novel-bin Chapter 60 The Contract Did Not Take Effect
Chapter 60 The Contract Did Not Take Effect
"This is the healing mucus I was talking about."
Zag got up very early and made sure to collect all the healing slime in glass bottles, put it in a box, and carefully carried it to Mrs. Weyland's aromatherapy shop.
This is worth 120 gold pounds!
"Let me see."
As Rowan spoke, he picked up one of the glass bottles, examined its color carefully against the light, unscrewed the cap, and smelled the contents.
The naturally occurring healing mucus is very viscous and tastes earthy and astringent. When heated at high temperatures, it turns into an amber-like substance and has a distinctive grassy aroma. Many nobles liked to use the solidified amber-like healing mucus to make gemstones and set them in their jewelry, as it has a mild calming and healing effect.
"It's very pure and naturally secreted, not the kind of inferior product that comes from feeding captive tree spirits sugar water. We can offer 7 gold 5 shillings per liquid ounce, which is the highest price on the market."
Rowan quickly determined the quality of the healing slime and gave a price.
"I have absolutely no objection."
Zag spent the weekend visiting several alchemy and magic supply shops, only to find that one of them sold healing slime for 18 shillings per scrup, which is roughly 20 gold pounds per ounce.
Although this price is much higher than Rowan's, that's the retail price, plus an additional 40% or more in various taxes. Rowan's price is a long-term, stable wholesale price, so they can't be compared—even though the quality of Zag's healing slime is definitely better than those retail prices.
"Well then, it's a pleasure doing business with you. Here's the contract; you can take a look and see if there are any problems."
Rowan was very satisfied with Zag's straightforwardness and took out the contract he had prepared beforehand.
Upon seeing the contract, Zag's heart stirred, and he instinctively flipped to the last few pages first.
Sure enough, there was another section on the oaths to the Nine Holy Spirits. However, compared to Brother Peter's two full pages of sycophantic praise for Meredra, Rowan's contract only had a few short lines, and the content was simply asking Agora to witness the contract and thanking Lady Silvermoon.
Rowan was curious about Zag's actions and asked, "Why did you look at the contract and witness the gods first? I thought that since it was related to alchemy, I wouldn't consider anything other than Agora."
Zag knew his behavior seemed somewhat strange, but he couldn't admit he was just curious about how much Rowan would praise Agora, so he just chuckled and said, "Yes, yes, I was thinking it should be Lady Silvermoon, so I was just confirming."
Rowan laughed: "Hehehe, it seems you are indeed very interested in the occult."
As she spoke, she downed half a cup of dragon's blood tea, which contained a lethal dose of sugar, in one gulp.
Zag didn't answer, but carefully read through the terms and conditions. After thinking for a moment and finding no traps, he signed his name and handed the contract over: "I've signed it, please take a look."
Thank you for your trust.
Rowan took the contract, picked up the quill pen, elegantly signed his name, and then blew on the ink.
But soon, her expression suddenly changed.
"Wait, there's a problem."
She picked out the last page of the contract containing Agorah's part and examined it carefully. Then she checked the signatures and said thoughtfully, "Zag Marsh, right? I guess your name is spelled correctly?"
Zag followed Rowan's finger to the signature on the contract, repeatedly confirming the spelling of the name.
"Yes, yes, no problem, what's wrong?"
"This contract is not valid." Rowan frowned. "Agora did not witness it, and the contract was not established... Well, don't worry, it is still legally valid, but in the realm of the occult, it's just a piece of paper, which is strange."
These words startled Zhag.
If it's because my soul and name don't match, then the rental agreement I signed with Brother Peter a couple of days ago shouldn't have been valid. Why hasn't Brother Peter contacted me?
However, Rowan quickly cleared up this doubt, explaining, "Normally, people who haven't studied magic or formally delved into the field of mysticism can't tell whether a contract is effective or not. So, whether it's valid in the mystical realm or not wouldn't affect its effectiveness in secular society. But... you know, I'm an alchemist, and you, I guess given your interest in mysticism, should be able to formally begin your studies soon. So, the fact that the contract can't take effect before the Holy Spirit is a rather serious problem."
So, Brother Peter didn't understand whether the contract was valid because he hadn't formally delved into mysticism; he simply signed it step by step.
Zag was still thinking about what had happened a couple of days ago, but outwardly he was multitasking as he asked Rowan, "So... what exactly was the reason? Or what should we do?"
Just when Zag thought Rowan was about to resort to some mystical methods, he was surprised to see the other man simply shrug and say nonchalantly, "Never mind."
Zag was somewhat taken aback: "No, ignore it!?"
"Otherwise what? This is just a deal worth a little over a hundred gold pounds. Even if the contract doesn't work in the mystical sense, it's still valid under the kingdom's laws. Besides, you've already brought the goods. I just need to pay, and the deal is done. Why bother researching mystical issues?" Rowan answered frankly. "Everything related to the mystical is extremely dangerous!"
"That sounds like a good point..."
"That's how it is. I'm just curious why it's not working, but that doesn't mean I'm going to bother figuring out why. Um, here's 145 gold pounds."
As Rowan spoke, he counted out enough gold coins very quickly.
"Wait, Ms. Rowan, there's one more thing." Zag didn't immediately take the money. Instead, under Rowan's questioning gaze, he said somewhat embarrassedly, "As you know, all transactions related to magic are subject to magic business tax and magic product transaction tax. That's not the main problem, though. The main problem is the source of my goods... it's not easy to do openly, so..."
How can we obtain it through legitimate means, since it was directly traded from the tree spirit?
Even if you pretend you got it from the south, that won't work. What about your supplier? No supplier? Then where did it originate? The Kingdom of Lunaran? Was there any customs declaration? Which border crossing did it enter through?
If none of these are present, then it is an illegal transaction, and the local lord has the full right to seize and confiscate all the goods.
Rowan poured himself another cup of tea and reassured him, "You're more honest than I thought, hehe. Don't worry, I'll clean up their origins, and the magic tax will be paid during the cleanup process. Although it's a bit troublesome and expensive, it won't be a problem if you can supply them consistently."
"Of course, we can definitely supply it long-term; the supply is quite stable. As a token of our gratitude, I'm willing to give up 5 shillings per ounce of liquid."
As he spoke, Zag counted out 5 of the 145 gold pounds on the table, taking only the remaining 140.
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[Snowball's Commentary]: Mother Goddess is an extremely gentle, just, and great being! She is absolutely not comparable to that hypocritical and disgusting Meredra, who loves to hear all sorts of flattery!