Karl considered whether he should push for more, but made a show of reluctance before accepting their already generous terms.
"I will accept, on behalf of the Guild’s Supreme Ranked crafters. But now that you’ve made the offer, how about we start with some trading now?"
The Captain groaned, realizing that they had walked right into his trap, and that Karl would likely purchase a massive amount of their raw materials, even if he didn’t need them.
He was, after all, allied with the New Home Merchant Clan, who could resell them if they were getting them twenty percent below wholesale. They had a massive amount of raw materials on board, and they had hoped to unload a large portion of it to the Darklight Host in exchange for their runic gear.
But now it was looking more like they were going to leave with no raw materials at all.
And the same would happen on the next shipment.
But that also set a precedent.
Two ships given a duplicate hold in a separate space, two shipments worth of discount. So, the array was worth a twenty percent discount on their entire cargo. They had nearly a thousand tonnes of raw materials on board between the two ships.
They were fully loaded, and this was their first stop.
"Of course, we can start trading. As we agreed to use the System’s standardized pricing to determine wholesale value, we can show you our cargo list, and you can show us what you have to trade."
Karl nodded. "Do you want to start with the Rare Grade Immortal Gear? That’s what we have the most of, but we also have a significant amount of Uncommon Grade Immortal Gear, and a rather valuable portion of Epic Grade items made by our Elders.
If you would like Supreme Rank items, we have a limited selection, but we also have some Peerless Grade gear.
That will cut down on the volume of cargo you’ll be carrying, but the equipment won’t come close to filling your hold either way."
The Elves considered the option for a moment, then one of the silent Captains drummed his fingers on the table and smiled.
"We would also like some of the Rare Grade Spider Silk. We have been short on it for our clothiers at home, and intended to trade for it at the shops here."
Karl nodded, "I can do bulk silk, and you can purchase ready-made clothing separately, if you would like."
"Fifty bolts of Rare Grade Silk as part of the shipment."
Karl nodded, "Not a problem. Do you have a preferred colour? The default is either black or white, but it can be spun directly in other colours, and we have some in stock."
"Black, white, and gold."
Karl sent a thought to Rae, who transferred the silk to an open spot in her space for Karl to find.
Fifty bolts was nothing, she sold that much every day, and it only took her a few minutes to make.
Karl set out one bolt of each colour. "For your examination. I can assure you that our producer will accept no flaws in the silk."
The Captains minds spun quickly as they tried to calculate whether this was a deliberate power play by Karl. They had offered him a mix of resources, and he was offering them equivalent grades of items.
If they brought him more valuable items in the future, would he increase the numbers of Peerless Grade items he traded in return?
Or was this simply what he had on hand?
Karl didn’t say one way or the other, and simply began to set out Epic Grade and Peerless Grade items from the Store’s inventory until the value of the items on offer was equal to the two vessels worth of goods.
Minus the twenty percent discount.
The Captains carefully sorted through the gear, ensuring that it was all suitable for their customers. A few items were set aside as too specialized for easy sale, and Karl quickly replaced them with ones that had more common bonuses.
The power levels by grade were always roughly equivalent, but the bonuses were random, and if you got something powerful but rare enough that only a few people would want to use them, it was not great for sale to a merchant.
Even though it would sell for a fortune in the store.
"Guild Leader, I believe that we have a deal. Now, where would you like for us to move the cargo?"
"I will accompany you and move them directly to the Guild Warehouse for verification once they are off your ships. It’s a Guild Store vault, so I will get an exact accounting from the System that I can show you to eliminate all doubts and fears of deception."
Now, this was a man who was easy to deal with, even if he had taken all the fun out of haggling.

Comments
The readers' comments on the novel: The First Legendary Beast Master