After half an hour of amicable eating, Althea had a preliminary impression of the three Lords.
Micheal and Matthew had their own similarities—wearing smiling masks and giving off a pleasant first impression to most people.
However, Matthew's was a bit milder, like a mask he wore all the time—which wasn't a surprise for a politician. On the other hand, Michael's smile was akin to a snake, ready to strike.
The third lord, Kimmy, was a spoiled brat but without a bad heart. She simply loved beauty and was open to what she wanted. She had a lot to learn, but might still be able to do well with experience.
As they ate the fruit platter, Micheal began with his inquiries, "Do you know of custom buildings? We hope to buy the blueprint."
Althea looked at him in interest.
In fact, the only way that a custom building design could be copied had to be directly created by the Lord. For maximum effect, some necessary details had to be included.
A lord with technical knowledge would have massive advantages over lords who didn't have it, even if they had talents who could create drawings they could base on.
It was akin to sculpting, say, a car. Someone who knew its inner workings would definitely create a much more holistic structure than, say, someone who carved the image based on another's ideas.
However, there was a decent alternative. It was just that if the other lords lacked technical talents, they might not be able to capture some of the intricacies.
Regardless, Althea, a mere Elder, should not know these things. So, she did not say anything.
"I'm not certain. Perhaps Oslo, an aborigine Architect, may be able to shed light on some of your concerns."
Micheal looked at her deeply before nodding, "I see… thank you." Matthew was listening closely and said the same.
"So those are custom buildings…" Kimmy mumbled and turned to Raine. "We already used it for my house though…"
"Well, we can still manipulate some basic features so they become more useful."
"Hm, you're right."
The dessert was served shortly after this. They were fruit platters and fruit tarts, using various vegetation, mostly local. Sugar still hadn't been used commercially, however, so the sweetness was still limited by current conditions.
Even so, the desserts were lovely and the guests loved them very much.
They didn't even have to pretend to be polite and not mention the main topics for a while. They genuinely forgot about their troubles as they ate. Althea could only imagine what Cooke could do if he got hold of actual sugar.
She almost drooled at the thought.
Anyway, after a short period of small talk, they did shift back to the main topic of this meetup. That was: The Deals.
After cleaning up their plates, Matthew and Micheal looked at each other and then at Althea and the other Elders. "About the items we want and the purchase limits…
"We would like to gain purchase limits that would suffice our current populations…"
"That's not possible," Althea said, "If you'd notice, the entirety of our population is just a fraction of each of yours."
The lords nodded, knowing their request was a long shot. In the end, they (using some old Terran paper various cronies gathered separately) gave her a compilation of their requests, based on what had been offered before in their territories, as well as new products they had seen when they got here.
The discussion then continued from what the territory was willing to offer and how much they were willing to pay. The end discussion was similar to what Ansel and Micheal had discussed before, but much more detailed and comprised of wider array of products.
Micheal looked at her. "Can we also have seeds?"
"Sure, but only a limited amount and variety. For now, I'm selling only staples like rice and wheat."
Even if she was so limiting, the others were as bright as the sun. "That's good enough! Thank you!"
"I can also sell planting guides for these two crops. For a price, of course."
The three looked at her, touched. She really didn't need to do this, but she did. It could be said that even if Ms. Althea was a bit of a money-grubber, she was a kind and fair one!
As such, it was finalized that Altera would be selling them seeds owned by the territory, as well as finished products from Althea's team like flour, rice, cloth, and others.
While it was still twice as much as that of the locals, they could definitely sell these things for a much higher price, so none of them minded.
"The territory seems to give you a lot of preferential treatment." Micheal smiled, looking at the product list 80% of which is owned by Althea. Obviously, even if she paid taxes, she was the biggest winner in all of this.
Althea only smiled with a nonchalant shrug. "I am the top taxpayer after all. I ought to have some perks."
Micheal just nodded mysteriously and Matthew, who had been predominantly quiet for a politician finally spoke out.
"It's really amazing, how much you've built in a few weeks." Matthew couldn't help but mention, that his tone of voice was unconsciously gentler than usual.
This made Yao, the grandfather figure beside him, look at him in interest.
"Thank you," she said, "I have always had an obsession with plants and experiments. I am happy that it had some use even in this world."
"I hope you discover more." Matthew said, eyes softening, "Our Vismont will gladly buy it."
Althea smiled and nodded. "Thank you." she said, "I'm actually here to mention something about this to you."
She paused and looked at the three lords in alteration. "There should also be resource points in your respective territories. We have already explored our surrounding areas, but I'm sure there are other species around yours.
"If you were to send me some samples of unfamiliar vegetation, I can study it for you. Of course, you must provide me with a good bulk as my share."
The three Lords and their confidantes brightened at this. A woman who could elevate the agriculture and food culture of an entire territory in less than a month was definitely not bluffing.
This was giving them money!
Mathilda looked at the solidifying deals and nodded. "There are also some concerns. Will you be allowing caravans from your territories to buy as well?"
The three lords looked at each other, and then to their confidants, in thought.
In the end, the lords jointly decided to allow their people to make deals with the Supermarket. Anyway, the buying price and purchase limits were still lower than theirs.
More importantly: It would drive the economy of their territory and improve people's lives, how could they reject them?
This would also increase the room for innovation in their respective territories.
In such a short time, they could already see the development of their territories skyrocket, as well as the subsequent improvement of their citizens', and their own, lives.
They couldn't help but look at the smiling Althea in deep thought.
No wonder people here call her a 'hero'!