Chapter 10
Chapter 10
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 10
Chapter Title: Exclusive Recipes and Sealed Deals
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Everyone gathered here is a merchant.
Meaning they're quicker than anyone at calculating profits and losses, and hypersensitive to their competitors' every move.
My words weren't long, but they were enough to plant a horrifying image in their minds.
Other shops packed with customers mesmerized by the videos, not a inch to spare, while my own shop sits desolate with flies buzzing around.
Everyone here would sooner bite their tongue and die than witness that pathetic scene.
For merchants, there's no greater humiliation or agony.
"Um, excuse me... Young Master BlackStone. I'm not saying I won't buy... I just mean the price seems a bit high, that's all I wanted to say..."
The owner of the Red Whale tavern, who had been the first to leap from his seat, now spoke in a trembling voice.
His earlier bluster had vanished completely, his eyes shaking violently as if an earthquake had struck.
I didn't miss that opening.
The moment when fear had shattered their thick psychological barrier.
Having swung the whip, it was now time to dangle a big, sweet carrot.
"Please don't misunderstand. As I said before, I have no intention of forcing anyone. It's just... such a shame to pass up this opportunity."
I soothed them with a gentle voice.
"What I just showed you was merely the qualifiers. As the competition progresses, the amateurs will drop out, and the real showdowns between top talents will unfold with sparks flying. The videos will only get more thrilling and spectacular."
My confident gaze swept over the owners' faces.
"I don't for a second think those moments will be any less entertaining than the qualifiers."
The owners' eyes wavered in unison.
But these were people who had succeeded in business amid the capital's cutthroat competition.
They had their own sharp eyes and instincts.
As they each mulled over the costs and benefits, one man clenched his fist and shouted.
"Th-this... this is tyranny!"
He was the owner of the largest tavern in southern Ispellia.
"Say we all buy it! Then Young Master BlackStone gets all the profit unilaterally, and we're back to splitting customers like always! If everyone's showing the same videos, why would they come to our shop specifically?!"
A sharp point indeed.
The other owners nodded in agreement, the mood shifting to support.
As expected, they wouldn't go down easy.
"You're absolutely right."
I nodded readily, acknowledging it.
"If everyone plays the same videos, customers will just flock to their usual favorites. A 300-gold investment would be meaningless."
But I had anticipated this backlash.
No, I had been waiting for it.
This was the perfect moment to quell their complaints and ignite even greater greed.
"That's why I've prepared this."
I pulled a thick stack of papers from my bag—prepared in advance—and set it down on the table with a thud.
"What... what's this?"
"Magic to make your shops stand out."
I lifted one sheet slightly, fanning it for the owners to see.
A paper detailing complex recipes and precise ingredient ratios.
"These are... the recipes from the participants in the preview video."
The Red Whale owner stared in shock, eyes darting between me and the recipe in my hand.
"I plan to share these recipes with you all for free."
"...What?"
Silence fell over the room in an instant.
Everyone's eyes widened as they struggled to process my words.
Recipes.
To a chef, they were as precious as life itself.
Family secrets passed down generations, or sources of bloody feuds if stolen.
Of course they'd be tempted by free ones.
I slowly scanned the owners.
"Did I gather just anyone here at random, owners?"
Only then did they start checking each other's faces.
Some knew one another, others were strangers.
But they shared one thing in common.
"I deliberately selected exactly four owners from each district of the capital. Four from the center, four from the east, four from the south... like that."
"Oh, now that you mention it...!"
The owners exclaimed as they confirmed faces, surprised.
Their immediate neighbors and direct rivals weren't present.
Only the top shops from each district, spaced apart just right.
"And the recipes I've prepared... exactly four of them."
I folded my fingers one by one, slowly listing them.
"Crispy, crumbling-in-your-mouth 'Pomme Soufflé'. The heavenly cheese-and-potato harmony 'Aligot'. Buttery, tender 'Rösti'. And the deeply flavorful 'Northern Potato Soup'."
The owners' eyes grew wider by the second.
"No way..."
"Yes, exactly. For each district, I'll give each of you a different recipe. No overlaps."
I could almost hear the abacuses rattling furiously in their heads.
They'd realized I wasn't just selling screening rights.
That's right.
This was essentially a monopoly sales license!
"These dishes all use potatoes as the main ingredient anyway. The cost is dirt cheap, practically negligible."
To help them decide, I sketched out a blueprint.
"But just because they're 'from the show,' you could charge double—no, triple the usual price, and no one would complain. Since they can only get it at your shop."
Low costs. High margins. Guaranteed exclusivity.
Sweet temptations no merchant could refuse.
If they passed this up, they should hand in their merchant cards.
"Of course, there's the issue of the recipes' difficulty. But... if your head chefs master just one, they can handle this level easily enough."
The owners were already fidgeting, itching to sign contracts.
I drove the final nail home.
"Plus, I'll play that preview you just saw in plazas all over the capital, all day long. For free."
"...Pardon?"
"People will go mad with curiosity after watching. Salivating, tormented imagining the taste of those potato dishes. Now, where do you think those starving crowds will head?"
As my explanation ended, I heard dry swallows here and there.
Their mental math was done.
300 gold?
Sure, big money. Very expensive.
But compared to the profits from those recipes, it was a steal.
"I-I'll buy it!!"
The Red Whale owner, who'd grumbled most negatively from the start, was first to his feet again, kicking his chair.
"300 gold, yes! Absolutely! But please give our shop the 'Aligot' recipe without fail! That stretching cheese—it's a perfect match for our house beer!"
His shout was the signal flare.
One moved, and the rest—who'd been eyeing a chance to haggle—raised their voices, charging forward.
"Me too! Install ours first since we're the biggest!"
"Hey, I raised my hand first!"
"Please, take my money, Young Master!!"
"I-I can pay in gold coins right now, not promissory notes!"
The teahouse turned into pandemonium in seconds.
Chaos as they shoved to pay first.
Watching the once-apathic owners elbowing for contracts, dopamine exploded in my brain.
'Yeah, this is the stuff.'
Amid the frenzy, I suppressed a leaking smile and spoke calmly.
"Please calm down, everyone. The opportunity will be fair for all."
Twenty contracts sealed in a flash.
6,000 gold in my hands in just one hour.
"Starting today, our family servants will visit to set everything up for smooth screenings."
I packed my bulging bag of promissory notes, stood, and declared triumphantly.
"Owners, you've just seized the opportunity of a lifetime. Congratulations."
Utterly swayed by my pitch, the owners beamed and nodded.
Thinking they'd snagged an incredible deal on the cheap.
In truth, 300 gold was inflated far beyond recouping initial costs... but no need to mention that.
On the way home after sending off the owners.
Steps light as feathers from the stellar deal.
"A deal where everyone wins. Win-win, right?"
I hummed a tune.
Owners get sales booms, I pocket broadcasting fees, customers enjoy tasty food and entertainment.
Could there be a more perfect trade?
"Seed money secured. Time to make real bank?"
6,000 gold.
Huge sum, but it won't stay in my pocket long.
Magic tools purchase and maintenance for Lucia, main stage set construction, ingredients...
And hire an orchestra soon for BGM.
Videos felt so empty without music.
Oh man...
Money flows in and out like water, same in any world.
But no regrets.
My goal was never the money to begin with.
I'll shoot and spread more videos.
Eventually, great content will pour in without me lifting a finger.
Then retire, roll around in bed living off royalties.
Just work hard until then.
Steeling my resolve while walking, the sunlight dazzled unusually, so I looked up at the sky.
The sun hung round and sparkling in the clear blue.
"Wow... looks just like a giant gold coin."
I squinted, reached toward the sun, pretending to grab it.
For some reason, in that moment, even this cringey act felt shamelessly fine.
Looking back, it started from that moment.
When the world began rolling in the palm of my hand.
The preview spreading through the capital ignited a frenzy even beyond my expectations.