Patent

"Cola."

Rainer answered truthfully.

"This is a brand-new beverage developed by Crescent Academy. Mr. Antoine, having tried it yourself, do you think this drink would be popular?"

"At the very least, I'd pay for it."

Antoine nodded. This beverage was truly addictive, as if it could make people hooked. With suitable advertising and distribution channels, it would surely sell well.

"That is enough. Our goal is simple, Mr. Antoine. We hope to commission you to produce and sell this beverage. We will give you a certain share based on sales. Naturally, we will pay the initial investment in advance for you to develop the production equipment."

According to what Rainer had learned, an ordinary Alchemy Workshop could produce two hundred bottles of Cola per batch once its production array had been set up. Though the volume was not large, it was enough to open up distribution channels in the early stages.

Moreover, no matter how far Antoine Alchemy Workshop had fallen, it had previously possessed a certain sales network. The shops that worked with him might be nearby pharmacies, or perhaps other stores.

After all, finding a stable supplier of alchemical products was essential for every shop. Antoine Alchemy Workshop had not gone bankrupt after all these years, so it presumably owed that to the support of several longtime customers.

"Production?"

Antoine examined the beverage in his hand closely and fell into thought.

He had often received similar orders in the past, where the client provided a formula and commissioned production. But those had mostly been ordinary alchemical products. This beverage before him carried an air of mystery. Would they truly trust him enough to let him produce it?

"Do you have a patent for this?"

After thinking it over, Antoine asked.

Though he kept himself apart from current affairs, Antoine still knew Crescent Academy had not been doing well lately. They were asking him to produce beverages because they wanted to earn money to subsidize the academy's expenses.

In this world, most inventions and creations were registered as patents with the Magic Association. Much like academic papers, anyone who wished to use one had to reach an agreement with the patent holder and pay the relevant fees. If they violated this, the patent holder could initiate arbitration and demand enormous compensation.

There had been several famous cases in the past, and the final settlements had all been staggering.

That was why Antoine asked. He wanted to confirm whether this belonged to Crescent Academy.

"Not yet, and I don't intend to apply for a patent. If anything, I plan to register this drink called Cola as a trade secret."

Rainer answered, startling both Claire and Antoine.

"W-wait, you never mentioned this before."

Claire was a little flustered. She had assumed Rainer would apply for a patent and then produce it on a large scale, but judging from what he meant, that did not seem to be his plan at all.

Naturally, Claire understood the concept of trade secrets. It was like mages' spells: if one submitted a spell to the Magic Association, it was equivalent to applying for a patent. Other mages who wanted to learn it had to pay the creator, but the spell model's structure had to be made public.

Some mages chose not to submit their spells to the Magic Association. Then the spell naturally received no protection. If someone used some means to secretly learn it, the creator could do nothing about it. In exchange, however, the spell remained secret.

Of course, trade secrets were also protected. Anyone who attempted to steal one would naturally be punished. Furthermore, the holder did not need to disclose it, and as long as the holder or their agent remained alive, it could be protected indefinitely.

"I looked into the relevant laws. If we apply for a patent, Cola's formula must be disclosed, and the patent is valid for only one hundred years. If we use a trade secret instead, the protection is permanent, and we can keep the formula hidden."

Rainer explained calmly, but this reason clearly failed to convince the two of them.

"But the formula for this isn't difficult. Once the paper is published, anyone can reproduce it. What benefit is there in treating it as a secret?"

Claire said that before coming here, Rainer had already mailed out the paper. He would receive a response within three days at the latest, and the paper would be stored in the Magic Association's archives for others to consult and cite.

In other words, no matter what, the existence and production method of that mysterious gas would no longer be secret.

"I also think Claire is right. What if someone counterfeits it?"

Antoine asked, but none of these questions posed any obstacle to Rainer.

"You two, I don't think you understand the value of a brand yet."

After some thought, Rainer brought out one of Earth's most classic marketing theories.

"If we disclose the formula, everyone can drink identical Cola made according to it. Naturally, some people will use price wars or other methods to attack us. But if we hide the formula, then even if others analyze the ingredients and create an imitation indistinguishable from the real thing, as long as we don't acknowledge it, it will never be 'Cola.' Do you understand?"

Hearing Rainer's words, both of them fell silent.

Claire had previously considered only legal oversight, but she had failed to realize Cola's nature as a product. For a commodity, the formula should be the greatest secret. After hearing Rainer's words, she finally understood. Then she quickly remembered that this principal had originally been the son of a commercial empire. He must have been well versed in such matters.

Merchants really were too cunning!

Antoine, meanwhile, admired the foresight of the man before him. Before the product had even reached the shelves, he had already considered competitors and devised a relatively reliable countermeasure. Not to mention that he had developed such a captivating beverage. Who exactly was he?

Rainer did not think the merchants of this world were fools. A rudimentary commodity economy had already begun to take shape. Thanks to convenient transportation, intercontinental trade had long since emerged, and many regions had transitioned from self-sufficient agricultural economies to commodity economies that leveraged their geographic advantages.

Large trading houses stole secret formulas or bought patents, then relied on financial reserves to crush merchants with price wars and seize the market. Such tactics were nothing new. Even the Ian Gray family was quite adept at them. But to Rainer, these methods were far too naïve.

On Earth, Cola's flavor was naturally distinctive, but what had truly made it popular across the world were its unique marketing methods. Rainer, who came from Earth, could recall several famous marketing cases from memory alone. He had already prepared to apply one of them to Cola's promotion.

"Mr. Antoine, I think you should take a look at the bottle cap in your hand."

Rainer said this, prompting Antoine to stare at the cap with a puzzled expression. Claire, who had no idea what was going on, also leaned closer curiously.

A single sentence was engraved upon the bottle cap, which gleamed with a metallic sheen.

One More Bottle.