novelraw Chapter 234: Just Polite Words
Chapter 234: Just Polite Words
“It’s an honor to meet you, Mr. Django.”
Leon nodded, showing goodwill, then invited Django to sit before speaking.
“I’d like to place an order with your Traveling Merchant’s Guild for a batch of standard resin containers and standard-sized empty wine bottles. Would that be possible?”
“Of course. As long as you want it and can pay a fair price, we can fulfill any shopping request you have.” Django nodded confidently.
“What if I wanted a batch of weapons?” Leon couldn’t help asking. He had been tempted by the idea ever since first meeting the traveling merchant Aigle. Back then, Aigle talked him out of it, but Leon never abandoned the desire to stockpile them—even if such things weren’t particularly useful against monsters.
Django’s confident smile froze instantly. Even Gus, upon hearing this, closed his eyes, covered his ears, and leaned back in his chair as if to say he’d heard and seen nothing.
“That’s contraband. We can’t fulfill that request.” Fortunately, Django was well-traveled and quickly recovered his composure, smiling again as he explained.
“All right.” Leon shook his head, a little disappointed. “Then let’s stick to legitimate business. For the resin containers and empty wine bottles, what’s your guild’s price?”
“That depends on how many you need,” Django replied.
“For resin containers, let’s start with a hundred. As for empty wine bottles, I don’t need them right now, but I’ll order some later.”Leon didn’t want to request too small a quantity, and since he was bound to collect tree sap on a large scale, having extra resin containers would be useful later.
“A hundred, hmm?” Django repeated, thought for a moment, then gave a price. “Ten gold each. Capacity is 1.5 liters, reusable, and the glass is sturdy—not easy to break.”
“That’s a bit pricey.” Leon compared it to prices he knew and couldn’t help commenting. Ten gold could buy most of a chicken.
“There are cheaper glass containers—two gold each, one-liter capacity—but they break easily. Plus, if you reuse them, they need cleaning. The ten-gold version is better made; no matter what liquid you store, it pours out without residue, so you don’t need to clean it before reusing.” Django gave examples, then added,
“And that price is a discount. You’re one of our important suppliers, so we’ll give you the best deal and logistical support we can.”
“Fine, I’ll take the ten-gold ones.” Leon wasn’t swayed by flattery, but the no-cleaning feature convinced him to avoid the cheap option.
“Three hundred gold as a deposit. The containers will be delivered to your Red Star Farm within two days at most.” Django’s smile grew brighter once the deal was confirmed. This was a small order to him, but he welcomed it all the same.
Leon handed over three hundred gold. Django accepted it, wrote a receipt, signed it, and stamped it with the Traveling Merchant’s Guild seal before handing it over.
Leon examined the seal—it showed a merchant leading a horse, without any words. The image suited the guild’s name perfectly.
“Give this receipt to the merchant delivering your goods. Once you pay the remaining seven hundred gold, you’ll receive your containers,” Django added.
“Got it.” Leon nodded. As Django was about to leave, Leon stopped him. “By the way, did Lewis mention speeding up the payment process for my farm’s shipments?”
“Of course. In fact, the goods you shipped yesterday were already bought outright by our guild at market price, and I personally mailed the payment to you. Didn’t you check your mailbox this morning?” Django asked curiously.
“Uh… no, I didn’t. My apologies.” Leon smiled awkwardly.
“No worries, Mr. Leon.”
Django sighed sincerely.
“I saw your shipment list yesterday. Your agricultural talent is truly remarkable. You’ve turned a long-abandoned farm into a productive one in such a short time, and you’re producing high-quality crops. I can already see a rising star in the agricultural market. It’s no wonder you didn’t notice such a small detail when you’re this busy.”
Leon was a little embarrassed at the praise. The truth was, he simply assumed the mail wouldn’t arrive so soon, not that he was too busy. But he didn’t explain, just waved it off. “You flatter me. It’s the Traveling Merchant’s Guild’s trust that I should thank.”
That thanks was genuine. After all, the guild couldn’t have sold all his goods overnight. They had paid Leon upfront, at market value, effectively advancing the money. If the goods didn’t sell, the loss would be theirs, not his. That kind of trust and value was clear.
“Mutual benefit. Not every farm can produce high-quality crops like your Red Star Farm. To us, your farm is a premium supplier.” Django smiled.
“If there’s nothing else, I need to visit the eastern mining district to discuss a metal ingot deal with the owner there.”
“Safe travels.” Leon stood and saw him off. Only after watching Django leave did he return to the Stardrop Saloon and sit with Gus.
“The Traveling Merchant’s Guild has a reliable reputation, but I still think you shouldn’t get too close to them,” Gus said earnestly. “At their core, they’re merchants. As long as profits are high, they’ll come running. But if you’re too friendly, they might start squeezing your product prices.”
“Just polite words. As long as they don’t lower my prices and pay me what I’m due, we can coexist peacefully. But if they play games, I can always switch distributors—like Joja Corporation.” Leon smiled, reassuring Gus.
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