“The Nian Clan will receive a percentile share of profits in exchange for protecting the shop and your people. Is that what you mean?”

Ma Tian, the Clan Head of the Nian Clan summarized the business proposal Ikasa had put forth for the benefit of the other Tribe Leaders.

“Or I can also pay the Nian Clan a fixed amount of 10,000 gold per year for the same.” Ikasa added.

The four Tribe Leaders began to contemplate the two options. Both of the deals sounded too good to be true when they thought about it.

If this proposal had come from any other merchant, they would’ve been wary of the merchant’s ulterior motives. However, this was Ikasa – A person judged by the Heavenly Horse’s Feather of Judgment!

Any and all reservations the Tribe Leaders had towards Ikasa disappeared when he played the ‘Acknowledged by the Guardian Beast’ card.

As soon as the options were put forth, the Tribe leaders started to choose sides. Since the sincerity of Ikasa was no longer in question, they just had to choose the option that would bring their Clan more prosperity.

“10,000 gold is a big sum! We should choose this option over a measly 10% of the Profits.”

The leader of Xiong Tribe argued. His eyes were shining when he heard the number and he immediately decided to favor this option. Hou Tribe Leader also nodded in agreement.

Ikasa hid the small smile forming on his face as he saw two of the Tribe Leaders take the bait.

The amount of 10,000 Gold per year was nothing worth mentioning if compared to the profits he would earn from the Shop in this City.

Not only was Elm City a Tier-2 City with high spending power, it was also a trade hub. Huge amount of Mercenaries escorting the Merchants poured into the City every season. These people were Ikasa’s target customers in the initial phase.

There were also troupes employed privately by the Merchants. Only the richest of the merchants could afford to keep their own Private Force. Naturally, they would not be stingy and purchase the best Battle Techniques for their forces.

When the word of his manuals spread through the City, Ikasa was sure that these merchants would line up to fill his coffers. Each of them would spend at least 5 to 6 thousand gold in his shop, making the income rise to more than 20k per month.

If he had to give a 10% share to the Nian Clan he would be paying way more than 10,000 gold per year. Hence, Ikasa was happy to see the Xiong and the Hou Tribe Leaders favor the fixed amount option.

He moved his eyes to the Patriarch of the Sang Family and the Lu Tribe’s Leader. They had yet to voice their opinion. The Clan Head Ma Tian also seemed more interested in their choice than the opinion of the other two Tribe leaders.

“Brother Sang, your son has personally seen the manuals. How well do you think they would sell in this City?”

The Tribe Leader Lu asked Patriarch Sang. He was unable to come to a decision because he lacked knowledge about the product. He did not ask Ikasa, as no merchant would ever say their wares are bad.

Rather, he asked Sang Yi’s father, the one person who had seen the manuals in person.

Patriarh Sang traced the tattoo on his forehead that extended all the way to his neck as he carefully thought about the answer.

“The Manuals are… Miraculous. However, they are limited to the Path Forging Realm. I am unsure as to how much income the Shop can earn just from selling them.”

As he spoke, he paid attention to Ikasa’s expressions. Ikasa had composed his face immediately upon noticing his gaze.

“Do you mean that we should choose the safer option that would provide us with a consistent amount every year?”

Tribe Leader Lu asked, as he was one of the people most averse to risk taking endeavors. Patriarch Sang did not reply immediately but scrutinized Ikasa once thoroughly. Then he declared the option he favored.

“The sum of 10,000 gold is indeed generous but I feel we would earn more if we choose to take a 10% share in profits.”

Since the failure of the first business venture, the Sang Family had been in charge of the trades regarding the Mystic Blood that kept the Clan afloat.

Years passed but the trauma from their failure had not disappeared. They still preferred to avoid jumping into another business where they could potentially suffer a loss.

To change the situation, Patriarch Sang himself had brought many business proposals but had been shot down by the other Tribe Leaders because of the risks involved or their distrust in the Merchants.

Thus, the enterprising spirit of the Nian Clan had died long ago.

However, Patriarch Sang saw an opportunity in Ikasa. He saw a hope to revive the entrepreneurial spirit of the Nian Clan by letting them experience the ups and downs of the markets.

He chose the riskier option instead of the safe one because his goal was not the gold they would earn through this partnership. Rather he was aiming to revive the business ambitions of the Nian Clan through this partnership!

The Tribe Leader Lu looked at Patriarch Sang with a hint of surprise. He decided to trust the man who had been looking after the finances of the Nian Clan for so many years and supported his choice.

“I also prefer the option with 10% share.”

Ikasa became slightly anxious as two people chose the option he really did not want to offer. The votes had reached a tie with two for each option.

He looked at the Clan Head of the Nian Clan with anticipation as his vote would decide which option the Nian Clan would choose.

The Clan Head Ma looked at all the Tribe Leaders and then at Ikasa with an imposing gaze.

“Since we are going to enter a partnership, How can we make you pay us a fixed amount even when your profits might be lower. We will thus take the 10% share in the Shop.”

After a long round of brainstorming, the governing body of the Nian Clan came to a decision. Though the offer they chose was not the one Ikasa wanted them to choose, he was prepared for such a scenario.

‘To keep the Profits low, I just need to show losses by increasing the production cost and transportation cost of the manuals.’

In fact, since Ikasa’s methods of making the manuals were a secret nobody knew what it actually cost him. So, he could manipulate this cost as he wanted!

With this in mind, Ikasa concluded the contract with the Nian Clan with a big smile on his face.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep