Chapter 166: VOL 3 - 4: A major player in a few decades.
"These are the results of my latest work with Manalite." Erik replied in a calm tone as he discreetly observed Desmond's curious expression. Then, pointing to the cloth, he added in the same composed manner.
"Try the fabric."
At Erik's words, Desmond took the cloth in his hands with curiosity, feeling its texture, softness, and resistance with his fingers. Once satisfied, he moved on to the next test, channeling his mana into the cloth and circulating it briefly. This caused the cloth to glow softly with an iridescent light before returning to normal.
"Its resistance is good, but its texture is a bit rough, and while its magic capacity is decent, it's still slightly lower than high-quality magical fabric." Desmond voiced his opinion, to which Erik nodded understandingly and then commented with a smile.
"Yes, I'm still working on it, but even so, as it is now, it has plenty of potential to find a place in the market and could even become a major player in a few decades."
"Really? With this level of quality?" Desmond asked, looking at Erik with a hint of surprise, prompting the star-haired youth to smile confidently and explain in a calm tone.
"And what if I told you that manufacturing it costs only one-third of the price of common magical fabric? Would you still think the same?"
"One-third...?"
Upon hearing Erik's words, Desmond couldn't help muttering softly in mild astonishment, then took another close look at the cloth, realizing that indeed, the price context changed his perception. He no longer viewed it as a high-quality fabric for mana users but rather an economical cloth for decoration or industrial purposes. Furthermore, such a fabric would have a huge market in less affluent factions, where magical cloth was a luxury few could afford.
Observing his "older brother's" expression, Erik opted for a brief silence, taking a sip of his tea and nibbling on a cookie, giving Desmond enough time to visualize what his words really meant. But without delaying too long, he quickly announced in a calm voice, delivering another blow to his fellow disciple's commercial ambitions.
"Actually, it's less than a third. I'm rounding that figure up because, in large-scale production, various factors like the production method, manufacturing efficiency, and transportation can slightly influence the final price. Even so, it would still be considerably cheaper than common magical fabric, and its production wouldn't rely on fluctuating harvests and other uncertain factors."