My Anime Shopping Tree & My Cold Prodigy Wife!
Episode-163

Chapter : 325

“And what if,” Tisha continued, her hazel eyes twinkling, “you could offer each of those sixty clients a new, exclusive service? The ‘AURA Experience’? A single, perfect, fragrant pump of the Royal Rosemary Elixir to use at the end of their bath. A taste of how the Duchess herself cleanses her skin.”

She did a quick calculation on the slate board Jasmin held up. “Your cost for a full refill is eighty Silver Coins. To ensure a modest but fair profit, let us say you aim to generate one hundred Silver Coins in total revenue from that single refill.” She wrote the numbers down, her charcoal stick scratching neatly.

“If you charge your clients a mere five Silver Coins for this single, luxurious application—a small indulgence for a man of means—you would need to serve only twenty clients to reach your revenue target.” She drew a circle around the number ‘20’. “This means from a single refill bottle, you can provide twenty generous applications of the elixir.”

She underlined the final calculation. “Your cost: eighty Silver. Your revenue: one hundred Silver. Your net profit, Master Marcus, from a single refill bottle, is a respectable twenty Silver Coins.” She paused, letting the number sink in. “It is not a vast fortune on a single bottle, no. But consider the volume. You serve sixty clients a day. That is three bottles sold, for a daily profit of sixty Silver, from this service alone. And what of the new clients who will come, just to try the fabled elixir? Your foot traffic will increase, and with it, your profits from all your other services.”

The eight men stared at the slate board, their eyes wide with dawning, avaricious comprehension. The model wasn’t about making a killing on a single sale; it was about volume, about attracting customers, about using a luxury product as a loss leader to drive their core business. It was a subtle, sophisticated model that promised steady, sustainable growth. They weren't just partners; they were being taught a new way to think about business.

The old Washerman’s Guild Master looked up, a new, almost desperate hope in his eyes. “And… and for us, my lady? The laundry powder? The ‘Radiance’?”

“A similar principle will apply, Master Theron,” Mei Jing replied smoothly. “We will develop different grades. A standard powder, sold to you at a bulk discount, allowing you to improve your service and increase your profits. And a premium ‘Silken Fabric’ formulation, which you can offer as an exclusive, high-cost treatment for the most delicate noble linens. The details will be finalized once the product is perfected. But rest assured,” her eyes held a promise of immense, shared profit, “the model will be… mutually beneficial.”

The despair that had filled the room just moments before had evaporated, replaced by a feverish, almost giddy, excitement. They were not being punished; they were being recruited into the most exciting, most profitable, most revolutionary enterprise the city had ever seen. The fear was gone, replaced by the pure, unadulterated, beautiful scent of gold.

The office of the Elixir Manufactory buzzed with the energy of a gold rush. The eight merchants, their faces flushed with a mixture of relief and avaricious glee, were practically vibrating in their seats. The business model Lloyd and Mei Jing had presented was not just a lifeline; it was a treasure map, and they had just been handed a shovel.

“Twenty Silver in profit… per bottle…” Marcus, the Bathhouse owner, muttered to himself, his eyes wide with a kind of holy reverence. “If I serve two hundred clients a day during the festival week… that’s ten bottles… two hundred silver profit a day! I could… I could re-tile the entire main bath in marble from the Southern Isles! I could…”

“Gentlemen,” Lloyd’s calm voice cut through their burgeoning fantasies of wealth, instantly recapturing their attention. He held up a single, slender hand. “I am gratified by your… enthusiasm. It confirms my belief that this partnership will indeed be, as Lady Mei Jing so elegantly put it, mutually beneficial.” He offered a small, almost clinical smile. “However. Partnership, true partnership, is built not just on profit, but on trust. And trust,” his voice gained a subtle edge of steel, “is maintained through clarity. Through rules.”

The merchants’ excited expressions sobered slightly. The initial, giddy rush of relief was being tempered by the cold, hard reality of a business negotiation. This wasn't a gift; it was a contract.

Chapter : 326

“Jasmin,” Lloyd said, nodding to his forewoman. Jasmin, her own nervousness now replaced by a quiet, professional competence, stepped forward. She moved along the table, placing a thick, beautifully prepared vellum document before each of the eight men. It was the formal partnership deed, drafted by Master Elmsworth, refined by Mei Jing, and reviewed by Lloyd himself. The Aura logo, the elegant swirl, was embossed at the top, a silent reminder of the brand they were all now a part of.

“This,” Lloyd stated, gesturing to the documents, “is the foundation of our partnership. The terms of our clean future together. I suggest you read it carefully. But allow me to outline the four core, non-negotiable pillars upon which this entire enterprise will be built.”

He began to pace slowly before them, his hands clasped behind his back, adopting the mien of a commander laying out the rules of engagement to his new officers.

“Pillar the first: Brand Integrity.” He stopped, his gaze sweeping over them. “You are now the public face of AURA. Your establishments will be the primary, exclusive venues where the public can experience our elixir. As such, your presentation must be flawless. Each of you will be provided with,” he nodded to Mei Jing, “promotional materials. Small, elegant placards of polished wood and bronze, bearing the Aura logo and a simple, tasteful description of the product. These are to be displayed prominently, respectfully, near the point of service. The Aura brand must be associated with quality, cleanliness, and refinement at all times. There will be no hand-scrawled signs advertising ‘Lord Ferrum’s Miracle Soap, 5 Silver a Squirt’. Is that understood?”

The men nodded eagerly, a few of them looking slightly abashed at the thought of the very signs they had probably been mentally composing.

“Pillar the second: Financial Responsibility.” Lloyd’s voice became sharper, more business-like. “Our terms of payment are simple, and they are absolute. You will pay for all goods—be they initial dispensers or subsequent refills—on a thirty-day cycle from the date of delivery. Not thirty-one days. Not thirty-five. Thirty. Master Elmsworth will be overseeing the accounts with an eye for detail that is, I assure you, both legendary and utterly unforgiving. Timely payment builds trust. Late payment… erodes it. And we have very little tolerance for erosion.”

“Pillar the third: Exclusivity and Price Control.” He paused, letting the weight of this next point sink in. “The AURA elixir you purchase from us is for service provision within your establishments only. You are not retailers. You will not, under any circumstances, resell sealed refill bottles or filled dispensers to your clients, no matter how much gold they offer you. The moment our product leaves your establishment in a sealed container, our brand control is lost. Its value, which is built on carefully managed scarcity and a controlled experience, is diluted.” His eyes narrowed. “This condition is absolute. Any partner found to be engaging in unauthorized resale will have their contract terminated. Immediately. And permanently. We control the supply. We control the brand. You control the service. The lines are clear. Do not cross them.”

The men shifted uncomfortably, the easy profits from a potential black market vanishing before their eyes. They understood the threat. It was absolute.

“And pillar the fourth,” Lloyd concluded, his tone softening slightly, “Quality Assurance. We are building a reputation for unparalleled quality. That reputation is our most valuable asset. To protect it, you will agree to monthly, unannounced quality control audits. My team,” he gestured to Lyra and Alaric, who observed from a corner, looking deeply intimidating in their serious alchemist robes, “will visit your establishments. They will test the elixir you are serving to ensure it has not been diluted or adulterated. They will inspect the cleanliness of your dispensers. This is not about a lack of trust in you, gentlemen. It is about an absolute commitment to our customer. Every single person who experiences Aura must experience the perfect, authentic product. Anything less is unacceptable.”

The four pillars hung in the air: Presentation, Punctuality, Exclusivity, and Quality. They were strict, uncompromising. But they were also… fair. They were the rules of a serious, professional enterprise.