The issues Orphelia raised were ones Lilian had indeed considered.
After all, she truly intended to make a proper business out of this.
Though her main goal was to pay off those 300 gold coins,
since it was possible to make money, she might as well do it right.
Even if the income was hardly significant for the Count’s estate.
She could just treat it as pocket money for herself and Elenora, couldn’t she?
When she had some money, she could even prepare a small gift for Elenora or something like that, couldn’t she?
Lilian was really looking forward to Elenora’s reaction upon receiving her gift.
She would surely be very cute.
So, not just for herself, but also for Elenora, she had to do this well.
To make money!
If you set aside what’s written in criminal law, what’s the most profitable way to do business?
The answer, of course, is Monopoly.
To reap excessive profits through Monopoly.
But, in her previous life in modern society, every country had its own Anti-monopoly Law.
Here, though, was the Dawn Empire, with no Anti-monopoly Law.
Orphelia was even a member of the Royal Family.
Could there be any more legitimate Monopoly than this?
Orphelia frowned, noticing how happy Lilian was right now.
What was she so happy about?
Lilian ignored Orphelia’s reaction.
She was ready.
“Lia, first I need to correct something. What we need to consider is not whether the capital has enough stock to meet production needs, but whether we can control the entire empire’s supply of coffee beans—those so-called sour beans.”
The whole empire?
Orphelia unconsciously sat up straighter.
She had originally thought Lilian only wanted to run a small-scale, modest business, but it was clearly not the case.
Lilian’s ambitions were much greater than she’d imagined.
“The reason nobody cares about coffee beans now is that everyone treats them as a rare medicinal ingredient, and everyone pays too much attention to stimulating ways to stay awake, like Spicy Leaf Tea. Those who can afford Stimulant Potion wouldn’t consider alternatives.”
That was certainly true. Stimulant drinks hadn’t changed in centuries. People had come to accept that only a few things could boost alertness.
Orphelia nodded.
“And this is our opportunity!” Lilian clenched her fist.
“Opportunity?” Orphelia was beginning to be drawn in by Lilian’s words.
“Yes, before any possible competitors realize what’s happening, we need to quickly secure all known collection areas and transport routes. That will guarantee us an initial advantage.
If this was in my previous life, I’d need to worry about breach of contract.
But here—
First, Orphelia is a member of the Royal Family. If someone dares breach a contract…
Well, they’re just asking for death.
Second, there is God in this world. The gods watch over contracts.
So most people won’t dare to break them.
Heavens, Lilian had never imagined she’d encounter such perfect conditions for doing business.
“As for the taste, Lia, you’re right too. The current ‘Potion Soup’ is indeed hard to swallow, but it’s only an experimental product to prove coffee’s effects.”
Lilian gave a sly grin.
“Lia, do you think water tastes good?”
“…What?” Orphelia couldn’t keep up with her train of thought.
“Water itself has no flavor. But add sugar, and it becomes sweet water; add juice, and it’s fruit punch; add tea leaves, and it’s tea. By the same token, coffee can be mixed with all sorts of things.”
“Add milk, and it becomes Latté. Add cocoa, and it’s Mocha. Add ice—well, iced coffee.”
—You couldn’t really call it an iced Americano here.
These were products chosen by people in her previous life. Maybe not the most suitable, but certainly not wrong.
Lilian believed these flavors would meet people’s needs.
“As for technology, there’s nothing we can do about that—people always find ways to break through technical barriers.”
“We can only try to delay that moment as long as possible.”
And the best way was—
“Production Line.”
“That’s a very good idea, but it’s still a bit early to talk about that now.”
Currently, the only results in the coffee field were Lilian’s concept and the bottle of coffee extract she held.
“In any case, Lia, you just need to know that I have ways to delay that situation.”
“All those issues can be solved by others sooner or later. So the most important thing, in the end, is the matter of Brand.”
“Brand… What does that mean?” Orphelia understood the importance of technology, but the word ‘Brand’ was utterly foreign to her.
Lilian didn’t answer directly, but instead posed a question.
“Lia, let me ask you this. Is an ordinary piece of parchment worth the same as one stamped with your father, Her Majesty the Emperor’s Seal?”
Orphelia answered almost without thinking: “Of course not. The latter represents the will of the Royal Family and holds supreme authority.”
“Exactly.” Lilian snapped her fingers. “The parchment itself is worthless, but the Emperor’s Seal gives it credibility and authority. What people trust is not the paper, but everything that Seal stands for.”
“The same logic applies.
“A Brand is like the Seal we stamp on every bottle of coffee.”
Lilian stretched out her finger and tapped on the coffee extract jar she’d brought.
“A unique emblem will be printed here. When people see this symbol, it will be as if they see the Emperor’s Seal, and they will trust its quality without question.”
“That is a Brand.”
Lilian explained it very clearly.
Orphelia understood the meaning of Brand almost instantly.
She quickly digested everything, feeling as if a new world had opened up before her.
Orphelia couldn’t help but feel a bit entranced, gazing at the girl before her whose dark green hair seemed to shine with confidence.
She grew ever more certain that Lilian was a gift bestowed on her by the heavens.
So intelligent, so charming.
Lilian shouldn’t just remain by Elenora’s side—she deserved so much more.
“As for how to build a Brand and develop it, I won’t go into detail now.”
“In short, our goal is not just to buy enough coffee beans, make a finished product, and then sell it. Our goal is to become the face of coffee itself—whatever we say goes in this field.”
Coupled with Princess Orphelia’s status, it was like having the referee jump into the game—others didn’t even stand a chance.
Lilian was certain that the success of the coffee business was already set in stone.
There was no way anything could go wrong.
“But,” Orphelia thought for a moment and raised a question, “you’ve only talked about the initial supply of coffee beans.
“Let’s suppose the beans near the capital last us a month—no, two months. What then?”
“In the early stages, we can buy coffee beans from scattered sources. But later on, we’ll need our own Plantation,” Lilian replied. “If we want to establish a Plantation, we’d best start preparing now. Coffee beans grow best in high-altitude areas with big differences between day and night temperatures…”
“A Plantation is also crucial. When those greedy for profit go to great expense to barely copy our products, they’ll realize—
—they can’t buy any raw materials at all. We control the supply channels and have already set up Plantations, so we become the sole providers of the raw materials.”
And those who could afford to build Plantations would disdain such a business.
After all, these people had never seen just how terrifyingly profitable a mass-market beverage could be.
“Wait.” Lilian suddenly realized, “Lia, you mean…
You agree?”
It seemed all her explanations weren’t for nothing.
Orphelia didn’t answer directly. Instead, she gave Lilian a playful smile.
She had, after all, found a flaw in Lilian’s plan.
Then she walked over to the desk, took out a sheet of pristine letter paper, and swiftly wrote something on it.
She went to the window, opened it, and tossed the letter out.
“Whoosh—”
The letter shot away into the distance.
She returned to Lilian’s side, picked up the slightly cooled teacup from the table, and took a delicate sip.
The future Lilian described was certainly wonderful, but there was one key question Lilian hadn’t considered.
“Lilian, have you ever thought about this: where will the Plantation land come from?”