Anyway, this was a discussion for much later. At this time, the party simply traversed the property and settled themselves on the verandah, admiring the gorgeous view of the well-maintained gardens as they did so.
"How nice to wake up to this…" Olga said, looking dreamy. "Our house has a garden too, but it never felt so… vibrant."
The difference was a bit subtle. In Xeno, most gardens were used only for aesthetics—as a cosmetic accessory for the nobles. In Altera, they meant and functioned so much more.
Althea let the guests absorb the place first, and nodded at Harold to serve the snacks. Some already took a bite and closed their eyes. They had naturally eaten a bit around the territory, especially the Golds, but there was a special sweetness and quality in the snacks and tea Althea offered.
"I'm honored to have been visited by such esteemed guests…" She said, and the others smiled. The lower ranked guests were even a bit flattered. "So… how may we assist you?"
Jonathan looked at the Golds who motioned for him to go first, as they wanted to observe everything first and foremost. He nodded and looked at Althea, the obvious leader among these people, and then at the redhead.
Jonathan naturally attempted to study the most prominent people in Altera. However, they hadn't been here for too long so they focused on information that would help the deals. For instance, who had the most say in the territory's money matters.
Fortunately, as long as their questions weren't too intrusive, the people themselves didn't seem to gatekeep information too much. They even got the vague feeling of bragging from them.
When it came to money matters, it was the redhead—which some people referred to as the handsome fire nymph—who held much power. While it seemed like he would listen to whatever his sister would say, Jonathan still knew not to bypass the necessary people and risk offending them.
"We want a good deal like the one you gave to your allies. We will manage the logistics ourselves," he said. "We have already spoken with Baron, now we only need yours."
"Which parties are we going to partner with?" Ansel asked in return. "And what kind of deal are we talking about here?"
"Ferrol Town would be the only party you deal with in Ferrol and the surrounding area," he said, before looking at his dark-skinned companion.
"Kory here specializes in the food industry and would like to gain some exclusivity in your sauces," he said. A lot of the deals with Garan back then actually profited so much thanks to this guy.
He then shifted to the man sitting by his other side. "Ping here, on the other hand, owns a significant amount of inns in my territory. He was greatly interested in your furniture, fabric, soaps and the like."
It was their first time staying in a place where small pieces of 'toiletries' were provided with the room. The room wasn't cheap of course, but it was a new concept to them over all.
Ansel gave them a sharp look. "Obtaining exclusivity in that area would definitely increase your economy as a whole, even beyond the events."
The events—whether it was the Ferrol Fair or the others—made Ferrol a lot of money each year. Alteran products being available exclusively to them in the area would boost this up even further.
Jonathan's eyebrows rose. "You know us well."
Ansel crossed his arms. "Well, I'd like Altera and our people to get as rich as possible, so I studied various scenarios.
"So, do we have a deal?"
"You know, what you've seen so far is nothing compared to what we can truly offer—especially in the future. Your town is only a few days of travel away. We can lose some market going to Altera by making the products readily available in yours."
Ansel turned to look at his sister. "Personally, I'm reluctant to offer exclusivity so easily. What do you think, sis?"
Althea smiled and looked at Jonathan. "You realize that I can make much more if I sell it to anyone who comes, right?"
Instead of selling to a distributor for a lower price, she was confident people from afar would come to Altera and buy in bulk. She could charge a lot more then, and she—and the business owners—could also make a lot of money from the tourists who come in.
Altera's products and their continuous innovations would definitely ensure their special place in the market for years to come. Anyone with a brain naturally would want a piece of the pie.
The others were taken aback, as no one generally rejected a lord of a higher level territory, let alone when Jonathan was being so kind.
However, Jonathan was not angry. On the contrary, he found it a bit refreshing. "We can offer you information and protection. We will also buy the items at market cost."
It had to be said: Growing up with women like Cassandra and admiring the likes of Olga and her mother—and being a queer—made Jonathan quite open-minded.
Fortunately for him, it was this quality that made Althea truly consider partnering with him.
Years later, he would pat himself on the back for a job well done.
Of course, again, this was a realization a long time in the making. At this time, a rather sensitive partnership was still in its infancy, forming its foundation.
His words made Althea and the others look at him. "Altera won't become a subsidiary to anyone—this was something sent to all elders." She said, lying with a straight face, while proceeding to send the message to all elders for consistency.
Jonathan smiled. "Yes, I understand. That is not what I'm offering."
When he stepped into the village, he realized how naive he had been offering it to the mercenary team before. Judging by the village's growth, it could become a town within a year.
This was unheard of!!
"Even if you aren't my subsidiary, as long as our partnership remains, you can have my backing."
This made his side look at him, a little startled, but they also understood. In fact, their instincts told them this was the best decision!
Of course, Jonathan was still one to try to get as much advantage as he could. "I also heard that your territory is gathering information about Lords, despite not having one."
Ansel and the Golds looked at him in curiosity. Althea's eyebrows rose but, otherwise, her face didn't change. "Well, we would like to know everything, even if we don't need it."
"And you shall have it, partnering with me," he said, before turning to the Golds. "The same applies to the Golds."
"We'll definitely be asking a lot of things that lords may not want to be public knowledge. Will that be okay?"
Jonathan looked at them for a moment, before nodding. "As long as it wouldn't be to the detriment of my own territory of course."
Ansel stared at them with a smile, deciding to throw them off a bit. "We may also start our own events. We may need your guidance."
Althea chuckled, shaking her head. "Stop scaring them," she said, before looking at the others. "We'll do events that you do not have, and we will schedule outside your peak seasons," she told them. "We can mutually advertise each other as well."
If they did events in alteration, perhaps the visitors would just go to and fro the territories. Either way, money would be going in their pockets.
Jonathan heaved a deep breath of relief. For a moment there, he saw his yearly income half. Now that he knew it could double or even more instead, the blood returned to his face and he raised his hand to do finalize the deal.
"Glad to be working with you."
They smiled, with the siblings successively taking his hand for a handshake. "Likewise."