The Cornflower Witch Chapter 67

Chapter 67: Contract Reached

Sign, or not sign.

Hylial hesitated for a moment, then nodded in agreement, picked up a special quill pen, and wrote “Anluoer” on it.

Then Al Bayu took out the merchant guild’s seal, signed his name first, and then stamped it.

Soon, a faint glow of fire spread across the entire page, then the contract paper changed color, and new patterns covered the original text, with everything on it now fixed.

“Thank you, Miss Anluoer, for your cooperation.” Al Bayu stood up and carefully put away the contract.

Since the cooperation had been reached, there was no point in regretting it now. The three began to discuss other matters.

“Mr. Al Bayu, have you heard of ‘Cornflower’?” Hylial suddenly remembered something.

“Cornflower? This is the first time I’ve heard that name.” It seemed he had never encountered it.

In fact, shortly after arriving in Burntstone City, Hylial had inquired about the flower’s name, but neither the Gardeners’ Guild nor Madame Faran had heard of it.

Could it be that the local names were different? Perhaps there was another name for it in the local area, Hylial thought to herself.

“However, I can help Miss Anluoer inquire about related information. Fengqiao City is close to the border, and news travels quite well.”

“Thank you.” The girl temporarily let go of the question.

Soon, Kalay asked Al Bayu about the border preparations.

“I remember two years ago, Regas had just signed a treaty with the Anti Kingdom to the north, declaring a ceasefire. Is war going to break out again now?”

“That’s right. After the Battle of Windmills two years ago, we and the Anti Kingdom declared a ceasefire, ceded some territory, and paid a lot in reparations. This greatly angered His Majesty, and even Viscount Kalun was imprisoned for it,” Al Bayu replied.

“Originally, we all thought that the war would come to an end, and there would be no major conflicts for at least ten years.”

“But now the situation has changed. According to informants on the border in the Anti Kingdom, there are undercurrents within the Anti Kingdom, and many nobles intend to start a war again. In this situation, even if the Anti Kingdom’s royal family doesn’t want war, it will be difficult to suppress the voices of those below.”

“Why are those nobles so eager to go to war?” The girl tilted her head, confused.

“Because they won too easily last time, and only a portion of the nobles reaped the benefits. The quick ceasefire meant that many of the Anti Kingdom’s great nobles hadn’t even reacted before it was over.”

“Those who didn’t get a share, and nobles who believed they had the strength, were envious and thought we could be easily manipulated. They were unwilling to let it end there. And coincidentally, during this period, several main heirs to the Anti royal family were vying for power, each hoping to become the next king. The factions around them would not easily give up their efforts to gain momentum.”

The struggle for the throne was spreading… Hylial roughly understood the reason.

The throne in this world held tangible power. In other words, at the very least, one could use the high-level attributes brought by the throne to gain a stronger life, a healthier body, and a longer lifespan. Therefore, those qualified to inherit would seize every possible opportunity to compete.

“In that case, you must have made a good profit, huh?” Kalay struck at him, implying that given the situation, the military wouldn’t significantly drive down prices, meaning the Bronze Halberd Merchant Association’s profits wouldn’t be low.

“Yes, and thanks to Miss Anluoer’s kindness, if you have anything specific you need, we can also keep an eye out for you and deliver it with our next procurement.” The other party’s attitude was frank; since the contract was signed, there was no need to hide anything.

“Hmm…” Hylial thought about what else she needed.

“If you have any extraordinary accessories that can conceal identity, please keep an eye out for me. I occasionally need them to disguise a conspicuous identity for ease of movement,” she said directly.

“That’s easy. I’ll ask our local partner guild to have their experts craft it for you. What style of accessory do you prefer?” As she was now a good business partner, the merchant was very generous and prepared to cultivate a good relationship with the girl.

“A ring, and I need a specific floral pattern.” She planned to engrave the image of a cornflower from her memory onto the ring, which would make it easier to ask others about it.

After saying that, she had Lining bring paper and drew the cornflower pattern herself.

“So that’s what ‘Cornflower’ looks like? No problem, I’ll specifically instruct the craftsman to meticulously create it for you,” Al Bayu said, taking the drawing.

The three sat for a while longer, until Al Bayu bid farewell.

“Tomorrow, I’ll bring my attendant to pick up the goods. Please be prepared, Miss Anluoer.” With that, he bowed and bid the young lady farewell.

After the merchant representative left, Kalay stood by Hylial, her hand gently resting on Hylial’s shoulder in comfort.

“After a while, Anluoer has become much more generous.” She was quite surprised that the girl could make her own decisions and accept this deal.

According to her original estimate, Anluoer might have declined and waited for Madame Faran to return before making a decision, because no one expected Madame Faran to give Hylial such great authority, and it was also unclear how much Sunseed Oil Madame Faran had stored, leading to a misunderstanding due to asymmetric information.

“Actually, I was a bit nervous just now, afraid of mishandling it and selling it too cheaply,” Hylial admitted.

“But after you came, you didn’t have much objection to the price, so I had a general idea,” she answered honestly.

“Heh heh, that’s a resourceful approach,” Kalay responded with a smile.

“This price is indeed quite high in normal times, but since war might resume, the profit margin is also larger. We just earned a little less.”

“Sometimes, cooperation doesn’t need to be too rigid. Leaving some leeway for each other can make the relationship more enjoyable. Just like just now, since the other party has already gotten a good deal, you can raise some demands again, and considering long-term cooperation, the other party will most likely agree.”

“Especially in some situations, maintaining relationships is even more important than making money,” Kalay said, raising a finger.

“You’ll gradually understand this saying.”

“Alright, since things are settled, I won’t disturb you any longer.”

“Won’t you stay for dinner? Also, I’ve prepared a gift for you.” Hylial felt that since she had invited Madame Kalay, she should at least express her gratitude.

“You don’t need to go to any trouble, Anluoer, hehe, you’re still too young, don’t worry about it.”

“Next time Madame Faran returns, she will prepare a gift for me as a thank-you for helping you with this negotiation.” To Hylial, Kalay once again patted her head, then bade farewell and left.

The next day, Madame Kalay and Al Bayu visited again. With Madame Kalay’s assistance and supervision, 306 bottles of Sunseed Oil were successfully delivered. Al Bayu also signed a receipt for the goods, leaving it with Anluoer, and handed over 1200 Gold Coins to Hylial for verification.

These Gold Coins were neatly arranged in three iron chests, reflecting a dazzling golden light in the sun.

(End of chapter)