Negotiations of Business

"Ah so you've finally come!"

Yielya was greeted enthusiastically by a plump old man. Her hand was shook rapidly, it was a little funny to Yielya. Kiro had spoken of Wiseren as a sort of tycoon. Upon arriving Yielya half expected to meet some serious business man, but instead was treated as a friend. She did not let this distract her however.

He let go and introduced himself, "I'm Benedict Wiseren, I have heard about you from my daughter. You have my utmost thanks, I am not sure what I would have done if I lost her."

"Losing a loved one is always a painful experience, I'm glad I was able to avert that."

"Again, you have my thanks."

Benedict straightened his clothes, "Now onto business. I take it you didn't come here just for pleasantries. While I do owe you a massive favor, even I have my limits."

"A man of business certainly has a keen eye."

"You have to develop one in order to get to where I'm at."

"Then I'll get straight to the point, I wish to obtain a shop. I am in need of a steady income."

Benedict paused for a moment before releasing a belly laugh, "Is that all?"

"I'm sure the fine details can be negotiated."

"Might I ask what the purpose behind this is?"

"I am in need of a large amount of funds."

"Mhm, and you didn't just ask me to pay for whatever this is?"

"I do believe that my choice could lead to a better outcome if managed properly."

"Excellent. A shop is it? Anything in particular you wish to sell?"

"No."

"You want a shop, but you don't have an idea of what you're going to use it for?"

"That's not my expertise."

"Ah, I see."

Stroking his chin Benedict fell into deep thought. As if considering various outcomes.

He walked over to a nearby desk and pulled out a drawer. Flipping through the papers he found the one he was searching for and placed it on the desk, "A shop won't be an issue, but that's if it's some random one. I certainly won't give my daughter's benefactor a shoddy store."

"I appreciate it."

"Now onto the main factor. I am a businessman, there is no such thing as free in my dictionary. While I am paying you a favor, I do wish to obtain a bit of profit out of this exchange."

"A life is worth so little?"

"Don't think of it that way. Instead I wish to make an offer."

"Go on."

"I'll provide you a shop in a golden area of Doru City. I'll even sponsor your startup and provide you some resources for development. In exchange I want a portion of its ownership and profits."

"And what is this portion?"

"Twenty-percent."

Yielya raised an eyebrow, "The reason?"

"Normally I wouldn't offer such a deal, but there's been a small issue in the grand scheme."

"That is?"

"Our greatest competitor has been slowly pushing us out of business. It's been hard on our finances to keep up. So I wish to take a risk."

"A risk in a shop that has an undetermined future?"

"Sounds foolish yes? In fact I had already wanted to take a risk, considering I own the place. However there's a rule of Doru City, one we cannot cross."

Benedict tapped the table, "Those of our status aren't allowed to pressure new shops. The Lord of Doru City was very adamant about keeping this rule, and has a specialized team in investigating all unlawful business practices."

"How honorable."

"Depends on how you view it. But can you see where I'm trying to take a risk?"

Yielya pondered for a moment, "You plan to utilize our invulnerability to your competitor's actions to regain a foothold in Doru City?"

"Precisely, the twenty percent is large enough to where I can claim partial ownership. While small enough to where it can be counted as a new business."

"How exactly do you plan to use this?"

"With my sponsorship I will make sure your business does not fail, I believe I can gain some respect from the Lord for our generous assistance to a new shop. However this is where I plan to get a bit greedy."

Gesturing with his hands Benedict explained, "Once you reach a certain point, I want you to sell your business to me."

"Would that not defeat the whole purpose of me coming here?"

"Hold on, in exchange I plan to not only pay you a large amount, but additionally I will allow you to keep a percentage of profits."

"Which would still provide me with a lot of income, more than if I were to develop the shop on my own."

"Exactly, of course I will also provide you with a list of other shops I can sell, at a discount. With a steady income you can develop other places as well. And this will provide you with a relationship to my business."

"Which I can use as a connection to further expand my next business."

"Precisely, you have quite the head on you."

It was a good offer, although partly shady it was the better than Yielya could have anticipated. However the conversation was a bit one-sided. So she planned to fish for a little more, "It sounds good, but I want to add another condition."

"Oh? What's that?"

"I want to have access porting some of my goods to the West."

Benedict rose an eyebrow, "Quite the condition, but it's not too big of an issue. Hmm."

This was it! If this demand couldn't be filled then there wasn't a feasible way to fund the revolution. The silence grew long and Wiseren studied Yielya's expression. To his slight discomfort he couldn't deduce the reasoning behind the condition. Despite his immense experience in this field he could not read between the lines. Yielya's expression remained unwavering, if not slightly aloof. It threw him off, so he instead gave up.

Snapping his fingers he offered, "Then once the business gains traction I can lend space on three boats for you to trade with. Of course these won't be small. These will not be for your use exclusively, even with my connections that is too much."

"Then we have a deal, let's get this on paper?", Yielya found the deal appealing.

Even if Wiseren offered a single ship, or even some space on a single ship she would've taken it. With such a tight chokehold on river trade getting even a bit of wiggle room was a blessing.

"I'll have someone right up the contract while I prepare the resources. Meet me here in two days and everything should be ready."

"I'll be here."