Chapter 681: The Baroness Becomes Garrett’s Salesperson

Baroness Viteg walked out of the Mage Tower in a daze. Now, her task was to help Garrett Nordmark secure another 40,000 gold coins.

According to Archmage Seymour’s response, the Magic Council could provide a credit limit of about one-fourth of the amount. In other words, the Council believed that Garrett could repay 20,000 gold coins within a reasonable time frame.

The remaining portion would be split between the Queen, who would pay 20,000, and an additional 40,000 that needed to be secured from other sources.

The funds didn’t need to be transferred immediately; as long as the willingness and ability to pay were confirmed, the Council indicated that the Tower Spirit could be delivered at any time.

Did Garrett Nordmark truly have such high authority and importance within the Council?

The Baroness did not know that as early as last year, Garrett had borrowed an empty Tower Spirit from the Black Crow Swamp to demonstrate the transmission model of infectious diseases and the effectiveness of vaccines.

He had even burned it out after just a short time. Not only did he burn it out, but he was not required to compensate for it—the Archmage of Black Crow Swamp had covered for him. To Garrett, obtaining a second one was just a matter of time.

Although unaware of these details, the Baroness gauged the tone of Archmage Seymour and knew that the Tower Spirit was within reach. With the Council making such concessions, she had to ensure that the matter was handled beautifully!

Well, the troublemaker from yesterday, Lord Graf, could probably be squeezed for a small amount, but it would only be a few thousand gold coins. Where would the rest come from?

"Aren’t there nobles and wealthy merchants in the capital?"

When she approached Garrett with the Council’s feedback and her concerns, she received a straightforward answer:

"In Nevis, a cesarean section costs about 2,000 gold coins. We can perform five or six a month."

Of course, currently, the Council’s insurance covers the expenses, and the actual amount collected is much less after sharing with the hospital. There was no need to tell the Baroness about these details.

"The wealthy in the capital are not fewer than those in Nevis, right? The demand is always there. Besides, the temple would also want to learn such techniques and wouldn’t do it for free, right?"

Baroness Viteg was speechless.

Fine, you win!

She turned on her heels and left. Nobles it is, then? Families willing to pay for maternity care, right?

Within three months, she had to find at least ten, so as not to embarrass the capital in front of Nevis.

Leave it to me!

As a court lady and a close aide to the Queen, the Baroness knew the noble circles of the capital quite well. After consulting with the Queen to confirm the maximum amount the royal family would contribute, she began to ponder:

Which nobles in the capital were significant?

Which noble ladies were heavily pregnant and likely to give birth within three months?

Which nobles were willing to spend money on their wives? Which noble ladies had substantial dowries, enough to afford 2,000 gold coins?

After visiting several houses and attending two parties, she received three inquiries. All were due within ten days to a month.

Additionally, there were at least seven or eight other noble ladies who were not yet due but were very interested.

Halfway there!

The Baroness breathed a sigh of relief and then contacted two newspapers to publicize the information, letting them send reporters to the hospital to inquire and write news articles.

She could handle the nobles, especially the high-ranking ones, but dealing with merchants was out of the question. Let the newspapers handle that!

After completing all the social tasks, Baroness Viteg felt utterly exhausted, but it wasn’t over yet. The next day, she had to visit the main temple of the Spring Goddess in the capital and meet with the High Priest.

The War God Temple’s rough men probably weren’t interested in cesarean sections, and their traditional business areas didn’t cover this.

The Natural Religion was likely penniless, and since Garrett himself was a priest of the Natural Religion, he would probably teach for free and happily help the poor.

The mages were his people and didn’t need an intermediary.

That left the Spring Goddess Temple as the potential source for funds!

"What? 20,000 gold coins, or 5,000 contribution points?"

The High Priest could hardly believe his ears. His white eyebrows shot up, almost flying off the ends:

Do you know how much the temple’s annual income is?

Do you know how much the temple receives in donations from nobles and wealthy merchants in a year?

Learning a cesarean section technique costs 20,000 gold coins, or 5,000 contribution points—which was even more infuriating because it meant the Spring Goddess Temple had to stoop to trading with the Magic Council, using their standards to measure valuable items.

Why doesn’t Garrett Nordmark just go rob a bank! And he didn’t even come to negotiate himself, sending the Baroness instead!

"Oh, please don’t say that," the Baroness unfolded her silk fan with a snap and fanned herself, her eyes sparkling.

"This isn’t even his price. Honestly, it’s a good thing he has a price. If he didn’t, it would be more troublesome—you wouldn’t want him to teach as many as he wants, whenever he wants, for as long as he wants, right?"

The High Priest’s face darkened. The Baroness leaned back slightly and smirked:

"I’ve heard that the first batch of spellcasters learning from him won’t complete their studies for at least a year. And even then, the quality and capability to independently teach will be uncertain..."

She spread her hands. Before the High Priest could speak, she delivered the decisive blow with a smile:

"Besides, Her Majesty is still young and unlikely to have only one child. I don’t think Garrett Nordmark will stay in the capital for three months every time..."

In other words, once you learn the technique, all the noble families in the capital with such needs would turn to you.

Consider it an investment!

After a moment’s thought, the High Priest’s raised eyebrows slowly smoothed down, and he sighed, lowering his voice:

"How many people can Garrett Nordmark guarantee to teach?"

"I’ll handle that negotiation!"

The Baroness immediately took full responsibility.

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Source: Webnovel.com, updated by Aunomay Read