Hearing Rod's words, Mace showed a surprised expression, his eyes widened in confusion, and he stared at the black-haired young man in front of him, as if he was trying to figure out what he really thought, but soon, Mace gave up this stupid and meaningless behavior, because from Rod's almost expressionless face, he couldn't see the young man's true thoughts at all.

"What kind of deal?"

In the end, Mace still didn't suppress his curiosity and couldn't help asking. It's no wonder that although he is not in debt now, he is only one step away from bankruptcy. Even if this transaction to the Golden City was successfully completed, the Silver Scales would be greatly damaged. If someone else had made this condition, then Mace might have hesitated to see if it would be a trap. But when these words came out of Rod's mouth, he didn't feel any surprise at all.

"Now that you've heard about our Starlight Mercenary Regiment, you should also know very well what we're going to Golden City for this time?"

"Of course, Mr. Rhodes."

As soon as he said this, Mace immediately gave a thumbs up.

"Speaking of which, I'm here to congratulate you first. Oops, I really didn't expect that Mr. Rhodes was really powerful, the mercenary group that was about to be disbanded, who knew that Lu Dao has now become the number one hit in the Parfield area? Frankly speaking, I really admire Mr. Rhodes, if I had the ability of yours, then the Chamber of Commerce would not be so half-dead now........."

"Since you know the way, then it's easy to say."

Hearing Mace's praise, Rod nodded slightly, then he glanced at the people around him, and then continued.

"I think Mr. Mace should be aware of that as well. If we can advance to the Mercenary Guild, our current situation alone will not be able to meet the requirements. The Mercenary Guild needs a certain level of assistance. But in the Pafield area, I didn't have any good candidates, and I was still agonizing about it............ But now it seems, Mr. Mace, are you interested? ”

"This ..............."

Hearing this, Mace was stunned for a moment, and then his face immediately became much more ugly.

"I ............... about it"

"Of course, I won't let you do it in vain, and I know the current situation of your Chamber of Commerce. After all, you told me in person......... I don't need you to give without expecting anything in return......... If you are willing to accept my invitation. So how about our Starlight Mercenary Group scoop out a batch of magic potions every month and hand them over to your Chamber of Commerce for sale? ”

"Magic potion?!"

Hearing this, Mace almost shuddered his legs and jumped up from the ground, but in the end, his weight limited the merchant's play. The fat merchant's body only shook for a moment, and in the end he was not able to complete this super difficult action, but even so, Mace's eyes were round, and it looked as if he was about to fall out of his sockets.

It's no wonder that Mace is so excited, magic potions are more valuable than gold to merchants. In a bygone era, magic potions were very common. But now, due to the wars that have lasted for hundreds of years, many of the recipes for magic potions have been lost. And most of the current potion formulas are stored in the hands of the Alchemy Society. The average person simply doesn't get it. Only mages and those great nobles can get their hands on it through certain channels. For others, magic potions are simply unattainable myths. Even the cheapest magic potion is enough to match the price of a high gem.

However, even so, there are still many people who are eager for magic potions, and because of this, the price of magic potions has remained high. Not only is it difficult to find the raw materials for making the magic potion itself. Even the recipe itself is hard to find, and the success rate of alchemy is low. Not to mention that the Alchemy Association strictly controls the formula, which is not done by anyone at all. Although Labis also had the skills of an alchemy apprentice before, she was not able to be taken seriously by the Macbeth mercenary group It is for this reason that as an alchemy apprentice, she does not know much about the formula, if it weren't for Rhodes scooping out the potion recipe that he recorded in the game and improved by the player, just with Labis's own ability, I am afraid that she will not be able to make a bottle in another three years and five years. …,

Of course, Mace also knew that there were a lot of magic potions in Rhodes' hands, after all, there were so many people in the Starlight Mercenary Group, and everyone carried a few bottles of potions, and this kind of thing was naturally seen by others with all kinds of envy, jealousy and hatred. It's just that Mace didn't think much about it at that time, after all, he thought that he still knew a little bit about Rod's background, and as a nobleman, it was not difficult to get a few bottles of magic potion. It's just a bit of a waste to use on these mercenaries.

But now it sounds, things don't seem to be as simple as Mace thought before, since Rod dared to promise to give him a batch of magic potions every month, it means that he has enough channels to get these things, so Mace has to think about it. After all, magic potions are huge profits, even if Rhodes only gives himself twenty bottles of ordinary magic potions every month, Mace can be sure that he can completely turn over and come back as long as he only takes half a year!

But now, he has to worry a little.

"Frankly, Mr. Rhodes, your proposal has really surprised me........."

Mace said cautiously as he carefully considered his words, for fear of angering the young man in front of him. Although he already knew that Dao Rod was not a simple person, for a person who could scoop out dozens of magic potions every month, it was not too simple at all.

"But......... Please forgive me for being rude, for what am I? I'm not afraid of your jokes, Mr. Rhodes, I'm not unmoved by your conditions, to be honest, I almost nodded straight to hearing you say that. But......... With all due respect, as you said, I know very well what the relationship between the Mercenary Guild and the Chamber of Commerce is. But let's be honest, our Silver Scale, though we have some influence in the Parfield area, are not that powerful. To be honest, I think ......... We really can't afford that. ”

Mace is also true, the Mercenary Guild and the supporters behind him are in the same vein. Whether it's politics. Or economically. The other four mercenary guilds all have deep-rooted power and connections, and their interests have long been deeply tied to the power behind them. Compared to them. Mace's silver scales are like a small sapling in a towering tree, and there is no comparison at all. It's no wonder that Metz is feeling the pressure, as if a local chain operator were going to play against a multinational giant, and no matter how you look at it, there is no chance of winning.

Hearing Mace's words, Rod was not only not surprised and angry, on the contrary, after seeing Mace's statement, he also nodded secretly in his heart.

I have to say that although the fat merchant does not seem to be very reliable, he is actually a very self-aware person. Rhodes is well aware. If the chips I just scooped out are put in the eyes of most businessmen. I'm afraid they have long ignored the decision of 3721. After all, this represents a huge profit no matter what. But Mace was able to come back to his senses immediately after the initial surprise, which shows that he is still a very assertive and sensible businessman.

But because of this, it strengthened Rhodes' idea of cooperating with him, and only such people who are not blinded by interests. to be your own ally. And for those who waver or even abandon their principles because of immediate interests, since they can turn to you because of interests, they can also betray you because of interests. For such people, Rhodes is definitely not needed. And only people like Mace, who insist on their own opinions and understand their own status, are ideal collaborators.

Mays said he had no roots and was not fit to be Rhodes' collaborator. But he didn't think at all that this was the fundamental reason why Rod chose himself. ..., the Mercenary Guild relies on the power behind them to survive, so that they will gradually lose their independence when they receive financial and political assistance. They will gradually change from towering trees to vines that climb to the top of other tree trunks. And this is the reason why those who are so powerful to fund the mercenary guild that they expect to have the power to protect their interests. To put it bluntly, the Mercenary Guild is like these powerful private mercenaries.

But Rhodes doesn't want his star to follow this path, and it's true that there are no supporters in the Pafield area who are better than Mace. For example, the Keller family and Krauser have vaguely expressed this meaning to Rod. But Rhodes did not agree, he did not expect his mercenary guild to become a private mercenary in the Pafield area, but to become the de facto ruler here. Listening to orders is not his habit and hobby.

Because of this, financial independence is important.

However, for mercenary guilds, financial independence is the most difficult, because their income is uncertain, and the danger is high, and in order to maintain their dominance, most mercenary guilds will choose to absorb more people, which also leads to an increasingly serious financial burden. Because of this, these mercenary groups have either chosen to rely on local political power to maintain their dominance, thus reducing their spending in this area. Or choose to rely on the big chambers of commerce and use their funds to recruit people and protect their own interests.

Either way, the end result is that the mouth is soft and the hands are short——— so there is no need to say more.

But Rhodes is different, he has resources that other guilds don't have, that is, alchemy medicine, Labis's alchemy skills at the current level max can quickly make potions, and with the improved formula given by Rhodes, Labis can now make thirty to fifty bottles of healing potions in a month, and because of her alchemy skill level bonus, as well as the special talent of the Belchemus family, the effect of these healing potions is twice as good as those ordinary potions on the market, and it can even be said, No matter how injured you are, as long as you can still catch your breath, then you will definitely be able to save it.

It is conceivable that such a healing agent will be able to sell for a sky-high price when it is placed on the market.

But although Rod had such good resources in his hands, he lacked the necessary means. After all, selling potions is a time-consuming and energy-consuming job. Rhodes' main focus at the moment is on running a mercenary group, and he can't spare any spare time to do these things. That's why he found Metz. As a small chamber of commerce in the Parfield area, Metz certainly has its own business network, even if it is not large. It's enough to digest the magic potions that Rhodes has provided. After all, these are ready-made business networks, and the scale of operation is already ripe. And if Rod is left to do it himself, I don't know how much time it will take to improve.

In this way, Mace's silver scales need the potions provided by Rod, and Rod's mercenary guild can also be maintained through the funds returned by the Chamber of Commerce. In this way, the two sides can maintain equality in status, and there will be no problem of eating people with short hands and scooping people with soft mouths. And it is precisely because the silver scales do not envelop the influence of the entire Parfield region, so Rhodes does not have to worry about how to grab the territory from the other party, they can complement each other and achieve a win-win result.

Of course, these are all plans in Rhodes' mind, for Metz. Naturally, he had something else to say.

"I can understand your feelings. Mr. Mace. ”

He clapped his hands, then shrugged his shoulders. "But because of that, I think you're the right partner for me." You say that your silver scales don't have the influence to envelop the entire Parfield region, so what? Wasn't my starlight just as obscure before? People make their own way, I believe. If we work together, we can get a better result. ”

"This ..............."

Hearing Rod say this, Mace couldn't help but hesitate again, although he didn't know what Rod really thought in his heart, but Mace also understood that if he could get close to Rodra, it would naturally be beneficial to the development of his chamber of commerce. At least in the Parfield area, he doesn't have to worry about anything more. But Mace wasn't worried about these issues, he was worried. It's what the other four mercenary guilds and the forces behind them will do to themselves.

"Regarding the four mercenary guilds, I don't think you need to worry too much."

Rod saw through Mace's thoughts, and quickly spoke.

"If something like this happens, then leave it to us Starlight to deal with, I can't guarantee that Mr. Mace's Chamber of Commerce won't have anything to lose. But I can at least guarantee that no matter what time it is, we Starlight will stand with your chamber of commerce. If Mr. Mace thinks the risk is worth the risk, then ..............."

Saying this, Rod paused meaningfully and looked at the fat merchant sitting next to him. Hearing Rod's words, Mace was silent, he looked at the bonfire in front of him, his eyes flashed with a complicated expression, and finally, the fat merchant sighed, and then struggled to stand up.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Rhodes, but this is a very important question that I can't answer you right now......... Please let me think about it. ”

"No problem, Mr. Mace."

Although he did not receive a positive answer, this was expected by Rod. The cautious character of the merchant had been taught to him as early as when he was walking together in the twilight forest, and although this character would make people hate in the midst of adventure, it had to be admitted that for a merchant, proper self-control and wise thinking and judgment were very necessary choices.

"I understand your hesitation, so I won't force you to make a decision. If you think about it, my invitation will remain valid until the Midsummer Festival is over. ”

"Thank you."

Hearing Rod's words, Mace smiled wryly at Rod, and then he turned around and walked towards his camp with a deep and shallow foot. As he walked, the fat merchant shook his head and sighed, and it seemed that he had not been able to recover from this at all.

Looking at Mace's back, Rhodes was silent. And at this time, suddenly, a slender and slender figure burst out.

"How? Master? Did you say it moved? ”

Seven Love shook the ears on her head and the tail behind her, and asked Rhodes with a look of impatience, but in the face of the girl's inquiry, Rhodes shook his head.

"Although it is moved, but what will happen next, no one knows. Let's hope Mr. Mays understands that......... In any case, at least for now, I can't find a better collaborator than him. ”

"Do you really trust that fat man?"

Hearing Rod's answer, Seven Lovers blinked curiously.

"Master, although you have had an experience before, people can change, right? Even if they have shown a side worthy of your attention between life and death, after returning to their daily life, they will still choose to wear a mask and relive the old days. ”

"Of course I know what you mean, Seven Loves."

Rod withdrew his gaze, and by this time Mace's back had disappeared into the carriage of the camp opposite, and was nowhere to be seen. There were only a few guards standing listlessly guarding the wagon, and the rest of the men had already begun to rest.

"But I decided to give him a chance, and it would be nice if he could agree to my offer. But if he refuses, then it will only be a little more troublesome for me. This trouble is still in the calculation for me. ”

ps: I'm a little unwell today, and I wrote late, so I'm ...... Let's see tomorrow if you have the chance. (To be continued.) If you like this work, you are welcome to (.) to vote for recommendation, monthly pass, your support is my biggest motivation. )