"So you want to compile the story into a book and sell it separately?"
"Exactly." Siwei Yan replied with complete seriousness.
Omaeda Kichiyo clutched the snack bag in his arms tighter, freed one hand, and began counting on his fingers:
"At the moment, this place has one printing press, and it makes a profit of about 1,500 rings a day."
"If we count a book as 300,000 words, printing your novel would cost 500 rings per copy in materials and labor alone. We could produce about 100 copies a day."
"That means that to keep my factory from operating at a loss, the wholesale price would have to be at least 520 rings per book."
"And that's not all. Add the sales channels' cut and your share as the author, and the minimum price per book would have to go up to 550 rings."
"But!" He lifted his chubby face and looked at Siwei Yan.
"Considering the risk and opportunity cost the factory would be taking on for you, I'd need to get at least 700 rings per copy at wholesale. The final price in bookstores would probably be close to 1,000 rings a book."
"That's not a price just anyone would be willing to pay."
He laid out his reasoning in detail, then calmly took another snack from his arms and went on munching.
Siwei Yan was a little surprised. He hadn't expected this seemingly sheltered chubby kid to know so much about costs and the market. Was he more than just a manager's relative?
"No," Siwei Yan said calmly, rejecting his pricing strategy.
"We can set the final price at around 2,000 rings. We'll print 10,000 copies for the first batch and put them on the market. Once prices start climbing and demand exceeds supply, we can release a second edition."
"Ten thousand copies? You're that confident in your novel? Planning to hoard stock and drive up the price?" Omaeda Kichiyo immediately understood what Siwei Yan was getting at.
If they could really stir up the market, the profits would certainly be substantial. But that all depended on Siwei Yan's book actually being popular enough to sell.
Siwei Yan continued in his steady voice:
"It's simple to pull off. With your help, we can take the finished books around the Nobles' circles, promote them a little, and build up some buzz. Then this target should be achievable."
"Tch, you've thought it through. Start with the Nobles' circles to create a trend, manufacture demand... It does sound like it could work." Omaeda Kichiyo nodded.
"But," he added, changing tack, "it's still a big risk."
Siwei Yan looked at him and delivered that classic business maxim: "The greater the risk, the greater the profit."
"Good point!" Omaeda Kichiyo agreed wholeheartedly.
Just then, footsteps sounded nearby.
Third Seat Yamagane Tetsu emerged from the factory, his face as unyielding as ever, giving no hint of how the negotiations had gone.
An older man who looked like a manager was with him. The two came over to Siwei Yan.
Yamagane Tetsu introduced him. "This is the person in charge of the printing factory."
The old man first shot a quick, deferential glance at Omaeda Kichiyo, who was still snacking beside them, then turned to Siwei Yan with an awkward look.
"Sir, setting up a dedicated printing line for you would be too risky, and the expected profits too low, so I'm afraid we—"
"Print it."
A crisp, decisive voice cut the old man off.
Omaeda Kichiyo brushed the snack crumbs from his hands, then turned to Siwei Yan.
"You probably don't have the money to pay for printing in advance. So, as you suggested, we'll price it at 2,000 rings a copy, and I'll take 1,600. Any objections?"
Siwei Yan looked at the chubby kid and gave him the faintest smile. "Deal."
As they left the printing factory and headed back, Third Seat Yamagane Tetsu, who had been silent the whole way, suddenly spoke in a low voice:
"You... already knew the young master of the Omaeda Clan, Omaeda Kichiyo?"
"Hm?" Siwei Yan froze for a moment, comparing the kid he'd just met—a chubby boy with snacks in his arms and crumbs at the corner of his mouth, who'd rattled off business strategies with impressive ease—with the image of the "former god" he knew from the future...
They were completely... impossible to reconcile!
Time really was a butcher's knife.
He shook his head and answered honestly. "I didn't know him. He came over and started talking to me. I thought he was related to one of the managers. He seemed pretty sharp, so I casually chatted with him about some business ideas."
Yamagane Tetsu nodded and asked no more.
He came from a minor noble family and had caught glimpses of Omaeda Kichiyo at gatherings of lower- and middle-ranking Nobles.
But the Omaeda Clan was a merchant family that controlled Seireitei's economic lifeline. Their status was extraordinary, and they were far beyond the reach of a nobody from a small family like him.
"Still," Yamagane Tetsu said, turning back to the matter at hand, a rare hint of concern appearing on his usually stony face.
"2,000 rings a copy is certainly steep. And if he takes 1,600 right off the top, then after the sales channels' cut, transportation, and other expenses, you'll probably only make 10 to 20 rings per copy."
He analyzed it coolly. "In practice, even if we lowered the price and aimed for high volume with a small margin, you'd probably still make about the same per copy. So, in theory, setting a lower price and relying on sales volume would be the safer choice."
Siwei Yan listened calmly, clearly having considered this already.
"You're right, Tetsu, but we need to adjust our strategy," he explained slowly.
"The Boy is over 300,000 words long, and most readers have already seen the main story in the magazine.
We'll make it a little more exquisite, use high-quality paper and binding, and add a newly written preface in verse. We'll market it as a 'collector's edition' and price it at 2,000 rings. Our target customers are the Nobles and wealthy people who value quality and like collecting things."
Then he changed tack. "But our new book, The Killer of Meteor City, is different. It's only around 100,000 words. We'll price it at about 600 rings."
"Readers will see that they're both standalone books, but The Boy costs three times as much. They'll think, 'This one's so much cheaper!'"
"Even if the price per word isn't actually low, that sense of getting a bargain from the comparison will make it easier for them to buy. The Boy establishes a premium image and serves as a price anchor, naturally paving the way for The Killer to sell well."
Yamagane Tetsu suddenly stopped and looked up at Siwei Yan with his calm, unruffled eyes. He was silent for several seconds before letting out a slow sigh.
"No wonder you're a storyteller... You really do know how to read people and work the angles."
Once he followed Siwei Yan's line of thought, he immediately understood the cleverness of it.
The Boy was essentially using its existing fame for a "brand upgrade" and to cash in on its fans. Its main purpose wasn't to sell in large quantities.
Instead, its real function was to establish a price reference for the new book, so readers would feel they were getting a bargain when they compared the two, boosting sales of The Killer.
Ordinary Shinigami and residents of Runlin An who didn't want to spend 2,000 rings on a collector's edition would be much more tempted by a new book priced at "just" 600 rings.
They wouldn't calculate the price per thousand words. They'd simply look at it and think, "This book is cheap."
"All right. Now that everything's settled and you've thought through the details, I'll head back to the barracks."
Yamagane Tetsu waved and turned toward the Ninth Division. After walking a few steps, he called back:
"The captain and lieutenant should be back from their outing tomorrow."
"Thanks, Tetsu!" Siwei Yan called after him. "Once I get my first royalty payment, I'll treat you to a feast and give you a big red envelope!"
After parting ways with Yamagane Tetsu, Siwei Yan didn't head straight back to the Ninth Division. Instead, he made his way toward the Second Division barracks.
He was going to find Urahara Kisuke.
Before you continue