HAHA... Here you are, young boy. I thought you had already gone home," Bowen turned to see the third prince himself searching for him. Behind him stood Farah, the prince's personal guard, with his usual lack of facial emotions.
"Why is he searching for me? What business does he have with me?" thought Bowen.
"Your Highness," Bowen made a respectful bow upon seeing the third prince.
"It's fine, it's fine. Let's keep these for later. I have come here to deliver your prize for winning the competition," said the prince, handing a green pouch to Bowen. "There are two low-grade mana stones from the count, and the gift of 20 large silvers from the baron instead of tax redemption. They decided to reward you more because you produced more than one winning dish. Your exceptional skill deserves them after all."
"You flatter me, Your Highness. I am glad to receive your praise. Then If you will excuse me," said Bowen, attempting to leave the place or at least pretending to.
Bowen already knew very well that the prince had something to talk to him about. Otherwise, a person of his stature would not come himself to deliver the prize. It was merely an excuse to chat with Bowen, after all. But if he allowed it, the prince would have the upper hand in the conversation. Bowen was not ready to be led around by the shrewd prince.
"Are you in a hurry, boy? If not, how about having some warm tea in my room? Don't worry about being late; I will ask my men to give you a lift to your house later," said the prince, unwilling to let Bowen go.
"I don't dare to, my prince. How can I waste the time of such a busy person like yourself?" said Bowen, indirectly rejecting the prince and making him desperate.
"Haha... What is this? Why should we have formalities between us? I just thought we have become close since lunch today. And you don't have to worry about wasting my time. I have ample time for my little friend over here," said the prince, trying hard to convince Bowen. And this was exactly what Bowen had hoped for. As the prince himself lowered his stature in the name of being friends, he won't be lenient from then on.
"Oh, if the prince says so, I am happy to share tea with you," said Bowen, nodding. The prince was also happy, finally able to talk to Bowen in private. Both settled down on luxurious sofas facing each other, separated only by an intricately carved tea table. Soon, maids served honey blossom tea, famous in Aswalt, which was soothing to the throat. Once again, the prince was amazed by Bowen's table etiquette. He elegantly held the cup and sat comfortably and confidently, taking small sips. It was not the behavior one would expect from a six-year-old boy born and brought up in a rural town.
"So, do you remember me granting you a wish? You can ask for anything," started the prince.
"Nah, I will pass," said Bowen casually, which was unexpected to the prince.
"Are you sure? Many would die for an opportunity like this. You can ask for money, a title, position, job, weapons, artifacts, even mana or elemental stones."
"Prince," Bowen calmly put his cup down on the table and said, "I am not selling the recipes for those dishes, even if you give me all of your wealth." Bowen was straight to the point, catching the prince off guard.
The prince's friendly demeanor suddenly changed, and he adopted a shrewd look. "Ha, you are truly intelligent, aren't you? So you already know what I'm going to ask for?"
"Yes."
"And you still came with me. So what's your proposal?" asked the prince, curious.
"I don't want to sell those recipes, but I would like to sell the product with you," said Bowen, looking the prince directly in the eye.
"Brief me," said the prince, intrigued.
"How about selling chocolates all over the Grimesphere?" Bowen threw a bombshell.
"All over the world? Boy, your dream is indeed big, but it's not an easy thing. We can manage to sell it in Yuria, but the whole world?" The prince shook his head. "It won't stand a chance."
"It is possible. I will bring many flavors and varieties of chocolates, which I will introduce one by one to the market."
The prince became even more intrigued. "There are varieties of it? How many varieties and flavors are we talking about here?"
"Many. Every time you think one is the best, I will surprise you with another new flavor that will surpass the previous one. I will also introduce many more dishes with chocolate as an ingredient."
"What? Chocolate is not the final product? You can use it to make other desserts?"
"Yup, just like this," said Bowen, pouring a glass of milk from the jug. He took the ruberry seed powder he had prepared previously and mixed it with milk, adding some sugar. "This is the basic version of chocolate milk. Here, give it a try," Bowen said, pointing to the cup.
The prince didn't doubt Bowen's intentions; he had a good understanding of Bowen's character. Upon drinking the chocolate milk, he could feel the taste of chocolate and milk perfectly blended, offering a unique, gentle flavor distinct from the intense, addictive taste of pure chocolate. He quickly finished the whole glass in seconds and even worried that it was emptied so soon.
"Let's do it," he said confidently, smiling at Bowen.
Both of them started discussing how to establish a chocolate factory, including the location, style, employees, working hours, raw materials, and equipment. Bowen patiently addressed any doubts and questions the prince posed. Finally, the outline for the project was almost complete, with only one detail remaining.
"Fine, let's say we share the profits 30:70. Since I'm the one providing the capital, hiring the workers, and managing the business, I will take the larger share," said the prince. Considering that Bowen only provided new recipes, a 30 percent share was already quite generous. However, Bowen was not satisfied with that.
"How much capital are you planning to invest initially?" asked Bowen.
"Well, it would require at least 10-15 gold initially for a mid-sized business," calculated the prince.
"I will provide half of it," said Bowen, surprising the prince once again.
"Are you sure? I'm talking about gold, you know. It's even a significant amount for me to risk."
"Don't worry, send one of your men after a month, and I will contribute 8 gold to my share," said Bowen confidently. Bowen could have easily converted 8 DP into gold and immediately given it to the prince, but he didn't want to waste his DP that way. He had a more effective way to earn money.
"Hmm, I can wait for a month. Should we go 50-50 then?" asked the prince.
"Sure, for me 50% of profits. Additionally 100% of managing rights of the company. And this will only be applicable for the mother factory we will be building now." Said Bowen thinking. That means Bowen will hold 50 percent ownership of the company and its profits while having all the rights to management.
The prince kept hesitating for few moments. He didn't expect Bowen to be that good at talking business.
Anyway, he had to oblige. Bowen was the one to propose new ideas and products after all. Moreover, if Bowen can keep on producing many more new recipes it is really a good deal. "This is not bad, "he thought
On finalizing the deal, the prince retrieved a rolled-up scroll from his space ring and began writing down the agreed-upon contents. It was a magical contract that bound the involved parties with magic. Going against it would result in adverse consequences for their cultivation, so only people with genuine business intentions signed this type of contract. By presenting this contract, the prince proved himself to be trustworthy, earning Bowen's admiration. Trust was essential for long-term cooperation in partnerships.
After thoroughly reading the clauses, both of them signed the contract, affirming their commitment.
"Fine, call me Everard from now on, partner. Let's hope this company will rake in money," the prince said with a smile, introducing himself by his name for the first time.
"Gladly. Call me Bowen. I'm looking forward to a long-term business partnership," Bowen replied, returning the business smile.
Prince Everard handed Bowen a small golden emblem of Starfall and said, "When you decide to come to Starfall, use this. Don't keep me waiting for too long, partner." Bowen knew he had to visit Starfall soon, and the primary reason was his slave, Solaris, who was still in hiding there. Establishing a connection with a prince from that nation would be an added advantage for Bowen.
"Sure, I will visit Starfall soon. By the way, do you have a few more of those magical contract scrolls with you? Could you lend me some, won't you partner?"