Perfect World [EN]: Chapter 125

127

“Well, I guess you could say that. But aren’t the Gods Knights a gladiatorial team? They wouldn’t spend 35 million [currency unspecified, but implied to be ‘krang’ from later context] to raise her as a track and field athlete, would they? So, they wouldn’t send her to a competition either.”

Beomseok replied immediately, as if he had been waiting for the question. He had heard about it from Agelia earlier, so he had a ready answer.

“It seems Mr. Elliot is mistaken about something. She doesn’t want to go to a track and field competition. She just wants to run against someone she wants to compete with.”

“How can you be so sure about that, Beomseok?”

“I heard it directly from her at the Spring Lima City Athletics Competition. Of course, I know.”

Elliot felt his mouth dry. He didn’t know what would come out next, but he felt he should avoid it. The faint smile on Beomseok’s face confirmed his apprehension.

He adjusted his collar and fidgeted.

“Oh, I’m sorry for keeping our guest outside on this cold day. My apologies. Let’s go inside and discuss the details further.”

Looking at Elliot, who opened the door and gestured for him to come in, Beomseok made a regretful expression. If the conversation had continued, he would have proudly revealed that Agelia wanted to compete with *him*, and explained the justification for recruiting her. Then, the Red Foxes team would feel a lot of pressure and would have no choice but to accept a less favorable deal.

Because there was also a way to use the media in the recruitment strategy.

If these facts were to reach the ears of the elf-rights activists holding their picket protest, they would urge Agelia to demand the trade she wanted most, and the Red Foxes team would have to negotiate a transfer with Beomseok under pressure. Of course, Beomseok couldn’t reveal Agelia’s sales price to the media due to his own circumstances, but it was enough to use it as leverage to pressure Elliot.

“Well, let’s do that. I can’t keep standing outside.”

Beomseok took Esther and followed Elliot along the winding path.

After a short walk, they arrived at a small reception room on the third floor. It was small, but comfortably furnished with seating for three, making it a good place for a private discussion.

Elliot seated Beomseok and Esther, then went out briefly to fetch three cups of coffee, placing them on the table.

“I’m sorry. Most of the office staff haven’t arrived yet so early in the morning. I make a pretty decent cup of coffee, so I hope you enjoy it.”

“Hahaha. It doesn’t matter. I’m not too particular about the taste of coffee.”

“Thank you for understanding. Then let’s get down to business. What’s your offer for Agelia, Mr. Beomseok?”

Beomseok took a sip of the hot coffee and answered.

“Well, isn’t it the same for all buyers? It’s always better to get a good deal.”

“Hoo hoo hoo. Of course, that’s true. But isn’t that the case with all transactions? Just as you want to buy cheaply, we want to sell at a fair price.”

“I see. Since we have different perspectives, there’s bound to be some disagreement. Then let’s start the bidding with the 35 million krang that your team suggested.”

Elliot waved his hand dismissively.

“Hey. We paid 50 million krang to acquire Agelia. Besides, we’ve invested in training her for a year and a half, so 35 million krang is far too low. If you could offer a bit more, we’d be very happy.”

Beomseok gave him a sharp look and placed his coffee cup on the table with a distinct sound. It was clear they were trying to take advantage of him, thinking he was an easy mark. The publicly stated price for Agelia was 35 million krang.

“Hoo hoo. This is a bit awkward. I feel like I’m the only one who came here believing the price was 35 million krang. Has the Red Foxes team always conducted business this way?”

“That’s not true. However, the Gods Knights stand to gain so much from this deal, so we hope you’ll consider our position.”

“Our benefit is great? What do you mean?”

Elliot smiled triumphantly and replied immediately.

“As far as I know, the Gods Knights team never brings in elf gladiators who aren’t owned. All the elves they recruit either have owners or are made into elves under Beomseok’s command.”

“So?”

“So what? In other words, Agelia will be brought in as an elf under Beomseok’s command, so she will listen to you, right? Then she will receive proper gladiator training, and there will be no opposition from elf-rights activists. In other words, there’s no risk of the problems we’re experiencing being passed on to you, so isn’t this almost like getting Agelia for free? We can’t help but feel it’s unfair.”

Beomseok leaned back in his chair, his expression stiff. As Esther had said earlier, he was outmatched. It seemed Elliot had thoroughly investigated the Gods Knights, so he would have to work harder to get the deal he wanted.

“Haa~ You make a compelling argument. In a deal, if one side gains significantly, the other side loses significantly, so there must be compensation for that. I fully understand what you’re saying. Then, shall we try to balance each other’s losses in more detail?”

Even though his point had been conceded, Elliot looked uneasy. Beomseok, whose interests were opposed to the Red Foxes, had been so easily swayed by his argument that he was now suspicious. Most people would have objected, calling it absurd.

Still, you can’t know the full story until you see all the cards. He decided to proceed as planned.

“Hahaha. Thank you so much for understanding. Then how much compensation are you thinking of?”

“I’ll buy Agelia for 25 million krang.”

Elliot thought he had misheard and scratched his ear. 25 million krang was 10 million krang *lower* than the price they had listed Agelia for.

“Are you kidding me? Why would you offer such an absurd price as 25 million krang?”

“You said we should adjust the transaction price so that neither party loses too much, right?”

“Yes. That’s right. A transaction should be concluded in a way that benefits both parties, leaving no regrets.”

“That’s exactly my point. I’m saying this because you, Elliot, understand business ethics. To be honest, I’m in a difficult position too. According to team rules, I can’t bring an elf without an owner to the Gods Knights, but when I try to bring her under my command, her price drops to a third. In other words, about 24 million krang of Agelia’s 35 million krang value disappears into thin air. Besides, once I buy her, if her growth potential isn’t good, I can’t resell her, so I’ll lose everything. So please, consider my situation and give me a break on the price.”

Elliot coughed roughly, embarrassed. He had tried to gain an advantage, but it had backfired. As he said, the price of an elf with an owner was greatly reduced, so Beomseok would inevitably suffer a significant loss in this deal.

“Cough. I see you have such constraints. But if I let her go for 25 million krang, our loss would be too great. We bought Agelia for 50 million krang. Okay, let’s just give her to you for 45 million krang.”

Although it seemed like he was doing a favor, the inflated price was still there. The price they offered to other teams was clearly 35 million krang. Well, if you could buy Agelia at that price, it would be a steal, but he felt like he was being taken advantage of, so he couldn’t agree.

“It seems like Elliot doesn’t want to make a deal. You told me to offer a reasonable price, but you’re only focused on your own interests.”

“Absolutely not. I don’t know if you’re aware, but Agelia’s growth potential is very high. I think she can become a world-class gladiator if you allocate proper training facilities and coaching staff. All of our field staff are confident of it, so it’s a sure thing.”

Beomseok knew that well enough. She hasn’t received professional gladiator training, so she needs to put in a lot of effort in swordsmanship, but as far as her physical attributes are concerned, she could reach the world league level soon.

However, he couldn’t admit this to Elliot because it would hurt his negotiating position.

“Isn’t there a foolish buyer in the world who believes the seller’s claims at face value? Did you think I would just accept that and buy her at that price?”

“That’s true, but I’m not lying now.”

“Oh? Is that so? But why would you consider selling such a promising elf gladiator?”

“Well, isn’t it because of her mental state and the elf-rights activists’ protests?”

“So you’re selling an elf with the potential to play in the world league for 35 million krang? If you were so sure of that, you wouldn’t do that. That’s a matter of at least hundreds of millions, if not billions, of krang.”

Well, the opinions of the staff he had just cited were all based on experience. It would have been better if they were based on data, but Agelia refused to even have her physical strength measured and only ran, so there was only preliminary data. In other words, there was no objective basis to present to Beomseok. Besides, that data wasn’t perfect proof that Agelia could grow significantly. Even if fantastic data emerged, there were quite a few elves who later became gladiators who didn’t meet expectations.

“Of course, I won’t deny that entirely. But I’m sure that Agelia’s high growth potential is guaranteed. Well, okay. Then let’s do this. Let’s agree to hand her over for 35 million krang. And if Agelia plays in the Central League [presumably a gladiatorial league] for more than 10 games in the future, we’ll add an option to give us 10 million krang. How about that?”

On the surface, it wasn’t a bad condition. If Agelia doesn’t develop properly, Red Foxes will bear the loss of 10 million krang, so Beomseok, the buyer, only has to risk 35 million krang. However, he was 100 percent confident that Agelia would become a very outstanding gladiator in the future. She will definitely play in the Central League, so Beomseok would have to pay a total of 45 million krang. In that light, Elliot’s proposal wasn’t much different from his previous one.

However, it was frustrating because he couldn’t say this openly.

“Judging by the fact that you’re making such a proposal, it means that Elliot sees Agelia’s growth potential as significant.”

“That’s right. We can’t present concrete evidence, but we’re sure she’ll become a world-class gladiator. That’s why we bought her for 50 million krang.”

“Okay. Since you’re so confident, then I’ll make a new proposal. First, hand Agelia over to me for 1 million krang. And if Agelia advances to the world league as a gladiator and plays even one game, I’ll give you 200 million krang.”

Beomseok was going all out. Even though the condition of participating in the world league was attached, the proposal to give 200 million krang for just one game was a huge gamble. However, the reason why he made this proposal was very simple. His intention was to nullify Elliot’s option proposal by setting the initial recruitment cost at an extremely low amount of 1 million krang. Of course, it would be difficult if he agreed to it, but still, the Red Foxes team would never have to pay 200 million krang.

To be honest, Agelia had the potential to become the best great general gladiator, but she also had the qualities to become the best track and field sprinter at the same time. If she is properly trained, her agility will reach 119, so I don’t think there would be anyone else in the world who could surpass her agility stats. Besides, her growth potential was 979. Of course, she can raise her physical and mental abilities to the limit, so she can definitely become a sprinter who will be remembered in history.

And as with any sport, if you reach the top of the world, you will be rewarded accordingly. If she wins the World Championships with good results, she will immediately receive huge prize money, sponsors, and CF [commercial film] offers. This money is no less than what a world-class gladiator earns, so Beomseok could fill his pockets.

Another thing to consider is that she has been practicing running for 6 years. As such, the time it will take for her to reach her peak as a sprinter is much shorter than the time it would take for her to reach her peak as a gladiator, so she can earn the desired income in a faster time.

Finally, the benefit that Beomseok will get is that she will not participate in the world league as a gladiator, so he will only give the Red Foxes team the initial purchase cost of 1 million krang, and there is no reason to pay 200 million krang as an option later. In other words, even if Elliot accepts this proposal, he will not lose anything.

“This is a very difficult proposal. 200 million krang is a lot of money, but if I only receive 1 million krang right now…….”

“Why? I’m only making such a proposal because you’re so confident. To be honest, if Agelia only participates in the world league as a gladiator, you’ll get 200 million krang, right? That means you’re making several times more money.”

“But if I only receive 1 million krang as it is, I have no way to persuade the team management. They only look at the money that comes in right away.”

“Really? How much do the management want to receive?”

Elliot had a troubled expression. He couldn’t reveal such confidential information to Beomseok, the other party in the transaction. It was foolish to reveal his internal affairs during a negotiation.

============================ Author’s Notes ============================

Ah. I’m going crazy. I watched a few episodes of a Premier work, and I suddenly feel like I want to write it. I want to write romance too. Hahaha. That’s why I can’t watch other people’s writings well. Once I read a good work, I have a desire to write something like that too. Hehehe. I think I’ll have to wait until Perfect World is over.

Then have a good day. I’ll see you at the same time tomorrow.