NOVEL NEXT Chapter 49: A Transaction and Bargain (2)
Eliza was stunned by Merlin's words. She looked up at the boy and saw him smiling playfully.
"You…" The corner of her mouth twitched slightly. Only now did she realize how foolish and absurd her question had been.
Merlin, who could obtain a perfect gold-level potion, obviously wouldn't want to share it with others. The potential profit was far too great.
Just imagine if a single potion like this became known—within minutes, a huge commotion would break out.
Although she didn't know whether Merlin had thought of this, her gut told her he had.
Letting out a small sigh, she smiled wryly and said, "I'm starting to doubt whether you're the same boy as before. Why are you suddenly so smart and mature?"
It was surprising to see Merlin act this way. After all, children were usually innocent and eager to share what they knew.
No—from the start, none of this made sense. How could an eight-year-old possess a perfect gold-level potion?
Even if it was a gift, who would give something like that to a child?
In an instant, her expression turned serious. She felt that everything was going wrong.
Unaware of her thoughts, Merlin straightened up and said, "Aunt Eliza, I've come to do business with you."
He picked up the potion and looked at it with satisfaction. "As you can see, it's both original and perfect. I want to sell it to you. If you're interested, I—"
Before he could finish, Eliza cut him off.
"I'm interested!" Her eyes sparkled with excitement.
At first, she had planned to persuade Merlin to sell it to her, but unexpectedly, the boy offered on his own.
It was like receiving a pie from the sky while starving.
Seeing her reaction, Merlin chuckled. He had expected nothing less. A perfect potion—especially at the gold level—was indeed rare, at least in the Holy Kingdom of Aldoria.
It would have been strange if Eliza had acted casual and unconcerned. Besides, that exact reaction was what he wanted.
The more excited Eliza was, the greater the profit Merlin could make.
"Then, please name your price, Aunt Eliza," Merlin said as he took a sip of his cold chocolate.
Eliza fell silent for a moment, then took a deep breath and replied, "How about fifty thousand gold coins?"
Fifty thousand gold coins was an incredible sum. For a child like Merlin, she thought, he must have never even seen that much money.
But how could Merlin be so foolish?
The average price of a gold-level potion with 15 to 20 percent purity was around five to nine thousand gold coins.
For 30 to 60 percent purity, the price could reach twenty to thirty thousand.
Such a significant difference was not surprising. After all, the higher the purity, the harder it was to produce.
He had never heard of any gold potions with purity above sixty percent in Droswen City, but if one did exist, it would be worth fifty to ninety thousand gold coins.
As for one hundred percent purity—hehehe… the price would be downright absurd. It would easily exceed a hundred thousand gold coins, perhaps far more.
Snapping out of his thoughts, Merlin let out a long sigh and stuffed the potion into his pocket.
"Apparently, you underestimated me, Aunt Eliza. At first, I thought you were a professional, but it turns out you're quite cunning," he said coldly.
His polite demeanor vanished, replaced by indifference and a trace of anger.
Eliza was taken aback and quickly asked, "Why would you say that, Merlin? The price I offered is already very high, you know? Just imagine what fifty thousand gold coins could get you. You could have anything you want—including the latest toys!"
Her voice rose with excitement and enthusiasm. If she were speaking to another child, they would have already started daydreaming about all kinds of new toys.
Unfortunately, Merlin's soul was that of a grown man trapped in a child's body.
Toys? Did she really think he was foolish enough to be swayed by such things?
Unmoved, Merlin ignored her, got off the sofa, and walked outside.
Noticing her persuasion wasn't working, Eliza bit her lower lip and added, "How about fifty-five thousand?"
But Merlin remained indifferent and strode toward the exit.
"Sixty thousand? No—seventy thousand! That's my final offer!"
Panting, Eliza hurried to block the doorway. Her gaze was ravenous, as if she might devour Merlin on the spot.
Merlin flinched but quickly composed himself.
"Aunt Eliza, you know better than anyone how precious this potion is," he said, crossing his arms. "If I sold it elsewhere, they'd easily offer a hundred thousand gold coins. In fact, I'm sure the price could even surpass two hundred thousand if I presented it to the royal family."
"Frankly, the only reason I came to you was because I trusted you. But instead, you tried to take advantage of me with such an unreasonable offer."
Still, Merlin couldn't entirely blame her. He might not have been a businessman, but he understood how they thought.
In a capitalist's mind, the goal was always simple: minimize costs and maximize profit.
Perhaps Eliza was only following that logic, and he didn't hold it against her.
Even so, he had hoped she would show a little leniency, given the cooperation between his family and her potion store.
Unfortunately, that hope was shattered. Eliza was determined to deceive him. If he hadn't spent the past twelve days reading and gaining knowledge, he would have surely fallen into her trap.
Eliza looked dazed after hearing his words. She wanted to argue, but no solid excuse came to mind.
Everything Merlin said was true. She had indeed intended to deceive him. After all, what could such a small child possibly know? Market prices? Trade values? Anything at all?
Wouldn't most children his age be thrilled to receive such a fantastic amount of money?
Glancing at her silence, Merlin immediately broke the ice.
"How about this: I'll set the price at one hundred and fifteen thousand gold coins. It may sound expensive, but I'm sure you could double or even triple that if you sold it in the capital—or better yet, to the royal family," Merlin said firmly. "If you're not interested, then let's end this here."
Without waiting for her reply, he walked past her and out of the room.
Yet Merlin didn't rush. Each step was steady—neither too fast nor too slow.
'One, two,' he counted with a faint smile. 'Three, four, five… eight, nine, and—'
Before he could finish the count, Eliza's loud voice rang out behind him.
"Wait! Don't go! Fine, I'll accept your price!"
Merlin stopped, chuckling to himself. 'She took the bait…'