Finally Arturo managed to overcome his shock a few seconds later, "Alright I agree to these terms," While thinking to himself : 'Is that kid really just five years old? Why does it feel like he's one of those sly old nobles? Thankfully he's not arrogant with a stick up his ass like those fuckers or it would've been hell for me whenever I deal with him.' But the merchant kept his thoughts to himself before continuing to say : "I still believe it'd be for the best if we sell this Sword and Shield in the Auction House."
"Of course we're going to do just that." Aaron nodded while trying to escape Sera's embrace because it's both annoying and embarrassing but it was painful to struggle free and the woman didn't have any intention of letting him go!
"But I think it'd be a lot more profitable if we sell more!" Arturo insisted.
Aaron smiled then leaned forward slightly while holding on to his Staff and resting his chin on its curved top before replying : "Of course we need to sell our products in as much quantity as possible but it has to happen at the right time."
The merchant seemed to understand what the kid meant somewhat, "When?" He still had to ask.
This time Aaron looked towards the smithy and then at Mr Smith, "When our establishment is in a better shape and our work force is ready to produce at a higher volume without causing complications and delays in our schedules, of course we need to spread the word about our premium-quality products first and the best location to do that is?"
"The Auction House!" This time even Mr Smith had an answer since the question was so easy, not to mention a sly and experienced merchant like Arturo.
"Exactly. That's why you're going to make the trip to that Meteor-City as soon as possible and add these two items to the list of items on that 100-Year Auction event, and you're expected to report to me two and half months later and hopefully you would manage to buy Mr Smith some of the materials he needs to create more products on your return journey. If we're lucky you'd manage to recruit the blacksmiths we need and have a list of items requested by customers in that Meteor-City for Mr Smith to create before we head to Meteor-City to attend that 100-Year Auction event together, I believe afterwards our establishment wouldn't have any trouble selling our products in great quantities at the surrounding markets after word spreads of how well they could sell in the Auction House." Aaron seemed confident in his plans and Arturo couldn't find any fault at all.
Arturo nodded before adding : "The Mr Smith needs to make good use of these two and half months while I'm away and make lots of Weapons and Armor, I'm going to leave all the materials that I was going to sell in the surrounding villages and Windy-Cliff Town with you. Travelling light is going to save time on the journey to Meteor-City and back.
"Use whatever you need from the caravan and make sure to prioritize making Swords, Spears, and Blades.
"I'll also leave some of my men under your care so order them to do whatever you want, you're welcome to punish the ones trying to rebel however you see fit.
"Maybe make a delicate-looking, light-weight, and sturdy Bow with a few quivers' worth of fine top-grade Arrows.
"A matching set of full-body Armor would sell like hot cakes in that Auction if the quality is higher than what could be found in average at the market, if it's higher than excellent-quality then we could make a fortune and the only way we could make a killing off of these good customers is if we presented them with peak-grade or perfect-grade Armor!" The more he talked the more his smile widened and his excitement kept swelling within his chest until the merchant felt like he's going to explode.
Aaron nodded in agreement but he had other plans which he prefers to keep to himself for now, "I'm sure that Mr Smith is going to do his best while you're gone but even the best housewife can't cook without rice, I'll make sure to provide him with whatever materials he needs until you return and you also need to make a list of what he's lacking and all that then buy it from Meteor-City.
"Of course you're going to also make a list of the amount of money you spend on every single item you buy, also write daily reports about everything related to our partnership and whatever brilliant ideas you might have then we're going to discuss them when you return.
"We're going to deduct the amount we owe you from mine and Mr Smith's profits after we sell our products," Finally he looked towards the gentle giant and continued to say : "His share in this partnership is 60% while mine is 30%, once we hire blacksmiths to our establishment their salary would be taken from us according to the same numbers and Mr Smith would pay the highest share. I hope you don't mind."
Mr Smith just grinned and acted like he understands while nodding repeatedly.
Arturo didn't find it unfair for his friend to pay more than half the salaries of their workforce in the future since he's going to receive the biggest share of the profits anyway, not to mention that Aaron is going to do the most difficult part of taking care of the business and helping the blacksmith with the hardest phase of production anyway!
Meanwhile the merchant would take care of distributing the products and public relations with the customers while recruiting expert blacksmiths to their establishment.
When Arturo looked around him at Pine-Breeze Village which never really prospered under Chief Peter despite having a capable son like Sen, the merchant could feel like this situation is going to change because with this kid in this place... there's going to be an improvement.
'Certainly.' Arturo thought to himself while watching Aaron walk away from the smithy.
Aaron really wanted to go train his Skills in the forest like always but Sera glared at him like a provoked Tigress when he tried to head towards the street leading to the west-gate!
You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.
He immediately corrected himself and walked towards grandpa Sid's shop while sighing inwardly.
'Maybe it's for the best to delay training until I'm fully healed.' Aaron thought before looking at Lucas and said : "Go and take care of the men Arturo is going to leave behind, have them help in the work of Mr Smith's smithy then come report to me what's going to happen to the place."
"Yes young master." Lucas immediately left.
'Should I use one of the consumables I bought to heal myself or leave it to grandpa Sid? I'm sure that Sera must've heard the news about what I've been doing when I was unconscious, not to mention the unique-style of my clothes which can't be found anywhere in this world. Honestly it's odd that she didn't say anything about it. Could it be that she already knows about my System! No... at best she knows about my Skills and how I can use them and their effects, yes that must be it which means that it wouldn't be awkward if I use one of the consumables to heal myself. I'm willing to bet that she wouldn't even ask how I did it even if it happens right under her nose.' Aaron immediately put his hand in his pocket and retrieved an Apple from his Inventory Space then brought it to his mouth to take a bite, despite acting natural as if nothing out the ordinary is going around her... he could still feel her gaze on him.
Health Points 6/268 Mana Points 656/656 Physical Condition
Multiple dislocated vertebrae, 24 broken ribs, multiple fractures on the humerus bone on both arms, numerous points of internal bleeding caused by extreme pressure, trouble in breathing, agonizing pain, at risk of losing consciousness if not healed as soon as possible.
Mental Condition Crisp & Clear, Focused, Alert.
Once Aaron saw the remaining number on the HP bar he was given a shock! Especially when he saw the damage his poor body took after Mr Smith "gently" squeezed him!
He immediately munched on the Apple in his hand like a starved ghost before tossing the inner part to the side and retrieving another one.
"Hmm..." Sera seemed interested with the seeds of the Apple Aaron threw and she took the other one from his hand once he finished eating it then sniffed at the Apple and felt her mouth water at how fresh and tasty it smelled before using her nails to extract the seeds like she did earlier.
Meanwhile Aaron was busy watching his Physical Condition and HP bar after eating these two Apples then frowned since the effects he expected to receive were not promising enough, especially when the only thing eating these two consumables did for him was increase his HP bar by 60 and improve his Physical Condition from being "at risk of losing consciousness if not healed as soon as possible" to "at possible risk of losing consciousness if not rested properly" which doesn't look good.
That's why Aaron gritted his teeth before retrieving a consumable that's much better better than an Apple, this time he didn't even care to hide his actions by putting his hand in his pocket first and directly took a bite of the Meat and began to chew while thinking to himself : 'Damn this is really good, this meat is both tender and spicy!'
This time his HP bar was more than half-filled once he finished eating the steak-sized meat and tossed the bone in his hand to the side towards a nearby street dog then licked his fingers and smacked his lips, also his Physical Condition improved greatly afterwards.
Health Points 165/268 Mana Points 656/656 Physical Condition
18 fractured ribs, a few fractures on the humerus bone on both arms, multiple points of internal bleeding caused by extreme pressure, rest is advised.
Mental Condition Crisp & Clear, Focused, Alert.
'I take it that I'm probably out of danger for now.' Aaron thought to himself while watching that dog wag its tail and snatch to bone from the ground and go to a corner to gnaw at it.
"Ron." Sera nudged him.
"Yeah." He looked towards her and wondered why she's blushing and acting all weird and shy all of a sudden, this isn't like her at all since Sera is always acting all aloof and mysterious towards others and usually annoying towards him.
At least that's how Aaron sees it.
Somehow Sera found the way he's looking at her annoying and she had this weird urge to slap him on the back of the head, "Give me one of the fruits you ate earlier, I want to try it too." Thankfully she held back and didn't hit him then asked as polite as possible.
"You want an Apple?" Aaron asked while raising an eyebrow.
"Yes." Sera nodded and waited to receive the "Apple" while giving him a sparkling look with her dewy eyes.
He smirked before raising his hand, "No problem. One Gold Coin for each Apple." But instead of retrieving anything from his Inventory Space to give Sera, she heard him asking her to pay a Gold Coin for a fruit that wouldn't last her more than three or four bites to finish!
"Huh!" Pio gawked when he heard his young master Ron's asking price.
Meanwhile Sera was practically fuming mad with anger when heard Aaron, "What did you say?" She immediately squinted her eyes while taking a step forwards towards him, clearly an intimidating gesture.
"Y-young master. M-maybe you should give one to lady Sera for free, she took care of you when you lost consciousness." Pio could sense the tension in the air between the two and had to avoid a few sparks but still squeezed these words despite receiving a glare from Sera.
"Humph." She just crossed her hands and snorted while looking away when this fool ran his mouth despite her clear warning, Sera felt like it's beneath her to talk about what happened earlier since it's her responsibility to take care of Aaron to begin with.
Aaron rolled his eyes at Pio because just like Sera he's aware that what happened to him is because she's not doing her job properly once again!
But he lost interest in extorting this beauty when Pio intervened and ruined his fun, Aaron retrieved another Apple and pushed it towards Sera while saying : "Here, I was just messing with you."
"You should've done that in the first place" Sera gently punched his arm while snatching the Apple from his hand.
"Ouch!" Aaron winced from pain, "Hey. Watch it! My arm bones are fractured on both sides so be careful, also stay clear from my ribs because they're all messed up." He glared at the woman when she tried to give him another punch while acting all cute and felt like his ribcage is going to fragment when he avoided her hand.
"Tehehe... it's fun to bully you!" Sera acted the villain since it's a good opportunity to do so.
"Hey! Not cool." Aaron immediately limbed off towards old man Sid's shop as if his life depends on it.