Arcane Innovator

When the last potion was purchased, and I looked at the empty table in front of me, I couldn't help but smirk as, at that moment, I felt nothing but satisfaction by how everything turned out. This went even better than I thought it would.

I still couldn't quite believe it; almost 500 potions were gone in a flash. 'It's a shame the Autumn market is only once a year...' I thought while grinning from ear to ear.

But no matter, we already made quite a profit, and if we manage to ramp up the production even further, we will soon be swimming in silver.

But to do that, we must secure a steady supply of herbs and vials and a few workers who will help us with the production.

The herb issue should be easy to solve. I exchanged a few words with one of the traveling merchants who bought potions from us not too long ago, and I managed to schedule a meeting with him this afternoon.

He is part of a Caravan regularly traveling to the Kingdom's capital. I was hopeful I could order a large shipment of herbs when they returned to Ereneth in the spring.

The vials are also not a huge problem. Since the identical vials are used for basic potions, elixirs, and other medicinal substances, they were already made in substantial quantities, so the glassmaker could quickly fulfill our request. At worst, we can also order them from another city.

However, the most challenging part would be obtaining the workers. Sure, we can get someone from the streets very easily if we pay them well enough, but what would stop them from simply selling out our secrets at the first opportunity?

Loyalty is a finicky thing, and gaining someone's respect is a long and arduous process. There are, of course, ways to deal with any traitors afterward, but it wouldn't solve the main issue as the damage would already be done.

Moreover, as there are exceptionally few written records kept about the commoner population of the city, it would be tough to do a thorough background check on someone, so we could as well hire some spy sent out by the Alchemist Guild or someone else who might want to learn our secrets.

'What to do... What to do...' I pondered as we packed up our little stall, preparing to return to our residence.

Then I paused as I remembered the orphans who used to roam the streets of the Northern Quarter when I lived there. 'Hmm, that could work...' I thought as a subtle smile formed on my lips.

If I, for example, approached some starving orphans and offered them delicious food and a warm bed, I'm sure they would be more than thrilled by the prospect.

Sadly, I couldn't adopt any of them as I'm still a minor. But then my smile widened as I realized something.

'Helga certainly could...' I thought with excitement. She's a kind girl, so it wouldn't be out of character for her. In fact, it would be the most charitable thing to do, and helping some poor orphans would help significantly boost our public image.

The orphans themselves would undoubtedly be very grateful to us. They would be more than eager to help us in any way, and I might just know the perfect way by which they can repay our kindness.

Nobody would be looking for them since they have no family, so I could keep them hidden in my mansion where no one could get to them to pry out any information about our operations.

And the best part about this is that I won't have to pay them much in the first place, so it wouldn't impact our bottom line.

'That's actually the closest to a perfect solution I could think of...' I hummed a happy tune as I was more than excited. I figured out all our current predicaments, and now that I have plenty of coins again, I could take our little alchemy startup to a whole new level.

However, my happiness didn't last for long. When we were packed up and ready to head back home, I noticed several shady-looking figures quietly observing us from a corner of a narrow alley adjacent to the Market Square.

'Hmm, I wonder who sent them?' I smiled mischievously. I knew our potential adversaries wouldn't let us move about freely for too long, so I was unfazed by their appearance.

'Whatever, let them watch for now...' I thought as the bustling marketplace disappeared behind us as our wagon slowly bumped along the uneven road.

***

"Be welcomed, Master Darian; I'm glad you could meet us at such short notice..." An older merchant in expensive-looking clothes greeted me warmly.

"My name is Clovis, and I'm the representative of our Caravan." He said as he gestured for me to sit down. We were in a private snug in one of the city's best inns in the Southern Quarter. He then turned and promptly introduced the other two men who were there with him.

"You already know Amand." He said while pointing at a young man in his twenties who smiled at me widely. It was he who bought potions from us earlier and also he who suggested we should meet with his colleagues.

"And this old gentleman on my right is Hugo." I nodded at the old man, who looked like he had his best days after him but still had the shrewd look of an experienced merchant.

I was facing them alone as Theo didn't want to deal with such things and opted to stay back at the mansion, which I didn't mind as I was used to such dealings.

Clovis then turned back to me and said, "We heard from Amand that you would like to do some business with us, and we'd be more than honored to offer you our services."

"I'm glad to hear that. I heard that you originate from the Kingdom's capital and have access to its vast markets. And I'd like to procure a large shipment of umbrifila." I replied with a smile.

"How large are we talking?" The older merchant Hugo interjected.

I pretended to think about it for a while before finally replying, "About twenty thousand herbs should be enough for now."

This prompted all of them to widen their eyes. "That much? I'm afraid that such an amount would take a significant effort to obtain even for us..."

I smirked inwardly as they basically said it wasn't a problem at all, but they wanted a lot of silver for their troubles.

"I know I'm asking for a lot, so what about I paid you an advance in potions? I'm sure that by now you could see their effectiveness for yourself, and given their low price, you can turn them over for a large premium in some other city."

They didn't respond at first, seemingly thinking about it, but seeing the apparent greed in all their eyes, no words were needed. It was more than obvious that my offer was very enticing to them.

In the end, Clovis looked in turns at both Amand and Hugo, and they both gave him a subtle nod. He then looked back at me with a bright smile playing on his lips. "There is no reason for us to turn down such a profitable agreement."

I almost couldn't contain my glee hearing his words. I just managed to secure a mind-boggling amount of herbs, and it didn't cost me even a single grain of silver.

Of course, my offer was far from advantageous for me as they could potentially gain a much bigger profit than if I simply paid them in coins. However, I didn't mind it at all. I can churn out as many potions as I want if I have enough ingredients.

The main issue was distributing them, which was a lot harder, thanks to all the provisions and regulations in place. If I could simply play the role of a wholesaler and transfer the issue of selling them to someone else, I wouldn't mind getting less profit.

I also couldn't tell them I was now totally broke and couldn't pay them in the first place. Even though we made quite a profit this morning, if I subtract Theo's share, all my other expenses, and my mansion maintenance cost, I only have a little left, not to mention having enough silver to purchase such a mountain of herbs.

Thus, I happily shook hands with Clovis and his associates. At the same time, we were both excited about the fantastic deal we just made, although both for different reasons.

I returned to the mansion, pleased by how well everything was going, but my smile soon froze on my lips as shortly before it was time for dinner, we received a visitor.

And it was not any regular visitor but the esteemed Leopold von Scholl, the chancellor of the Alchemist Guild himself.