"Ahh! You're laughing at me, aren't you?! Hmmph! I'll let you know, this is my first time attempting a partnership deal so I couldn't help but be nervous, you understand?!"
"Ahh...crap...I shouldn't have said that...Should I just have hired those sharks from the agency?"
Hearing her subsequent words and seeing her rubbing her temples in frustration, Shye couldn't suppress his laugh anymore.
It appears that Meido's intense focus on smithing left her entirely unaware of the workings of the business world.
'No wonder most of her crafts could only be found inside Hephaestus Armaments...' He mused after a good laugh, thinking that Meido was pretty lucky since Hephaestus Armaments was an honest shop. 'She likely would have been taken advantage of had she attempted to sell her items at other shops...'
"Hey! Are you listening? Let's start over. I'm here to establish a partnership deal with you. You look handsome, and would probably be famous a few years down the line due to your skills so I chose you as the bearer of my brand. Do you accept it?"
Meido's loud and assertive voice snapped Shye out of his musings, prompting him to focus on the partnership deal that she was trying to establish.
"I appreciate you calling me handsome but...what do you mean do I accept? You haven't even told me the benefits of partnering with you yet!" Shye retorted.
Realizing that she had forgotten one of the most important parts of a partnership deal, Meido got the sudden urge to slam her head on the table in embarrassment. story source m vl e mp yr
Indeed, how could someone be so stupid as to sign a partnership deal without any benefits?
"O-Oh, I forgot, I'm sorry. Well...I...don't have a lot of money right now since I recently purchased a few rare materials to experiment with. How about this? I shall give your request the highest priority in addition to a 40% discount?" Meido offered, trying hard to mask the nervousness in her heart.
The book she was currently reading as a guide: "A Beginner's Guide to Partnership Deals", stated that she must make her first offer excessively low because the other party is guaranteed to demand more.
Hence the 40% discount offer.
Only, she didn't know that a 40% discount was an absurdly huge discount.
"Prioritizing your requests above all else and offering a 40% discount is a small concession to make when collaborating with someone as commendable as yourself. The only condition I have for you is that you promote my brand and only my brand in the future. So? How about it? My offer remains the same. Are you willing to enter into a partnership deal with me?"
Naturally, Meido's words sounded like heavenly tunes in Shye's ears, touching the deepest parts of his heart.
The young female blacksmith might not be talented in terms of business but she was definitely gifted in terms of smithing, sooner or later, people would be begging her to create equipment for them and she would naturally be aware of her actual value by then.
Shye lucked out by getting the highest request priority and a 40% discount which would be the only thing that matters when Meido grows to her peak.
With how sincere Meido was, it would have been rude to reject her offer, hence, Shye accepted the partnership offer.
Unbeknownst to the two of them, they've just established one of the most legendary partnerships that would shake the adventurer world in the future.
"Well then, Shye Crowley, my workshop is currently in my hometown, Kossin City, however, I do plan to move to Valenzia City in the future. If you have an equipment request for me, then please bring your materials to Kossin City, and I'll surely give you a fair price."
"Alright then, Blacksmith Meido. It's been a pleasure talking to you, I look forward to working with you in the future."
"Likewise, Shye Crowley..."
After a somewhat...unprofessional business talk, Meido left the Colzen Academy station.
There were a few blacksmiths who wanted to strike a partnership deal with Shye, confident that they could offer more than what Meido could offer, however, after hearing how much he loved using Meido's equipment, they knew they had no choice but to give up.
Hence, Siegfried and the other Colzen representatives managed to strike multiple partnership deals.
Although Shye only managed to land one, it was all he needed for now.
Once he and Meido achieve success in the future, they could revisit their business discussions and potentially renegotiate the terms of their agreement.
For now, Shye wanted to focus on winning the Adventurer Academy Competition and blast through the ranks as a rookie adventurer so representing one brand was enough.