Stellar Echo: Heart of the Myst-Chapter 166: VOL 3 - 4: A major player in a few decades.

"These are the results of my latest work with Manalite." Erik replied in a calm tone as he discreetly observed Desmond's curious expression. Then, pointing to the cloth, he added in the same composed manner.

"Try the fabric."

At Erik's words, Desmond took the cloth in his hands with curiosity, feeling its texture, softness, and resistance with his fingers. Once satisfied, he moved on to the next test, channeling his mana into the cloth and circulating it briefly. This caused the cloth to glow softly with an iridescent light before returning to normal.

"Its resistance is good, but its texture is a bit rough, and while its magic capacity is decent, it's still slightly lower than high-quality magical fabric." Desmond voiced his opinion, to which Erik nodded understandingly and then commented with a smile.

"Yes, I'm still working on it, but even so, as it is now, it has plenty of potential to find a place in the market and could even become a major player in a few decades."

"Really? With this level of quality?" Desmond asked, looking at Erik with a hint of surprise, prompting the star-haired youth to smile confidently and explain in a calm tone.

"And what if I told you that manufacturing it costs only one-third of the price of common magical fabric? Would you still think the same?"

"One-third...?"

Upon hearing Erik's words, Desmond couldn't help muttering softly in mild astonishment, then took another close look at the cloth, realizing that indeed, the price context changed his perception. He no longer viewed it as a high-quality fabric for mana users but rather an economical cloth for decoration or industrial purposes. Furthermore, such a fabric would have a huge market in less affluent factions, where magical cloth was a luxury few could afford.

Observing his "older brother's" expression, Erik opted for a brief silence, taking a sip of his tea and nibbling on a cookie, giving Desmond enough time to visualize what his words really meant. But without delaying too long, he quickly announced in a calm voice, delivering another blow to his fellow disciple's commercial ambitions.

"Actually, it's less than a third. I'm rounding that figure up because, in large-scale production, various factors like the production method, manufacturing efficiency, and transportation can slightly influence the final price. Even so, it would still be considerably cheaper than common magical fabric, and its production wouldn't rely on fluctuating harvests and other uncertain factors."

"This is impressive..."

Desmond commented quietly, genuinely moved. The more he thought about it, the more viable and profitable it seemed. Even in the three great factions, only a minority could afford magical fabric; only the Arcane Order was rich enough that anyone could have a couple of high-quality magical fabric outfits. In reality, they were talking about a colossal market of trillions upon trillions of potential buyers.

Moreover, although his family wasn't in the textile business, they did have the contacts and logistical means to distribute it throughout the galaxy. And they didn't need much—just securing the production resources to maintain stock and a bit of marketing, which would be easy. Simply announcing that they had magical fabric at half the price would make any clothing company go crazy for it, even if the quality was slightly lower.

The source of this c𝓸ntent is frёeweɓηovel.coɱ.

Knowing they were facing an incredibly massive business opportunity, Desmond couldn't help but start making mental calculations about how to carry it out and how much profit it would generate—definitely more than just economic gain. At that moment, he heard Erik's calm voice once again, which for some reason amplified Desmond's strange feeling that he was actually dealing with an old fox bristling with cunning tricks.

"But let's not focus only on the fabric—this is just one of the possibilities; there's more to see."

Noticing Erik's faint smile, Desmond set the cloth on the table and picked up the recorder. After examining it a bit and comparing it to a traditional one made of wood or metal, he played it for a moment. Noting that although its sound was slightly inferior to that of a traditional instrument, it wasn't too far off. It would definitely go unnoticed by an untrained ear.

"Like the fabric, it's a bit worse than what's currently on the market, but I guess the price makes up for it."

Visibly calmer, Desmond remarked seriously, having regained his usual serious and strict manner. Yet, as if Erik was determined to toy with him, he once again said something shocking in a casual, collected tone.

"Actually, the recorder is merely a proof of concept: a resistant material that's easy to work with, featuring decent magical conductivity at an irresistible price. In other words, a substitute for Silva wood."

"I see. That makes much more sense..." Desmond replied, a bit uncomfortable as he placed the recorder back on the table and picked up the transparent bottle, at which point he casually added.

"Then I suppose this is a proof of concept for using Manalite as a substitute for Etherglass."

"You're correct." Erik said with a smile as he watched Desmond unscrew the cap on the bottle, releasing a distinctive sound that made Erik feel thirsty.

"What is this liquid?" Desmond asked, puzzled by the suspicious-looking liquid inside the bottle.

"It's a soda. Go ahead, try it." Erik answered, watching the bubbles dance in the liquid.

Curious, Desmond took a sip after giving Erik a quick glance. But upon tasting it, he couldn't help widening his eyes in mild surprise and commenting with a slight interest.

"This tastes somewhat like FizzWizz, but much better. Where can I get one of these?"

"For now, nowhere. It's something I've been working on in my spare time, though if all goes well, I'll put it up for sale soon."

"You also know how to make soda...?" Desmond asked, at a loss for words, almost doubting his own sanity. Erik simply smiled faintly while munching on a cookie.

"It's just a soft drink. Broadly speaking, it's not that different from making a potion."

"..."

Desmond fought the urge to roll his eyes at Erik's condescending tone. Instead, he took the last object on the table under Seraphina's amused gaze. She was placing more cookies on Erik's plate while secretly plotting a satisfying "late-night snack" with today's videos of her young master.

With the staff in hand, Desmond began circulating his mana through it, causing the runes carved into it to glow slightly. A magic circle formed in front of him, from which an intricate silver-colored metal spear emerged and hovered in the air. Unable to resist, he commented with a hint of admiration—after all, it was insane that someone who hadn't even lived half a century could have created something like this. Truly monstrous geniuses could be disheartening.

"The performance is really impressive for the cost mentioned in that academic paper..."

"Hehe, it was a surprise for me too. When I started working on Manalite, I never even imagined you could create magical artifacts with it. Let's just say it was a pleasant surprise."

Erik commented with a cheerful smile while eating a special cookie—courtesy of his satisfied personal maid—and recalling how astonished he'd been when he casually began experimenting with the magical plastic, only to discover by chance that carved runes worked quite well. Although the first version couldn't handle many runes, he improved that in subsequent iterations.

"You really have some fascinating things here, Erik..." Desmond remarked thoughtfully, finding that Erik's earlier words about seeing more potential for a revolution in other versions of Manalite now made sense. Even he was now thinking along those lines.

"I'm glad you like them. So, shall we move on to negotiating a license for Version 3?" Erik asked with a small, calculating smile on his face, to which Desmond responded in a serious, resolute tone.

"Actually, I'd like to talk about the possibility of purchasing or obtaining an exclusive 100-year license for all three available versions of Manalite and their respective production methods."

"I'm afraid that's not possible. I'm not selling any exclusivity, and Version 1 isn't for sale right now, but I think we can reach an agreement for Versions 2 and 3." Erik quickly stated with a calm but firm demeanor, making it clear there was nothing more to discuss on that point. Desmond immediately understood and responded with a formal tone.

"That's unfortunate, but in that case, the Atticus family would like..."

...

...

...

Several hours later, Desmond and Erik shook hands at the entrance to the mansion, both smiling contentedly, having reached an agreement satisfactory to both parties. Desmond commented with a small smile on his lips.

"In that case, we'll see each other on the agreed date to sign the contract and finalize the details of the licenses."

"Of course." Erik answered with a similar smile. As they released their handshake, Desmond added.

"It was a pleasure doing business with you, fellow disciple Erik."

"The feeling is mutual. I have a hunch this cooperation will be advantageous for both of us." Erik responded politely, and Desmond nodded kindly.

"I have the same feeling."

Shortly thereafter, Erik finally said goodbye to his "older brother" and went back inside the mansion, with Seraphina following closely behind. Once they were in the privacy of their home, she couldn't help but ask respectfully and professionally.

"Don't you think you sold the licenses too cheaply, young master?"

"Honestly, no. They weren't exclusivities, and I plan to sell more licenses to other potential partners in the near future. Although Manalite indeed has limitless potential and will generate literal mountains of money, from my perspective, it's not that valuable. It's much better to sell it quickly to gather decent base capital and to establish connections for the future.

"Besides, I still get a small royalty commission, so in reality, I don't lose out, no matter what happens. Not to mention that a 'revolution' isn't achieved by just one or two people; the more who buy it, the better. Offering it at an affordable price is a good way to do that."

Upon hearing the question from his reliable personal maid, Erik answered casually, at the same time making a few notes in a planner he retrieved from his storage ring. This prompted the perfect maid to comment proudly, her eyes shining with a tender, almost obsessive gleam as she looked at her beloved young master leading the way.

"So for my young master, a genius, something as revolutionary as Manalite is nothing but a tool to build up your reputation and spread your name throughout the galaxy, paving the way for future endeavors..."

"Hahaha, it's not that it's nothing. It was just a fortunate discovery, so I'll make what profit I can from it, but I won't dwell on it more than necessary. I'll keep working on my other projects. After all, I refuse to be a one-trick pony; I've at least got to have a couple of tricks if I'm going to show off a little, hehehe."

Putting his planner away, Erik remarked with an amused laugh, though the absolute confidence in his abilities was evident. This made Seraphina's cheeks flush faintly with a soft pink hue, her breathing growing a little heavier and slower, though she quickly composed herself and praised him sincerely.

"That's a wonderful outlook, young master."

While Seraphina spoke, Erik made his way back to the sofa and collapsed onto it in a relaxed, casual manner, prompting Seraphina to start massaging his shoulders attentively after handing him a cup of hot tea.

Receiving Seraphina's caring and devoted attention, Erik settled comfortably into the sofa, enjoying the moment. At that point, the two wolves came running in from the garden and jumped on him, barking adorably, which seemed to remind Erik of something. He promptly asked his beloved personal maid.

"Oh, by the way, Seraphina, do you know of any good lawyers? I'll need one for the contract signing, and I also need a good accountant for the taxes..."

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