Chapter 402 The Commerce Guild Of The Royal Capital II
"Hahaha. Lady Sophia is quite strict. I suppose it's true that beautiful flowers have hidden thorns."
The next person to speak to Sophia was someone sitting to the left of Harvey (guild manager of commerce guild). He was tall and thin, with a notably large hooked nose.
"I'm quite flattered to receive such words from Mr. Cecil of the Rose Merchant Guild. I still haven't thanked you for purchasing my personal assets."
"On the contrary, I was surprised. Just being able to handle such a magnificent magic stone is truly an honor. However, if I had known I was meeting someone with beauty that could overshadow even a national treasure of a magic stone, I would have traveled to Grandchester to meet Lady Sophia directly instead of sending a representative."
Although they had never met in person, Cecil and Sophia had exchanged letters several times. To fund the Sophia Merchant Guild, they had once asked several jewelers, including the Rose Merchant Guild, to convert magic stones into cash.
They hadn't introduced themselves, but Cecil had figured out who Archibald was, even without an introduction. This showed that Sophia had done enough preparation before coming to the Commerce Guild headquarters.
"Still, it seems that only Lady Sophia can casually turn magic stones into accessories."
Cecil glanced at Sophia's hair ornament, and Sophia was a bit surprised by his comment.
"Even from this distance, you can tell that the small stone in the hair ornament is a magic stone, huh?"
"I've been dealing with precious stones for many years. By the way, will the Sophia Merchant Guild also be selling accessories made with such magic stones?"
'That's something to think about. I understand how he feels.'
"With our current scale, we can't expand our business that much. We're considering setting up a fashion department, so we might make some accessories, but we don't have the resources to handle full-fledged jewelry."
"Oh, I see. Then, how about we form a business partnership?"
"Partnering with the Rose Merchant Guild is quite an honor. We are just a very small merchant guild."
'I'm getting tired of hearing about how small our merchant guild is. In reality, we don't even have 30 human employees. I need to do something about this.'
"If there are benefits for both sides, a partnership could work. The size of the guilds isn't that important. By the way, may I ask where the magic stones used in the Spieluhr come from?"
'Oh, he's getting to the main point now.'
"That's a tough question to answer."
"As you know, the mines in Avalon are properties owned by the royal family or nobles. Knights can own them through inheritance, but it's legally prohibited for commoners without noble titles to inherit them."
"I understand. If a noble without a title owns a mine, after they pass away, it must be transferred to a relative listed in the noble registry or to the royal family, right?"
"That's right. Of course, when transferring the mine, a proper amount of money will be paid to the families of the commoners."
'He thinks I haven't reported finding the mine? It's true that a mine where natural light attribute magic stones can be mined is usually offered to the royal family.'
"I understand what you want to say, Mr. Cecil. Of course, I don't own the mine. Also, the Grandchester territory doesn't own any magic stone mines that haven't been reported to the country."
"Then, how did you come to have such high purity magic stones, especially light attribute magic stones?"
Sophia took a small sip of her slightly cooled tea and turned back to Cecil with a small smile.
"Mr. Cecil, are you aware of the paper that researchers from the Grandchester territory recently sent to the academy?"
"About the magic stones that can replenish magical power, right?"
"Yes. You're correct. I can't say too much, but the magic stones used in the Spieluhr are magic stones that can be replenished by magical power. Therefore, if you bring a Spieluhr that has run out of magical power to the Sophia Merchant Guild, you can exchange it for a magic stone that has been recharged. Of course, there will be a fee."
"I think it's a wonderful technology, but how does this relate to the origin of the magic stones?"
Cecil asked Sophia with a puzzled expression.
"In other words, the magic stones used in the Spieluhr are 'processed,' you see."
"!?
The moment they heard this statement, the 3 members of the Commerce Guild in the meeting room widened their eyes and glared at Sophia, who was sitting there with a calm expression. It was so unusual that Daniel, standing behind Sophia, instinctively placed his hand on the hilt of his sword.
"What do you mean by 'process'?"
"Could it be that you can increase the purity of magic stones?"
"Wait, does that mean all the magic stones are produced in the Grandchester territory!?"
The guild members started to bombard Sophia with questions... or rather, they shouted at her. Their tone was a bit rough.
"The merchant guild's technology should be kept secret. Also, this technology is forbidden to be disclosed by His Majesty the King."
"Has a royal decree already been issued!?"
"But if that's the case, it means that the Sophia Merchant Guild will monopolize the high-purity magic stones!"
'Being invited to the royal banquet wasn't all bad. Since the conversations there can't leak out, they can just imagine whatever they want.'
"In my personal opinion, I believe that magic stones are merely vessels for magical power. I don't deny that they are precious stones, but shouldn't the price of the magic stones themselves be a bit lower?"
"W-What are you saying? Is the Sophia Merchant Guild planning to destroy the magic stone market?"
"I'm not planning to do anything right now. The magic stone will continue to be a valuable resource in the future. However, I think what's really valuable is the magical power stored inside it."
'Magical power could be considered renewable energy. If you think about it that way, the magic stone is just a battery. The theory that allows for efficient storage of magical power could lead to various technological innovations, but I feel it's dangerous to reveal it too easily right now.'
If she keeps selling magical tools like the Spieluhr without clarifying the distribution routes of magic stones, eventually the Sophia Merchant Guild will find a way to create high-purity magic stones. Instead of trying to trick them, it's easier to disclose information that works in their favor first.
"Of course, I don't want to collapse the magic stone market, so I won't drastically lower the prices of magic stone-related products. I also don't plan to run a wholesale business for magic stones."
"It would actually be helpful if someone else took care of the wholesale business... Still, I knew there was a big fuss that led to the professor at the Academy being dismissed, but I didn't realize it was that serious."
Sophia smiled brightly. After all, she boldly declared, "We can get high-purity magic stones at a low price, but we'll keep selling our products at high prices to consider other businesses. Magic stone-related products are super profitable!" It's no wonder she had a big smile on her face.
'Well, the alchemists at the Academy might be able to create them eventually too.'
That said, it won't be easy to surpass Maiden's Tower, which has Rihito's 300 years of research, Alicia's genius mind, and Sara's vast magical power and abundant funds.
"When it comes to alchemy, are you planning to sell golems from the Sophia Merchant Guild?"
Suddenly, Harvey interrupted the conversation.
"We do not intend to sell golems."
"There are many noble families interested in purchasing them, but is there no room for consideration?"
"We have formally declined an offer from Marquis Grandchester as well. Even if it were a royal command from His Majesty the King, we would still have to refuse."
"May I ask why?"
"Golems require a core magic stone. As I mentioned earlier, we do not plan to lower the price of this magic stone. Additionally, this magic stone will run out in a few days, so one must constantly supply it with magical power."
"What quality of core magic stone is needed?"
"You need one magic stone about 0.8 inches (� 2 centimeters) in diameter and 5 magic stones about 0.4 inches (� 1 centimeter) each. Please consider the purity to be almost the same as what Mr. Cecil purchased. Moreover, since it must be processed to allow for magical power replenishment, the cost will be about double."
"Huh!?"
Cecil raised his voice, frustrated about the cost of magic stones. He bought a 2-centimeter stone for 20,000 Dallas, while a 1-centimeter stone costs about 5,000 Dallas. They need a magic stone that costs double, likely around 50,000 Dallas. Overall, the magic stones are estimated to cost about 900 million yen.
"The golems in the Sophia Merchant Guild have a triple-layered magic power system. When one magic stone runs out, they switch to the second one. The golems know their magic power is low and will try to replace the stone themselves. If they can't find a replacement, they will ask nearby humans for a power refill. If they exhaust the second stone without a refill, they will enter sleep mode."
"What happens when they enter sleep mode?"
"They maintain their golem form, and if an unexpected situation occurs and they are about to be taken, they will self-destruct. Of course, if we didn't use this structure, we could reduce costs, but I wouldn't recommend it."
"Why is that?"
"Because the moment their magic power runs out, they easily turn back into a pile of dirt. I don't think many people can calmly watch an expensive golem turn into dirt."
After hearing this explanation, Harvey smirked.
"However, there might be noble families who would want to buy it for that amount of money."
"From the perspective of manufacturing costs, that might be true, but there are also significant expenses for the introduction and operation of golems."
"Well then. Could you explain a bit more specifically?"
"The golem we just made is like a baby. It doesn't understand human language and doesn't know how to move its body. In other words, you have to teach it step by step, just like raising a baby."
"I see. But doesn't the Sophia Merchant Guild have the know-how for learning?"
"Yes, but we can't take responsibility for what happens after it leaves our hands."
"What do you mean by that?"
"Golems continue to learn just like humans. This includes both good and bad actions, so if they see bad actions..."
"Hmph!"
"It's just like a baby. A golem can become completely different depending on its environment. As you know, golems are tough and strong, so if they accidentally go out of control, who will take responsibility? At the very least, we believe we cannot take responsibility as the creators."
"...I see. By the way, is the operating cost referring to magical power?"
"That's correct."
"How much magical power will be needed?"
"If Lady Orson pours all her magical power into it, it can only operate for one day at most."
"W-wait a minute. Are you talking about Lady Rebecca from the Orson family?"
"Yes."
"That she can only operate it for one day with all her magical power...?"
"If it's someone from the royal family, I think it could last about 3 days, but we can't exactly ask the royal family to conduct experiments."
'Hmm. I should think a bit more about the golem's fuel efficiency with Alicia. Maybe I should have Magi think about it too. Still, it's scary to think that I have over 100 golems running, both big and small, that eat up so much magic power.'
Thanks to Alicia developing a magic tool that injects magic power from liquefied magic into magic stones, Sara can store this liquefied magic in a large tank every few days. The golems then automatically transfer the magic power into the magic stones.
"It's so unbelievable that I can hardly believe it. You're not exaggerating just to keep the golems to yourself, right?"
"You don't have to force yourself to believe it. In any case, I have no plans to sell the golems."
"I see, that's really too bad."
'When my grandfather told me to give him a golem, I was so shocked I almost fell over, but now I wouldn't mind at all if he asked again. I know he can't keep running forever, and a golem without Magi doesn't really have any meaning anyway.'
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