Chapter 32: Bargaining

Because the Old Mage went out to find people to train Imps according to Old Xie’s instructions, he didn’t know anything about it. So when he came back, it was already several hours later. As a result, when the furious Old Mage came to stop this group of robbers, that huge warehouse had been moved away by nearly one-third. You know, the supplies here were enough for ten thousand people to use for a month! One could imagine how much there was. It was also fortunate that the incredibly strong Cyclops took action. If they relied solely on the Imps, they wouldn’t have been able to move so much at all.

Regarding Old Xie’s despicable act of taking without telling, the Old Mage was naturally furious. He loudly questioned Old Xie: “What are you doing?”

“Moving things!” Old Xie said confidently.

“Moving things?” The Old Mage shouted angrily: “What right do you have to move my things?”

“Didn’t you say so? My Underlings’ supplies are all your responsibility. For this, I paid the price of 50 smart Imps.” Old Xie said with a cold face: “Do you talk like farting?”

“You~” The Old Mage almost died of anger when he heard this, and immediately said furiously: “I only said I was responsible for their food and drink, I didn’t say anything else, right?”

“No!” Old Xie immediately shook his head and said: “I think the value created by my Imps is far more than a little food and drink. This obviously should include some of their daily tools. Don’t you think?”

“Damn!” The Old Mage shouted angrily: “I can give you daily tools, but what the hell are you taking?”

The Old Mage said, picking up the list Lilith opened for him, and read first: “Exquisite Hand Crossbows, 200 sets! Are these ‘daily’ items? Do you know how much such a Hand Crossbow is worth?”

“Why aren’t they daily items?” Old Xie immediately quibbled: “Are there no dangerous Magical Beasts in the woods around the base? If they suddenly rush out of the woods, isn’t it right for my Imps to use Hand Crossbows to protect themselves?”

“You~” The Old Mage was speechless by Old Xie, so he had to say: “Fine, let’s say you have a reason for this, but what about the next? Steel Golems, 200 units. Damn, you are ruthless enough? This thing costs more than a hundred Gold Coins just to make! Those are Combat Puppets I used to defend the Mage Tower!”

“So what? You threw them here in vain, which is simply a waste. This damn Mage Tower is strong enough as it is. It doesn’t matter if there are more of them or not. Why do you care?” Old Xie persuaded earnestly.

“Damn, it’s a waste with me, so it’s not a waste if you take it? What use do you have for them?” The Old Mage questioned angrily.

“Of course I have use!” Old Xie then smiled: “I mean, let every Imp have a Steel Golem to protect them. Anyway, the Mental Power of Imps is about the same as ordinary people, and they can completely command Steel Golems. In this way, their safety can be protected to the greatest extent. Think about it, the Magical Beasts in the forest aren’t rookies. Can the Hand Crossbows in the hands of the Imps deal with them completely? If there is a Steel Golem blocking them, they can have a few more chances of survival. Do you dare say that you won’t need these Imps in my hand in the future?”

“This~” The Old Mage was immediately depressed. Indeed, if he wanted to do some large-scale experiments, he would definitely need a lot of manpower. When the time came, he might have to borrow soldiers from Old Xie. If he was too stingy now, it really wouldn’t be justifiable. Moreover, since knowing the benefits of Imps, the Old Mage also particularly liked these little guys, so naturally, he couldn’t bear to see them in danger.

Helplessly, he finally had to compromise: “Fine, fine, I’ll give you the Steel Golems too!”

“Haha!” Old Xie immediately said proudly: “That’s it then!” Saying that, he was about to leave.

“Wait!” The Old Mage then called out to him and continued to ask: ” Even if Hand Crossbows and Steel Golems are useful, but what about these things you want, blacksmithing equipment, and high-quality steel ingots, and a large batch of Alchemy materials, what are they for? Do you want to open a blacksmith shop?”

“Huh, how did you know I want to open a blacksmith shop?” Old Xie immediately said in surprise.

“Damn!” The Old Mage almost died of anger and couldn’t help cursing: “You are a Mage, and a Noble at that. Why open a blacksmith shop for no reason? Even if you aren’t afraid of losing face, you have to think about the reputation of the Stephen Family? If people knew that the direct heir of the dignified Stephen Family was a blacksmith, where would you put my old face!”

“Who said I want to be a blacksmith?” Old Xie rolled his eyes at the Old Mage and said: “I’m full and have nothing to do, why would I strike iron?”

“Then who do you plan to be the blacksmith in your blacksmith shop?” The Old Mage stared and said: “The Imps? Don’t be ridiculous, they aren’t even as heavy as the iron hammer for striking iron!”

“Idiot, if Imps can’t do it, can’t Cyclops do it?” Old Xie curled his lips and said.

“Cyclops? In terms of their terrifying power, they are indeed good material for striking iron.” The Old Mage’s eyes lit up, but then shook his head and asked: “But is that possible? They are proud Warriors! Their temper is very stubborn. Letting them fight is no problem, but letting them strike iron, that’s hard to say!”

“No problem!” Old Xie smiled sinisterly: “I told them that striking iron is to make Armor for themselves. Moreover, I will let the Imps draw Magic Arrays on their Armor to make it into Magic Armor. I don’t believe they can resist this temptation!”

“Haha, insidious enough! Cyclops forging, Imps drawing Magic Arrays, and then I perform the final charging. Haha, this can completely mass-produce Magic Armor!” The Old Mage immediately forgot about the supplies and laughed out loud, as if he had already seen a large number of Magic Armor made by Cyclops born.

You know, for striking iron, the most important thing is technology, followed by strength. The greater the strength, the easier it is to forge out the impurities in the steel. Although the technology of Cyclops wasn’t good, as long as the Expert blacksmiths of the Old Mage’s family gave guidance, they would surely make up for this defect soon. At that time, relying on the terrifying power of the giants, they would definitely be able to forge excellent Armor and weapons, perhaps even catching up to the products of Dwarves.

“Hehe, you know it!” Old Xie then smiled: “If you still don’t agree, then I’ll have to find someone else to cooperate!” Saying that, Old Xie acted as if he was about to leave.

“Don’t!” The Old Mage hurriedly held Old Xie back and said: “I agree, isn’t that okay? I can provide everything you want, but let’s make it clear, I want eighty percent of the final product! Because I provided the materials!”

“No deal!” Old Xie sneered directly: “Materials are everywhere, can’t I buy them? But the technology is only mastered by me, so I should take the majority. You can have at most forty percent!”

“No way, you are too stingy, right?” The Old Mage immediately said unwillingly: “At most, I’ll let you have forty percent, okay? Materials are very expensive!”

“Materials are expensive, but the finished product is more expensive, so there is no negotiation on this matter!” Old Xie said lightly: “One price, fifty-fifty split. Do it or not, take it or leave it!”

“Okay, okay, half is half!” The Old Mage finally compromised. There was no way, who said the initiative was in Old Xie’s hands. Old Xie could find someone else to do this, but the Old Mage could only find Old Xie, so Old Xie naturally occupied the absolute advantage and initiative in the negotiation.