Kays Translations
Just another Isekai Lover~
Chapter 117: Sales Pitch
What was the point of going through so much trouble to obtain a Corrosive Slime?
Of course—it was for acid production.
The uses of acid were vast; both industry and laboratories relied on it heavily.
Originally, Winston could have simply provided Owen with an ordinary method of producing acid—buying large amounts of raw materials outside, then refining it in the laboratory.
But when he heard that there was a monster capable of secreting acid, his interest was piqued. He immediately urged Owen to find one, reasoning that perhaps this biological method of producing acid would be far more convenient.
Of course, no one had ever attempted to raise a Corrosive Slime before. Whether it could succeed or not was still uncertain and would require careful study.
Therefore, Owen needed to prepare two backup plans, just in case.
In addition to acquiring the Corrosive Slime, he also purchased a wide variety of raw materials from Heinte, intending to use them for experiments in his laboratory.
“Ah, right! President Masha, have you managed to prepare all the other items as well?”
Owen asked.
Heinte smiled faintly, speaking with confidence:
“Although your requests were many and varied, we’ve prepared everything. Minerals like green vitriol are already loaded on the ship. You may send your men to inspect them whenever you wish.”
Green vitriol could be used to produce sulfuric acid—one of the most essential acids of all.
“That won’t be necessary. I trust you, President Masha. I’ll just send people to move the goods later. For now, I’ll pay you the agreed price for this Corrosive Slime and the other items loaded on the ship.”
Owen then turned to look at Ryan, signaling for him to bring out the prepared payment.
Ryan pulled out a heavy money pouch stuffed with gold coins—at least fifty or more. Since this was a special commission, the price was naturally high.
At a glance from Heinte, one of her attendants stepped forward to accept the pouch. She smiled warmly.
“This has truly been a pleasant transaction. Thank you for Marquis’ trust.”
At that moment, Clive had already finished his preparations for the next matter.
As he entered the room, he happened to see Ryan handing over such a large sum of money. His expression briefly twisted with pain, but he quickly returned to his usual calm demeanor.
Walking swiftly up to Owen, Clive whispered in a low voice:
“Marquis, everything is ready on our side.”
“Good.”
Owen nodded, then turned back toward Heinte with a businesslike smile.
“By the way, President Masha, Bianshu Town has recently developed some rather novel products. Would you be interested in taking a look?”
“Novel products?”
Heinte’s eyes lit with curiosity.
“Since Marquis recommends them so highly, of course I’d like to see.”
“Clive…”
Owen called softly.
Clive immediately walked to the doorway and summoned the servants waiting outside.
Four servants entered the reception room, each carrying a tray. They lined up neatly, presenting their wares: two different grades of paper, some pencils, and a tray of cement powder.
Starting from the first servant, Owen picked up a sheet of pale-grey paper.
“This is paper produced locally in Bianshu Town—a substitute for parchment. Of course, this one is lower quality, but we also have finer grades.”
He then picked up the white sheet from the next tray, placing it side by side with the grey sheet for comparison.
“Oh? A substitute for parchment?”
Heinte reached out curiously, feeling the texture of the two sheets. She fiddled with them a little, testing their flexibility.
Smooth on the surface, light and thin—if these could indeed replace parchment, then they weren’t bad at all.
“May I try it?”
Heinte asked.
“Of course.”
Owen replied.
Owen had Ryan bring out the ink and quill that had been prepared in advance.
Heinte picked up the quill, dipped it in ink, and casually wrote a line on both types of paper.
When she saw the clear, neat writing left behind, she couldn’t help but exclaim in surprise:
“Wow! This really is quite an incredible product.”
As a sharp merchant, Heinte instantly smelled a business opportunity.
The advantages of this paper were clearly far superior to parchment. If it could be produced on a large scale, replacing parchment would be no problem at all.
“How much of these two kinds of paper can you produce? And at what price?”
Heinte asked eagerly.
“Excluding defective sheets, the current output is about five thousand sheets a day. And that’s not even the limit—I intend to expand production further in the future. As for the price…”
Just as Owen was about to state his offer, Clive suddenly interjected:
“The lower-quality paper, two silver coins a sheet. The higher-quality paper, ten silver coins a sheet.”
Thanks to the papermaking techniques provided by Winston, the cost of producing paper was far lower than that of parchment. But the price Clive quoted was far above Owen’s own expectations.
Clive kept winking at him, and when Owen turned to look at Heinte, he found she was more than willing to accept the price.
“How much are you planning to sell? I’ll take it all!”
Heinte declared boldly.
Earning such a large sum so easily was a bit beyond Owen’s expectations.
At that moment, Clive quietly leaned close and whispered:
“My lord Marquis, paper is a rare commodity right now—only Bianshu Town can produce it. With its advantages, even selling it at the same price as parchment would be no problem.”
If Heinte truly managed to sell the paper at parchment prices, her profit would surpass Owen’s by far.
Hearing this made Owen realize once again that he wasn’t well-suited for business matters. Better to leave the rest to Clive.
“Also, would it be possible to place a deposit to reserve the next batch of paper?”
Heinte asked again.
Even future production was being reserved? Owen felt a surge of joy. At the very least, there would be no worries about finding buyers for the paper.
Owen signaled with his eyes, and Clive immediately understood, stepping forward.
“From here on, I will negotiate on behalf of the Marquis. President Masha, how much paper would you like to reserve? And how often would you like to come collect it?”
Clive was a natural at dealing with merchants, and before long the terms of the paper trade were set. All that remained was signing the contract.
“Please wait a moment, President Masha,”
Owen interjected just in time.
“The product introductions aren’t finished yet.”
“Oh! Quite right.”
Heinte pressed a hand to her forehead.
“Look at me, rushing ahead. Please continue.”
Since this was Clive’s area of expertise, Owen let him handle the remaining introductions.
The next product was the pencil. After trying it out, Heinte likewise declared in her bold manner that she would buy them all.
Compared to a quill, a pencil was far more convenient—it could leave writing on paper without the need for ink.
Sold together with paper, it was bound to have excellent prospects. Clearly, Heinte had already seen the opportunity.
The last product was cement. After hearing Clive’s explanation and examining two small stones bonded together as a sample, Heint also showed great interest.
Since many construction projects in Bianshu Town required cement, Owen did not intend to sell too much—only enough to exchange for money that could be reinvested into developing his territory.
As such, Clive set the price very high: one hundred gold coins per bag.
Even so, Heinte didn’t bat an eye and immediately bought all of it.
Her wealth exceeded Owen’s imagination. So this was the power of a major chamber of commerce…