The mercenary group's long-term meal ticket
Finn Liver has been walking with a swagger lately. Although his success rate in drawing "Gentle Breeze Talismans" remains consistently low, and he has repeatedly failed and been left battered and bruised when drawing the complex "Spirit Gathering Talisman" that Ling Yao gave him, this has not affected his good mood in the slightest.
The reason is simple: the "Oriental Secret Medicine" shop is booming!
All of this is thanks to Berg, the mercenary whom Ling Yao rescued from the clutches of a swamp crocodile, and his grateful and business-savvy squad leader, Ron.
After Berg recovered from his injury and returned to the team, he practically became a living advertisement for "Ling's No. 1" stamina potion. He would boast to everyone he met about how miraculous the dark potion was, not only for its powerful and long-lasting effects, but also for the lack of the depleting side effects of ordinary potions, which had pulled him back from the brink of death.
What do mercenaries and adventurers, professions that live on the edge, value most? It's these life-saving and recovery items that can save their lives in crucial moments! A price 50% higher than standard potions? Absolutely no problem! Life is far more valuable than money!
As a result, the Iron Shield Mercenary Group became a loyal customer and made regular purchases. The news quickly spread within the mercenary community, and many people, hoping to give it a try, sought out the "Eastern Secret Medicine."
At first, they were apprehensive when they saw the bare little shop and the excessively young apprentice. But after they actually tried the amber-colored potion, all their doubts vanished into two words—"It's amazing!"
The effects were indeed as rumored, and even better. The gentle yet thorough recovery brought a long-lost sense of comfort to these men who were exhausted from years of travel.
The word-of-mouth effect was astonishing. One person told ten, ten told a hundred, and the "Eastern Secret Medicine" and its miraculously effective amber-colored potion quickly became well-known among mercenaries and adventurers around Academy Town. Orders poured in like snowflakes; although each order was small, the sheer number of people doing it made up for it.
Finn was completely spinning like a top. Not only did he have to attend classes and study his constantly exploding runes, but now he was also responsible for purchasing materials, brewing potions with the array-engraved crucible, receiving customers, collecting money and keeping accounts... He was so busy that he barely had time to breathe, but he enjoyed it.
Watching his purse gradually bulge, and seeing those burly mercenaries address him politely as "Brother Liver," an unprecedented sense of accomplishment filled his heart. Following Miss Ling, there really is a future!
Ling Yao was quite pleased with this outcome. She only needed to occasionally check the quality of the potions produced by Finn in batches, and most of the time she remained in the back room, studying magic cores, flipping through spellbooks, or trying to guide the elemental energy of this world, although progress was slow.
The increase in wealth meant she could buy more and better quality magic cores. Although it was still a drop in the bucket, it was better than nothing. She even asked Finn to inquire about some rare materials that sounded more energy-rich, but unfortunately, they were either ridiculously expensive or simply unavailable.
That afternoon, the small shop welcomed a VIP guest—Barton, the vice president of the Academy Town Mercenary Guild, a burly, middle-aged man with a scar on his face. He had been recommended by several mercenary group leaders to personally investigate this suddenly appearing "miracle potion."
Vice President Barton was a straightforward man, not one for empty formalities. After entering, he first scanned the still shabby little shop with his sharp eyes, and then, under Finn's tense gaze, directly ordered a bottle of "Ling's No. 1" and downed it on the spot.
After swallowing the medicine, Barton closed his eyes and carefully felt it for a moment, then suddenly opened his eyes, a glint of light flashing in them.
"Excellent medicine!" His voice boomed, making the small shop buzz. "The effect is solid, with a strong aftereffect, without any of those fancy but ineffective remedies! It's far superior to the standard medicine supplied by the guild! Who made this medicine?"
His gaze swept over the nervous Finn, then fell on Ling Yao, who sat calmly playing with stones in the back. He already had a guess in his mind. This apprentice didn't seem to have this ability; it seemed the key was the mysterious girl in the back.
Finn quickly explained using the story he and Ling Yao had previously agreed upon: "It's our shop's exclusive recipe... Ms. Ling provided the technical guidance, and I was responsible for the refining..."
Vice President Barton waved his hand, interrupting Finn directly: "Alright, kid, stop with the nonsense. Our Mercenary Guild wants this potion! From now on, our guild will buy all of this kind of potion from your shop! The price will remain the same as it is now, how about that?"
Finn nearly jumped for joy upon hearing this! The Mercenary Guild had bought it all! This was a large, long-term, and stable order! Their financial resources would definitely take another leap forward!
But he wasn't blinded by greed, and cautiously said, "President Barton, thank you for your high regard! However... our current production is limited, so perhaps..."
"You'll have to figure out the production problem yourself!" Vice President Barton said domineeringly. "Whatever materials or manpower you need, just tell our union! We can provide some advance payment support! But I have one condition—"
He paused, then turned his gaze back to Ling Yao, his tone becoming serious: "The quality must remain consistent! Absolutely no inferior products allowed! If I discover any reduction in efficacy or any problems, the union's accountability is no joke!"
Ling Yao, who had remained silent until now, finally raised her head and glanced at Vice President Barton. Although she couldn't understand everything he said, she could sense the sincerity and warning in his words.
She nodded slightly to Finn.
Finn immediately understood and patted his chest to assure her, "President, rest assured! The quality is absolutely guaranteed! Miss Ling personally oversaw the process!"
Thus, a landmark collaboration for "Oriental Secret Medicine" was reached in this humble little shop. Vice President Barton acted swiftly, signing a simplified agreement on the spot and leaving a substantial initial deposit.
After seeing off Vice President Barton, Finn clutched the heavy bag of gold coins and magic cores, his hands trembling and his mouth agape.
"We've struck gold... Miss Ling! We've struck gold! A long-term order from the Mercenary Guild! Now we'll never have to worry about not having enough money to buy materials again!"
Looking at the bag of magic cores, Ling Yao felt a little happier. She picked out a few of the best quality ones and put them in her pocket, then tossed the bag back to Finn, pointed outside, and made a gesture that said "expand," "buy tools," and "recruit people."
Finn immediately understood: "Miss Ling, you mean, expand production? Buy better tools? Or hire a helper?"
Ling Yao nodded approvingly. This kid may be a bit slow, but he's quite quick to understand.
With the financial backing, Finn's efficiency skyrocketed. He immediately went to the alchemy workshop, gritted his teeth, and bought a larger, higher-quality brass crucible. He even had someone meticulously inscribe Ling Yao's improved "micro-stabilizing array" on the bottom of the crucible. He also ordered a large quantity of basic medicinal herbs and even reluctantly hired a junior apprentice from a poor family who was quick and efficient to handle the herbs and do chores like cleaning.
"Eastern Secret Medicine" is no longer Finn's one-man show workshop; it is beginning to take the shape of a proper shop.
However, as business boomed and wealth accumulated, new troubles quietly emerged.
First, some unfamiliar faces began to appear at the entrance of the small shop. They were no longer just mercenaries and adventurers. Some well-dressed people, who looked like managers of some merchant guilds, would also wander around the area, looking at this suddenly rising shop with shifty eyes, wondering what they were up to.
Secondly, the consumption of materials has increased dramatically. Although ironthorn grass is abundant, the increased demand and frequency of purchasing other auxiliary medicinal materials inevitably attract market attention and may even lead to some minor price increases.
Finally, and most importantly—Finn felt like he was about to die from exhaustion! He had to teach classes, study runes, manage production, and serve customers; he wished he could split himself in two! His dark circles were practically touching the floor.
Looking at Finn's near-death state, Ling Yao felt a rare pang of "capitalist" conscience. After thinking for a moment, she called Finn over again.
This time, instead of drawing new, complex runes, she picked up a charcoal pencil and drew several extremely simple basic rune structures on the paper, which seemed to contain some kind of "lightness" and "refreshment" meaning, much simpler than the "Gentle Breeze Rune".
She pointed to Finn's heavy dark circles and his arm that he could barely lift.
Finn stared blankly at the few ridiculously simple runes: "Miss Ling, this is..."
Ling Yao made a "stick to body" gesture.
With some skepticism, Finn drew one of the runes on a sticky note, then infused it with a tiny bit of magic and slapped it onto his arm.
The runes flashed briefly before vanishing, and the paper turned to ashes.
But Finn suddenly felt his arm lighten, and the soreness and fatigue he had felt were relieved quite a bit! Although the effect was slight and short-lived, it was definitely helpful!
"This...this is a talisman that can relieve fatigue?" Finn was both surprised and delighted. Although the effect was not as good as a stamina potion, it was much simpler to draw! And the success rate was high!
Ling Yao nodded. This kind of lowest-level "fatigue-relief talisman" was something even outer sect servants in the cultivation world wouldn't bother using, but she never expected it to come in handy here.
Finn was overjoyed and immediately began mass-producing these simple "fatigue-relieving charms." Although each charm had a weak effect, the sheer number of them allowed him to cover his entire body and barely sustain his intense work. The new apprentice also received a few charms, which significantly improved his work efficiency.
The small shop operated haltingly amidst this busy, fulfilling, and slightly chaotic state. Looking at the ever-filling money box and magic core box, Ling Yao finally felt she had begun to gain a foothold in this world.
But she didn't know that all of this "prosperous scene" was being meticulously recorded by a pair of cold eyes in the shadows.
In the courtroom office, Silas looked at the latest report's descriptions of "massive procurement by the Mercenary Guild," "shop expansion," "huge cash flow," and "drawing new, simple evil talismans for enslaving apprentices," and his cold smile deepened.
Expanding their power, accumulating wealth, manipulating people's hearts, and even starting to use evil magic to control their subordinates...
This heretic's power is expanding rapidly, like a tumor!
We must act quickly.
He picked up his pen and wrote a single word heavily on the execution instructions for the "Catalyst" program:
"speed!"
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