Sorcery Monarch

Chapter 58: Adam Smith's Ecstasy

 

"Life skills personnel: 53 intermediate recruits, 2 advanced recruits."

 

"Spent 500 gold coins, saved 760 gold coins."

 

"Manufacturing and technical personnel: 115 intermediate recruits, 4 advanced recruits."

 

"Spent 4,000 gold coins, saved 5,750 gold coins."

 

Ralph summarized the reports, looking at Adam Smith with undisguised admiration.

 

A merchant who saves the lord money is a good merchant.

 

But that wasn't all. Ralph glanced over the remaining records and quickly informed the lord:

 

"Additionally, Mr. Adam Smith has recruited 42 professionals!"

 

"30 first-level professionals, 7 second-level, 2 third-level, 1 eighth-level mid-tier professional, and 1 twelfth-level high-tier professional."

 

"The total cost was 2,000 gold coins!"

 

"The total amount spent on all recruits was 6,500 gold coins. Deducting 2,000 gold coins worth of goods, there is a surplus of 6,000 gold coins!"

 

Noticing Matthew's gaze on him, Adam Smith realized he'd made the right move, and his previously tense heart began to relax.

 

However, Matthew's next words caught him completely off guard:

 

"Well done. You can keep 3,000 of the 6,000 gold coins you saved."

 

Oh no!

 

Had he miscalculated?

 

Did he save too little?

 

Or did recruiting professionals without permission upset the lord?

 

What should he do?

 

Adam Smith looked up, suddenly feeling a chill run down his spine.

 

It wasn't an unreasonable fear—most spellcasting lords were notoriously domineering and hated it when others acted on their own initiative.

 

But then, Matthew raised his hand to stop Adam Smith from speaking, looking at him with admiration and continuing with a smile:

 

"Don't be so quick to refuse. You've earned it. In the future, if you complete your tasks successfully, you can make similar arrangements."

 

After confirming multiple times that Matthew was serious, Adam Smith let out a long breath of relief, noticing his palms were slick with sweat.

 

Soon after, a surge of joy filled him, as he admired and marveled at Matthew's generosity.

 

Earning 3,000 gold coins was equivalent to two or three years of hard work.

 

"But don't get too excited just yet. The tasks will only get harder from here, and the rewards even greater..."

 

Saying this, Matthew nodded toward Ralph.

 

Under Adam Smith's curious gaze, Ralph produced a small, clear vial of potion and handed it over.

 

"What is this?"

 

Adam Smith squinted, inspecting the potion that gleamed with a gentle luster.

 

He didn't dare open it for a closer examination but could tell from its color and the liquid's stability that he'd never seen this type of potion before!

 

An inexplicable excitement welled up inside him. He looked at Matthew with a trembling voice, asking:

 

"Could this be... a new potion?"

 

Without hiding his pride, Ralph stepped into the role of a storyteller and said in a lowered voice:

 

"That's right. This is a new potion created by the lord—Vitality Potion!"

 

"It works even better than a standard healing potion, capable of healing minor wounds, while costing only 60% of a standard healing potion!"

 

Better effect?

 

Lower cost?

 

His eyes widened instinctively, and Adam Smith suddenly felt that the 50-gram vial in his hand had become incredibly heavy.

 

"You can test it yourself when you return."

 

"This time, the lord is providing you with 400 bottles. If you sell them all within four days..."

 

"From now on, the lord will supply you with 1,000 bottles every half month."

 

Upon hearing Ralph's words, Adam Smith immediately stood up and pulled out a dagger.

 

But before he could cut into his arm, a flash of silver light darted through the air, knocking the dagger from his hand. In the blink of an eye, Ralph had sheathed his sword.

 

Ralph gave Adam Smith a stern look, pointing to the fallen dagger and scolding him as he awkwardly smiled:

 

"Don't try those little tricks in front of the lord!"

 

"You should be grateful that you've completed your task well."

 

"The lord greatly values talent, and now, you need to ramp up your recruitment efforts."

 

"By the way, bring over vagrants and slaves from the slums as well."

 

"Offer them land reclamation opportunities to attract them. For every person you bring, whether they're elderly, children, or young women, the lord will reward you with 10 silver coins..."

 

"And here's a list of supplies to purchase. The 3,000 gold coins you saved will be the first fund..."

 

"If possible, make sure to recruit a mid-tier druid next time and acquire more magical plant seeds..."

 

"..."

 

Overjoyed, Adam Smith felt dizzy as he exited the lord's manor, not even remembering how he got out.

 

He met the concerned gaze of his captain of the guard, felt the cool vial of Vitality Potion in his sleeve, glanced at the lengthy supply list in his hand, and shouted excitedly:

 

"Gather the team—we're heading straight back to Blood Moon City!"

 

Adam Smith could hardly wait. Despite the modest 50 silver coins price per vial of Vitality Potion...

 

Even the lowest-tier potions were always in short supply on the market.

 

Whoever controlled a steady supply of alchemical potions would hold a massive advantage in trade!

 

Even if sold at a loss, major merchants and guilds would regularly purchase batches of potions to attract customers, showcasing their wealth and strength.

 

Not to mention, the profit margin on Vitality Potions seemed even higher than that of healing potions!

 

Dreaming of a beautiful future, Adam Smith no longer wanted to waste any time on the road!

 

Watching Adam Smith's retreating figure, Ralph voiced a concern:

 

"What if someone manages to reverse-engineer the Vitality Potion from the seeds and ingredients?"

 

Thinking ahead, Matthew shook his head with absolute certainty and said:

 

"Don't worry, even if they knew the formula, they could never figure out how to brew it..."

 

He chuckled to himself, knowing that the hundreds of secure alchemical methods developed by players obsessed with profits weren’t so easy to crack.

 

Eyeing the long list of recruited talent, Matthew rubbed his hands together in anticipation and said:

 

"Now that we've got the talent, let’s get started!"

 

"And make sure to remind the soldiers—show no mercy to criminals who try to disrupt the peace!"

 

Tightening his grip on the hilt of his sword, Ralph, now a level 4 steward, responded with a cold, firm tone:

 

"Bay Village will be free of all crime!"