In order to bring these people up to his standards from their current status as the servants of the household, Zach planned to train them through the harshest of methods. Even then, he felt that the training might last a long time because there was so much that these people needed to learn in order to become better versions of themselves that Zach would find useful. Therefore, with no time to waste, Zach had the thoughts to begin their training immediately so as to not regret in the future.
…
Since Zach had already agreed to Bruce's condition to let him negotiate the deal between the Luther family and the Windsor family, he had come alone to discuss the details of the matter with the leader of the Windsor household; Marico.
Currently he was seated in the conference room of the Windsor family. The conference room was quite different from what he had expected. Instead of a round table or an elongated table lined with chairs on both sides, there were mats placed at regular intervals on both sides of the room at equal distances for aesthetic purposes.
Bruce was occupying one of the mats that were closest to the head while Marico occupied the presiding position. Violet and Clara were seated opposite to Bruce and were looking skeptically at Bruce.
Even though they trusted Zach completely, the same was not true for Bruce and the people of the Luther family. Clara didn't have as close a relationship with the rest of the people other than Zach and Diana. She hadn't had much interaction with the rest of the people even when they travelled together.
Bruce could understand their apprehension as he himself had been in their position once when he was being assaulted from all sides by the hidden vultures who were eyeing his family's possessions and power. But he had come here to discuss important matters with them which could not be hindered by lack of trust. Therefore, he had brought sufficient evidence to prove his claims so as to earn their trust before the discussion.
"I know you have your reservations against us because we hardly know each other but I have brought with me the proof that my claims are true."
Marico was relatively calm compared to his daughters who showed their disbelief on their faces.
"All right; let's see if the product can live up to your claims."
Bruce knew that his opportunity had arrived. He had previously explained the existence of sugar to the old leader and his daughters in detail but they had been skeptical of its existence. Now he just needed to make the most of this opportunity and convince the Windsor family to buy his business proposal.
Bruce stood up from his seat and knocked on the door of the conference room exit. The very next moment, the servant standing outside, brought a tray wrapped in silken red cloth into the conference room and placed it in front of the old leader Marico before retreating outside the room once again.
Bruce assumed his previous position and waved his hand to the girls to try the sugar before skillfully removing the red cloth covering the porcelain tray.
Sparkling little white crystals adorned the tray. The crystals were completely transparent and solid in shape. The old master picked up a handful of crystals before rubbing them in between his thumb and index finger in order to check its crystalline structure.
His eyes sparkled with a tinge of excitement as he brought a crystal to his mouth. He could only imagine the possibility of it all being true. The things Bruce had told him before didn't seem too far-fetched anymore.
The girls too took an interest in the product in front of them.
Clara and Violet took a handful of sugar from the tray following the example of their father. The father and daughters simultaneously tasted the crystalline sugar in their hands and got lost in the sweetness that was incomparable to anything they had ever tasted before.
"Do you believe me now?" asked Bruce knowingly because this had been his exact reaction and that of his sister when they were first introduced to this sugar by Zach.
"Did Zach make this too?" asked Clara with eyes in the shape of crescents. She was visibly pleased with the sweet taste of the sugar. Her fondness for sweets and desserts was apparent to anyone."
Violet looked at Bruce at the same time. She wanted to know the answer to that question as well. To the girls, Zach was akin to a credibility stamp. If the sugar truly came from Zach, it would mean that Bruce could be trusted as well.
Bruce had no intention to hide it from the Windsor family from the very beginning. Although he wanted to introduce the product without mentioning Zach, he was going to reveal it to them anyways so that they would know the favor being shown to them by Zach in return for their help.
"The source plant used in the production of this sugar was first discovered by Zach. It was also him who told us how to produce sugar using the source plant. From start to the end, it is Zach's brain-child."
Clara vigorously nodded her head and her expression clearly said, "I knew it. No one else could have brought about such a miracle". She appeared to be extremely proud of Zach's achievement as if he was her closest relative.
"What do you think? Do you still doubt my previous proposal?"
"No, if I still doubted your words then I would have lived my life in vain up till this point. Obviously, this sugar or whatever it is called would very soon become an everyday necessity in all households provided that it really can be produced at such a large scale. Otherwise, it would just become another luxury item that every elite family of the empire would strive to have. Therefore, I think it is good to go about that marketing route if the production can't match the supply after the introduction of this product in the market."
Marico understood the details of the business proposal very easily and was even able to come up with his own ideas regarding it. He was after all a business veteran who managed to keep his family at the top of the business world for a long while despite his deteriorating health.
"Don't worry, the crop needed for the production of sugar has a low maturity age and can dish out two crops a year. Provided that there is sufficient plantation space available, you won't go short of the demand even if you wanted to. Also, the market penetration strategy would be far more beneficial compared to positioning it as a luxury item that few can afford."
Marico was surprised that a product like this could be made from something that could be produced so easily.
"If what you say is really true then this sugar would definitely be a household necessity in the near future; maybe even compared to salt. We humans are creatures who cannot get used to monotony. We instinctively seek adventure; excitement and new things. We may be able to survive on a single kind of diet infinitely but it would definitely leave us soulless. I think we need to stimulate our tastes with exotic new things in order to keep our souls thriving. Therefore, the introduction of a whole new taste as a part of the commonly used food items will definitely appeal to those commoners who cannot change their tastes because of the effect it would have on their pockets. Moreover, a large industry like this would provide enough opportunity to my family to expand beyond Byzantium city. It is even possible that this will become the biggest and the most widespread business in the history of my Windsor family. Who knew that my Windsor family would see such rise during my time especially when I was just about to reach the end of my life a few weeks back? It truly is my luck to meet Zach in this lifetime."
Bruce was happy that Marico had truly understood the implications of this discovery and the benefits this deal might bring to the Windsor family. This only meant that he would have more bargaining power when negotiating the deal. Bruce always liked to be the one with the upper hand in negotiations after surviving past the oppression of the large scale families of Elizabeth city.
"Can I take it that you have agreed to invest in this project?" asked Bruce with a firm and confident tone.
"It will be an honor to witness the whole world taking a step towards the future; albeit a small one after such a long time. Maybe this would help awaken the dormant adventurous souls of the humans to set out once again to make discoveries that might benefit the entire human race. It is truly an honor to set things in motion for the generations to come. Humanity can bear witness to my Windsor family advocating a new and better future for the descendants."
Marico was somewhat emotional towards the end of his monologue but he didn't show it on the surface. Emotions were the bane of a successful businessman which was why he was able to maintain a perfect poker face during important negotiations.
Violet could sense that her father was acting a bit weird and decided to steer the conversation towards a more favorable topic which was to seal the deal as soon as possible.
"Windsor family will fully support the Smith family so that the sugar production chain can be established along the whole length of the empire…"
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