"Buy it? No, no… the carbon paper is still in the experimental phase. It might take some time before it's ready for actual sale," Lucas replied, shaking his head. The items developed by the research department would only be put on the market once the latest generation of products was ready; they wouldn't release the older generation until then.
This is called technological accumulation, similar to the fruit phone company on Earth. When they released the iPhone 6, they had already accumulated the iPhone 7 in their inventory.
The advantage of this approach is that it allows for ample time for adjustments. Even if someone else comes up with a more advanced product, they can quickly release their next generation product and maintain a leading position in the market.
How important is it to be number one in the industry? There's no need to elaborate; everyone thinks of you as the best, and customers will choose the first option. The other choices will only come down to price.
"City Lord, can't you sell me just a little? I can pay a high price," Joe said, becoming anxious.
He had been cheated by unscrupulous merchants several times, particularly regarding contractual issues. He had left the capital because a merchant accused him of discrepancies in the quantity of his goods.
A merchant from some city had offered a high price but demanded a large quantity. During the handover, both quantity and quality were inspected, and both parties confirmed there were no issues and signed a contract.
However, it wasn't long before that merchant went back on his word, claiming the quantity was incorrect and demanding that Joe make up the missing twenty percent of the goods. This infuriated Joe.
Making up twenty percent of the goods would mean he would suffer a huge loss!
Originally, that batch of goods was intended to develop trade routes in the north, and he had already lowered prices to attract northern merchants, so there wasn't much profit left. Now, asking him to provide twenty percent more goods meant he would end up working for nothing.
This whole matter shouldn't have been a big deal. As long as he presented the contract signed during the handover, it could have been resolved easily.
But the real problem lay with the contract itself. The northern merchant had taken Joe to the administrative officer in the capital, producing the contract to demand that Joe make up the missing quantities.
Joe had been furious at the time. He had pulled out his contract to confront the merchant, only to discover that a certain number on the merchant's contract didn't match his.
Without a doubt, Joe realized that the other party had altered the figures. Contracts in this era were all handwritten, and there were clear discrepancies between the two documents.
Now, the administrative officer was unsure which contract was genuine and which one was forged, and the matter ended in a contentious stalemate.
What followed was even more frustrating for Joe. The northern merchant began spreading rumors in the capital, claiming that Joe was an unscrupulous merchant who was cheating his clients. This affected Joe's reputation, and as a result, his trade routes in the north were completely severed.
Distressed, Joe decided to leave the capital for some fresh air and to explore other potential business opportunities.
Disputes like this happened to Joe once or twice a year, usually involving merchants from outside the Kingdom. These people were like wild dogs, always looking for any loopholes to exploit. Even if they couldn't get what they wanted, they'd resort to various underhanded tactics just to annoy others.
"Oh?" Lucas noticed Joe's anxiety. Considering that he would need Joe's trading team in the future, selling him some experimental products wasn't out of the question.
"However, the price won't be cheap." Lucas said nonchalantly.
This carbon copy paper, even when it eventually hits the market, will be positioned as a high-end product. After all, the paper used for carbon copies is specialized. The research department has accumulated various types of paper, differentiated by materials and technical processes. Among them, several types have impressed Lucas, but their high production costs mean they can only be used in important contexts, such as banknotes in money houses.
"The price isn't an issue." Joe replied quickly, already feeling the pain of the gold coins he lost over the years due to contract disputes. He had realized that some merchants were banding together to undermine him, fearing that he would reclaim a share of the market in the capital.
"Annie, please have someone bring a box of carbon copy paper," Lucas turned to Annie beside him and instructed, "I need the full set!"
"Understood!" Annie immediately dispatched someone to retrieve it.
Ten minutes later, a wooden box was delivered to Lucas.
"This box contains a hundred sheets of carbon copy paper, along with matching notebooks and other items," Lucas handed the box to Joe, raising a finger to announce the price. "The cost for this box is—"
"One gold coin, right? If so, please sell me ten boxes!" Joe interrupted before Lucas could finish, cradling the box tightly in his hands. He added hastily, "Please be sure to sell me ten boxes!"
Lucas's mouth twitched as he held back the words "fifty silver coins per box" that were about to come out. Joe now felt to him like one of those wealthy individuals back on Earth.
Is the cost of carbon copy paper high? Lucas could say it's not high at all; in fact, it's quite cheap. Although, due to issues with ink formulations and other factors, it can't be produced in large quantities, the cost for a box is roughly twenty copper coins.
Now that Joe was offering one gold coin per box, it was pure profit. Of course, if Joe used these ten boxes for separate contracts, they would last him for many years.
"Annie, please prepare nine more boxes of carbon copy paper for Mr. Joe." Lucas instructed casually.
"Understood!"
Sometimes, the nobles and merchants of this era felt like wealthy tycoons to Lucas. As long as something met their tastes, they were generally willing to spend money—like the lord of Sakura City, for example.
"Lord City, please, I must have a box," Bryan eagerly requested. "Just one box will do."
"Sure!" Lucas nodded. Today was indeed an unexpected gain, and it reminded him that perhaps he should open a luxury goods store, specializing in high-profit items.
For instance, selling perfumes, milk tea, carbon copy paper, and adding some ceramics he brought from Earth, along with a couple of glass cups…
Lucas wasn't too concerned about how the business would turn out; what he wanted was foot traffic. Once the economy concentrated in Sedona City and it became the center of the nation, he could say he was a king without a crown.
"Hit him! Go all out!"
"Come on! Fight back! I bet on you to be the champion, so you must win!"
"Oh my god! Did he just lose?"
"Damn it! That big guy lost to a smaller one, what a waste!"
"…"
It's no wonder the common people were so excited. After all, Lucas had imposed many restrictions on gambling. Each betting method allowed only one wager. For instance, if you wanted to bet on one of the eighteen contestants to become the champion, you could only pick one. You couldn't place multiple bets, and you had to show identification and other documents.
The boxing matches were lively since they followed a five-minute, five-round format. Only direct hits counted for points, and a match would end when one fighter was knocked out.
Sometimes, bigger fighters didn't necessarily win. Many commoners had bet on the larger opponents but ended up losing. It was often the more agile fighters who wore down the big guys, leading to victories by the end of several rounds.
Determining a champion would take several days, making this a small festival for Sedona City.
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