Sixth Hundred and Tenth Chapter Joint Chamber of Commerce

"What is this?" Margie asked curiously, "New fruit wine?"

"If it was just fruit wine, it wouldn't sell as well as perfume," Nibelong shook his head.

"That's not necessarily true," Gamorre took a keen interest in examining the glass bottle. "Without even talking about what's inside, this uniquely shaped container is worth several gold dragons."

"Is it a new product from the Royal City Alchemist Association?" Marlann chimed in, "I've never seen such a large crystal glass bottle before."

"Appearance isn't important, the key lies in the product itself," Roland found himself somewhat dumbfounded. He hadn't expected these merchants to be interested in the glass bottle first. Colorless glass, once the formula is mastered, is a mass-produced product with low cost, but he hadn't sold glass containers separately. The reason was that Neverwinter's current glass output was entirely used by chemical laboratories, perfume factories, and beverage factories.

"It's called Chaos Drink. Just like its name, it's chaotic and elusive. Every sip is a unique enjoyment." He cleared his throat and said mysteriously, "I bet you've never tasted anything like it before. If you don't believe me, try it."

All three bottles of drinks were carefully selected by Roland from Evelyn's beverage library. Not only did they have distinctive tastes, but two of them had also undergone special processing—one was iced, with a chilling aura, refreshing and pleasant; the other had added dry ice, making it the world's first carbonated drink.

And the result was as he had expected. After only a slight sip, a wonderful expression appeared on the faces of the five merchants.

"How exactly is this concocted?" Ettijeh smacked his lips. "Compared to it, those fruit wines have no flavor at all."

"Look at this cup of green apple juice, it's still bubbling...good heavens, is it breathing?"

"Apple? Even with honey, it couldn't be this sweet!"

The merchants expressed their opinions one after another, while their actions of raising their glasses didn't stop for a moment. Drink after drink went down, until the three bottles were empty.

"Burp..." Gamorre licked his lips with lingering enjoyment. "Your Majesty, this...Chaos Drink...is truly amazing!"

"If sold as a commodity, do you think there would be a market?"

"Of course!" The Crescent Moon Bay merchant said without hesitation, "Considering the difference in personal tastes, perhaps the popularity of the three drinks may vary slightly, but they are definitely rare fine wines! I bet, after tasting it, the superior fruit wines from Dawn will probably be ignored."

"You are honest," Roland couldn't help but raise the corner of his mouth. Generally, if merchants want to purchase goods, they mostly pick out flaws to lower the price. Such straightforward praise is really rare.

"I dare not deceive Your Majesty, nor do I want to deceive my own tongue." Gamorre paused for a moment. "But there is one thing I don't quite understand."

"Tell me."

"Why would you give it such a strange name?" He picked up the empty bottle that had been iced, which still had a thin layer of white frost on it. "For example, this... could be called Deep Sea Ice Spring. If it were placed in summer, I guarantee that it would appear at every banquet."

"And that bottle of tingling green drink, I think it could be called Fish Roe Nectar—honestly, that sour and tingling feeling, as if countless small fish are breaking out of their eggs and constantly hitting the tongue, is truly unforgettable." Marlann added.

"I think so too," Margie said with a smile, "Although the word 'chaos' sounds very novel, it fails to highlight their distinct characteristics. If they are named separately, they will surely sell better."

Roland put on a regretful expression and said, "Unfortunately, these drinks are, as I said before, a unique enjoyment with every sip. In fact, these three bottles are the last of the stock."

"You mean...are they no longer able to be brewed?"

"That's right. I can't reveal the manufacturing process of Chaos Drink to you, but the final result is always changing—if I had to say what they have in common, it is that they are all delicious. That's why I named it Chaos. No matter what the taste, there is always one sip less."

Everyone collectively gasped, and everyone saw incredulity in each other's eyes. Things are valued for their rarity. This kind of drink, which is excellent in itself and cannot be replicated, will definitely bring a storm to the Fjords... even the Four Kingdoms.

"Your Majesty, please hand over the agency to me," Gamorre was the first to speak. "The Crescent Moon Bay fleet is all over the coast of the Four Kingdoms. Only we can bring you the most generous returns."

"Isn't the focus of Crescent Moon Bay's maritime trade always the Dawn Kingdom? When did you open up the Everwinter trade route?" The Shallow Water City Chamber of Commerce tore down the stage.

"Now the most merchant ships going to Wolfheart and Everwinter are clearly from Sunset Island. You are deceiving His Majesty." Ettijeh followed closely behind.

Roland stretched out his hand and interrupted the dispute between the three. "Regarding this matter, let's establish a joint chamber of commerce."

"A joint...chamber of commerce?"

"That's right. In order to avoid price reductions caused by malicious competition, participants sit down to jointly negotiate the area they are responsible for, and Neverwinter is only responsible for providing the goods." He described the concept of regional agency as much as possible. "You all have trade routes that have been in operation for a long time, and you also have sales towns that you are familiar with. This way, you can divide them according to your own advantages. This way, you can sell the goods quickly without competing with your peers. The final sales proceeds are divided according to the proportion stipulated in the contract, so that everyone involved can be guaranteed."

The principle is very simple, and the merchants present quickly understood it. "It sounds good, but how will the specific areas and sharing ratio be divided? The cost of pulling drinks to Everwinter for sale and selling them in the Fjords is huge."

"Transportation costs are certainly a factor to consider, in addition to labor costs, selling prices, and commodity output, etc... In general, in the case of limited supply, the agent with the highest cost will receive certain preferential treatment. Of course, the details still need to be discussed step by step until all parties involved are satisfied."

This may seem to reduce total income, but in fact, after eliminating malicious competition, coupled with the strengths of the three chambers of commerce, the profit will be much higher.

Many of Neverwinter's products have so far only been used for internal consumption in the convenience market due to lack of sales channels. For Roland, these Fjord merchants who made their fortune by reselling goods are the best channel suppliers. In the future, he will provide the goods, and then these sea merchants will sell them to every corner of the continent, which is undoubtedly the most effortless way.

"I am willing to join," Margie took the lead in expressing her support.

Seeing someone expressing their position, the others also took a try-it-out attitude.

"Rest assured, cooperation is always more powerful than going it alone," Roland said with a smile, "As long as we work together, this will be a win-win situation for everyone."