"Your Highness Ron." Jasper greeted respectfully with a formal bow.
Ron nodded in return and smiled. "Come inside and have a seat."
Jasper followed him into the shop, and the two sat across from each other.
"You came all the way here—was there something you needed?" Ron asked casually.
He figured Jasper was probably here about those three thugs from the other day.
But then again, for something that minor, there was no need to show up in person. A message through someone else would've sufficed.
So clearly, Jasper had another reason.
"There is something I'd like to speak with Your Highness about," Jasper said with a pleasant smile, softening his expression so it didn't seem too serious. "With Professor Hicks' help, we caught the magic apprentice who ordered those thugs. We've confirmed it was his doing."
"The court issued its verdict yesterday. He's to be detained for six months, and in addition, he must compensate you—Your Highness—with 50 gold coins for emotional damages. Once Professor Hicks confirmed everything, the academy's admissions office immediately processed his expulsion."
"Here's the 50 gold coins." As he spoke, Jasper placed a coin pouch from his belt onto the table. "If Your Highness still isn't satisfied, I can also make sure he's taken special care of in the prison."
"That won't be necessary." Ron waved it off without concern and casually tossed the pouch onto the counter without bothering to check the amount. He looked at Jasper. "Thanks for handling it."
"It's my duty," Jasper replied with a smile, but his eyes subtly flicked toward the coin pouch on the counter, his gaze slightly shifting.
Fifty gold coins weren't a small sum.
Sure, Ron's shop sold Nether Orchids for 20 gold coins a piece, but Jasper didn't believe Ron pocketed all of that himself.
Not only was there the cost of growing them, but the Chaos City Magic Academy backing Ron would certainly take a significant cut.
In fact, for all he knew, Ron might not be earning any profit from them at all—just receiving a fixed stipend from the academy, like how the Radiant Mercenary Group gave him 100 gold coins each month.
So in Jasper's view, 50 gold coins wasn't pocket change for Ron—certainly not something to casually toss aside without even counting.
Putting on a good show, huh… Jasper thought to himself, still smiling on the surface. "Besides that apprentice issue, I also have another matter I'd like to discuss with Your Highness."
"Oh?" Ron raised an eyebrow. Here comes the real reason. "What is it?"
"Hehe, it's like this." Jasper smiled leisurely. "Your shop sells that plant that boosts meditation efficiency, right? Our mercenary group is mostly made up of warriors, but we do have a good number of mages, so we're definitely interested."
"I was thinking—could we place a long-term order for Nether Orchids from Your Highness? It would help support our mages, and at the same time, boost your shop's business. A win-win."
This morning, Jasper had already taken the Nether Orchid Holt bought to their stationed mages in Chaos City, and its incredible effects were confirmed on the spot.
So when Jasper brought up long-term cooperation now, he was being completely sincere.
Ron stroked his chin in thought and replied cautiously, "I have no objections in principle, but I'm not the one who actually grows the Nether Orchids. There's a limited monthly supply, so you probably won't be able to get too many."
Jasper's expression didn't change, but inside, things clicked into place.
As if you could grow Nether Orchids yourself… he silently scoffed.
It was obvious that the plants came from the Magic Academy. And if that was the case, of course, there would be supply restrictions—he had expected this and was mentally prepared for it.
"That's completely fine—we'll go by whatever quantity Your Highness can provide. Our group doesn't have that many mages, so we won't need a huge amount," Jasper said smoothly. "Roughly how many could you offer per month?"
Ron pretended to think it over, then said, "Around a hundred, give or take. How does that sound?"
Jasper was a bit surprised—the monthly supply was higher than he expected.
But thinking about Ron's backing from the Magic Academy, it wasn't that strange after all.
He nodded readily. "Of course, that's perfectly fine."
He said that, but in truth, it wasn't really enough.
The Radiant Mercenary Group had members spread throughout the Human Empire—just the core personnel alone numbered in the hundreds of thousands.
In Chaos City alone, the stationed forces included at least several hundred mages. And that didn't even account for the many traveling teams or the countless other branches across the empire—all of whom would want something like the Nether Orchid.
Still, since the supply chain wasn't in his hands, Jasper didn't push the issue. Instead, he tested the waters a bit more. "A hundred Nether Orchids a month is quite a sizable deal. Would it be possible to get a discount?"
Ron shook his head immediately, apologetic. "Afraid not. The price for Nether Orchids isn't something I set. It's 20 gold coins per plant—non-negotiable."
The system enforced the pricing, and even when negotiating with the Magic Academy earlier, Ron hadn't made any concessions.
Of course, that was also because Professor Hicks had been very cooperative.
From Hicks' perspective, Ron André was backed by the empire and possessed an extraordinary plant—there was no point trying to haggle. In fact, Hicks had been prepared to pay extra at first.
Jasper, hearing Ron's refusal, nodded in understanding without pressing further.
He figured that since Ron was backed by the academy and had been entrusted with such a miraculous plant, there were bound to be things he couldn't decide on his own. No discount? Understandable.
It was also a test—Jasper wanted to see just how much autonomy Ron really had when it came to the Nether Orchids.
And at the moment, it looked like Ron was more of a figurehead… A puppet, huh? Jasper thought silently, though his face still wore a warm smile. "Hehe, a discount isn't a big deal. Since Your Highness can provide 100 a month, shall we consider it settled? I'll have someone draft a contract and bring it by tomorrow."
"Sounds good. Appreciate it." Ron nodded in agreement, sealing the deal. Then, with a hint of persuasion in his voice, he added, "Actually, compared to the Nether Orchid, I think the new plant in my shop might suit the Radiant Mercenary Group even better. Would you like to hear more?"