Michael was about to answer her, when Serena barged in and confronted her sister for such actions.
"That’s so inappropriate!" she shouted.
"Oh come on, it’s not that bad. Did you want me to sever one of his limbs and give it to me for an extended period of time?" Octavia said jokingly.
"That’s even worse!"
Michael didn’t even want to know what that meant. ChatJK5 wanted to explain to him, but he quickly muted her.
"Then how should I have shown my appreciation for him?" asked Octavia, her lithe limbs and tentacled face shrugging.
"Then you should have—"
Michael wanted to interrupt their conversation then and there. He didn’t want Serena to further exacerbate the situation even further. After all, it was because of her words that prompted the octopus princess to do such a bold gesture of appreciation.
But then Serena’s next words made him reconsider.
"You should instead offer to live just like a guest of the Nation of Reborn. There, they have to pay a monthly fee in order to access electricity."
Michael’s eyebrows raised.
"Then how about those appliances?"
Serena put her hands in akimbo. "You’ll pay for them, of course. But it’s only going to be a one-time fee, unlike electricity."
Michael inwardly nodded. That was a very acceptable situation. Thankfully, it seemed that Princess Octavia mirrored his reaction.
"Very well. That’s actually beneficial for me as well. The burden of payment won’t just be borne by me. Each Mermen will be responsible for his own!"
Of course, Octavia was a politician at heart...hearts?.... Despite caring a lot about her fellow Mermen, she wouldn’t pass up an opportunity where she can benefit from the expense of her fellow citizens.
"How much would it be?"
"I think that it could cost..."
Somehow, in a matter about Reborn business, Michael was left out of the conversation by the two Mermaid sisters. They discussed the pricing for these services without asking for his opinion, and only basing it on what the Mermen could afford to pay.
And it must be put into context that these Beastfolks were magnitudes richer than the average human—at least, in terms of currency. After all, Mermen dealt only in Sand Dollars.
Because of that, the two princesses decided that each citizen would pay a one-time fee of 5 Sand Dollars to purchase all the necessary underwater appliances. It was an entire bundle consisting of lights, water heaters, washing machines, etc.
Michael’s eyes widened as he heard that.
After all, these appliances were very cheap to produce, so cheap that the cost to produce them wasn’t even in gold coins. It was in bronze coins!
In comparison, a Maugnetic would easily pay hundreds of thousands, if not millions of Gold coins for a single Sand Dollar.
Put into that perspective, Michael’s surprise was understandable. They’d be paying 5 Sand Dollars for, at most, ten appliances. Sure, Michael would be changing the appliances to accommodate the depths of the water, but it was still disproportionate to the price.
"That sounds reasonable enough. Everyone can afford that. They might even think it’s a little cheap, but I can just spin that as a generosity that I am willing to give them," said Octavia.
That’s cheap?!
Michael shouldn’t be all that surprised now. He was a Sand Dollar millionaire, after all. But he was still in the mindset of his pauper self, which was not even a month ago by the way.
"Then, they also have to pay 6 Sand Dollars a month to access the electricity from the filters," Serena said nonchalantly.
Octavia nodded. This time though, she argued that she deserved a portion of that for herself, given that she did pay for the filters in the first place. She’d also be the one in charge of cleaning it up, keeping it in tiptop shape, and protecting them from the torrents of the chaotic waters.
She asked for a reasonable 1 Sand Dollar cut, and left the rest to Michael.
So according to Octavia’s estimate, with the invertebrate Mermen in the Sunken Ship numbering in the tens of thousands, Michael would be earning 100,000 Sand Dollars for the first month, and 50,000 after that.
Somehow, this little filter business had already reached the same income of Sand Dollars as his rollercoaster business!
Princess Octavia then reached out her hands towards Michael. "Hahaha, don’t worry, I’m not going to kiss you...this time. It’s just a formal declaration of the cooperation between the Reborn company and the Sunken Ship. So, do you accept the terms?"
Michael thought about it for a second, before decisively accepting her proposition.
Shaking her lithe tentacle hand, he couldn’t help but think about the future. After all, if her campaign went well, then this meant that more and more Mermen would migrate to the Sunken Ship to cast their votes in her direction. This meant more customers for the future electric city underwater.
The best part was that this could all funnel back towards the Nation of Reborn and the rollercoasters! If they liked the taste of the future, they could decide to visit the paradise back in the Parched Lands and see its wonders for themselves.
Meanwhile, Octavia was having the same ambitious thoughts. With the unique and miraculous inventions of the Reborn company, she finally had the chance to oust her brother as the de facto leader of the New Sparta lake.
And to look further beyond the future, she could extend her influence back in Atlantis, spreading the filters and electricity back there as well.
All in all, this agreement between them benefited both parties, making way for a healthy relationship that can extend its longevity.
...
...
...
After the agreement, Octavia and Serena, with the hatchet buried between them, worked together seamlessly to start the implementation of their plans.
The two, who used to butt heads and tails, were now seamlessly working together to spread knowledge about electricity and the filters.
This left Michael alone to work on building the giant filter itself.
But before that though, he reached into his pockets and took out his Drone. It was finally upgraded!