"I didn't expect to find such a good opportunity with freshmen on the Dekalos-Class spaceship," The shop owner mumbled quietly to herself.
Her gaze moved back and forth between Michael and the blueprints until it remained on Micheal, at last.
"Are you interested in an Exclusive deal with the Bartholomew Corporation?" She asked.
Michael smiled lightly in response, but he didn't answer immediately.
"My authority is high enough to promise you a higher price than the highest market value. Nobody else will be able to match the price I can offer," She pointed out, while pushing the rim of the glasses up her nose before adding, "If you're not satisfied with that, I can promise you a higher discount for items purchased in the shops affiliated with the Bartholomew Corporation. This benefit is far better than the benefits of the Golden Membership, and only a handful have been granted it."
Michael recalled the young staff member mentioning that the big corporations had shops in the Saphirelake Military Academy as well. This included the Bartholomew Corporation, which meant that he could make use of the benefits even in the Academy.
Michael nodded when the shop manager finished mentioning the benefits.
"And what do I have to do in return? You won't give me such benefits if there is no condition attached," Michael asked.
It was quite obvious what the shop manager wanted, but Michael wanted to be certain. It was pretty difficult for anyone to offer benefits exceeding the Golden Bartholomew Membership as they were already quite nice. Yet, from the way the manager spoke, she suggested that she could offer something that exceeded the Golden Membership by far.
'I have to see the numbers to make sure that she's not deceiving me…but this sounds too good to be true, doesn't it?'
"It is pretty simple actually. I want to sign an exclusive contract with you. You will receive the benefits mentioned above and the Bartholomew Corporation will be given 300 agriculture-related blueprints on the same level as the blueprints you bought today," The woman exclaimed calmly.
Her gaze turned sharper as she added, "Since it will be an exclusive contract, you won't be allowed to sell blueprints related to agriculture to any other organization, Supreme Family, Great Clan, and so on!"
Michael's expression changed when the shop manager mentioned the Supreme Families. He had been deep in thought, but all of his thoughts dispersed at once.
At last, he realized something about the way the shop manager worded her sentences.
"You don't even want to sell the blueprints, do you?"
The manager's eyes widened slightly, and a faint smile blossomed on her face. Her guess was right. The young man was not a fool.
"What do you think will happen to the blueprints after you sell them to the Bartholomew Corporation?"
Faced with this question, Michael remained silent for a while. At first, he didn't think that anything special would happen to the blueprints, but the manager's words stirred up his thoughts.
"The Bartholomew Corporation will probably keep the blueprints. Then…you might gather some Lords in the Barren Lands, sign them under the Bartholomew Corporation…and form a big farming industry using the blueprints. Yes, that is probably what you're thinking about," Michael murmured more to himself than to the shop manager.
"The Lords will use the blueprints to develop the Barren Lands and become high-scale farmers, who will then supply the Bartholomew Corporation with energy-rich vegetables, and all kinds of other plants. Basically, the blueprints will be purchased and used as an investment into the Barren Lands. The Barren Lands will then develop in your treasure trove…and to make sure that nobody else can achieve the same results as the Bartholomew Corporation, you would want to make sure that people like me won't be able to sell their blueprints to anyone other than you!"
Given the widening smile on the manager's face, Michael realized that his theory was spot on. He came up with the theory after the manager mentioned that he wasn't allowed to sell the goods to other organizations, families, and clans.
'It's pretty smart,' He thought.
The staff member was staring with a stupefied expression at Michael, while the shop manager kept smiling.
"If your theory were to come true, would you complain about the benefits I've offered, or would you still be willing to accept them?" The manager asked, seemingly nonchalantly.
The manager didn't smile, nor did she glare at him. However, Michael understood what she wanted to convey.
If he came up with ridiculous terms, his relationship with the Bartholomew Corporation might end before it even started, in the first place. Michael knew that he had been quite lucky with the Golden Bartholomew Membership, and he understood that he shouldn't be too greedy right now.
"The terms and benefits stated sound nice. However, I'm in need of a high-quality neutral energy absorption technique," Michael said in a heavy voice.
He intentionally left out stating that he wished to have a neutral body refinement technique, knowing that he might be asking for too much. The manager sighed heavily upon hearing Michael's request, which was why Michael decided to speak up again.
"I know that top-notch techniques are kept secret. I am not asking for such a technique since I know these are heirlooms. I just want to ensure that my territory can grow fast. If you wish to discuss my terms with your superior, you can do that. However, I don't think that I'm asking for too much. The Bartholomew Corporation will gain far more from this deal in the long term!"
Michael studied the manager's reaction carefully. When he noticed something, he lightly added, "In the worst case, we can just forget about the deal. We–...."
"No no!" The manager exclaimed in a startled voice.
How could she miss out on such a great opportunity? Did that little brat even realize how long they'd been planning the redevelopment of the Barren Lands? They couldn't allow anyone else to purchase Michael's blueprints!
The corner of Michael's lip curled upward at her reaction. He had caught her!
Agriculture was a big deal in the Origin Expanse. The regions most populated by humans were the Barren Lands. It was the biggest region with the most human Lords. Other than that, there was the Frozen Cataclysm, the Sacred Desert, and a few more minor regions. Only two of the minor regions were suitable for farming on a large scale.
Realizing that he had the upper hand, Michael used some leverage to obtain what he wanted.
After some back and forth with the manager, the deal was done and signed.
In the end, Michael was quite satisfied with his gains. Even if it wouldn't be easy to find an exceptional technique for him, a high-grade neutral energy absorption technique should be feasible. That was something the manager stated confidently.
The manager told Michael that she would talk to her superior, show the Manager the blueprints, and reveal the conditions and terms of the deal she struck with Michael. Afterward, they would figure out what kind of neutral energy absorption technique they would hand over.
She would do her utmost to provide him with the best technique. In accordance with the technique's level, Michael's monthly quota of blueprints would either increase or decrease.
It would take a few days until the manager would get hold of the technique, but Michael was more than fine with waiting. At last, he would obtain his high-quality neutral energy absorption technique. By then it wouldn't be too difficult to increase the refinement degree and Tier of his subjects.
That was the most he could do for now- increase the Tier of his subjects. After all, Michael and Tiara were still the only beings at Tier-1 in his territory.
The deal put aside, Michael earned a fortune by selling 108 rare blueprints. They earned him 17.5 million dollars, which was enough to purchase a neutral body refinement technique for a little bit more than 5 million, and 150 Combat-related Summoning Scrolls.
Michael had to tap into his 2.6 million dollar savings to purchase everything, but that was something Michael had already expected.
With his wallet considerably lighter, 150 Combat-related Summoning Scrolls in his possession, and the body refinement technique called [Sacred Rectification] in his hands, Michael left the shop.
Michael returned to his cabin, where he manifested the Runic Gate.
He entered the Origin Expanse, and shared the body refinement technique with the librarians and scholars, who were asked to duplicate the technique for everyone to read.
Afterward, he focused his attention on the summoning process. Michael broke the seals of 150 Summoning Scrolls to summon 50 Warriors, 50 Spearmen, and 50 Archers at once.
Michael introduced himself to the new Summons before he gestured to the Starless Summons to guide them through the territory and explain their situation thoroughly.
Simultaneously, the Links of Loyalty with their Lord were formed.
Once Michael completed everything, he finished a few minor tasks before he left the Origin Expanse once again.
He had a few more lessons to attend.
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