150 Negotiations
Samar never believed in unequal partnerships. They were less like partnership and more like a dependency in his eyes.
This was the reason he had prepared the Herbs required by the Severed Flower Guild, but still had not approached them. It was because he did not believe he had enough chips to stand equal to them if they were to cooperate.
However, the situation had changed with the opening of Rajni City.
The number of votes possessed by Samar's team were enough for any Guild to treat them with respect, let alone a lower Ranking Guild like Severed Flower Guild. Moreover, they also shared a common adversary, the Grandeur Guild.
These commonalities were enough to form a foundation for a solid alliance, leading Samar and Gold Peony to quickly reach a mutually beneficial agreement.
"Samar, the Severed Flower Guild will provide support with our Ace Players if a local Guild sends their Ace Players after your team." Gold Peony said, very cleverly wording her terms. What she actually meant was if you incur the wrath of a bigger dog than Howling Moon Guild, you are on your own.
"Our joint vote bloc will ensure the development of Rajni City together and bring us prosperity!" Samar responded, with a toast. What he actually meant was my votes are not yours, but I will vote for your proposal if it benefits me as well.
The two leaders smiled at each other, both understanding what that smile meant.
Gold Peony had let her guard down, thinking that their negotiations had ended. Samar knew this was the best moment to talk about the benefits he wanted from Severed Flower Guild's Herbalists.
For example, the Silver Radiance Elixir.
Silver Radiance Elixir was a miracle Elixir of the Elven Faction. It allowed players to improve their Vitae and Mana sensitivity for an hour, helping greatly in improving their Constitution, bringing them closer to the standards of an NPC.
This Elixir could prove to be very helpful when advancing from Tier 1 to Tier 2, allowing a player to absorb even more of Vitae energy, making them more powerful than an average Tier 2 Player.
Samar originally wanted to offer the ingredients for the potion as a goodwill gift but now that he had better chips, he had other plans.
"Guild Master Gold Peony, I heard your Herbalists have learned a recipe for Silver Radiance Elixir." As soon as Samar uttered the words, Winter Hazel's eyes widened but Gold Peony was still as calm water.
"How do you know that?" Winter Hazel hissed, trying to keep it a secret while also trying to intimidate Samar.
"The Silver Radiance Elixir is uncommon not because of its rarity of recipe but because of the availability of its ingredients." Samar answered, throwing her a glance.
Looking at Gold Peony, he explained, "Anyone who has seen the posts of Severed Flower Guild looking for three particular ingredients could piece together the information and reach the same conclusion as I."
"But they did not," Gold Peony said, smiling faintly, "So, what do you want Samar?"
"Three bottles of Silver Radiance Elixir." Samar stated, loudly and clearly.
Winter Hazel was shocked, unable to believe his demand. Although she was called Winter Witch, it seemed it was impossible for her to keep her cool. However, Samar's demand was so outrageous that even Gold Peony was taken aback by his confident tone, unable to fathom where his confidence came from.
"Samar, you said it yourself; The ingredients for the Silver Radiance Elixir are not easy to come by. We have hardly been able to produce a batch of 5 bottles for ourselves, so how can we sell three to you?" Gold Peony tactfully rejected, trying not to offend Samar.
"Guild Leader Gold Peony, the ingredients are not a problem,"Samar said, taking out the three rarest ingredients - the Stardust Thistle, Hyacinth Root, and the Glowroot Blossom. Seeing the incredulous looks in their eyes, he smirked and said, "The problem is whether you are willing to provide me the Elixirs."
Each of these three ingredients could be chopped into three portions and then each could be used to make a batch of 4 to 5 bottles of Elixir. As far as Samar knew, the success rate of concoction was around 20 to 30%. So, even if the Severed Flower Guild succeeded once, they would be left with one or two bottles for their concoction efforts.
This was a win-win for both of them. Therefore, Samar asked for just a bottle per ingredient from the Severed Flower Guild. If they still hesitated and tried to haggle even after such a reasonable offer, he decided not to reveal the Healing Panacea recipe, the real money maker in his hands.
As he waited, Samar observed the expressions of Gold Peony and Winter Hazel as they quietly discussed their final decision. Samar caught a glimpse of the stern side of the always smiling Gold Peony, and he understood why her subordinates dare not underestimate her.
After several seconds of intense discussions, Gold Peony turned to Samar with a smile. Winter Hazel did not look satisfied with her decision, which meant the decision was probably in his favor.
It was indeed so. Gold Peony agreed to Samar's offer and they reached an agreement, adding the absolute terms to the contract that was being drafted.
Samar smiled, pleased with the attitude of the Severed Flower Guild so far. Usually, Guilds thought themselves above individual Players and treated them like dirt. It was impossible to reach a mutually beneficial agreement with a Guild so quickly.
Little did he know that Gold Peony treated him so well because she thought he was a recruit scouted by Draven, the Leader of the Silver Serpent himself!
Samar may not know this but he knew that Gold Peony had some kind of misunderstanding regarding his status. He also knew that once the misunderstanding cleared, she may turn against him out of shame.
To prevent this possibility, Samar decided to prove his own worth to her, such that even without her misunderstanding, he would still be a profitable partner to her.
It was time for him to reveal the Healing Panacea recipe!
----
Guys please remind me if I have left some plot point unresolved. I feel like I have but I am unable to find it. It is bothering me so much that I spent time searching for it instead of writing yesterday.
