6: Chapter 0006 Negotiation

Generally speaking, the bulk procurement for the academy is controlled by the municipal Ministry of Education, including the knight equipment used for training. Normally, it would never fall to a town-level academy.

After all, Gray Mist Mountain Town Academy has about 9,000 students, and each one needs a knight sword, shield, and arrows. Calculated at three silver coins per set, that's over 200 gold coins, and that's just for the frequently updated running costs.

Li Size's gaze swept over the sorcery crystal pen etched with runes on the table, calculating in his mind. Suddenly, a cold mechanical voice popped up in his head:

[Consume 5 Energy Points to deduce the optimal production plan and achieve the lowest cost.]

Li Size ignored the Pay-to-Win prompt and continued his own thinking:

Ordinary people wouldn't see this much gold in their entire lives!

Li Size clenched his fists, his knuckles turning white:

This is the first pot of gold on his path as a Wizard!

He had to seize this opportunity to earn enough money so that his 'Pay-to-Win' ability could finally escape the embarrassing state of only being visible but unusable.

Felina lightly tapped the tabletop, her tone carrying a hint of helplessness:

"The military placed a massive temporary procurement order. The sorcery factories in the city are all rushing to complete it, so they had to cancel the Ministry of Education's order.

The Ministry of Education had no choice and dared not delay the next academic year, so this good opportunity fell to the academies in the various towns."

Li Size's brow furrowed. He immediately smelled the scent of war:

It wasn't an immediate fight, but so many military equipment orders meant the shadow of war was not far off.

He needed to quickly gather intelligence to determine the front lines and avoid them. He absolutely couldn't die on the battlefield right after his Transmigration!

Lost in thought, he quickly made a decision:

No matter what, he had to secure this massive order. This was the necessary resource for his Wizarding path!

Li Size's eyes became firm, and he continued to ponder:

The academy certainly wouldn't buy 9,000 sets at once. Generally, stocking up for new students and covering losses would suffice, around 1,000 sets at most.

However, besides purchasing new equipment, the disposal of old 'scrapped' equipment was also a piece of fat meat!

How could the officials in the city know whether every 'scrapped' sword was truly scrapped?

If he were the academy head, he would definitely declare more items scrapped. The more scrapped, the more new equipment could be bought!

Felina tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear. That charming manner made Li Size's heart flutter. Li Size muttered to himself:

She is so young; how could the Head allow her to manage this matter?

It certainly wasn't as simple as the sons of the two blacksmith shops being in her class. But he couldn't figure out this secret for the time being.

Opportunity was right before his eyes!

Li Size leaned slightly forward, his tone showing some urgency:

"Instructor, how large is this order exactly? And what is the supply cycle?"

Felina flipped through the documents on the table and stated plainly:

"1,500 knight iron swords, 1,600 round shields, and 90,000 arrows to be supplied sequentially within three months.

If the cooperation goes smoothly, we might be able to sign a long-term supply contract later."

Felina's answer raised more questions for Li Size. He frowned:

"Long-term supply? Won't the city officials reclaim the purchasing rights next year?"

Felina covered her mouth and chuckled, saying mysteriously:

"They won't! The Head said they won't reclaim the rights for at least three to five years!"

Li Size sipped some hot water. The pink cup in his hand was quite cute—the teacher had a strong girlish heart.

He secretly glanced at the cup, wondering if she had used it?

She had revealed enough information. Not reclaiming purchasing rights for three to five years—was it because the city's military orders were large, or for some other reason?

Li Size shook his head; those things didn't matter for now:

He only cared about the price right now. No matter how large the quantity, he couldn't afford to lose money!

He scratched his head and asked with a smile:

"Let's talk about the long-term supply later. Teacher, can you reveal the budget price given by the city? Hehe."

Felina glanced at him and tapped the desktop with her finger:

"The budget approved by the city is 2 silver for an iron sword, 2 silver for a round shield, and 1 copper per arrow.

However, the Head said they need to save money to repair the academy, as many projects lack funding.

So, your price must be significantly lower than this!"

Li Size's mouth secretly curved upwards—this Head was quite good at finding excuses. Repairing it! If they really used the money for repairs, he would stand on his head and eat chicken!

But he couldn't expose this matter; it wouldn't be good if he did.

Shrugging, Li Size said:

"The school really needs repairs. How about I give up 10% for the academy?"

Felina put her hands on her hips and glared:

"You brat, you're not being honest! I know your family's iron sword is 80 copper a piece, don't you think I know?"

Li Size scratched his head and laughed:

"That's the cheap stuff with reduced Materials. The academy's knight swords are used for chopping and slashing training every day; that kind would definitely break quickly. After adding Materials and labor, giving up 10% is the minimum to not lose money. I can't be expected to lose money, right?"

Felina slapped the table and laughed罵:

"You still know I'm your teacher! The Head's bottom line is at least 40%. Less than that, and there's no discussion!"

Li Size clenched his fist and gritted his teeth:

"Maximum 12%! And I'll give 3% for your extracurricular activities?"

Felina choked and coughed:

"Cough! What 3%? Don't talk nonsense! It must be at least 30%, otherwise, go find George's family!"

Li Size shook his head:

"George's family can't handle it. They need to gather a large number of people within three months. My father's craftsmanship is the best, most apprentices in the ten villages and eight shops are from my family, and we still need to use the city's sorcery equipment for mass production!"

Felina sighed:

"Fine! 15% is too little. I'll go talk to your father!"

Li Size quickly waved his hands:

"I'll go talk! I'll give 20%, and another 5% as class activity fees, on the condition that the scrapped equipment is sold to my family at a one-tenth discount?"

Felina slapped the table in frustration:

"Pah! 25% is negotiable, but don't even think about selling the scrapped equipment to you at a one-tenth discount! Less than thirty percent, and there's no deal!"

"Deal! Thank you, Teacher!"

Li Size happily grabbed Felina's hands. The warmth from her palms made his heart bloom with joy—a three-tenths discount was much better than he had expected!

"You! You're making me angry to death!"

Felina's face flushed bright red. She abruptly pulled her hands back, stomped her foot, and said:

"You took advantage of me again!"

She pointed at Li Size, her fingers trembling, but she couldn't say anything else for a long time.

Li Size chuckled smugly, rubbing his hands as the little abacus in his mind clicked away rapidly:

The academy's requirement for knight swords was high, which was true, but the selling price in the shop wasn't the cost!

The cost of one sword was only 80 copper. Even with the amortization of new equipment, it was only 1.2 silver. He would net 30 copper profit and also get the equipment.

The shield was about the same price, and he only made 1 copper profit for every 10 arrows.

With this single order, he could earn nearly 20 to 30 gold coins in just three months!

How many Energy Points would that be?

How many attribute points could he increase? How many sorceries and pieces of knowledge could he Analyze?

As he thought about how exciting it was, his body trembled slightly.

Li Size clenched his fists, his knuckles turning white. He was already planning how to spend this money in his mind.

Looking at it this way, the path of a Wizard didn't seem far away at all.

Li Size's eyes became resolute, and his fingertips tingled—he could already imagine himself holding the sorcery crystal pen, drawing runes.

With the procurement matters basically settled, Felina was eager to have Li Size take her to see his father, Pativ, that very day to finalize the contract.

This made Li Size's heart stir slightly. He felt a sense of unreality, mixed with the feeling of a fog in his mind being cleared...

He had some information and thoughts he wanted to discuss immediately with Gelia...

He made the excuse of being too tired and it being too late, promising Instructor Felina that he would take her to see Pativ the next day.