The Frugal Mage

The other two clerks nodded in agreement.

One of them even asked the price and immediately purchased a pen on the spot…

Rayven made sure to speak loudly enough for the gathered onlookers.

"As you see, our pens do not leak. Anyone is welcome to test them before they buy. We have nothing to hide."

Seeing that even the people working in the city trusted their brand, Rayven felt that this was already good enough for their temporary countermeasure.

Soon, new rumors spread through the crowd, this time not of suspicion about their product but of approval.

***

By midday, the hired people who were supposed to spread rumors that the negative remarks only came from the losing businesses had already started…

Normally, it would take several days for the information to spread, but on the next day, Eterna Script Trading already had a small crowd at its door.

Students came not just to buy but to "test" the pens, eager to prove or disprove the rumors. But each time, the result was the same: the fountain pen worked flawlessly.

Just like how Rayven challenged the other doubters, they also tested the ink capacity, some tried shaking it, some scribbled furiously until their hands cramped. All they managed was to exhaust themselves while Hannah and the others were confidently looking at their products.

Apparently, "Free demonstrations" had become the new attraction.

Hannah even joked with the customers, calling it "The Leak Test." Soon, it became a challenge among the customers to make the pen leak. However, none succeeded, unless they really tried to destroy it.

By the end of the day, the sales had not only recovered but even grown. Rayven counted the coins with Gene, who was smiling in relief.

"They almost had us…" Gene admitted. "But you flipped it on them."

Rayven shrugged. "Rumors are weak against the truth. If you show it, not just speak it. Still, I'm sure that it's not over just yet. There's no way they'd just watch us destroy their business."

They were merchants who had survived in the city for decades, and for sure, they wouldn't stop after one failure.

***

That night, the merchants had indeed gathered once again.

Colben sat at the head of the table again, furious as a report was delivered.

"Their plan to destroy the store's reputation failed… People tested the pens themselves. Instead of believing the rumors, they trust the boy's shop even more."

Some merchants looked ready to give up. But Colben couldn't just let this matter end here. His life-long business is on the line.

If they allowed the Fountain Pen business to continue, it would destroy their industry.

"Let's see how long his tricks last without supplies. If he has no ink, no nibs, no jars, his shop is worthless."

One of the merchants frowned. "The Golden Coast Trading protects him, doesn't it? That might be difficult…"

Colben slammed his hand on the table. "Everything has a price. If we can't crush him with rumors, then we choke him with shortages. Dry up his ink, destroy his supplies, and his fountain pens will be nothing but pretty shells. Do you think that your business can continue with the Eterna Script Trading still active?"

The merchants exchanged grim looks.

They were already aware of what would happen, and to be honest, they were already thinking of switching their businesses into another field or lessening their focus on their quill-and-ink business.

However, that required too much work…

Perhaps, they could try one last time and strike harder, deeper.

But none of them knew Rayven was already one step ahead.

***

When Rayven closed the shop that night, Nara glanced at him…

"I heard from Sir Albert's informants that we're about to be attacked… I knew it, there's no way they'd just stop now."

"Yes…" Rayven answered. "But the most they could do was to stop our production. They'll probably target our supply lines."

"What now?" Gene asked.

Rayven looked at the pens displayed in the shop and smirked…

"Now? We fight them in the open. If they want to choke us, I'll make sure their own throats tighten first."

The next morning, they put that plan into motion.

Step one was containment. If the rivals wanted to choke their supply lines, Rayven decided to take care of it. Although he liked to counterattack, he had to ensure that he wouldn't have to worry about his side.

Gene, on the other hand, stayed behind the counter and created replacement receipts, updated inventory lists, and the new "guarantee" cards customers would receive with every purchase.

Hannah also started to hand each buyer a short note explaining Eterna's inspection process. This was Rayven's plan to make everyone aware of the 'quality inspection process' that was being done to their product…

The note explained that every pen was tested on three surfaces, refilled with house-ink for demonstrations, and issued a stamped receipt. Customers who wanted to register their pen for a longer-term warranty were also given an extra form and told their serial number would be recorded.

In the meantime, Rayven also wanted to ensure that their supplier wouldn't have sudden issues…

After all, their supplier of various types of wood, metal, glass, and even ink ingredients might have unexpected issues, and he couldn't just let that happen.

Although Aaron, Bram, and Farren were steadily making their own ink in larger batches, if there was a sudden discontinuation of their supply, it would cause a huge problem in their business.

"Everything's doing well… But I should probably use that method."

After Rayven confirmed that the suppliers don't have any issues so far, Rayven introduced trace tags.

He worked with Bram to etch tiny marks inside the barrel lip and under the nib hood, which were almost invisible unless someone unscrewed the pen.

This way, if a customer returned a defective pen, Gene could inspect the mark, match it to a production batch, and trace whether the failure came from the workshop or from a fake product.

It may be a bit too late to introduce this method, but it was better late than never…

However, the old merchants of the quill-and-ink business were just starting.