She raised an eyebrow, gazing at him with inquisitive eyes.
"I would like access to the labs of the Elendir Institute of Magic for research and development activities conducted by Trinity Housings," Cæ continued, "in return for ensuring that it gets access to the same caliber of magical talent that it gets from the inner city. I think the impact of my contributions allows me to make this demand of you."
One of the reasons that he was making this demand of her was that Seliphaz could no longer utilize the labs of the Elendir Institute of Magic, having graduated and passed out of the institute.
Which meant that innovating for the future iterations of the project meant that they would need to spend an enormous amount of magicapita on future development and improvement of the Haven MHU-HSA23 product.
She shook her head. "Putting aside whether you are able to even fulfill your end of the bargain, you demand too much."
Cæ raised an eyebrow. "…Relative to the expenditure of the entire institute, I don't think what I'm asking for in return is particularly difficult."
"It's not the difficulty of actually allowing us to use the labs as a company, per se," she remarked, "but more so the pressure we will face from countless other R&D companies that will pressure us for access as well. We will suffer reputational losses and goodwill from the private sector if we selectively allow one or two exceptions to our refusal to engage with commercial ventures within our campus. I have allowed Miss Seliphaz to use our labs for the research and development of your company's housing prototype, but that was because she was a student at our institute back then."
Cæ wasn't surprised at her refusal for this rationale. "I would like to point out that I'm still a student of this institute."
"That means that you, personally, may use our facilities as you wish, too, but that doesn't mean that we will authorize your company to use our labs with external personnel to partake in our labs."
Her tone was unyielding.
She was not willing to cede any ground to him, and it became evidently clear that she was not willing to extend him any more generosity.
He could understand the rationale.
The powerhouses of the corporate sector had a stake in the Elendir Institute of Magic, after all. There was no doubt that they would not be pleased by the fact that the Headmistress of the Elendir Institute of Magic was depriving them of the right before turning around and giving it to some random small business.
"…What if Seliphaz took on the role of an assistant professor here at the Elendir Institute of Magic?" Cæ asked with a hint of curiosity, pondering her words. "I believe that assistant professors are allowed to use the facilities of the Elendir Institute of Magic, right?"
"Correct," Headmistress Lenolia nodded. "It is one of the reasons that our institute is one of the most highly sought places for teaching. Our professors are among the most sought-after professors in the entire world."
There were master mages among the staff of the Elendir Institute of Magic who spent their valuable time in the institute due to access to the facilities.
"There is fierce competition even for the spot of assistant professor," Headmistress Lenolia remarked. "Additionally, what we seek from assistant professors is communication and their ability to teach. Do you think Seliphaz would score particularly high in this regard?"
Cæ had to admit that she was not likely to do too well in this regard.
Communication was one of her greatest weaknesses, and she had a great aversion to attention. It had taken her months just to get used to Cæ and Feidin, let alone the other employees of the company.
"Alright, I will yield," Cæ heaved a sigh. "This deal is plenty good for me on its own."
She nodded with an approving smile. "Do not get too greedy, Mr. Cæ. I have been rather generous with these terms and conditions, albeit to compensate you for the trouble that you have endured because of the way that I had to initiate my plans. You are still young and have only just begun your path in magic, and you are assuredly destined to reach higher places."
"…Thank you for the kind words, Headmistress," Cæ remarked with a gracious tone.
He gazed down at the agreement contract set down on the table before him in thought.
He had already decided he wanted a piece of the pie.
It was too alluring not to accept; it drastically increased the growth, trajectory, and projected potential of the company in Cæ's mind. It could allow them to cover the entirety of the Colohen City in a really short timeframe relative to all his prior estimates.
If he could, he would have signed the contract right away.
But alas, he couldn't do that.
Both Seliphaz and Feidin owned stake in Trinity Housings, and while he still retained a majority stake, he still had a professional obligation to inform them of the decision and come to a shared decision based on a short vote.
The Headmistress was clearly aware of this. "You may not disclose the classified information to the other owners of Trinity Housings. You may only rely on the information you have before you in the contract."
Cæ's expression grew grim.
That wasn't going to be easy.
Without the key information that has changed his outlook on the matter, they didn't have much of a reason to believe that this was a good idea.
Cæ had rejected pretty straightforwardly, of course. He expected at least Feidin to do the same with the information that Cæ was allowed to present him.
'I'll need to figure out a way to convince him of the idea without this,' Cæ realized. 'However, I can't really lie to them either. I should convey what I need to convey without explicitly saying it.'
He gazed at her with a nod. "Understood, I will try my best to get them on board."
She nodded. "I hope you do. I do think highly of your venture in the slums of the nation. I think that your product has the ability to do much for them and elevate their quality of life significantly. Good luck."
It wasn't long before he departed from her office, swiftly heading back to his dormitory with a determined expression, immersed in thought.
"Big bro!"
He heard the voices of his young friends calling out to him.
"Come hang out with us!" they insisted, celebrating their little academic school year break.
They had each grown a bit taller since the last time he saw them, enthusiastic to see him as they approached him in the large, spacious corridors of the dormitory rooms of the Apprentice Program. Their casual attire was oddly out of place on them in his eyes, having seen them in uniform the entire year.
Cæ shook his head. "I'm really, really busy at the moment. I will have to hang out with you guys later."
And just like that, he rushed off back to his dorm room urgently, preparing for the company meeting that they had that day.
Less than an hour later, he found himself in the conference room of the Trinity Housings' headquarters.
Before him were Feidin and Seliphaz, gazing at him with an intrigued expression.
"What is it, Cæ?" Feidin readjusted his glasses, leaning forward with a curious gaze. "You seemed rather hurried on the phone. Did anything happen?"
He was the only one of them who insisted on wearing a formal shirt and pants to work each day, giving him a more serious air and vibe, like that of an actual manager, compared to Seliphaz.
She donned casual clothes: a blue T-shirt that matched the color of her hair, with a pair of denim shorts that reached her knees, making her feel slightly out of place next to Feidin. She, too, however, was interested in why Cæ had insisted on holding a meeting with them.
"This is what happened," Cæ remarked as he tossed two copies of the partnership contract that the Headmistress had given him before them. "I just came back from a conversation with the Headmistress of the Elendir Institute of Magic. She has made an extremely good partnership offer that I have found to be extremely compelling."
The two of them skimmed through the documents, spending several minutes reading the fine print as Cæ explained everything that the offer entailed.
"…She is willing to facilitate the secure distribution of our goods across the slums in exchange for your leadership of the… 'Outer District Talent Acquisition Program'…?" Feidin frowned. "Wait… I remember reading something about it in the Colohen Times yesterday. Isn't that the new equitist program that the Elendir Institute of Magic passed?"
Cæ nodded. "The Colohen Branch of the Elendir Institute of Magic has recently instituted a program that intends to acquire talent from the slums by conducting mass magic aptitude tests in the Colohen Slums. Given that the Student Council will be handling the execution of any and all policies of the Headmistress, she wanted a member of the council with experience and understanding of the slums to handle the entire process."
Feidin's eyes lit up with interest. "Incredible…! With the Elendir Institute of Magic, we won't have too much to worry about. As powerful as the Underworld and Colohen Mafia undoubtedly are, the Elendir Institute of Magic simply has more powerful mages among its ranks, including Master Lenolia herself."
Seliphaz simply stared at him with amazement. "Y-You really got offered to lead her program? That's amazing! It will reflect really well on your resume! I guess she really must trust you with it, given that she revealed it immediately after announcing your graduation."
Cæ nodded, trying to look sincere.
"I'm sure that must be it."
He wondered how they would react if he told them that his prior deal with her was the reason that she could even get away with the slum talent acquisition program. Regardless, he couldn't do that, for it would violate the non-disclosure agreement with the Headmistress in their previous agreement.
"Still…" Feidin stirred uneasily, "I actually don't think this is a particularly good idea with you, if I'm being completely honest with you."
Cæ stiffened.
There it was.
"For one, we are already targeting the wealthiest districts of the slums," Feidin reasoned. "Even if we get, say, a thirty percent boost, it's not worth the liabilities of you having to lead another project entirely. This whole slums acquisition business is going to be super grueling, you know? It's not worth it. It's best we focus on shifting our attention to another city."
Just as Cæ had expected, Feidin very quickly saw through the merits and demerits of the idea. It was precisely this quick-witted insight that Cæ had sought in him when offering him a job and stake in his company.
"…You have a good point," Cæ replied, "still, I think the brand awareness from having our product spread across the entirety of the Colohen Slums is worth the extra effort and time," Cæ replied. "Not to mention, the additional sales. Yes, I will be heavily burdened with a lot of work, but I don't particularly mind. After all, if I'm unwilling to work hard, I don't deserve success, am I wrong?"
Feidin frowned with confusion. "I don't understand, I thought we were quite clear and unanimous in our decision to target only the top ten percent of the Colohen Slums? The diminishing returns are not worth dropping the plan of moving and setting up shop in another city."
Cæ winced uncharacteristically. "Well, you're right. That was the plan, but…"
Feidin raised an eyebrow. "But?"
Cæ heaved a sigh, shaking his head lightly before gazing straight at Feidin with a powerful gaze.
"I just need you to trust me on this one, Feidin. We should accept this deal."
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