When Kings Meet

Well... it must be because business has been so good lately, taking away too much of the profits from everyone in town. The bigger the tree, the more the wind blows; fame attracts trouble...

"Well... unfortunately, Fitz just went out for lunch and isn't in the store right now."

The boss's mind raced as he nervously watched him, hoping the other party would back down and stop causing trouble. His only fear was exposing Fitz; he had never doubted Fitz's abilities.

But the other Apothecary who are respectable are all well-dressed and speak eloquently. Judging Fitz by those standards would only make him look like a poorly dressed man spouting nonsense.

"What bad luck... How about I come back later? I happen to be staying at the Inn right across the street, it's just a few steps away."

Wait, are you going to keep targeting Fitz?

The boss figured it out: Galan came to the shop today specifically to see Fitz.

Was I misled? It turns out all that time they spent talking to me was just them playing the emotional card?

In that case, I guess no matter what excuses I make, I won't be able to get rid of him.

Besides, I already said Fitz went out to eat, so it seems difficult to come up with a suitable reason. "What? I went out to eat? How come I didn't know?"

Just then, that voice, so familiar yet causing him immense distress, rang out behind him.

Wait, how did this guy get out? Didn't I lock the storage room door?

Fitz pushed open the half-closed door and walked out of the back room as if it were nothing.

The chicken coop above his head still looked quite stylish, and his face, which wobbled with each step, was covered in some strange-colored liquid.

The boss turned around and looked at him with a look of utter despair. He could no longer hide his little rascal (who hadn't actually been famous for long), and today he finally couldn't hold him back and he popped out from the crack in the rock.

Galan also glanced at him. In fact, he had just sensed that someone was listening to his conversation with his the boss behind that door, but judging from his reaction just now, this person should be the Apothecary.

Galan sized Fitz up and down; to be honest, this Fitz really did have the air of a medical student going crazy during finals week...

That unruly, messy hairstyle, that lifeless expression, those deep dark circles under his eyes, and that "intellectual" gaze—it's all so perfect!

This perfectly matches Galan's stereotypes about geniuses.

"Hey the boss, that's not very fair! The person is right here, why are you acting like you're hiding a treasure and not letting anyone see them?"

Baby?

The boss's eyelids twitched, but he didn't say anything more.

Now that things have come to this, we can't just kill him to cover it up, can we?

Let them chat. They're both Apothecary; they're bound to have something in common. "Master, could you perhaps show me some of your concoctions? As fellow Apothecary, we can exchange ideas."

Galan got straight to the point, stating his purpose and deliberately adopting a humble attitude. He said that he knew people in this line of work were very arrogant, after all, things are valued for their Priest. Apothecary, whose numbers were even fewer than monks, were sought after wherever they went.

Even when they encounter their peers, they find it difficult to let go of their long-cultivated airs; in short, they are a group of difficult people to deal with.

"Master? You want to see my work?"

Fitz's gaze towards Galan suddenly turned fierce, leaving him momentarily bewildered and unsure if he had said anything wrong.

And why are you focusing on the way we address each other?!

Shouldn't you be proudly showing me your work at times like this?

When Apothecary encounter each other, they often engage in subtle comparisons, either openly or covertly, by comparing the quality of the medicines they have prepared.

Galan had met other Apothecary before, but none of them had caught his eye.

After all, they couldn't even concoct the most basic Healing Potions, so it was almost impossible for them to make a name for themselves in this industry.

"Yes... right."

He could only politely agree, but he was clearly still getting impatient.

I went through all this trouble just to see you! Who isn't an Apothecary? Why the big fuss?

I'm telling you to show me the finished product, why are you staring at me like that?

Hmm, this is interesting...

Many"?""

What kind of reaction is that?

"No!"

Suddenly, he let out a loud, almost neurotic scream, startling the boss was sitting nearby drinking water.

What the hell?

"No, no, no! I haven't created a piece that I'm truly satisfied with yet."

"I haven't achieved my dream yet, and you'll definitely laugh at me if you see this defective product!"

"My goal is to create Rejuvenation Potion] people!"

Then, Fitz shook his head frantically, showing great resistance, and said some illogical things that were hard to understand.

Seeing his expression, the boss sighed softly. "Forget it... there's no need to look at your work anymore. If it were me, I'd probably think you're crazy and run away laughing at you behind your back..."

[Rejuvenation Potion]?

That's wishful thinking... How could taking medicine possibly achieve that?

Even magic might not be able to do something like this. Galan was stunned. Why was this person reacting so dramatically?

This is the first time I've ever seen this variety in all my years of life.

But the [Rejuvenation Potion]... that's interesting. He's someone with ambition.

Despite feeling that the man was somewhat mentally unstable, Galan still acknowledged his ambition.

The reason I said that no Apothecary could meet my standards was partly because those people were really not good enough, and partly because most Apothecary, after tasting the huge profits brought by commercialization, lost their exploration of pharmacology and alchemy techniques and just produced the same potions day after day like an assembly line.

Indeed, that could bring them immense wealth and allow them to enjoy a life of luxury, but it would also destroy the soul of alchemy.

"Don't be so nervous. I just want to see what kind of potion you can concoct. Anything is fine."

Seeing that the other person had calmed down again, Galan spoke to him in a tone as if comforting a child.

"I have a pot of freshly made Shrinking Potion... but I haven't tested its effectiveness yet."

"Hey! Why don't you use this time to restock my inventory?!"

Hearing that he had concocted Shrinking Potion, the boss lost his temper again.

You're really ruthless! I spent so much money buying you so many medicinal herbs, thinking I could make a fortune, but at most less than a tenth of them were used to make [Healing Potions ]. The rest were all wasted on making other things.