Xu Yi narrowed his eyes slightly, giving Marquis Southgate a strange look.
At first glance, the marquis's proposal seemed quite reasonable. The Xinfei Merchant Guild would not have to do anything except allow him to use its brand, and would suffer no tangible loss.
But on closer examination, this was precisely the sort of brand counterfeiting that so many manufacturers on Earth detested. The consequences could be minor or severe, but in any case, there was nothing to gain for the brand being counterfeited.
Seeing that Xu Yi had not answered, Marquis Southgate seemed to remember something and added with a smile, "I forgot to mention this. President Xu, your Xinfei Merchant Guild can receive thirty percent of the profits from the household magic machinery produced this way. Would that be acceptable?"
Xu Yi blinked, then slowly but firmly shook his head.
"No."
Marquis Southgate froze.
He had thought that approaching Xu Yi in good faith to discuss the matter, and even volunteering thirty percent of the profits to the Xinfei Merchant Guild, already showed Xu Yi ample respect.
If not for the Xinfei Merchant Guild's tremendous reputation across the continent and its increasingly evident influence within the Malo Empire, he would never have considered consulting Xu Yi at all. He would have started production long ago.
After all, he would merely be using the Xinfei Merchant Guild's brand. Would the guild really dare come after him over that?
Yet Xu Yi had rejected him so decisively, without even softening his tone. He had left absolutely no room for negotiation.
"President Xu, why not?" Marquis Southgate asked with a frown. "We would only be using your Xinfei Merchant Guild's brand. It wouldn't affect anything. If you're worried that the quality of our products might be inadequate and harm your guild's