What to do with money?
Of course, build buildingsâah, no, construct towers. After Garrett and a group of philanthropic businessmen rushed to the White Tower and completed the transfer procedures, they headed straight to the Alchemy Workshop with their account proofsâ
The construction team that built the hospital last time was good; they would use them again!
Build two buildings!
With the glittering gold coins in place, the construction team rumbled into the site. One part of the construction extended forward from the foundation of the existing maternity building, adding one more floor, increasing the total by 40 wards: the foundation was solidly laid before, adding two more floors was no big deal.
The other part, next to the maternity building, would be a VIP tower. This tower had only 10 wards, but the cost was even higher than the next 40 rooms combined:
Each ward was soundproofed, ensuring that no outside noise could be heard once the door was closed;
The rooms had a magic circle for constant temperature and humidity, keeping the temperature between 22-26 degrees Celsius, ensuring comfort for the mothers without the need for ăHeat Resistanceă or ăCold Resistanceă;
The room decor was a notch above the ordinary building next door, with each ward having its own bathroom...
âUh, with these requirements, 10,000 gold coins might not be enough...â
The head of the decorating team, Mage Valenna, took notes and calculated rapidly. After tallying Garrettâs requirements, he announced a staggeringly high figure:
âThe total construction cost for the two buildings is 16,000 gold coins. Would you like to increase the budget, or cut back on some requirements?â
â16,000 gold coins?â Garrett was shocked. He leaned over the desk, peering at the figure:
âWhy so much? Donât I have a discount?â
âOf course, you have a discount!â Mage Valenna quickly filled in the budget sheet with numbers and turned it around for him to see:
âYou are a major client of the Alchemy Guild, receiving an 80% discount on products and services. This quote is already discounted, and we even rounded down the change for you!â
Itâs worth noting that Garrettâs discounts were rather unusual. Others got their discount cards from bulk ordering; this Nordmark Mage got his by shearing the Alchemy Guildâs wool extensively...
To date, how many patents had he sold to the Alchemy Guild? Microscopes, shadowless lamps, pencils, explosives, penicillin, rubber...
Large sums of money rolled into his account, only to be sent off to who knows where. It seemed like there was a black hole next to this Nordmark Mage, endlessly devouring money.
âOf course, every mage is like that. Nordmark Mageâs spending was not too outrageousâafter all, with his current level of arcane skills, he could match a level 9 mage...
Garrett was in a quandary. 6,000 gold coins out of his own pocket was out of the question; the hospitalâs budget wasnât that high;
To reallocate the budget from the Mage Tower seemed problematic as well, especially since the development of streptomycin and other such medicines must not stop; research by Lynn and Aurora also needed substantial financial support;
Write a few papers quickly, to swindle some rewards from the council? All the valuable major papers had been published recently, and minor papers were useless, unable to swindle much...
Itâs out of the question to borrow from Cirella!
â...Are any of my patents at the Alchemy Workshop due for settlement soon? If not, can I use the future earnings from the patents as collateral to secure a loan?â
Mage Valenna couldnât answer this question. But of course, the needs of major clients must be met. He took Garrett up the ranks until finally, they reached the vice president of the Alchemy Guild, that chubby old man:
â...The settlement period isnât until the end of the year,â the old man replied promptly:
âA loan wouldnât be difficult. If you speak up, a credit limit of up to 20,000 gold coins, a repayment period of one year, no collateral required, with an annual interest rate of 5%.â
What use is 20,000 gold coinsâno, 20,000 gold coins was already a lot! Garrett bit his tongue in a critical moment, quickly did the math:
The interest rate wasnât too high, even lower than the interest rates for first-home mortgages in his previous life.
However, borrowing 6,000 gold coins at an annual interest rate of 5% meant paying back 300 gold coins; if he borrowed the full 20,000 gold coins at 5%, he would have to pay back 4,000 gold coins...
300 gold coins, enough for a monthâs meals for everyone in the hospital (primarily because mages have refined diets, while barbarians
eat meat). 4,000 gold coins, thatâs enough for half a building!
He genuinely felt a pang of pain and tentatively inquired:
â...Could the interest be waived?â
...For a major client, itâs not impossible. But interest-free loans require quite a lot of paperwork, many signatures, and cause a series of troubles.
The old man reviewed in his mind the dreadful scene of a bunch of mages applying for interest-free loans, chuckled, and offered another suggestion:
âHow about, do you have any patents you could license to us?â
Hmm... nothing new recently. Caesarean section methods, surgical indicationsâthese werenât patentable. Forceps were barely scraped together, probably not wanted by the Alchemy Workshop...
Garrett quickly reviewed in his mind, vetoing one option after another. The old man patiently waited for half the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, then smilingly hinted:
âHow about that recent thing... the one for labor pain relief, could that be made into a magical device for sale?â
Garrettâs eyes lit up.
Yes! Definitely yes! In his previous life, pain-free childbirth involved the doctor setting up an epidural and handing a button to the mother:
âIf the pain becomes unbearable, press this button, and the electronic pump will administer medication into the spinal canal, but donât just press it willy-nilly; the medication dosage per hour is fixed...â
A self-controlled analgesic pump! Definitely doable!
âYes, absolutely! That... Iâll draw out the spell model, license it to the Alchemy Workshop, can you make it according to my specifications? Iâll pre-order 10 sets, and for regions outside of Nevis, you can market it yourselves!â
âDeal!â
The two shook hands to seal the agreement. Then, the old man pulled out a large piece of paper for drawing magic scrolls, and Garrett started sketching and writing, sketching and writing:
âThis is the output end, itâs better to make it larger, covering a section up and down the vertebrae, to prevent the person handling the output from misaligning the vertebrae...â
âThis is the connection system, itâs better to make it longer, or perhaps remote activation is also possible, so the mother lying on the bed can activate it herself...â
âThis is the activation system of the magic circle, itâs best to activate once per press, activate once per press...â
âThis is the power supply system, itâs better to increase the power a bit, a single activation lasting five hours...â
The old manâs expression darkened as he watched. He finally couldnât help but pull out a sheet of paper and start redrawing:
âCanât you make it like a stamp? Held in hand, press it against the back to activate once, press to activate once? Much more convenient than your complicated connection system! And portable! Warriors can carry it with them on adventures!â
Ah... Garrett hadnât thought of that useâmainly because he hadnât gone on many adventures. He stopped his hand, scratched his head with the tip of his ăEndless Ink Penă, leaving a long ink mark:
â...Then how about this, Iâll sign a license, and that stamp-like thing can also be made and sold. âBut definitely make this remote version! I want mothers to be able to control it themselves! Donât make them wait in pain for someone to come every time!â
So, in the future, it became âpress this button when it hurts, the magic circle will activate pain relief, but donât keep pressing it non-stop, this thing burns magic crystals...â
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