Little Tyrant Doesn't Want to Meet with a Bad End[1-200]

Chapter 29: War of Words

 50,000 gold coins?

 It was as if a pail of cold water had been poured over the flame in Arwen's heart as soon as he heard the 'deal' Roel was offering him. He stared at Roel in utter bafflement, his first instinct being to refute the ridiculous price. However, being a professional, he reminded himself that he was dealing with a kid here and quickly calmed himself down.

 "Young master Roel, you might be unfamiliar with the market price, but the amount you're requesting is too high."

 Arwen rubbed his palms together awkwardly as he spoke with a conflicted look on his face.

 "50,000 gold coins is already enough to buy a house inside the Holy Capital. For a single item, this price is far too exorbitant. Even a full set of inscribed armor wouldn't be that expensive."

 "Inscribed armor? Excuse me, but are you trying to compare a treasure of our Ascart House to a mass produced good?" bellowed Roel furiously.

 Putting his notoriety as a little tyrant to good use, he slammed his fist on the table imposingly.

 "How can that sort of trash possibly be put on the same level as what I'm offering here? My father told me that it's a one-of-a-kind good, worth at least tens of thousands!"

 Roel didn't hesitate to pull out Carter's name to heap pressure on Arwen.

 Hearing those words, the conflicted look on Arwen's face deepened as he replied anxiously.

 "But young master Roel, we haven't gotten an opportunity to see the item you are offering us yet. I'm afraid that the price you're asking for is far beyond our current budget..."

 "Mister Arwen, I can guarantee its effects. If the item doesn't work, I'll give you a full refund right away. I have already put my name out there as a show of my sincerity, so how much are you willing to offer for my artifact?"

 Seeing how far Roel was willing to go to vouch for his item, Arwen quickly began reassessing the current situation.

 The acceptable price range listed by central headquarters for Request 172 was 0 to 20,000 gold coins, but the Sorofya Merchant Association had a rule where the branches purchasing the item could take the price difference as commission in order to encourage them to be more proactive in their procurement of requested items.

 In view of this clause, most branches would have offered 15,000 gold coins at most so that they could take the remaining 5,000 gold coins for themselves.

 However, in view of a possible long-term partnership with Roel on the sales of the Ascart House's treasures, Arwen decided to offer a more favorable deal to him. He pondered for a moment before finally speaking up.

 "I think that 18,000 gold coins is an appropriate price. Young master Roel, what do you say?"

 Arwen nervously looked at the little boy before him, who appeared to not know the rules of the industry. He was worried that the latter would blow his top upon hearing the massive price difference from the initial offer. That being said, Arwen had also dealt with his fair share of difficult customers over the years, so he was confident in his ability to persuade Roel to accept his offered price.

 But, contrary to his expectations, Roel placed his cup of tea down on the table, stood up, and began walking out of the guest suite without saying a word at all.

 "Eh? W-wait a moment, young master Roel! Where are you going?"

 Arwen immediately rose to his feet and moved quickly to block the exit of the black-haired boy.

 "Mister Arwen, I'm having reservations about your sincerity. The price you have offered me isn't even half of my initial offer."

 "Young master Roel, I assure you that I have no intention of scamming you. Your initial offer is simply too high. 18,000 gold coins is the limit of what we can offer you."