"Alright. In that case, just try your best to accomplish your assignment. If necessary, just exchange the additional Blood Plasma you require with an item of equal prices, such as the Medicinal Tincture." Hespar said. The option he gave her was considered quite fair.
"But before you did, communicate with one another to avoid taking what the other needed." Hespar made sure he handled this matter fairly using the opportunity he had.
Through this arrangement, Hespar is confident it would benefit the squad and all its members in the long run. Furthermore, a more promising team would also have better access to other resources and equipment and, in return, strengthen the member even more.
With nothing else to discuss, Hespar allowed them to excuse themselves after making sure the members were informed about the existence of the Anti-Inflammation Powder in the Squad's Inventory.
About half an hour to go before dinner time, three individuals' silhouettes can be seen outside of Hespar's tent. It should be the guard and his squad members, based on the time right now.
"Your tent looks not bad, fellow brother." the guard gives Hespar generous praise after he was invited by Hespar to come in. From the look of the two female members following him, they should be the bookkeepers he mentioned earlier.
"Please forgive me for not being able to provide everyone with a seat." Hespar embarrassingly apologizes to the trio for his room's simple and hardly furnished appearance.
"Don't worry, fellow brother. All our rooms look like this at first. You should really take a look at the first-class officer's room. Their quarter is a hundred times messier than yours and mine combined." the guard said.
"Don't joke around. The senior's room is full of goods, but yours is filled with trash." said one of the bookkeepers standing behind the guard.
"Anyway, do you mind taking the Serenity Ice Flower for my members to have a look?" the guard asked.
"Of course!" Hespar nodded and brought up the container keeping the six stalks of Serenity Ice Flower inside. When the lid was removed, a gush of coldness immediately escaped from the box.
"They're indeed the Serenity Ice Flower of the highest quality." one of the bookkeepers nodded in approval. She had been the bookkeeper of the squad for some time, and she could hardly see such a well-preserved plant kept inside a container.
"I'll make sure the member in my squad heard the praise. Please allow me to express a hint of gratitude on his behalf." Hespar politely responds to the bookkeeper's words.
(I have no idea that Stolas do have some skills in harvesting the herbs. I guess all of us should learn more from him whenever we go outside...)
Hespar thought. But Stolas was not the only one to appear in his mind. Ashen was also included due to his efficient bookkeeping skill.
Alright. Let's set aside all the flattering words. As the one who supplied this item my squad needs, please state what kind of resources you're interested in trading them for." the guard continued. A different persona seems to be taking over him regarding negotiation.
"Blood Stopping Paste, Medicinal Tincture, or Grand Iron fragments. This is what my squad members are looking for." Hespar brought up a few names onto the discussion table.
In market pricing, the Blood Stopping Paste was the lowest, with the price of one silver coin piece for a dollop. A small container generally costs about five silver coins in that case. The paste is usually packed like a salve if purchased in small quantities.
As for the Medicinal Tincture, a bottle usually costs between two to three silver coin pieces. The latter pricing is always there unless the market is flooded with the tincture suddenly. They're not considered rare since the main ingredient was the Mountain Goblin's heart. But the problem is that the market demand for them is too high, causing a lack of supply everywhere.
The Grand Iron Fragment was also not something rare, but once again, hard to obtain due to the huge market demand. The price of this item is usually around three silver coin pieces a fragment, often traded in large quantities.
As for their use, it was for none other than armor and weapon.
Tools made from Great Iron all had amazing durability, making them a preferable weapon of choice in war. It was said that a sword made from Great Iron can easily break ten Pig Iron swords before being broken. And even if broken, the blade's edge is sharper than the normal iron sword.
"I'm willing to offer either half a container of Blood Stopping Paste or a bottle of Medicinal Tincture, but not Great Iron fragments. Even I would like to buy the iron if you have them in hand." the guard offered.
His offer was neither high nor low, but they fell slightly short of Hespar's minimal selling price of three silver coin pieces.
"They're a little lower than my expectation. We're expecting at least a full paste container or two tincture bottles. One part would do if you willing with the iron fragments." Hespar gives out a counter offer.
From how it sounds, the Grand Iron fragment would be the best choice as it was the lowest price out of the three counter offer, followed by the paste. The tincture was the most expensive of all three proposals but also the easiest to provide.
But in fact, Hespar was creating a trap by using the rarest resources out of the three to make it sound more considerable. While the cost of a fragment is merely three silver coin pieces, the difficulty in obtaining them made their price easier to fluctuate in the long run.
In a way, they're just as precious as gold.
Meanwhile, the tincture was, in fact, the cheapest out of the three. It was considered the most expensive option because of its high demand.
The counteroffer from Hespar made the guard turn his attention to the two bookkeepers behind him. And without further ado, the trio started to whisper to one another to make a decision.
"Fellow brother, we'll trade the Serenity Ice Flowers with half a container of paste and one tincture. What do you think?" the guard said.
It seemed that the plan to make the guard part with one of their Great Iron fragments was a failure. Still, their counteroffer value is between four to five silver coin pieces. As it was already above Hespar's minimal price, he found no reason to negotiate for the price any further.
But to make it not that obvious, Hespar took a minute to consider the counteroffer before he nodded at them as his answer. This nod eventually closes the deal between them.
Both sides made their exchange on the spot. After ensuring no problem with the resources given to one another, the guard politely excused himself with his bookkeepers.
The exchange was over, but the tenseness was yet to begone for Hespar. After all, the trade was Hespar's first.
While he managed to handle it well and even obtained some benefit on behalf of his squad, the victory can only be seen as first-timer luck. His negotiation skills can only be seen in his next trade, whether he's capable of retaining the same result or not.
But these realities aside, Hespar has secured some safety measures for his squad members.
To the soldiers, possessing some Blood Stopping Paste and Anti-Inflammation Powder is a complete lifesaver. Added with Medicinal Tincture to strengthen themselves, this was a lucrative offer nobody could reject.
Having these for his squad is like adding a layer of security for their next quest into the wilderness.
With less than ten minutes to dinnertime, Hespar tidied his uniform and decided to make his way towards the canteen a little earlier. But he was soon surprised by what unfolded to him when he arrived.
The crowd outside the canteen far surpasses what he had imagined. He had no idea why, but there must be a reason why they're gathering out here even before the canteen is opened.
"Leader!" someone called out to Hespar while searching for somebody to ask. Looking clearer at the person calling him, it seems to be Ashen. This fellow seems to be another copy of Paul due to his good communication skills.
Without further ado, Hespar went to his side and somewhat skipped the queue. But nobody had a comment about him cutting the line since he was someone with a Second-Class Officer title.
"What's up with the line today? Why are there so many people waiting to go inside for food?" Hespar asked.
"This should be your first time, correct? Once every week, the canteen will have special, limited dishes made from Mountain Lizard meat. From what I heard, the kitchen only prepared around five to six hundred portions each time, and they're super delicious."
"I hope this time I can get to taste one of them. From what I was told by Miss Catalina, we'll have three dishes to choose from today." Ashen excitedly shared what he knew.
"Ah... I see. In that case, I'm sorry for cutting everyone's line here. I hope that you guys were lucky enough to enjoy the dish." Hespar said and took a step back from where Ashen was queuing.
It was unsure what made him give up the chance to taste the dishes. Still, one thing is for sure, none of them who line after Ashen had a complaint because they could very much be the last person in line to get the Lizard Meat dishes.
"Leader, if you want, I can give you this spot. I've tasted the dish once anyway..." Ashen said.
"Why are you getting worried on my behalf? It's a weekly matter, and as long I queue earlier than everyone next week, I'm sure I will get a taste of them by then." Hespar answered. But as he turned around, a ladle struck his head for trying to show off.
"With me here, how can a blockhead like you starve with nothing to eat?" said Paul as he prepared to give Hespar another knock on his head.