NOVEL WEB Chapter 321: Threat
The other merchants, the lesser ones who weren't openly interfering in the silent war between Zach's guild and the Kadricke Coalition, were cautious. The Coalition had warned them not to aid, help, or accept any of the alchemist guild's offers. The moment they did, they would no longer have any dealings with the Coalition or any of their affiliates.
The Coalition wasn't the only merchant group in the capital, far from it, and they certainly didn't control everything. But they had their hands in a lot of jars. Upsetting them would make life a lot more difficult than necessary, especially if the Coalition succeeded in their efforts.
To the victor go the spoils and whatnot.
If the Kadricke Coalition won against Derot's business, the potions, alchemists, and recipes would naturally end up in their hands. At that point, it would be their turn to try and take over the market.
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They had already gotten a taste of that with the first batch of alchemists, the ones who deserted the guild last year. Just the first few recipes and alchemists cultivated by the guild had led to a noticeable increase in profit, at least until Derot entered the playfield.
The Coalition wanted the rest.
The other merchants, regardless of their specialization, weren't very different. They just weren't necessarily interested in the alchemy itself. They wanted profit.
That was why they had stayed out of the fight as much as possible. They didn't want to get caught up in the crossfire and incur unnecessary loss.
But on the flip side, that meant they would enter the fray as long as enough profits were guaranteed.
Derot opened the last of a stack of inconspicuous letters. It was a short one. He smiled.
"Maz!" He called out. Only a few moments later, Maz popped his head into the room.
"Yes, sir?"
"It's time." Derot's eyes shone with eagerness.
"Contact the Coalition. I want to sit down and talk. Oh, and while we wait, let's get that firesale started. Have all our stores ready to pump out all our stock for dirt cheap."
Mas frowned.
"Sir, won't that…?" he started saying. If they tried to sell everything for cheap, the Coalition and any other merchant would either physically stop customers from entering their stores and retailers or they would buy up everything themselves and sell it at a higher price. Derot's plan wasn't making any sense.
"Just do as you're told, Maz," Derot said as he got up to look at the alchemists again.
Only a little more than a month had passed since Zach arrived at the capital, but Derot was already taking a big step toward their future success. If his plan succeeded, he might just get the leverage he needed to pull himself above the water's surface and go from just barely avoiding drowning to swimming in the proverbial waters of the capital's markets.
"...Of course, sir." Maz took his leave to carry out Derot's orders. After relaying the firesale directive, Maz and Derot headed to the meeting point.
A shabby restaurant hidden in a back alley of the city that neither side had control of. That meant neither side could set up an ambush, at least not as easily. It was neutral ground where a troublemaker would end up in trouble themselves if they tried anything.
The Coalition had already arrived by the time Derot did. He glanced at Maz before he and his shadow entered the restaurant. The guard at the door slammed the door in Maz's face before he could follow.
The Coalition hadn't just arrived first because they had better carriages.
"Derot Gaville," one of the men around the only table in the dimly lit room greeted when Derot entered.
"Ror Autere," Derot said while looking at the man. He then looked at another.
"Elaim Wors." Next.
"Ben Godders." His gaze turned to the only woman in the group.
"Lila Violet." Then, his eyes landed on the person in the center of that side of the rectangular table.
"Kadricke," Derot greeted with a smile that didn't reach his eyes and a nod before pulling out the chair on his side of the table and sitting down.
"You know who we are, yet you still showed up alone? Brave guy," Elaim commented with a derisive smile.
Derot returned the smile.
"Well, it's not like you all showed up because you think killing me is the only solution to our shared conundrum."
"Hmph. Do you think if we kill you here, your little guild will hold out for more than a day?" Elaim snorted.
"A day? You're being generous. But you've already stopped your attempts at your life. I assume it was when you guys realized that you couldn't find out where my recipes were coming from.
"Sure, you can kill me and take over the business and all the alchemists, whether through force or persuasion. If you act quickly, my loyal ones won't even have time to scorch the earth, which will let you get your hands on all the recipes currently in the Guild.
"But if that's all you guys wanted, we wouldn't be sitting here talking right now.
"You guys want to know where I'm getting the recipes from—who is continuing to develop new potions and so on."
"Since you know what we want, Derot Gaville, this will be a short discussion," Ror Autere, the man who greeted Derot, said.
Derot shook his head.
"That's where you're wrong, Ror Autere. What you want is only half of the equation. You have yet to figure out what I want."
"Maybe to keep your life intact?" Elaim threatened.
Derot just looked at Elaim like he was stupid.
"You want…" Kadricke started saying in a low voice.
"...More than you deserve. More than what's available to take."
Derot wanted a slice of pie that was already in someone else's hands. The market for potions wasn't empty in the capital. His and the alchemist guild's success would naturally lead to the downfall of others.
His profits would come from the losses of his opponents.
There was no doubt about that, nor was there any doubt that Derot would succeed.
Kadricke and the others wouldn't have gone through all the trouble if they weren't threatened by Derot's meteoric rise.
Derot smiled as the members of the Kadricke Coalition stared at him with varying levels and shades of intensity.
It wasn't his fault they sucked.