all made from Static Spirit Wood Tree Hearts."
At this point, Finn pulled out a foot-long piece of white wood, tossed it generously to Brand, and said,
"Brand, I’ll just give you this piece of junk wood. Just sprinkle some seasoning on my food!"
Catching the Spirit Calming Wood tossed by Finn, Brand clearly felt his Spiritual Power become a bit more active. Meditating in this state would indeed be a bit more efficient. Brand nodded in satisfaction at this.
"In exchange, these seasonings are yours." Tossing the seasonings on the table to Finn, Brand ignored Andy’s ugly expression and went back to enjoying the delicious taste of the supernatural ingredients.
On Finn’s side, he mimicked Brand’s actions, sprinkling the seasoning onto the food on his plate. He couldn’t wait to take a few bites, and soon a look of pure intoxication appeared on his face. Smelling the enticing aroma wafting from the seasoned food and seeing Finn’s intoxicated expression, Andy felt an Acceleration in his saliva secretion. He really wanted Finn to share a little with him, but out of pride, he couldn’t say it directly and could only continually gesture with his eyes. Read this novel at novelping.com for the best experience.
After wolfing down his food for a good while, Finn "finally" noticed Andy’s gaze and "belatedly" tossed a few bottles of seasoning over to him, showing absolutely no sign of their previous hostility. Seeing this, Brand curled his lips knowingly. These two guys were definitely in cahoots.
At this moment, Finn turned his gaze back to Brand:
"By the way, Brand, what is the selling price of this seasoning? I plan to purchase a batch on behalf of the Chesire family."
After taking a few bites, Andy was not about to be outdone. "The Claude Family is willing to establish a long-term trade relationship with the Holland family regarding this seasoning."
Looking at their sincere eyes, Brand took a napkin and wiped his mouth before slowly saying, "Didn’t I tell you? The production quantity is very low. At least for now, there is no possibility of mass production."
"Are you serious?"
Originally, Andy and Finn thought that Brand’s previous speech was just to drive up the price of the seasoning, just like how Andy had boasted about the value of the Spirit Calming Wood. As nobles of the ruling class, many things that seemed incredibly precious to ordinary people held only so much value in their eyes. In fact, having just personally experienced the deliciousness of the seasoning, they had already acknowledged its value. So even if Brand raised the price a bit, it wasn’t something they couldn’t accept. Magic Gold Coins and the like were meant to be spent, after all. In the eyes of nobles, any problem that could be solved with Magic Gold Coins was not a problem at all! But seeing Brand’s expression, which didn’t look fake in the slightest... this seasoning was probably genuinely a rare commodity with an extremely low production quantity.
Looking at the seasoning in his hands, Andy’s gaze turned very fervent. Spirit Calming Wood? How could something abundant enough to make furniture be as good as this stuff!
SMACK! While Andy was dazed, a pair of large hands suddenly appeared and snatched the "incredibly precious" seasoning from his grasp with lightning speed.
Andy’s face darkened, and he turned his gaze to the owner of the large hands. Seeing Andy glaring at him, Finn’s face was full of bewilderment. His pair of large hands was now completely empty. It was as if he had no idea where Andy’s anger was coming from.
Seasoning? What seasoning? Where was there any seasoning?
Standing as a third-party observer, Brand saw it very clearly. The seasoning had already been stuffed into the Magic Pocket that Finn carried with him. He had even tied a knot at the mouth of the bag at a speed indiscernible to ordinary people. Such speed was completely unattainable for an ordinary person!