Arcane Innovator

The next few days were quite hectic, to say the least. First, I had to teach Theo and Hans the secrets of the elixir production so that we could finally start supplying Isadora with our new product.

I also received word that Alaric finished his background checks on those beast hunters I asked about. Not to mention there was also Jenny's request to travel to her former village in the mountains and make sure her parents were safe.

Although I promised her I would do it at the first opportunity I could, the money was, of course, a top priority for me, so I wouldn't leave the city until we had mastered the manufacturing process and Isadora's shelves were overflowing with our elixirs.

Besides, I also needed to hire those guards before I left as it will surely take me at least a few days, and without me, there won't be anyone to protect our assets and, most importantly, my sister from any potential dangers.

Thus, early in the morning, the next day after my midnight outing with Jenny, I, alongside Theo and Hans, could be found in the basement of my mansion busily working to craft batch after batch of elixirs so that we could begin shipping them to Isadora as soon as possible.

With each subsequent cycle, we got better and more efficient at it. Even Hans, after his initial fears subsided, quickly got used to his new role and filled and bottled vials like there was no tomorrow.

However, what surprised me the most was the small figure who promptly blocked my way to the kitchen as we left the basement for a lunch break.

I blinked a few times in confusion before realizing it was just Hans's little sister, Greta, with a determined-looking face. "I wanna help too!"

I smiled at her, pleased by her enthusiasm, before replying, "Well, I'm glad to hear that, but you are still too young for this, not to mention it will take some time before you are fully healthy, so in the meantime, why don't you, for example, go play in the garden?"

Greta pouted her tiny lips, which looked kind of cute and confidently proclaimed. "I feel a lot better already! Hans told me that he helps you make those yummy drinks that make me better, and I wanna learn how to make them too!"

Hearing this, I turned my head toward Hans, who looked down in embarrassment.

'Didn't he just promise me he wouldn't tell a living soul about this?' I pierced the boy with a cold gaze, and he quickly averted his eyes while acting like he didn't hear anything.

I simply shook my head, second-guessing my choice of a helper, but in the end, I decided to let it be as it was already too late to change my mind.

'It looks like the siblings didn't keep any secrets between themselves, so this is something I need to keep in mind...' I silently pondered while we ate.

After lunch, I decided to take both children to the basement as leaving Greta running about freely would pose a high risk of her spilling the beans about our operation to someone unwanted. And since she was so enthusiastic about it, I might as well let her try.

For the rest of the day, I carefully observed Greta trying her best to replicate what Hans was doing. Although she was a little bit clumsy at first, she was apparently a quick learner, and by the end of the day, her speed of filling the vials increased significantly, almost catching up to Hans - much to his dismay.

I smiled pleasantly, looking at the scene in front of me. 'Perfect; if we continue like this, we will soon be able to make a whopping three batches in a single day.'

I hummed a tune as I stacked the crates full of elixir on top of each other, ready to be shipped out the following day.

I didn't plan to perform any more demonstrations as I did back on the market. One reason was that I didn't want to bring too much attention our way after our recent blunder with the Alchemists, but also because it wasn't needed.

The main difference now is Isadora's own reputation. It was one thing trying to sell potions pretending to be simple merchants... However, with her being a reputable herbalist like she is, whatever she decides to put on the shelves, nobody will question its effectiveness or authenticity.

Happy with our progress so far, I left Theo in charge of the children and entrusted them with cleaning the lab. I then promptly exited the basement and briefly stopped in my room for a quick change of clothes before I could finally meet with Alaric to find out what he managed to get for me.

"Ah, Darian! It's good to see you." Alaric warmly greeted me. I smiled and greeted him in return before sitting in a chair in front of his grand desk.

"I have the information you asked for..." He continued and handed me a densely written piece of paper.

I studied it with intense curiosity. Jorn was apparently a nameless orphan who, despite his humble origins, was able to overcome many hardships and slowly worked his way up the hierarchy to become a party leader.

His records were seemingly impeccable, and no crimes were mentioned, which was kind of rare in his line of work. There was little information about the other party members, but they all seemed like experienced fighters.

The longer I read the letter in front of me, the broader my smile became. 'It seems I really struck gold with this one...' I thought pleasantly.

Armed with this newfound knowledge and lighter of a pouch of silver, I left the Merchant's Guild, and seeing it was already close to evening, I decided to strike the iron when it was hot.

Thus, with confident strides, I made my way right into the same tavern where I found Jorn previously, hoping I could make him my offer right then.

I found him at the same table in the company of Brunhilde and the others. This time, however, they all looked even more miserable and worn out than the last time I saw them.

I once again sat at the corner, and while pretending to drink, I silently observed them as I tried to devise the best way to approach them.

I noticed that Jorn wasn't smiling anymore but rather gloomily staring into his mug with slumped shoulders.

After a while, he sighed and said weakly, "I guess this is it... we gave it our best shot, but now we have no other choice but to accept the offer of that sly merchant." I could see the look of disgust on Jorn's face as he took a large gulp of mead.

Brunhilde leaned in and patted him on the shoulder. "Don't worry about it; you did your best. But now we must think about how to pay for our next meal."

Slowly, a subtle smile crept up my face. 'They seem to be really desperate. This will be even easier than I thought...'

I promptly got up from my seat and started making my way toward them. Since I overheard them discussing some sort of job, I decided to take action right now before they could make some bad decision.

"Hello there, might I have a moment of your time?" I cheerfully greeted them and sat beside Jorn.

I could see a mix of wariness and suspicion in the beast hunters' eyes as they measured me with guarded looks.

"What do you want?" Brunhilde spat out.

I simply smiled and tried to appear amicable. "I couldn't help but overhear you talking about taking a job. If you are still not fully decided, I might have an offer for you... I'm in urgent need of some guards, and you all look like a capable bunch."

Brunhilde scoffed and replied dismissively, "We're not intere..." But before she had a chance to finish, Jorn raised his hand and interrupted her. "What sort of job?"

Seeing the tiny flicker of interest in his eyes, I quickly tried to grab it. "It's a simple job, really. Mainly guarding a mansion in the Western Quarter and occasionally escorting a carriage within the city limits."

Brunhilde wanted to say something, but seeing her apparent indifference, I didn't give her a chance and quickly added. "This job also has excellent pay - one silver penny per day for each of you plus three warm meals a day for free and comfortable lodging alongside it."

They all widened their eyes at such an outrageous offer, as not even captains of the city guard were paid so handsomely.

However, such an expense was nothing for me, not to mention I was well aware from my memories of Earth's history that paying your soldiers generously was one of the best ways to ensure loyalty and obedience.

A broad smile instantly appeared on Jorn's face, his former gloominess nowhere to be found. "Only a fool would say no to such an offer!" he merrily exclaimed.

Brunhilde widened her eyes. "Wait! We can't accept a job we know nothing about! This all seems highly suspicious..."

Jorn simply raised an eyebrow before bursting into laughter. "Hahaha! You are always so tense! For so much money, I don't care even if I had to shuffle manure all day long... Besides, it can't be worse than that other offer we got."

In the end, Brunhilde simply shook her head in resignation. "Whatever, you're the party leader, so it's your choice. I just hope it won't turn out like last time..."

Jorn nodded with visible excitement. "Don't worry! I have learned my lesson, but this fellow looks like a decent person, and don't forget that I have a nose for people!"