Fiery Business, Part Two

More than ten days passed in the blink of an eye. During this time, Donald had been running to the Mage Association in Giant Stone City every other day, and he had already copied nearly one-fifth of the books in the library.

Although the library seemed to contain many books, there were only a few hundred in total, far inferior to the thousands of volumes said to be housed in the Mage Tower of the Royal Capital's Mage Association.

At this rate, in three or five months, I should be able to copy all the books in the library. It's the beginning of the month, and the fifty bottles of Moonlight Wine are ready. I should send them to the mages at the association! That's another two thousand Gold Sol in the bag! Hehe...

Calculating this in his mind, Donald set off with the Moonlight Wine he had spent the last half-month producing using the wine purchased by his Steward.

The journey was uneventful. Upon arriving at the entrance of the association, Donald stepped out of the carriage and ordered the driver to park in front of the gate. He then entered the building, called for three attendants, and carefully unloaded the cargo from the carriage to be moved inside.

During this process, Donald noticed that there were significantly more people around the association than usual. After scanning the area with a calm, indifferent gaze, he found that the people strolling by, the noble servants, and the shop clerks all seemed perfectly natural. Yet, it was precisely this "naturalness" that made Donald feel something was amiss, as if the presence of these people had been pre-arranged.

Wait! Pre-arranged?

Donald quickly realized why he felt uneasy. These people were undoubtedly spies and informants planted here by certain factions. As for their target, did he even need to ask?

Just by observing that their range of movement, while broad, subtly centered around the Mage Association, he knew they were definitely here for him.

The most profitable export of Celt was its top-tier wine. While other bulk exports like furs and timber were plentiful, their profit margins were nowhere near those of luxury goods like wine.

Currently, Celt only had two brands that reached the level of premium wine, both held by the Royal Family and high-ranking nobles. The emergence of a new wine whose taste did not lose to the former two would inevitably attract attention—especially from noble factions coveting the profits involved.

Donald had long anticipated that once Moonlight Wine was launched, he would soon attract the attention of major powers. He just hadn't expected them to get wind of it so quickly, even before he had officially introduced it to the market.

But let them pay attention. Donald had intended to build the brand of Moonlight Wine anyway; if he was attracting attention from multiple parties before he had even taken action, wouldn't that save him a lot of trouble?

Thus, Donald didn't bother to hide anything and openly moved the four barrels into the association. This time, he didn't choose to bottle them in crystal; it was not only troublesome, but the supply of bottles was also limited. Last time, his Steward, Code, had bought up all the loose bottles from merchants within the range of Giant Stone City and Red Maple Town. However, crystal bottles were a low-value luxury item used mostly by nobles and mages—the former for spices and fine wine, the latter for potions and materials. Commoners mostly used wooden barrels and clay jars to store liquids. Alchemy in this world could be used to create crystal, but the cost was too high to achieve the level of popularity glass had in his previous life. Only mages or alchemists who were short on cash would refine a batch of crystalware to sell for funds.

So, this time, Donald simply brought four barrels of Moonlight Wine, half red and half white. The quantity was roughly the same as the previous bottled batch. He sold them to the association at a price of five hundred Gold Sol per barrel—two thousand Gold Sol for the four barrels, the same as the fifty bottles before.

The mages then distributed the wine among themselves, and the payment was soon in Donald's hands.

After completing the transaction, Donald sought out Madri, the mage responsible for managing the association's public material warehouse.

This middle-aged man was a Level 2 Mage who had originally been a merchant. However, his talent for magic was not high, and seeing that he wouldn't be able to advance to the next level before old age, he simply returned to his old trade. Relying on his merchant instincts, he acted on behalf of the association to do business with outside merchants and nobles, collecting resources and materials for the mages.

He would sell the trinkets crafted by apprentices or the failed experiments of mages stored in the warehouse to merchants and nobles at reasonable prices, earning a large amount of materials and Gold Sol for the association to support the research and cultivation of the many mages.

This was also the source of the association's public property. Previously, the association was merely a place for social gatherings, but now it had become a permanent base for the mages.

Donald had great respect for Madri, the merchant-mage, and stated his purpose directly.

"Master Madri, I have a business proposal for the association!"

"I am no master; you may call me Mage Madri, and I shall call you Mage Donald!"

Regarding this genius young noble mage, Madri dared not put on any airs. Not to mention that the boy was now a formal mage, he had even defeated a peak Black Iron Snow Mage while still an apprentice. He could not afford to be negligent. After all, the system of this world was one where the strong were respected.

Donald acknowledged Madri's attitude and explained his plan.

"Very well, Mage Madri. I have an idea. These days, I have been researching ways to increase the production of the Moonlight Wine series. Aside from what is supplied to the mages here, there is a surplus of about twenty bottles. I was thinking, if you could represent the association and sell these to the outside world, it would not only allow us to trade for other materials needed by the mages, but also save me the trouble of being harassed by certain people once the news gets out. What do you think of this idea?"

Having been a merchant, Madri understood immediately and said excitedly:

"Mage Donald, you are truly a genius! If you were to become a merchant, you would surely be the wealthiest in the Kingdom. You have no idea—these days, nobles and merchants are constantly coming to the association to inquire about Moonlight Wine. Of course, none of us mages have revealed your name."

"Those people didn't get an answer, which only made them more interested. Some even offered to buy a single bottle of Moonlight Wine for the high price of three hundred Gold Sol. But as you know, mages aren't the type to sell things they value for money, so the request was flatly refused. When that noble went back and spoke of it, it sparked a lot of discussion, making the nobles and merchants even more desperate for your Moonlight Wine!"

Donald listened and said:

"Three hundred Gold Sol is ten times the cost, but if we are to sell Moonlight Wine, we cannot follow that price. How about this: I sell it to the association for forty Gold Sol, and the association can sell it to the outside world for fifty. That way, you make ten Gold Sol per bottle. Twenty bottles a month would be two hundred Gold Sol. Future production might even increase. For the association, this is pure profit!"

Mage Madri was incredibly moved upon hearing this, but he then considered Donald's position:

"Mage Donald, if you sell the wine to the association at a low price despite your high costs, and give up the opportunity to sell it yourself, wouldn't you be losing hundreds of Gold Sol in wealth every month?"

Donald smiled and said:

"Compared to the help the association and the mages have given me, this is nothing. Consider it a small contribution from me to the association! I can't just use the association's resources without doing anything in return!"

Madri was filled with admiration and immediately said:

"I will convey your intentions to Master Messer and the other mages at once. I am sure all the mages in the association will be grateful for your contribution!"

"In that case, I will have someone deliver the wine first thing tomorrow morning. I will leave the preparations to you, Mage Madri!"

Madri patted his chest and guaranteed: "Rest assured! Those nobles and merchants may have influence, but no one dares to cause trouble at the Mage Association!"

After bidding farewell to Madri, Donald returned to the library to continue his great task of copying books.

A few hours later, all the factions in Giant Stone City received news from the Mage Association.

Because of the undercurrents caused by Moonlight Wine, spies from various factions had long been instructed to keep watch near the Mage Association and to memorize the appearance of any mage bringing in cargo.

However, before the various factions could deduce the identity of the owner of Moonlight Wine based on the information brought back by their spies, they were caught off guard by the public announcement from Mage Madri.

The Mage Association was going to publicly sell Moonlight Wine. This proved that the mage who had developed the miraculous liquid would be under the collective protection of the mages of North Shire. If anyone wanted to move against that mage, they would be making an enemy of every mage in North Shire.

This news was good for merchants who simply wanted to secure a supply and sales rights, but for those factions intent on seizing the formula for Moonlight Wine to monopolize the massive profits within, it was quite troublesome.

At this moment, in the finest inn in Giant Stone City—the luxurious courtyard once used by Donald for nobles—a handsome man dressed as a noble was speaking to a man in black kneeling before him:

"We must get our hands on this Moonlight Wine."

"But what about the Lord of Giant Stone City..." the man in black asked with a hint of hesitation.

"Don't worry about Macbeth. He is nothing more than a local warlord who can't even manage his own household. He is the Governor of North Shire in name only. Even within the scope of Giant Stone City, the only places he can fully control are the Viscount's territory and its dependencies. The nearby Red Maple Town, and the distant Bloodstone Fortress and Flash Gold Town, are all places he cannot touch. It is the mages here who are the difficult ones to deal with!"

"At worst, we abandon the Giant Stone City stronghold we've operated for years. As long as we can obtain the potion and recipe for brewing this fine liquor, it will all be worth it."

The noble man spoke with confidence, then shifted his tone.

"The only thing we need to worry about is the stance of the Celt Royal Family. This fine liquor can bring in countless Gold Sol in wealth, and it is also the best tool for them to open doors to the various nations of the continent. If we arrive late, His Majesty the King will likely not allow many shares to fall outside the control of the royal family! Once you have handled this matter well, you can withdraw from the mission and return to the country. The merit you have earned will be enough for you to obtain a Hereditary Peerage and a fief. By then, you will be a true noble and can enjoy the rest of your life!"

The noble man's tone carried an inexplicable temptation. The man in black responded excitedly in a low voice, then quietly exited the room. However, he did not see the mocking smile that appeared on the noble man's lips behind his back.

After confirming the man in black had left, the noble man chuckled softly:

"Merit! That all belongs to me. As intelligence agents of the kingdom, you know too much; there are very few who get to have a peaceful end!"

At the same time, in several secret locations within Giant Stone City, almost all were engaged in similar conversations.

In a heavily guarded courtyard behind the Gold Sol Auction House, a spirited old man looked at a stack of intelligence in his hand and muttered to himself:

"The cost is lower than alchemical potions, and the weak effect doesn't matter. What's important is that the production volume is over a hundred times higher than alchemical potions, and the taste can rival top-tier fine wines. This Moonlight Wine is truly not simple. The profits within this are enough to support a regular knight order of a kingdom. The old man who received my message last time was very interested; this time, he will surely send a special envoy, right?"

As he spoke, a trace of mockery appeared on his lips again:

"It's laughable that those fellows still want to obtain the recipe. They don't even look at the target's status. Setting aside the status of a Hereditary Knight, he is the genius in North Shire most likely to become a Silver Mage in the future, and a rare summoner best at winning against stronger opponents. Not just North Shire, even those powerful old fellows in the Kingdom Mage Association will likely protect this little guy's safety. Moreover, his own strength is already equivalent to a Bronze-tier Professional. If anyone really dares to act rashly, I fear those angry high-level mages will sweep through the entire North Shire. By then, I wonder how many fish in these muddy waters will be able to survive?"

After finishing, he sighed again.

"I am old and won't live for many more years, but the children at home are just at the age where they need to grow. I must obtain some shares before orders come from the Royal Capital to accumulate enough capital. Otherwise, as my health gets worse by the day, I might just pass away one day. The two boys below fighting for that position will surely cause a bloody storm. If one doesn't take the right side then, it will mean ruin. Andrew is vicious by nature; once he takes power, he will surely cut the weeds and dig up the roots. I had better prepare a retreat for Little Dury early!"