Greenwood Kingdom.
In a certain laboratory located in the south of the kingdom, a man wearing a white coat was tampering with a piece of machinery. He heard a static sound coming from the weird box, which originated from an ancient ruin.
"Is this it? Hmm... I feel like I've done everything right. Maybe I'm missing something..." He crossed his arms while observing the box. "I probably need the Tuning Tool to fix this."
Knock!
"Mhmm?" The guy turned around while lifting up his goggles and fixing his hair. "What's wrong?"
"Sir, someone would like to meet you." A female's voice echoed from behind the door.
"I've told you to reject anyone unimportant..." The guy's voice became lower and lower before he corrected his reply. "Who would have the time to visit me?"
"Second Prince of the Atracaeca Kingdom, Prince Ramuer."
"..." He raised his eyebrows as if he were not expecting to have such a visitor. "I'll meet him."
Ramuer was waiting in a rather small room. It wasn't big, but it felt warm and comfortable. However, it seemed that they didn't spend more than necessary.
"Well, well. For what pleasure do I owe this visit, Prince Ramuer, especially after your conflict with the Ardagan family?"
Ramuer looked at this 16-year-old guy. "I'm honored that Prince Drein knows me."
"The only reason for me to appear here is to see what kind of man you are. Right now, the royal family's relationship with the Ardagan family is something that shouldn't be harmed in any way. Even I, who don't aim for the throne, know that they're not to be offended right now." Drein's expression turned serious.
Ramuer smiled. "If Prince Drein doesn't mind giving me a bit of your time, I'd like you to hear what I have to say first."
"I don't need to hear your reasons. But well, it'll be rude to just send you off after agreeing to meet you. I'll give you a minute."
Drein had been acting rude this whole time. For a prince, Ramuer would feel rather insulted, especially since his status as the second prince and his age were higher than Drein's.
However, Drein did this to see his reaction, hoping to use his rash action to kick him out of here.
There was no need for such a precise measurement.
Drein pinched the bridge of his nose. "Why do you want that research?"
"Don't ask me. I don't know." Ramuer shrugged. "All I want is to procure the equipment as well as the blueprints."
"Mhmm..." Drein extended his hand. "How much do you want to pay for it?"
Ramuer didn't answer immediately as though he considered the amount of money he could offer. "100,000 gold coins. 25,000 gold coins for the equipment and 75,000 gold coins for the blueprints."
It was a good price. No, it was beyond his expectations. He thought he would be lucky that someone would take it with just half of that number.
If the Atracaeca Kingdom really considered that research special, he might be able to get something more from this. Drein couldn't help but say, "It's too little. You need to double that number for me to be willing to part with that research."
Ramuer smiled wryly, realizing how Noel felt when he extorted him in the past. He said, "I'm willing to buy it for 80,000 gold coins for the blue prints and 30,000 gold coins for the equipment. In addition, we hope that you are able to manufacture more of this equipment."
"!!!" Drein never thought he wanted multiples of that machine. If he manufactured a few more, it might even surpass 200,000 gold coins. "This..."
Ramuer realized that Drein was planning to increase the number again. That was why he raised his hand to stop him. "Prince Drein. If you don't mind hearing my advice, it's better for you to agree to this deal and don't be too greedy.
"The price I offer has already surpassed the value of that research. You know it, I know it. Don't fall for the same thing as the one ruining my life. All that money is just to show my sincerity, not my desperation."
Drein's body shook after hearing that advice. "How many machines do you need?"
"I don't know how many, but for starters, 10 machines?"
Drein let out a long sigh. Because of that advice, his mind became clear again. If he manufactured ten machines, he would get a total of 380,000 gold coins.
If he became a bit too greedy, as Ramuer said, his brothers and sisters might notice it and try to kill him to get all that money for funding their campaign.
He said, "You need to pay half of the money in advance. That's my condition." By splitting it into two payments, his brothers and sisters wouldn't think much since the money would have been spent before the second payment came.
"We've got a deal." Ramuer smiled. "In that case, I'll take my leave to bring you all the money."