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Arc V Chapter 14

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25th Ignis Solar 753 AAC

Gregor finished taking notes, scribbling down the number of coins on his wax tablet after counting. His metal stylus incised letters and digits into the soft beeswax, noting quantity and weight. “All in all, that makes a total of 213 denarii with a fine weight of 6 390 grams silver, and 45 aureii with a fine weight of 900 grams gold. That's easily 7 kilos of pure gold and silver.”

The girl and her doll titled their heads, a question mark hanging over them. “Is that a lot?”

Gregor nodded. “Yes, ... it is. That's a small fortune that you have. The gold and silver alone ...” His eyes stole a brief glance at his wax tablet. “... are worth around 639 taler and 45 gulden, or 1 539 taler in total. That is a ... proud sum.” This was a lot of money even for his trade ...

“Oh ...” The girl clapped her hands, visibly pleased. “Excellent~, that will buy me many, many hot chocolates to come.”

Hot chocolates? Gregor raised a confused eyebrow. What did hot chocolates have to do with this? He had no idea. Not that it mattered. He took matters into his own hands, slamming his arms onto the counter. “Anyway, enough chatting, let's get down to business. Tell me, lass, how much do you want?” Their negotiations resumed. The next round had officially begun. This time, however, he wouldn't lose.

The girl tilted her cute head, calculating her next move. “Well, 6 taler apiece sounds like a good price. As for the gold coins, I would be satisfied with 2 gulden per piece.”

“... ... ...” Gregor merely offered a blank stare. Her proposal met with little enthusiasm on his side.

“...” The girl, meanwhile, continued smiling, beaming happily, unperturbed by the lack of positive reception.

“...” Gregor sighed. “Listen, lass, I already told you, 6 taler is not feasible. It's far too much. In fact, 4 taler apiece is already an extremely generous offer, already more than I am usually willing to pay. I can't go any higher. Especially, if you consider that I will need to buy in bulk here. Trust me, 4 taler is a good price. I recommend you take the offer. And about the gold coins. 2 gulden is definitely too much. I can give you 1 gulden and 5 taler maximum.”

“Fair enough, your point is well taken.” The girl crossed herarms, hugging her doll. “Nevertheless, I cannot accept your offer in all conscience. For certain reasons, I can't go lower than 5 taler and 1 gulden and 15 taler respectively.”

“...” Gregor studied the girl intently. “Listen, lass, I cannot and won't go higher, lass. After all, it is me who needs to market, store, and sell them. I am not a charity. I need to keep the shop going. I need to generate revenues. I need to make profit. Your selling prices are cutting into my profit margin.”

“Hmm ...” The girl narrowed her eyes, staring at him, her cheeks pouting.

“...” Gregor stared back, standing his ground.

“...”

“...”

The girl crossed her arms. “It seems that we have reached an impasse.”

Gregor nodded in agreement, “Seems so.”

“...”

“...” Their staring match continued without result, their stalemate unresolved.

The girl was the first to claim the word, “Hmm ... 4 taler and 8 kreuzer. 1 gulden and 16 taler.”

“4 taler and 1 kreuzer. 1 gulden and 6 taler”, Gregor countered.

“4 taler and 6 kreuzer. 1 gulden and 12 taler”, the girl responded.

“4 taler and 2 kreuzer. 1 gulden and 7 taler”, Gregor rephrased his offer.

“4 taler and 4 kreuzer. 1 gulden and 10 taler”, the girl followed suit.

“4 taler and 3 kreuzer. 1 gulden and 8 taler”, Gregor increased.

“4 taler and 4 kreuzer. 1 gulden and 10 taler”, the girl meanwhile didn't budge.

“4 taler and 3 kreuzer. 1 gulden and 8 taler”, Gregor reiterated his offer.

“4 taler and 4 kreuzer. 1 gulden and 10 taler.” So did the girl. The battle raged on.

“...” Their stares interlocked. The green of his eyes clashed with her dark shaded violet. They were both calculating their next move.

His fingers were drumming onto the wooden counter. It was time. “My last offer, 4 taler and 3 kreuzer. 1 gulden and 10 taler. Take it or leave ...”

“...” Yet the girl hesitated.

Gregor took the initiative, offering his hand. “Deal?”

“Deal.” The girl accepted his hand, sealing their transaction. It didn't even bother him that he was asked to shake her doll's hand as well. The rich were always a peculiar and eccentric bunch.

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