The story of the black silk female knight

"High-quality, attribute-free magic crystals are basically only used for research... Your Tia is an outstanding apprentice in the Sage's Tower. I heard you recently unearthed a very powerful great witch? You must have some new products and inventions that can make money, right?"

Chapter 147 Yashiro's Business Skills

"So that's what you were planning all along..."

Valensa sighed.

She had already thought of this and was prepared to cooperate, but she was still somewhat helpless... Although she didn't lose anything and might even make a lot of money, the Nora Chamber of Commerce could also make a lot of money.

Even if someone who looks like a passionate martial artist is capable of becoming the heir to the largest business guild, their business acumen is indeed remarkable.

Enviable.

Ugh.

Valensa swallowed another fist-sized piece of cake whole, chewed it a couple of times, and then devoured it, savoring its sweet and soft texture. Her eyes squinted contentedly for a moment.

"How can you be so sure that I have new technologies and products? When you were acquiring those high-quality, attribute-free magic crystals, news of what I was doing on the front lines shouldn't have reached the capital yet, right? What if you're wrong and we'll lose a lot of money?"

"Every business has risks. People who are afraid of losing money will never make big money."

Yashilo also picked up a piece of cake and ate it in small bites, like a hamster nibbling on cheese.

"I didn't know about your amazing achievements on the front lines at the time, but my family's chamber of commerce had already studied you, and Tia's actions at the time actually revealed a lot of information."

"Oh?"

Valensa gave her a look that said, "I'd love to hear more," her tone slightly coquettish:

"Tell me about it?"

"Whoosh..."

Yashilo continued to eat his cake in small bites, then took a sip of juice before saying in a half-showy tone:

"First of all, high-quality non-attribute magic crystals are mostly used for research, and Tia is a famous genius girl in the capital and an excellent apprentice of the Sage Tower, so it is normal for her to need this kind of material."

But when she was acquiring the materials... well, how should I put it... wasn't she a little too hasty? She didn't use any business techniques for acquiring materials in large quantities; she just used money to buy them... which is quite in line with the style of the eldest daughter of the Britannia family.

This overly obvious intention to acquire so much stock is tantamount to announcing to businessmen—hurry up and hoard goods, raise prices, and fleece me!

As you've seen, most material suppliers in the capital did indeed raise their prices, hoping to make a small profit from Tia's acquisition.

"Those unscrupulous merchants are despicable! Tia was furious, and I wanted to punch them too!"

Valensa muttered to herself as she continued to stuff large mouthfuls of cake into her mouth, quickly leaving very little cake on Yashiro's coffee table.

"You can really eat... Is this the source of the female knight's abundant stamina?"

Yashiro chuckled and joked, then took a bell from the sofa cushions beside him and shook it, signaling the maid to fetch more cakes and snacks.

Two maids wearing miniskirts and stockings quickly brought in new cakes and snacks, bending over to place them on the coffee table, while also collecting the plates that Valensa had already emptied.

As the cake was being set out, the two young and pretty maids were both half-bent over, and the openings of their miniskirts were directly facing Valensa, making her see her alluring black stockings and exposed skin constantly, which made Valensa a little thirsty.

"What? You've taken a fancy to my maid?"

After the two maids finished clearing away the empty plates and left, Yashiro, seeing the obvious hint of attraction in Valensa's eyes, teased her again:

"Do you need me to arrange for them to stay at your place for a few days, to smooth things over and ensure a smoother cooperation between us?"

"Uh... then I'd better not. I'm a proper female knight, not that kind of person."

Valensa quickly snapped out of her reverie of the beautiful scenery she had just witnessed:

"You should continue telling me about how you're going to take that shipment."

"Hmm... You refused yourself, so don't say I didn't give you a chance."

Yashilo chuckled and took another sip of juice before continuing their previous conversation:

"This kind of thing, where nobles buy up a certain material in large quantities, and material merchants take the opportunity to hoard it, raise prices, and make a small profit, has actually happened many times before. Basically, the merchants win every time. After all, nobles care more about their face. Sometimes they would rather suffer a loss than lose face."

This time was no different. Before stockpiling and raising prices, the material suppliers had actually done their research... They investigated Tia's cash flow and calculated that even if the price increased by about 10%, Tia could still buy up the goods. That's why they did it, and that's what they've always done.

Unexpectedly, Tia suddenly stopped acquiring the goods. Those material suppliers who had taken advantage of their distribution channels and stockpiled the goods were suddenly dumbfounded, haha.

Afterwards, they all thought they had misjudged Tia's need for materials and accepted their bad luck, but I had a different opinion.

"uh-huh?"

Valensa raised an eyebrow curiously at the opportune moment, and continued to devour Yashiro's pastries, looking as if she wanted to eat all of Yashiro's pastries.

“As you know, our family business is very large and we have dealings with all sorts of people, and the Britannia family’s businesses are no exception.”

Yashilo chuckled:

"Unlike those material suppliers who lack sufficient information, I paid attention to the funds that Tia used and the funds she planned to use as soon as she started buying up high-quality non-attribute magic crystals... It's not difficult for our Nora Chamber of Commerce to understand this information."

So I know that Tia didn't stop acquiring goods because her needs were met... She had enough funds at the time to buy all the goods at a 15% premium, and as a proud noblewoman, she shouldn't have suddenly stopped acquiring goods, but she did stop.

There are only two possible reasons.

First, her research achieved a breakthrough overnight, and indeed, no more material was needed.

Secondly, she has other areas where she needs to use funds more, and she cannot continue the acquisition knowing that she will lose a lot of money.

To be honest, at the time I couldn't figure out the exact reason and hesitated for a moment, but then your reports from the front lines made me make a final decision... to buy up all the goods before the material suppliers could react.

"My...battle record on the front lines?"

Valensa swallowed the pastries that were stuffed into her mouth, as a sign of curiosity.

"Hmm, your record."

Yashilo smiled and nodded:

"Most people only noticed your glorious slaying of the enemy commander, but I noticed a business opportunity... You released a great witch from the underground ruins of the Wasteland."

I can't guess the specific cause and effect yet, but I'm almost certain that Tia stopped the acquisition because you needed money elsewhere... This funding gap is huge, even for the Britannia family's wealth, it's tight, and you have to find a way to earn it yourselves.

According to our chamber of commerce's investigation, neither you nor Tia have particularly high business acumen. So, isn't there only one way to quickly make a lot of money?

Chapter 148 A Win-Win Cooperation

"Your chamber of commerce investigated me... When did that happen?"

Valensa asked curiously.

"Let's start from our first collaboration."

Yashilo chuckled, picked up a plate of cherry pudding from the coffee table, licked the cherries around the pudding with his tongue, and then took a small bite to savor it.

"This is a common practice in our chamber of commerce... For each partner, our chamber of commerce will conduct an investigation based on their identity, background, capabilities, and other factors."

Don't worry, it's not the kind of malicious investigation where someone painstakingly tries to find fault... Our investigation focuses on the partner's business acumen and their potential ways of making money.

"That's it..."

Valensa also picked up a plate of strawberry pudding and started licking it. Her tongue was even more skillful; with each lick, she scraped off a large layer of the pudding and put it into her mouth, just like a dog licking ice cream. In no time, she had finished the whole plate of pudding.

"What are the results of your investigation into me?"

Overall, the future looks promising.

Yashilo chuckled and replied:

"Your business acumen and talent are only slightly above average, but you possess a kind of unpredictable genius. Whenever you have a strong desire to make money, you can always invent new products from angles that ordinary people wouldn't think of... such as your popular dishes, or the new type of drug injection device you created before."

So after I deduced that you and Tia might need money for some reason, I knew that some new product was about to be launched.

Our business philosophy at Nora Chamber of Commerce is to always stay at the forefront of the market and never suppress new products and technologies for the sake of our own interests. We are staunch advocates of technological innovation!

So, I decisively bought that batch of high-quality, attribute-free magic crystals and waited for you to come to me.

I think you're not just here to buy those high-quality, attribute-less magic crystals today; you've also brought a new product that can make us all money, right, my friend?

"...You're quite the shrewd businessman, my friend."

Valensa finally couldn't help but sigh:

"He's the kind of shrewd businessman who makes people feel like they've been tricked, but they still can't bring themselves to hate him."

"Thank you for the compliment, my friend."

Yashilo had just finished her cherry pudding when she gracefully took out a handkerchief and wiped her mouth.

"For us businessmen, the label of 'shady merchant' is actually a compliment."

"Alright, alright, I admit you win, dear Yashiro... I did come here this time with a new invention I'd like to collaborate on with you."

Valensa knew that as a simple female knight, she could never outwit a businesswoman with words; she was good at verbal sparring, but not so good at fighting.

She finally stopped trying to finish off the few remaining desserts and pastries on the coffee table and instead took out two fully automatic, flameless ovens: one a simplified version for regular use, and the other a luxurious version intended for sale to nobles.

Valensa only gave a brief explanation, but Yashiro's eyes lit up, and he recognized the commercial value of this new invention.

Ordinary families can use it, restaurant chefs and adventurers will definitely like it, nobles can use it to show off, and it may even drive up the price of fire-attribute magic crystals and heat-conducting stone plates.

In the eyes of a professional businessman like Yashiro, the economic benefits of a fully automatic, flameless stove go beyond just the sale of this magical induction cooker itself; it can also drive many related industries, making it a very lucrative invention!

Cooperation is essential!

Yashilo immediately launched a financial offensive, offering Valensa a price that nearly knocked her unconscious in an attempt to acquire the fully automated, fireless furnace technology.

Valencia simply couldn't hold on, but she had to... No matter what Yashilo said, they had to master the core technology themselves! This was a collaboration, not an acquisition! They couldn't let short-term gains blind them to long-term benefits.

Perhaps it was out of consideration for their friendship, but more likely it was because Yashilo believed there was more room for future collaboration with Valensa.

Although she completely dominated the business negotiations and tested Valensa's bottom line right from the start, she didn't let Valensa suffer too much.

After discussions, the two decided that Nora Chamber of Commerce would be responsible for the supply of raw materials and the sale of finished products for the fully automatic, fireless furnace, while Valensa and Tia would be responsible for the processing and manufacturing.

The Nora Chamber of Commerce will settle accounts with Valensa and her team based on production volume. Regardless of sales performance or whether raw material prices rise, it will not affect Valensa and her team's income.

The Nora Chamber of Commerce had most of the initiative, but Valensa calculated that the net profit was actually higher than if she had purchased raw materials herself, processed them, and then entrusted the Nora Chamber of Commerce to sell them, and the risks involved were even lower.

Of course, the Nora Chamber of Commerce will not lose money either. It controls the pricing power and the procurement of raw materials, and if it operates well, it can even make a fortune from both ends.

This is a win-win-win collaboration: Valensa wins once, and Yashilo wins twice.

After the cooperation was agreed upon, the atmosphere in the room immediately became much more relaxed.

Yashiro then had the maids bring out a new table of desserts and pastries, and chatted with Valensa while they ate.

They chat about the latest fashion trends, share their combat experiences, and also recount some funny stories about their relationships with their girlfriends.

During this period, several senior executives from the Nora Chamber of Commerce came to Yashiro with various important documents for his approval.

While Yashilo was working, Valensa quietly ate desserts and pastries by herself, occasionally glancing at the erotic novel with its many beautiful illustrations.

The whole day passed just like that. As the sun set, Valensa had freeloaded both lunch and dinner at Yashiro's place, consuming a large amount of expensive and delicious food before finally deciding to say goodbye and leave.

"and many more."

Just then, Yashiro seemed to suddenly remember something. He picked up a woman's handbag with storage space and rummaged through it, finding a piece of coated paper that looked like an advertising flyer, which he handed to Valensa.

“It’s a business event in the industrialized country of America. It looks quite interesting. The next one starts next spring, and our Nora Chamber of Commerce would like to participate. Are you interested? I can be your contracted sponsor.”

"America's business activities?"

Valensa's curiosity was piqued, and she looked at the advertising flyer. She immediately spotted the large, bold headline and a picture of a chic, short-haired woman holding a trophy and gently kissing it.

The 3rd Arena Duel Tournament is about to begin.

Can the strongest duelist, who has won the championship twice in a row, achieve a three-peat?

"this is……"

Valensa quickly scanned the advertising flyer.

Isn't this just like the club-style competitive league from my previous life?

Chapter 149 Dungeons and Arena Matches

Valensa hadn't watched many competitive sports in her previous life; she could barely be considered a pseudo-football fan who had watched some La Liga, Premier League, and Champions League matches. As for the NBA and various e-sports events, she was purely an amateur who knew roughly when to express amazement when listening to others talk about them; she wasn't even a casual viewer.

America has already held two editions of competitive duels. While its system is not as sophisticated as the leagues of Valencia's previous life, it is still reasonably well-organized.

There are no distinctions between Class A, Class B, and Youth Tournaments; everyone is treated equally. Duelists sponsored by various chambers of commerce fight each other in the arena, with winners earning points. After a six-month preliminary round, the top eight are selected based on their points to compete in the finals.

The reason Yashiro calls it a commercial activity is that this competition cannot be participated in by individuals, and there is no concept of a club yet; to participate, one must sign a contract with a certain chamber of commerce.