"So you're telling me you discovered the formula for these products, Young Lord? One can't help but wonder… what else will you create? Ha ha."
"If you'd like, I can give you a little demonstration," I said, pulling out a few more items from the basket.
"What are those?" Remy asked, looking confused.
"These, Remy, are part of a personal hygiene set," I replied.
I held a toothbrush in one hand and a small pouch of tooth powder in the other.
"That looks like a broom… I'm not quite sure how it's meant to be used."
"You're not far off. It is a broom, but for your teeth. It helps them look white and smell fresh," I said, mimicking brushing motions with the tool.
"Hold on… Are you saying my teeth will look healthy? That I won't have to chew tree bark anymore?"
"Exactly. And your breath will be fresh too," I said, handing him the basket. "Here, let's do this."
I pulled a piece of paper from my pocket and gave it to him.
"This paper explains how to use the products. I was going to take them home, but consider this a gift. Try them today, and I'll ask for your thoughts tomorrow."
He studied the paper, then stared at the items for a while. There was a bit of skepticism in his eyes, mixed with curiosity.
But really, who would dare try to trick the leader of The Fugger?
"If what you say is true… these products could reshape history. And you're giving them to me? Truly generous of you, respected Young Lord. Please, do return tomorrow. I'll have gifts for you as well."
We left The Fugger.
"That was a pretty effective marketing move," Mnex said.
"If Remy's merchant instincts are still sharp, there's no way he won't be impressed. If he's not, then he was never a good merchant to begin with."
Whether or not he liked the product didn't matter much. What mattered was whether he could see the value beneath it. If he could, he could help spread it far and wide.
"You might sacrifice a bit of profit now, but entering the market under the Fugger name gives you credibility and popularity in the long run."
"You're right. But I've got other ideas for increasing profit too."
"I must've filtered out that thought. You usually think about nonsense, like anime and food, so I have to tune out the clutter."
"I'm thinking of buying a carpenter's workshop to produce toothbrushes. That way, we keep everything in house and don't lose money outsourcing. Plus, since my father is the lord of these lands..."
"The trees are basically free. You clever little bastard, smarter than a monkey, just barely."
"So you're starting to acknowledge my brilliance."
"Let's not go that far. I'm seeing small sparks at best."
To be honest, toothbrushes and tooth powder weren't even part of the original plan. It all started when I mentioned adding different scents to soaps for nobles, like lemon.
Mnex explained that using lemon juice in the soap making process might help us discover baking soda. When I asked what use that would be, he said we could use it for a tooth cleaning powder.
That was the lightbulb moment. We had to sell toothbrushes and tooth powder too.
And just like that… our toothbrush venture began.
Along the way, we brainstormed other potential products, shampoos, skin creams... Some of them sounded silly, but they had a good chance of working.
The next day, we returned to The Fugger.
I thought these trips would bring Raymond and Doyle closer together, but they made sure to always stay at least three steps apart. They never broke that distance.
I wondered if it had something to do with what Raymond said the other day.
"Most likely," Mnex interrupted. "They both realized you're a genius but one of them was second, and now they're stuck in a cold war over it."
"So this has nothing to do with me?"
"Absolutely nothing. They just think you've inherited my brilliance. That's all."
I didn't respond. Even if I did, he probably had a hundred smug retorts lined up in his code.
The same receptionist from yesterday greeted us at the door.
"Oh, Young Lord. Please follow me. Sir Remy will be with you shortly."
He was more respectful this time. Maybe he'd seen me as a little brat yesterday, but today? Definitely not in his eyes.
We returned to the same private room, but before we could even sit, Remy walked in.
"Young Lord! These products are amazing! Yesterday, my wife… uhm," he started coughing mid sentence.
Don't worry, Remy. I know exactly what you meant.
"How would you know?" Mnex cut in. "You've never even had a romantic relationship in your past life. You died a virgin at twenty eight."
Mnex, shut. Up.
I might've lost my friendly smile for a second, but I quickly pulled it back together.
"I'm glad you liked them, Remy. And it's only natural that women love the soaps," I said, pretending not to understand his implication.
"Yes, yes, my wife loved them. That's why, if I may… I'd like to strike a deal with you."
"Hmm..." I pretended to think. "What kind of deal?"
As if this hadn't been my plan all along.
"If you'd sell me the formula…"
"Absolutely not." I didn't even let him finish. His face twitched.
"Then... then..." He looked lost. Clearly not the reaction he'd expected.
"But if you want, I'll sell you the products, and you can sell them through The Fugger stores." I acted like the idea just popped into my head. "But I have conditions."
He asked cautiously, "What are your conditions?"
"First, you'll buy all the products only from me. If you skip even one, I won't sell you any."
He thought for a moment. Then nodded. "That's not difficult. What else?"
"I set the retail prices."
"Hmm… That one's a bit tougher. But if the price range is reasonable, I can accept."
So I laid out the pricing for him, my prices, and his resale prices.
Products & Prices
Soaps (3 grades):
- My prices: 10 mar (commoners), 1 lumar (wealthy), 2.5 lumar (nobles)
- Remy's resale prices: 10 mar, 1.5 lumar, 3 lumar
Toothcare set (brush + powder):
- My prices: 20 mar (commoners), 35 mar (wealthy), 65 mar (nobles)
- Remy's resale prices: 20 mar, 40 mar, 70 mar
I made it crystal clear, if I ever heard of him changing the prices without approval, our contract would be voided immediately. No matter how rich someone is, going against a noble especially in business is social suicide.
"Under normal circumstances, I wouldn't accept such a deal… but I'm sure you already have many more product ideas up your sleeve."
"This man can smell solmars," Mnex muttered.
Remy really was an interesting character.
"One more thing, payment must always be made in advance," I said, gesturing toward Raymond.
Raymond stepped forward and locked eyes with Doyle, flashing a smug smile. It was obvious he was trying to make him jealous. And I think he succeeded.
"Ahem. Since I'm the Young Lord's most 'reliable' man in such matters," he said, glancing again at Doyle, "you'll be handling all business arrangements with me, Sir Remy." Then he gave an overly dramatic bow.
Raymond's flamboyant flair never fails to amuse me.
While they discussed order quantities, Doyle and I stepped outside.
Before returning home, I wandered around the city a bit. The public mood had shifted. Just days ago, the market square had been bustling. Now, it was nearly deserted. Fear of famine was already creeping into people's hearts.
There wasn't much more I could do, so I returned home with gifts for my mother, soaps, toothbrushes, and tooth powder. For everyone.
After that, four months stretched ahead of me.
Winter would come. The famine would arrive. And my sibling would be born.
But I had done everything I could. Now, all I could do was wait. Wait and see if our plans would work… or fall apart.
Of course, I wouldn't sit idle while waiting.
I planned to create at least one new spell maybe more within mind world..