Chapter 26: The First Delivery
In one corner of the room, red packets of medicine were piled high like sacks of grain.
"Sixty packets... No, there are some left over."
After counting them, Elliott found that he had produced more than seventy.
His failure rate had fallen sharply, leaving him with more ingredients than expected and, consequently, more finished products.
Elliott rose and stretched.
Crack. Crack.
His joints cried out, but his body felt lighter than ever.
Was it because of the Painforged trait?
Even after forcing himself through several nights without proper sleep, his Mental Power was clearer than before.
'Today is the delivery day.'
Elliott picked up a fragment of broken mirror from the corner.
A man's face appeared in its hazy surface.
"..."
Elliott examined himself from several angles.
Part of the change came from washing away the grime accumulated over the previous months, but he also looked like a different person.
The greasy hair that had once hung over his forehead was now neatly swept back.
Confidence filled his formerly hollow eyes, making them shine brightly.
His jawline had grown sharper, and even his skin carried a faint healthy sheen.
'I look... reasonably presentable.'
Elliott chuckled and put down the mirror fragment.
Becoming more attractive was pleasant, but it would not put food on the table.
What mattered was skill.
And money.
He opened the Spatial Pouch fastened at his waist.
Hum.
The spatial compartment opened, and the medicine packets piled across the floor were drawn inside one after another.
Sixty packets of Blood-Staunching Powder.
Along with several extra packets, just in case.
Elliott put on his outer robe and opened the door.
The morning sunlight poured across his face.
"Time to go."
At the Hundred Herbs Apothecary, Arum sat in his office struggling with the account books.
Every time his fingers moved the beads of the abacus, another crease seemed to appear between his brows.
Clack. Clack.
"Haa, this is troublesome."
Arum released a long sigh and set down his brush.
The figures in the ledger did not lie.
From the outside, the Hundred Herbs Apothecary appeared stable, but beneath the surface, its condition was steadily worsening.
The greatest problem was the shortage of alchemists.
"Those bastards at the Golden Dragon Apothecary have no sense of honor."
Recently, his competitors had begun expanding aggressively.
By offering higher payments, they had started luring away the alchemists who worked with Arum.
'We will pay twenty percent more than Arum.'
Tempted by that offer, nearly one-third of the alchemists had abandoned him like a retreating tide.
As a result, the quality of the apothecary's products had begun to decline.
'The medicine is not as effective as it used to be.'
'My stomach felt heavy after taking it.'
Customer complaints had increased, and sales had begun to fall gradually.
"At least there is one fortunate thing..."
Arum's gaze settled on the Blood-Staunching Powder entry in one corner of the ledger.
'I managed to establish a relationship with Master Alchemist Elliott.'
The Blood-Staunching Powder Elliott had agreed to supply was like rain after a long drought.
Its quality was superior to the previous products, while its price remained reasonable.
Arum could earn a considerable profit from it.
The same would apply to the Antidote Pills and Vitality Pills.
However, Arum was a merchant by nature.
Rather than satisfaction, he felt thirst.
'It is not enough.'
Blood-Staunching Powder and the other medicines were merely inexpensive consumables sold in large quantities.
They would not bring him a true fortune.
The products that generated real wealth were cultivation pills, which Adepts consumed constantly.
Medicines such as Mana Gathering Pills.
Arum smacked his lips regretfully.
"With his skill, he could probably produce several kinds of cultivation pills flawlessly."
He recalled their previous conversation.
Elliott had said that his methods differed from those commonly used and that he required an alchemical formula to serve as a reference.
Arum was merely the owner of a single branch. Naturally, he did not possess any of the secret formulas passed down through the main family.
But could he truly allow a goose capable of producing golden eggs to make nothing but Blood-Staunching Powder?
Greed and calculation flashed in Arum's eyes.
'I need to invest.'
One had to spend money to earn money.
By searching the black market or the hidden auctions in the back alleys, he might be able to obtain an unverified alchemical formula without a clear origin.
The seller would undoubtedly demand an outrageous price, and trusting an unverified formula carried considerable danger.
But with Elliott's nearly miraculous judgment and skill?
Even if Arum handed him a crude and incomplete formula, perhaps Elliott could improve it into something perfect.
'Yes. I should take the risk.'
Even if it cost a considerable number of mana stones, he needed to obtain a formula.
If he presented it to Master Alchemist Elliott and secured a steady supply of cultivation pills, the resulting profits would be enormous.
"Shrank! Contact the information broker in the back alleys later and..."
Just as Arum reached his decision and began giving instructions, a clear chime broke the silence of the apothecary.
Ring!
At the same moment, Arum sensed a familiar presence.
The Mana was faint, yet it carried a uniquely calm and weighty feeling.
'He has arrived.'
Arum shot to his feet so quickly that his chair toppled behind him.
He threw open the office door and hurried outside.
"Welcome, Master Alchemist!"
The worried expression he had worn while studying the accounts had vanished.
In its place was the brightest merchant's smile imaginable.
The transaction was quick and straightforward.
Elliott took seventy-two packets from his Spatial Pouch.
Sixty were the amount required by the contract, while the remaining twelve were additional products he had brought in case Arum wished to purchase them.
Arum repeatedly expressed admiration for the quality of the red medicine packets, but he did not lose the cold judgment of a merchant.
"Master Alchemist, the products are excellent. However, Blood-Staunching Powder remains an emergency consumable. The market can absorb only a limited quantity."
He looked over the additional packets.
"This time, I will purchase all twelve extras. Beginning with the next delivery, however, supplying more than the agreed amount may become difficult."
Elliott understood the importance of managing inventory, so he nodded without complaint.
Payment was settled immediately.
Fifty packets of High-Grade Blood-Staunching Powder at twelve mana stones each.
Twenty-two packets of Mid-Grade Blood-Staunching Powder at four mana stones each.
A total of six hundred and eighty-eight mana stones.
Only ten days earlier, Elliott had been a penniless debtor living in the slums.
Now, he had earned a sum that would once have seemed impossible.
Elliott tapped the heavy pouch at his waist as he left the Hundred Herbs Apothecary.
His next objective was cultivation.
With the limited Mana of a One-Star Adept at the Second Stage, even powerful Arcane Spells would be nearly useless in a real battle.
He desperately needed cultivation pills.
However, Elliott ignored the products displayed inside the Hundred Herbs Apothecary and walked directly into the street.
'I should purchase them from another apothecary.'
Arum believed him to be a high-ranking alchemist.
If a man of such apparent status purchased low-grade cultivation pills intended for a One-Star Adept, he would reveal the weakness he had worked so hard to conceal.
It would destroy the mysterious identity he had created.
Elliott's steps naturally turned toward the Golden Dragon Apothecary.