The Queen of Scrolls never admits defeat

Just then, Zizi slammed down her pen and said smugly, "I know how to source goods to maximize my profits!"

Sylvia looked at her in surprise: "So fast?"

Squeaky's little tail was held high, one paw was on her hip, and the other paw tapped the parchment spread out on the counter:
"Of course! The key here is to figure out the types and prices of cards that the Tatars, other people, and we can buy."

It drew a simple table on the paper with the tip of its pen:

"Tatars enjoy a 10% discount on card purchases, and all races other than witches have their initial price in the card shop double that of witches."

The pen tip drew two heavy lines below the word "twice".

“So—” Zizi raised her head, her eyes sparkling: “The Tatars’ discounted price is actually 1.8 times the price in the Witch Edition Mall.”

Sylvia tried to follow this line of thought, nodding her little head gently: "So that's how the 1.8x came about! We buy from the Witch's Shop for less than the Tatars, and the Tatars buy for less than the foreigners who don't get a discount. If we sell for more than 1.8x, the Tatars won't buy from us anymore, right?"

"Smart!" Squeak wagged its tail approvingly and continued writing down a series of calculations on the paper. "Now let's look at our funds: we have 1000 gem coins. If we only buy cards of level 4 and below..."

It writes the equation on the paper:

Purchase cost: 1000 gem coins

Maximum selling price ≤ 1.8 times = 1800 gem coins

Maximum profit ≤ 800 gem coins

“And that’s just the ideal situation,” Zizi’s little face turned serious. “In reality, it might not even sell for 1800, because the Tatars can buy these in their own marketplace.”

If we want to compete with their 'official channels,' we have to lower the price even further, perhaps only selling at 1.5 or 1.6 times the original price, which will result in even thinner profits.

There's also the risk of unsold stock stuck in your inventory.

Sylvia frowned slightly: "What should we do? We can't afford to lose money..."

"Don't rush," Zizi said, lightly tapping the paper with the tip of his pen before turning to the selected cards on the screen. "The key is—level 5 cards."

“Level 5 cards are not available for purchase in the Tatars’ own shop. If they want to buy them, they can only do so from other authorized contractors, such as passing merchants, adventurers, or witches like you.”

Squeak's claws drew a circle in the air, and its tone became excited:
"This means we have pricing freedom! We're no longer restricted by the 1.8x multiplier! As long as the price is reasonable, they'll buy!"

Sylvia's eyes gradually brightened: "Then... shall we buy all level 5 cards?"

"Theoretically, it's possible, but level 5 cards are all very expensive, so we don't have many options. Also, if we want to sell them quickly to recoup our funds and continue buying, we need to choose the most suitable ones!"

Zizi skillfully selected all the level 5 cards: "Look, {level 5 Wood Spirit Leather Armor}, {level 5 Windproof Cloak}... these are all very useful, but the problem is that they are too durable!"
The Tatali people may have bought it from a merchant or a passing witch in the past, and they are still using it now.

They won't easily buy a second one.

Therefore, the demand for these cards is unstable; if the price is high, they may become unsellable and stuck in inventory.

Sylvia nodded, seemingly understanding, "Then... what kind of cards do they always need?"

Squeak's paw slammed down on a card: "This one!"

Sylvia: "{Level 5 Healing Potion}?"

Zhizhi nodded and said firmly, "For a nomadic hunting people like the Tatali, injuries are commonplace."

Herbal remedies are slow to take effect, and low-level healing cards have limited effectiveness. A level 5 healing potion that can quickly heal serious injuries is a lifesaver, and crucially, it's a consumable item, so you can never have too many.

As long as the price isn't too outrageous, they'll most likely buy it if they come across it.

Moreover, demand will be even greater during hunting and migration seasons.

Sylvia held her breath, staring at the card.

Zizi has already written down the final procurement plan on the paper:
"All in {Level 5 Healing Potion}"
Purchase: 1 bottle (1000 gem coins per bottle)
Suggested retail price: 2000~2500 gem coins

Expected profit: 1000~1500 gem coins

Advantages: Stable demand, fast turnover, no need to stockpile inventory
Risk: Reliance on a single product; if it doesn't sell, all funds are locked up.

Squeak looked intently at Sylvia:

"This is the plan I can calculate to make the highest profit with 1000 gem coins. But the risk is also obvious: all the money is bet on this one bottle of medicine."

If they can't be sold, there won't be any funds to buy other goods, but this risk is relatively small.

Even if we encounter it, if it doesn't sell for 2000 to 2500, we'll lower it to 1800 to 2000. At this price, it's practically free for a level 5 healing potion.

The Tatars would definitely be tempted if they had even a little bit of surplus food.

Even if we can't sell it for 1800... we can still try to sell it to passing adventurers, caravans, or even people from other tribes.

Healing potions will always have a market; it's just that the turnover time might be a little longer.

After saying this, Zizi suddenly dropped her serious expression, wagged her little tail playfully again, and held up five fingers:

"So what do you think, little shopkeeper? With my abilities—I can analyze the market, develop strategies, and assess risks—hiring me for 5 gem coins a day isn't a bad deal, is it?"

"So? With my abilities, hiring me for 5 gem coins a day isn't a bad deal, is it?"

"It's definitely worth it!" Sylvia was surprised to learn that Zizi had so much business acumen.

"Thank you, Zizi, you've passed my test. However... I don't have any gem coins to hire you this time. But don't worry, Zizi, once I've earned some gem coins in the Tatar tribe, I'll definitely take a day to hire you so you can help me plan my next round of procurement!"

Squeak: "???"

It pretended to be surprised and looked at Sylvia: "Next, we're going to the Tatar tribe?"

Sylvia chuckled and nodded: "Thank you for your suggestion. I will follow your plan and buy a Level 5 Healing Potion to sell!"

She chose to buy it directly.

Her gem coins were depleted, and a card ended up in her hand.

She carefully pasted it on the catalog, priced it at 2500 gem coins, and then placed it in the most prominent and central shelf behind her.

"With so many shelves, there's just one card all alone... When customers walk in and see it, they think we're about to go out of business."

Sylvia rested her chin on her hand, gazing at the empty shop before her, her small face etched with the word "shabby".

Seeing the "Accounting Assistant" signs in Sen Tai and Kaba's hands, she suddenly had a brilliant idea. (End of Chapter)