Yukino Yukinoshita heard Ren's words and said with a solemn expression, "Then we should take turns keeping watch, otherwise no one will get any peace."
This was crucial. By taking turns keeping watch and using meditation instead of sleep, two or three hours per person would be enough to keep everyone fully energized.
"It's fine, I just need to set up a barrier," Ren shook his head, casually mentioning it while flipping through the herbs in his hands.
They didn't need a night watch here. Ren knew barrier magic; setting up an early warning Magic Circle would suffice. This was one of the spells Jin-sensei had taught him.
The crowd was slightly taken aback upon hearing this, but quickly felt relieved. They figured the teacher had already instructed Ren in this area.
If that was the case, there wouldn't be any major issues. If monsters appeared, everyone could react immediately without needing a dedicated night watch.
Asuna and Yukino didn't dwell on the issue either, stepping forward to continue helping Ren process the herbs.
Perhaps because the area had already spawned monsters once, no new ones appeared for the next half hour. Meanwhile, the other classmates gradually returned.
Everyone's backpacks were stuffed full of herbs. They rushed over to Ren to exchange them for Red and Blue Potions. He was a man of his word.
He handed over the potions on the spot in exchange for their ingredients. In just this short amount of time, they had hauled back over a hundred pounds of herbs for him.
The Red and Blue Potions Ren had traded back from Asuna and the others were now completely distributed. After getting their potions, everyone looked at Ren expectantly.
"Do you still need more, Ren?" Sora giggled, smiling at the now out-of-stock Ren. If he still wanted more, she could keep gathering; he could just owe them the potions for now.
"Hold on a sec, let me check if you've gathered a complete set of herbs," Ren wasn't in a hurry. Instead, he began inspecting the variety of herbs they had brought back.
Many of them were indeed herbs, but currently useless to him. Still, Ren accepted all of them. After a quick check to ensure he had enough materials for the Red and Blue Potions, he said, "Keep gathering, but stay safe. Monsters are starting to spawn around here now."
Since he had enough materials, Ren could start brewing. He was going straight for the fruit-flavored Red and Blue Potions. As for the potions he had already traded away? No refunds or exchanges.
With Ren's go-ahead, everyone sprang into action, continuing to gather herbs for him. Meanwhile, Ren sped up his processing of the ingredients.
Then, he began concocting the liquid. Ren directly commandeered Asuna's pots and pans to hold the mixture. For the next few hours, the entire area was permeated with the sweet aroma of fruit juice.
Many returning classmates were full of question marks when they smelled it. What the hell was this? Why did it smell like fruit juice? And why was it coming from the potions Ren was brewing?
Good heavens, was this right? Were Red and Blue Potions supposed to smell like this? Was he just messing around? Seeing Ren's serious expression, many wanted to go up and ask what exactly was going on.
But seeing how focused he was, no one dared to interrupt. They decided to wait until he was finished. At that moment, Ren was fully concentrated on blending the extracted herbal essences into a concentrated Red and Blue Potion base.
Once that was done, Ren directly added water right in front of everyone, then began packaging it. The classmates watched the entire process in stunned silence. Someone finally couldn't help but ask, "Is this right?"
"Add water! I have to add water, it must be watered down!!" Ren nodded, his face deadpan and serious. How could it be wrong? Could an un-watered potion even be consumed? Therefore, it had to be watered down!
"No, wait? It's one thing that your potions taste like fruit juice, but you actually watered them down? Even scammers don't do it like this! I feel like you're ripping us off!" Watching Ren's series of actions, Sora couldn't help but complain.
Even if you're going to make counterfeits, you shouldn't do it right in front of everyone, right? You're not even going to pretend? Everyone suddenly felt that Ren was a massive scammer. How dared he be so brazen!
"Actually... Ren isn't doing anything wrong. I've seen Pharmacists brew before, and Basic Potions do indeed need to be diluted with water. I just don't know why Ren's potions smell like that." There was actually someone in the class who knew their stuff.
This student's statement immediately stunned everyone. Was that true? The crowd turned to look at the speaker. Leo couldn't help but ask, "Kai, are you saying there's nothing wrong with what Ren is doing?"
Hearing the name Kai, Ren couldn't help but look up. Seeing the petite, effeminate youth, Ren breathed a sigh of relief.
Good thing he wasn't the infamous meme legend he remembered from his past life. He had almost thought he'd become classmates with the guy. Turns out they just shared the same name. Still, for this little femboy to be named Kai? What a coincidence.
"Yeah, I can vouch for it. Watering it down is the correct method. I just don't know why it has that flavor," Kai was puzzled. The smell of Ren's Red and Blue Potions was just too weird!
"Of course, it's because I improved the recipe, which is why the flavor turned out like this. Don't worry, this stuff isn't poisonous and won't kill you. The medicinal effects are exactly the same, and it's fruit-flavored!" Ren smiled and explained to everyone.
Then, he pulled out the packaging bags he had stuffed away earlier and started packing. He bagged all the diluted potions and had Asuna and the others help distribute them to the crowd.
Everyone fell silent as they looked at the potions in their hands. Some simply opened them, took a sip, and hurriedly used their True Qi to absorb the effects.
"There's really no problem, and it actually tastes pretty good..." Sora muttered after finishing her drink. It actually worked? After drinking this, she suddenly lost all interest in normal Red and Blue Potions.
"By the way, Ren, since you can make this flavor, why weren't the ones you gave us earlier fruit-flavored?" Having confirmed there were no issues, Leo couldn't help but ask.
The potions they had received earlier definitely didn't taste like this; he had drunk one, and it was no different from the bitter ones sold outside. Yet now Ren was pulling out fruit-flavored ones. Was Ren using them for some weird experiment?
"Those were the ones I made when I first started. These are the upgraded versions, so naturally, they're better!" Ren chuckled. There was nothing to hide; he prided himself on his absolute transparency.
Everyone was speechless upon hearing this. So you were just clearing out your old inventory from the start?! Especially when they saw Ren had given Asuna, Yukino, and the others a share of the new ones, they were even more certain of this fact.
Just as Ren finished distributing the potions and was about to pack up his own stash, a pair of hands suddenly reached out from the side, grabbed a bottle of Ren's newly brewed potion, and drank it.
Ren and the others turned their heads, only to see several teachers standing there. The one who had grabbed the drink was naturally the biology teacher.
This was the very same teacher who had allowed Ren to acquire the [Spatial Perception] talent. After taking a sip of Ren's potion, he said with some surprise, "You're quite bold. You altered the recipe and didn't even test it?"
Seeing the teachers arrive, everyone hurriedly greeted them. Shin-sensei's words made Ren pause for a moment before he replied, "I've already calculated it. My recipe is flawless."
Hearing this, Shin-sensei found it somewhat amusing. "Sometimes being too confident isn't necessarily a good thing. However, these potions of yours are quite good. You've only altered the taste; the medicinal efficacy is perfectly fine."
As a Pharmacist himself, he could tell whether the medicine had any issues just from a single sip. As it stood, there were no major problems. If there was any issue, it was simply the taste.
This kid Ren had managed to alter the flavor of the medicine by adding several different herbs. He had to admit, the boy was a genius.
People had tried to alter recipes in the past, but the resulting concoctions were completely undrinkable. He could only chalk it up to the fearless ignorance of youth. Looking at Ren, he couldn't help but advise, "Once we get out of here, go register a patent for this. Don't let it go to waste."
Ren was taken aback. "I can register a patent for this? I just swapped out a few herbs!"
Ren genuinely didn't know you could patent something like this. If he really could, that meant serious money. Licensing it to a few companies would bring in a steady stream of funds.
"Of course you can. After all, this counts as an improved innovation and a new approach. Registering it as a patent is completely fine," Shin-sensei explained.
Naturally, whether anyone would buy the patent after it was registered was another matter. But someone would definitely buy Ren's. The efficacy was the same, but the taste was vastly improved. How could there be no demand for that?
"I see. I understand now. I'll look into it once we get out," Ren noted mentally after hearing the explanation. He would definitely register one once they left the Dungeon.
"But you should mentally prepare yourself. Your method of using alternative herbs to create special reactions will likely catch the attention of others. Once this gets noticed, expect a flood of other flavors to hit the market," Shin-sensei warned.
Once Ren opened this floodgate, all sorts of bizarre flavors would inevitably pop up. What the market would turn into was anyone's guess.
Hearing Shin-sensei's words, Ren was speechless, but thinking about the commonalities between his two worlds... it really wasn't impossible. As long as someone paved a new path.
Then, on this land, you'd be greeted by all sorts of relentless overachievers. It wouldn't be surprising if they researched and developed all kinds of bizarre things.
It was even possible that others could use different herbs to achieve the exact same effect as Ren's potions. After all, someone out there would eventually figure it out through trial and error.
Copycat competition was an eternal theme in the market, which was why Shin-sensei brought it up, telling Ren to prepare himself.
It was just like the current Basic Potions. When they first came out, they had patents too, but within a few short months, the original Red and Blue Potions lost their competitive edge.
Because cheaper, better alternatives appeared. A temporary lead didn't mean a permanent one. So the best course of action was actually for Ren to register the patent and immediately sell it off, letting the corporations cannibalize each other.
The alternative was for Ren to continue his research and register a whole series of patents to build a patent wall, making it impossible for anyone to break through.
But the time and energy required for that would undoubtedly be immense and terrifying. Shin-sensei didn't recommend Ren take that route.
Of course, he didn't say any of this out loud. These were things Ren needed to consider for himself. Saying too much might backfire, making him annoying or raising suspicions that he had ulterior motives.
Shin-sensei's words made Ren realize the situation. He stroked his chin and said, "So the best method right now is to just sell the recipe and the patent outright, and let those merchants fight it out among themselves."
Seeing Ren figure it out so quickly, Shin-sensei nodded in approval. A young brain was indeed sharp, grasping the core issue in an instant.
However, he didn't plan to interject any further, keeping his mouth shut to let Ren make his own decisions. How to handle it was entirely up to Ren.
"Does Shin-sensei have any recommended companies? A reliable one. I plan to just sell this thing off," Ren asked directly.
This teacher was a good guy, so he was trustworthy. He had probably deduced the recipe from just one sip. If he had any malicious intent, he could have just walked away and registered the patent himself.
He didn't even need to warn Ren. Such things happened all the time. Yet, after confirming the recipe, the first thing Shin-sensei did was tell Ren to register the patent once they got out.
"A reliable one? Just go straight to Baoshutang. They're trustworthy, and the government holds shares in it," Shin-sensei thought for a moment before giving his recommendation.
If you asked which place was the most reliable, who else could it be but Baoshutang? So approaching them directly was the best move. He believed they would offer a fair price.
Rina-sensei spoke up at this moment, unable to hold back. "If you trust the school, you can let the school negotiate on your behalf."
Ren was taken aback. The school could help with this? He looked at his homeroom teacher, Rina-sensei, in confusion. This was the first time he had heard of such a thing.
"The Principal gathered all you kids together with the intention of carefully cultivating you. If you need any help, just ask. If it's something the school can solve, we'll step forward and handle it for you." She wasn't just saying this to Ren, but to the other students as well.
The classmates were astonished. Although they had been assigned to this class and started enjoying its benefits, no one had ever told them about these other perks.
Ren thought for a moment before making his decision. "Then, Sensei, I'll trouble you to handle this matter for me. Naturally, I trust the school."
Saying this, Ren ran over, grabbed his pen and paper, and wrote down the two recipes. Who knew when he'd be able to leave the Dungeon?
Since the school could help handle it, he might as well leave it to them. Besides, it was just two recipes. Ren didn't believe the school would swallow them up over such a small profit.
If he went to negotiate himself, the results might not be as good as the school doing it. After all, having backing and having no backing were two completely different things. And that legendary Principal was undoubtedly a massive backing!
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