Finn's Sales Miracle
The story of the apprentices from the Inquisition's humiliating defeat somehow spread within a small circle of the academy. Although the versions varied—some said the Inquisition members slipped and fell flat on their faces, others said the owner of the "Eastern Secret Medicine" shop used some unknown Eastern magic trick—the result was the same: Inquisitor Silas's first attempt had been a resounding failure.
This inadvertently shrouded the "Eastern Secret Medicine" in an even more mysterious veil, causing Finn to feel a greater sense of apprehension in the prying eyes as he walked through the academy, and he stood even straighter.
Business remained booming, with orders for "Radiant Skin Dew" pouring in from the aristocratic circles and stable demand for "Ling's No. 1" from the mercenary guild. But Finn was not satisfied; his inherent entrepreneurial spirit had been fully activated, and he spent his days thinking about exploring new markets.
The opportunity soon arrived as the end of the semester approached.
The final exams at Rockefeller School of Witchcraft and Wizardry were as brutal as a small-scale war. The library was overflowing with students, and the corridors were filled with students clutching thick law books and chanting incantations. Dark circles under their eyes were a standard feature, and anxiety was spreading like a plague. Sales of various stimulant potions and memory-enhancing incense skyrocketed, but their effects... were mostly just psychological comfort.
Finn himself was also part of the exam preparation team and deeply understood this pain. Staying up all night memorizing complex spell sequences and magic circle diagrams left his head feeling heavy as if it were filled with lead, and his efficiency was absurdly low.
That night, while tending the crucible to refine a new batch of "Ling's No. 1," he was also engrossed in studying "Intermediate Element Theory" until he was dizzy and couldn't help but lament, "If only there were something that could keep me awake all night and keep me full of energy..."
Unintentionally, Ling Yao, who happened to be coming out of the back room to get something, overheard this and casually said, "The Heart-Clearing Pill might work."
She spoke in Chinese, which Finn naturally couldn't understand, but he remembered the sound of "dan," which seemed to be related to Miss Ling's magical potions? He immediately perked up and leaned forward eagerly, asking, "Miss Ling, what dan did you just say? Is it something that can boost your energy?"
Ling Yao glanced at him, recalling the most basic Mind-Clearing Pill that low-level disciples in the cultivation world often used when they stayed up all night to cultivate. That thing could slightly dispel fatigue and clear the mind, and its effect was so mild that it had almost no side effects, belonging to the category of "health products" in the cultivation world.
Too lazy to explain, she casually picked up a piece of scrap paper from the side and drew a picture of a "calming flower," an auxiliary ingredient often used in the making of calming pills—this flower is very common in this world and is also used in some calming medicines; Finn's herb warehouse has quite a lot of it in stock.
Finn immediately understood; the boss was developing a new product again! He immediately ran off to fetch the Tranquilizing Flower.
Ling Yao looked at the pile of calming flowers; their quality was average, but it was enough. She asked Finn to bring a small medicine mortar, tossed the calming flowers and some other common herbs with mild invigorating effects into it, and then gently pressed them with her finger through the air—
There was no magical fluctuation, but the herbs in the mortar were instantly ground into an extremely fine and uniform powder by an invisible force, and thoroughly mixed.
Next, she took some honey as a binder, and with nimble fingers, as if rolling pills, she quickly rolled the powder into dozens of small, dark green pills, slightly larger than grains of rice, emitting a faint, cool fragrance. The whole process was fluid and graceful, with an indescribable sense of rhythm.
"Take one or two pills each time with warm water." Ling Yao stammered out a few words in broken Mainland Common Language, one of the few practical phrases she had recently learned from Finn.
Finn carefully took the small pills, feeling their faint coolness as he inhaled them, and did feel his mind clear up a little. Without hesitation, he tried two pills himself first.
After swallowing the pill, a gentle, cooling sensation slowly spread from my stomach to the top of my head. The drowsiness from staying up all night vanished quickly, as if brushed by a gentle breeze, and my mind became clearer, making it easier to concentrate. Although I could still feel physically tired, the mental fatigue was greatly reduced.
"Amazing!" Finn slapped his thigh, his eyes shining brightly. "This is much more effective than those energy drinks! And it doesn't have that heart-pounding tension! Miss Ling! This is absolutely a lifesaver for students preparing for exams!"
He immediately began a frantic process of brainstorming and packaging ideas.
"Qingxin Dan? That name is too straightforward, not powerful enough! We need to change it... Hmm... let's call it 'Dongfang Zhihui Wan'! It means that taking it will increase wisdom and make exams easier!"
"The packaging needs to be changed too! Use the cheapest dark wooden boxes, with the word 'secret' engraved on them, to make them look mysterious and high-end!"
"The slogan is... 'Mysterious wisdom from the East helps you conquer the exam and say goodbye to the anxiety of staying up all night!'"
"As for the price... it can't be too cheap, or it'll seem cheap, but it can't be too expensive either, since students are poor... so let's set it... set it at three times the price of a regular energy drink!"
Ling Yao had no interest in his business plans; as long as it didn't interfere with her collecting magic cores, she let him do whatever he wanted. She yawned and went back to her room to continue studying her ores.
With tacit approval, Finn immediately began his sales miracle.
He first approached the student union officer in charge of procurement—a senior student who was also overwhelmed by final exams and had dark circles under his eyes.
Instead of directly selling, Finn first gave the other party a small box of "Eastern Wisdom Pills" for free, mysteriously instructing, "Senior, try this. It's our store's latest research and development of an Eastern secret medicine, specially designed to cure all kinds of problems during exam preparation. You'll know how effective it is once you use it."
The senior student was skeptical, but decided to give it a shot and tried taking two pills while studying that night.
The result was predictable. While it didn't actually increase wisdom, its significant effects of refreshing the mind and relieving anxiety were like a godsend for students struggling to avoid failing their courses!
The next day, the senior student, sporting slightly lighter dark circles under his eyes, excitedly approached Finn and immediately ordered fifty boxes! He even recommended them to various exam preparation groups in the name of the student council!
The influence of the student union is enormous. Soon, news that "Oriental Secret Medicine" had released a magical "Oriental Wisdom Pill" that could keep students alert and focused even when studying late into the night spread like wildfire among students preparing for exams.
Initially, many people were skeptical, thinking it was an exaggeration. But they couldn't resist the enthusiastic recommendations from classmates who had tried it:
"It really worked! I read 'The History of Ancient Magic' all night last night and didn't feel sleepy at all!"
"It works much better than coffee! Coffee makes me feel anxious, but this doesn't!"
"I feel like my memory has improved... Is it just my imagination?"
Where can I buy it? In that corner on the third floor of the library?
As a result, the small shop experienced a new surge in customers. This time, it wasn't the rugged mercenaries or reserved noble servants who came, but groups of students with haggard faces and eager eyes. They crowded into the cramped shop, holding up their hard-earned pocket money, vying to buy the small, dark wooden box.
"Give me one box! No! Two boxes!"
"Finne, do you still have any left? I'm just one last round of reviewing 'Fundamentals of Alchemy'!"
"Can I exchange it for a photocopy of my notes? I have the professor's highlighted notes from last year!"
Finn was so busy he was dizzy, his hands were sore from collecting money, and he was all smiles. He had to temporarily hire another student to be in charge of packing and selling the "Wisdom Pills," and the shop was filled with a faint, cool medicinal fragrance all day long.
The sales volume was so large that it even squeezed out some of the production capacity of "Ling's No. 1" and "Yingjilu". Finn had to adjust the production plan and work day and night to make pills... uh, to direct his apprentices to make medicinal paste and then make pills.
The huge demand also brought some minor annoyances. Students would often try to haggle or barter for other items. Finn skillfully used his sales talent and interpersonal skills to handle these situations flawlessly.
"Junior, it's not that I don't want to give you a discount, it's just that these medicinal herbs are all from a secret Eastern recipe, and the cost is very high!"
"Trade it for a magic notebook? Uh... let me see... tsk, this notebook is too old. How about this, since you're so sincere, how about one silver coin?"
"Buy five boxes and get a free 'Gentle Breeze Talisman'? Deal!"
He even launched "group purchase discounts" and "exam cram packages," bundling "wisdom pills" with simple runes that had negligible effects but seemed interesting, to further stimulate consumption.
The shop's wealth accumulated again at an astonishing rate, and Finn was laughing in his dreams as he counted the magic cores.
Ling Yao remained indifferent to all of this. She only cared about two things: first, whether the quantity and quality of the magic cores Finn handed in on time had been compromised; and second, the surveillance cameras outside the store seemed to have become more anxious and intense due to the large influx of students.
She could sense that Judge Silas, like a wolf lurking in the shadows, was patiently waiting for his next opportunity. Perhaps he would interpret the students' fervor as another form of "seduction"?
However, the current chaotic situation is not entirely bad. At least, the constant flow of students provides cover, making it difficult for those monitoring them to find another opportunity to attack.
Ling Yao picked up a blue magic core of exceptionally high quality that Finn had presented as a tribute, feeling the cool energy fluctuations within it, and decided to temporarily put aside those troubles.
When soldiers come, we will meet them with generals; when floods come, we will dam them with earth. The most urgent task is to enhance our strength.
She glanced at Finn, who was bustling around outside, yet incredibly energetic, and suddenly thought that having this troublesome guy around... wasn't so bad after all.
At least, the speed at which you can make money is indeed much faster.
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