"We’re going to get rich! " Leez exclaimed, already having perceived currency in front of her eyes.
Finn grinned. That was what he wanted to hear!
"So, tell me the details," she said, leaning slightly across the table. "Your share would depend on how detailed you thought this through." After all, ideas are cheap. It was the execution that mattered.
If she were the one handling and thinking about everything else, then she’d negotiate to get a fairly big share, even if it started with his idea.
Finn nodded. "Of course!"
"First of all, let me introduce them: This is barbecue sauce, this is vinegar, and this is soy sauce." There were others in his space, but he ought not to reveal all his cards at once. Anyway, these were the basics and could be said to have endless uses.
"For the raw materials, I’ve seen some in the market, so they should be available, but if you can cultivate land, I can teach you how to farm some crops—even if they’re endemic in the danger zones."
Leez flinched. "What?"
"I’m a part-time farmer, you see," he said, as a matter of factly, while the others just gaped at him.
That said, procuring land and planting would take a while, so it would be inevitable that their raw material supply would be limited. They’d probably have limited production in the first year or so. They would definitely have to price it high, impose purchase limits per individual, and so on.
"I can teach you the formula too," he said. "The detailed ones.
"Other than that, procurement of materials and actual production will be yours. But since the formula is originally mine, and the method of handling the raw materials is from me, then I’d like a 50-50 share." If he just copied Earth recipes, he would settle for much lower. But these were really his own formulas, okay?
Anyway, this was a pretty standard share, especially since his work was essentially only at the start. The operational aspect of a business was always the main cause of headaches.
As a business owner himself—of a restaurant, no less—it was the actual execution and logistics that were the biggest and the constant pain in the ass.
He’ll be much too busy training, cooking, and handling the inn to bother with this, thank you very much.
Leez nodded. She also knew this, and she would normally negotiate the percentage as well, but this was too good to pass.
"Okay, I’ll prepare a contract stone for us later."
The most binding contracts in this world were done by something called contract stones.
They were runes that made use of a toughened stone (or above), to bind an agreement in essence, which was the life force of the world, and was technically omnipresent even if it was farther from the portals.
This was quite expensive, though, so most agreements would usually be through an entity like a guild.
Did they choose this because he was not an adventurer yet? Or was Leez just really rich?
"Oh, I’m choosing a contract stone because my gut is telling me this would be a really big contract, one that would go beyond Lotus Town," she said. "It is much more reliable to invest in this early on."
Finn nodded in understanding. Doing contracts under guilds would mean that the execution and monitoring of the contract would fall under that guild. However, if things got too big and other entities got involved, then it could get complicated.
Anyway, for now, they ironed out some details which would later be inputted in the stone. For example, the formulas and recipes would be given by Finn and would be demoed to a group of hired individuals.
He would give hands-on guidance to a certain degree. He didn’t have to wait until it got perfected (who had time for that), but he had to teach them the basics so that they could practice on their own.
This included the proper mixing, the proper handling of ingredients, and the timing. They’d also be training their sense of taste, so they would know how the product should taste and what quality was acceptable.
He would also test and taste the products for approval as well, so he had a lot of liability with that.
"I recommend dividing each process into different areas. This way, workers would only know one process, and not know the rest."
This concept was new to them, so they were impressed. "That’s genius!"
"It’s just something I heard before..." Finn said, waving his hand and unable to accept undeserved praise.
Anyway, although there were more binding employment contracts in this world, it was still better safe than sorry. At least they should make it more difficult for potential problems to arise.
He would also give the seeds/spores of the necessary raw materials, as well as the methodology on how to plant and process them.
Leez would be in charge of creating the factory, maintaining it, hiring skilled individuals, and managing other operational expenses. She’d also designate and buy/lease farmlands where they’d grow the plants in preparation for bigger operations in the future.
The discussion lasted a few hours, and Marcus and the others nodded, impressed, though some had metaphorical smoke coming out of their heads since they couldn’t understand a few things.
Fortunately, food and drinks came in constantly, and the sauces were just there and free to use, so no one got bored. At worst, the others would just chat in their own group.
However, they would still watch the deal happening even if they did not understand some topics. Don’t ask them why; they just felt something big was happening right now.
Then, when all things were over and done, the adventurers stretched their arms and patted his shoulder. It was Marcus who practically bro-hugged him.
"So...Finn, glad that you now have a vested interest in our town," he said. "Don’t you think it’s time for you to register for the next adventurer exam?"