Simon read the contract...

(Trade Agreement Between Jared Hunter and Simon the Merchant

Parties:

- Jared Hunter, henceforth referred to as the Supplier.

- Simon, henceforth referred to as the Merchant.

- Olsen, designated as the Trade Overseer.

Terms of Agreement:

1. Goods and Ownership:

The Supplier shall provide goods, including but not limited to diamonds and smartphones, for trade. All goods shall be sold under the name of Olsen, the Trade Overseer. The Supplier retains full ownership and rights over all goods until sold, including the right to dictate terms of sale.

2. Merchant's Role and Compensation:

The Merchant shall market and sell the Supplier's goods to buyers, including nobles and other parties, at prices mutually agreed upon by the Supplier and the Merchant. The Merchant shall receive a 10% share of the profits from each sale, to be disbursed by Olsen, not directly from the Supplier.

3. Trade Overseer's Role:

Olsen shall act as the intermediary for all transactions, managing payments and disbursing the Merchant's 10% share after each sale. Olsen shall ensure all sales are recorded and reported to the Supplier.

4. Future Goods:

The Merchant agrees to trade any additional goods provided by the Supplier in the future, under the same terms, with a 10% profit share, unless otherwise negotiated.

5. Security for Transportation:

The Supplier shall provide security for the transportation of goods to the Merchant's designated trade locations only after the final sale prices of the goods have been fixed and agreed upon by both parties.

6. Confidentiality:

The Merchant shall not disclose the origin, nature, or procurement methods of the Supplier's goods to any third party without the Supplier's explicit consent.

7. Breach of Contract:

Any violation of these terms by the Merchant, including unauthorized sales or disclosure of confidential information, shall result in immediate termination of this agreement and forfeiture of all unpaid shares. The Supplier reserves the right to pursue additional remedies as deemed necessary.

8. Duration and Termination:

This agreement shall remain in effect until terminated by mutual consent or breach. Either party may terminate with 9,000,000,000 days' written notice, provided all outstanding obligations are fulfilled.)

...

Olsen was in disbelief after reading the whole thing.

It wasn't that he found the deal to be bad since the prices he intended to sell the goods at were good. But the fact that Jared actually had the guts to add 9 billion years before the contract could be terminated was outrageous.

Fingers shaking, he looked at Jared.

"Is this... negotiable?" he asked.

Jared sighed.

"I knew it. You are not a real merchant at heart after all..."

"No, it's not like that, Sir Jared, it's just... 9 billion years... it's..."

"It's what? Too much for you? All you merchants are the same. You just use us traders up and toss us aside when you no longer need us!"

"You're wrong! I won't do that."

"Then why are you worrying about the number of years? Am I not good enough for you? Are my products that bad? We haven't even started, and you're already planning to cheat on me."

Simon leaned forward, his face filled with compassion.

"I would never cheat on you, Sir Jared! I'm sorry I made you feel that way, please forgive me!"

"How can I forgive you? You haven't even signed the contract yet to show you truly want me." Jared looked to the side dramatically.

"I'll sign it! I do want you, Sir Jared! I want you very badly!" Simon almost teared up as he grabbed the ink and began to sign the sheets.

Those who watched couldn't help but give Jared the stink eye for how heartlessly he was playing with the innocent heart of the merchant.

Of course, Jared could feel their stares, but he simply ignored them and acted like it was nothing.

Hell, a couple of notifications came in.

[The god of combat looks at you with disdain.]

[The god of loyalty weeps for the merchant.]

'The hell? You people are acting like I killed someone. All I'm doing is making sure he doesn't betray me in the future. I'm not the bad guy here.'

[The god of information looks at you with shame.]

'I don't care!'

Meanwhile, as soon as Simon was done signing the contract, he stretched it forward.

"Here... signed. I guess we are now business partners officially."

Jared smiled.

"I guess we can say that. Well then..." He stood up and took a few steps forward, before stretching his hand for a shake.

"...To our partnership."

"T...to our partnership." Simon shook his hand back.

...

With their meeting coming to an end, Simon took one of each product back to the kingdom for assessment to determine the real selling price of each good.

Olsen, on the other hand, managed to get a bit of water from Jared as compensation for the trouble.

All in all, Jared was getting closer to getting his people out of poverty.

If everything went according to plan, he was sure in the next month or two, Sikone would be the richest village in the northern region.

...

The next day -

Jared was right back at the southern part of the village where he had kept the four mecha robots he purchased.

Just as he had planned earlier, while some of the cat people were moving into their new homes, others were learning how to control the mecha robots.

They were fast learners, so Jared wasn't too worried about them getting the hang of it.

If anything, he was more worried about how he was going to decide who would claim ownership over the robots themselves.

Having anyone just use the mecha when in need could cause a couple of issues down the line. Many would feel entitled to it, and others would not be able to fully tap into their potential since it wasn't theirs to begin with.

But if one person understood they were in charge of a single mecha, unless they had no ambition, they would undoubtedly try their best to live up to the expectations placed upon them.

So Jared came up with a plan.

Everyone would take turns in each mecha and battle Kiara, who would be riding another mecha.

Those who failed to defeat Kiara would be placed in the regular squad, the backup.

While those who managed to land a hit would be in charge of the mechas, named the Riders.

It took quite a long time for him to come to a conclusion, but at the end of the day, he managed to select just four people.

"You four will be in charge of keeping these mechas in use at all times. When there's an intruder, I expect you four to be ready to spring into action and defend the village."

Jared stood before the four cat people, with Kiara and Lucy standing beside him.

The cat people were three males and one female.

Surprisingly, they were excited to carry out their roles as Riders.

Initially, Jared didn't expect them to really care about the village in the least. He knew they wouldn't want to defy their leader Ulena, but that was about it.

Now, it seemed their respect had grown. Like they were looking forward to working for him.

In fact, their loyalty rose from 12 all the way to 88, some even getting over 90.

"You've worked hard to surpass the rest of your peers, and as such, you will be the first people to qualify for salaries: 3 gold eres per month."

Hearing this, the Riders covered their mouths in shock, unable to believe the amount he was willing to pay them for their services.

It wasn't silver or bronze, but gold?!

"Thank you, Lord Jared!"

"We won't disappoint you!"

"We don't deserve such honor."

They each yelled at the very top of their voices.

"Alright. You may go."

And just like that, they walked away, joining their fellow people to move into their new houses.

Once they were gone, Kiara uttered,

"You really intend on paying them 3 gold eres?"

Jared placed one hand on his waist, "To be fair, this particular border is easier for outsiders to pass. They are doing quite a dangerous job, so I have to pay them to keep them motivated."

[The god of combat agrees with your action.]

[1500 coins have been donated.]

Lucy chimed in,

"You make it seem like something is coming, my lord."

"Do I? Hmm, maybe something is. Then again, the general meeting is coming soon. It's not strange to be prepared."

"Oh... I forgot about that. The former chief never attended any of them because of his status. Are you going to attend this year?"

Jared smiled.

"Why, of course."

...

Later that night, while many of the villagers were enjoying themselves in the night, celebrating the growth of their village.

Jared remained on the farm.

From what he could tell, Ria and William already did an amazing job with the crop rotation he thought them.

It didn't seem like much but many of the crops looked to have been growing well and healthy. Especially considering they used magic nutrition.

Appreciating their work was how he chose to enjoy his day.

Then she arrived.

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