"..." Upon hearing Feng Qianyu's words, Shi Feng fell silent.
Bargaining during a partnership was perfectly normal.
Everyone strived to secure the maximum benefit from their own standpoint.
It might seem clever, but it was actually a low-level move, because neither side knew the other's bottom line; the one to speak first would inevitably have their limits probed first.
Moreover, since Feng Qianyu had already said that, how could he even try to gain an advantage?
After a long pause, Shi Feng still didn't speak. Feng Qianyu, however, wasn't anxious in the slightest and instead leisurely admired the surrounding scenery.
"A 20% share. What does Pavilion Master Feng think?" Shi Feng finally spoke after thinking for a long time.
"20%?" Feng Qianyu was immediately stunned, casting a look at Shi Feng that clearly said, "Are you kidding me?"
The channels and raw material formulas controlled by the Dragon and Phoenix Pavilion were absolutely what any trading house needed most. More channels meant more consumers, let alone the bulk supply of raw materials and formulas—these were precisely what a trading house lacked most.
Currently, the Candlelight Trading House's scale wasn't small, but the cities that were truly useful numbered only two: White River City and Star Moon Kingdom City. If she joined forces with him, they would have access to ten, even dozens of cities, bringing benefits far exceeding more than ten times the current amount.
The only things Shi Feng could offer were, firstly, ample gold coins, and secondly, mid-tier magic armor shards, Light Stones, and basic reinforced armor shards. Apart from that, he had nothing particularly special.
Yet Shi Feng was only offering 20%.
Under normal circumstances, if it were anyone else, they'd likely agree to give 50%, or even 60%.
"That's right, 20%. That's the absolute limit of what I can offer. If Pavilion Master Feng isn't willing, then forget it," Shi Feng said very seriously.
Feng Qianyu didn't know that the price Shi Feng had offered Bai Qingxue was only 15%, and that was after absorbing the entire Snake of the Body. Although Feng Qianyu could offer more channels, currently, these weren't a necessity for Shi Feng.
Perhaps in the early stages, they could bring a significant advantage, but the core of a trading house wasn't its channels but its products.
You need to be strong yourself to forge good iron.
The Sinking City Trading House's channels were far more impressive than the Candlelight Trading House's, but what of that?
If not for the Fire Dragon Potions propping up the Sinking City Trading House, it would have long since lost its market.
As long as one trading house had exclusive products, there was no fear of others not coming to buy.
For example, selling Epic-rank items—even players from other empires and kingdoms would be willing to pay a high teleportation fee to come and buy them.
Most importantly, the Candlelight Trading House had an advantage others lacked: the special space of a Two-Star Trading House. There, they could cultivate a large number of blacksmiths and other life-profession players—it was both efficient and cost-effective.
While having more channels was good, the issue was that the trading house couldn't produce that many goods. It was like staring at a treasure you couldn't reach—completely pointless.
Whether it was mid-tier magic armor shards or Fire Dragon Potions, the output of these items was very low, and only a tiny minority could afford them. The Candlelight Trading House could surpass the Sinking City Trading House mainly because of ordinary items like Light Stones.
What Feng Qianyu was doing was merely "adding flowers to brocade." Offering a 20% share was entirely based on future development potential, not the present.
"Guild Leader Black Yan is indeed very confident in the Candlelight Trading House. That puts my mind at ease," Feng Qianyu said with a smile, the corner of her lips curving upward. "Alright. As I said before, you name the price, Guild Leader Black Yan, and I naturally won't go back on my word. 20% it is. When the time comes, I'll have someone contact you secretly. Additionally, I'll provide intelligence on cities in other kingdoms and empires. If Guild Leader Black Yan wishes to expand into which major city, or needs anything, just inform him, and he'll arrange everything."