Chapter 369: The Most Expensive Thing Is Free
Perhaps noticing Carlos's astonishment, Matthew lightly clapped his hands again:
"Of course, as a token of our support for the Eighth Legion,"
"We can apply a 20% discount on that price—only 80 gold coins per bottle."
A 20% discount?
More like a broken bone discount!
Carlos's eye twitched as he scrutinized the paralysis potion in Matthew's hand. He hinted indirectly:
"Does this paralysis potion really have to be that expensive?"
"After all, a regular paralysis potion only costs 20 gold coins per bottle..."
If you said 30 coins, everyone would profit, and I could report back without any issues.
But now, with this exorbitant price, it makes things difficult for me to explain back home!
Carlos gave Matthew a "maybe reconsider?" look, hoping he would change his mind.
His expression was like throwing a signal to a blind man.
Matthew pretended not to notice, shaking his head seriously while holding up the half-full potion bottle:
"There's no comparison between regular paralysis potions and ours."
"Our paralysis potion formula was obtained at a great cost (200 adventurer gear sets) from the elves (and definitely not the Core elves you're thinking of)."
"It includes several rare elven magical herbs (deliberately added), and each bottle's cost is around 30 gold coins (scarcity creates value, after all)."
Seeing Matthew's resolute expression, Carlos and his adjutant exchanged glances, and it finally dawned on them.
They had never heard of such an effective paralysis potion from anywhere else.
If the formula and ingredients were sourced from elves, then a price of 80 gold coins per bottle was understandable.
Yes, it was entirely "understandable."
Seeing the hesitation on their faces, Matthew didn't miss the chance to continue "selling":
"You can rest assured—everything produced in Bay Territory is genuine, with no deception!"
"If you aren't convinced, we offer dedicated inspection services and comparison tests."
"Please step into the next room; we have orc soldiers of varying ranks and strengths there."
"Our paralysis potion even affects high-ranking orc commanders to a certain extent."
"And our potion can coat weapons and bolts five times longer than regular ones."
"When you do the math, it's definitely better quality and quantity without an increase in price!"
"The price is so cheap, and the quality is excellent."
"Just one bolt can take down an elite orc soldier—it's an absolutely worthwhile deal..."
There was always a convincing strength in Matthew's words.
Listening to him, Carlos subconsciously ordered 1,000 bottles, unknowingly contributing 80,000 gold coins to Bay Territory's growth.
Matthew, still with a hint of regret, continued advising Carlos:
"You can try them out first, and if they're effective, remember to come back for more..."
Seeing their bewildered expressions, Matthew remained unconcerned.
He knew very well that the Third and Eighth Legions had been locked in combat with the orc, troll, and barbarian coalition for nearly a year and a half.
If not for next year's Dragon Fury Crisis, who knows how much longer they would have been entangled.
Even though the soldiers of the Third and Eighth Legions were exceptionally strong and elite fighters,
They were still too few—combined, they numbered less than 130,000.
Facing an allied force of over a million, equipped with reinforcements, required all sorts of measures.
"Right now, it might seem expensive, but soon, you'll think you didn't buy enough..."
Matthew didn't say that aloud, of course. Instead, he continued to lead them to the next area.
They arrived at the armor storage section—a massive space the size of a football field filled with neatly arranged crates.
Steward Ralph led the way, while Matthew continued introducing the place to the stunned visitors:
"We've produced quite a few sets of armor and weapons, though the success rate for enchanted items isn't very high, so there are still limitations."
"Currently, we have about 10,000 sets of enchanted armor in storage."
Matthew took a suit of armor from an opened crate, lifting it high with his mage hand to display it fully:
"For example, this full suit of plate armor is forged from fine steel, weighing 45 pounds, offering excellent defense, and even capable of withstanding blows from heavy weapons."
"This set is enchanted with 'Durability,' 'Cushion,' and 'Deflection,' making its already impressive defensive abilities even better..."
Matthew didn't just rely on words; he used his mage hand to hang the armor on a distant target.
Beelzebub picked out a medium-built, average-strength level-4 warrior from the guard.
The warrior took turns striking the armor with a longsword, short sword, hammer, and axe.
The armor received at least three to four full-power strikes to each area before showing any signs of cracking, demonstrating its impressive durability.
Despite the growing doubts in their minds, Carlos and his adjutant had to admit that the enchanted armor produced by Bay Territory was indeed of excellent quality.
However, with the "paralysis potion" episode still fresh in his mind, Carlos couldn't help but ask preemptively:
"How much does this enchanted armor cost? If it's too expensive, I might not have enough funds with me."
Matthew smiled slightly and waved his hand dismissively:
"Haha, no need to worry so much."
"We will gift 1,000 sets of this enchanted armor to the Eighth Legion for free, as support from Bay Territory..."
"However, we do need the soldiers using this armor to do us a favor."
"Just document which parts of the armor get hit the most frequently, and which areas need further reinforcement and improvement..."
Seeing Matthew's earnest expression, Carlos and his adjutant were left somewhat bewildered.
It wasn't until they used a large teleportation array and saw with their own eyes the thousand sets of "free" enchanted armor before them that they finally snapped out of their stupor.
Instinctively rubbing his brow, Carlos recalled Matthew's sincere demeanor and looked down at the thick stack of parchment in his hands, feeling profoundly moved:
"No matter what, Bay Territory's intentions are good."
Carefully inspecting each set of enchanted armor and confirming their high quality, the adjutant couldn't help but exclaim:
"Indeed, if other territories could be as supportive as Bay Territory, willing to provide enough aid within their means, we wouldn't be in such an awkward situation."
While the two were praising Matthew's generosity and his "big-picture thinking,"
Matthew, who valued their opinions, was smiling at Steward Ralph as he said:
"Once they use our enchanted armor, they definitely won't want to use anyone else's."
Steward Ralph nodded knowingly and took out his notebook to jot it down.
A few more "examples" to showcase, and another lesson learned from the lord.
"The most expensive things are the ones that are free!"