Selling Potions

"Aiven, are you here to sell potions?" Soon, the two returned to the main topic.

Phew, finally back to business. This Apothecary Link is quite the chatterbox... Aiven smiled and nodded, placing the Healing Potions from his backpack on the table.

There were a total of 8 Healing Potions, all of which he had rushed to make last night.

Link nodded, picked up a bottle of Healing Potion, and opened the cap to sniff it. His spirits immediately lifted, but after a moment, his brows furrowed again.

From the scent alone, he could only identify that the Healing Potion contained Orange Fruit, but this type of fruit was commonly used in potions.

He naturally wouldn't assume that Orange Fruit was the only main ingredient in this potion, but he couldn't discern any others by smell.

Could it be that the medicinal effects have fused too perfectly, masking the original scent...? Link thought, his admiration for Aiven growing.

"I need to test the potion's effects."

This was the normal procedure for potion testing, and Aiven naturally had no objections.

Carrying one bottle of the potion, Link entered the back room, where there were special instruments specifically for testing potion effects.

Ready, Link immediately began the test. However, the more he tested, the more astonished he became. In this bottle of potion, he could only detect Orange Fruit.

Could this really just be made with Orange Fruit...? Link looked incredulous. Although Orange Fruit itself did have restorative properties.

Even though he couldn't determine the potion's ingredients, its effects were essentially the same as a regular Healing Potion. He could confirm that much.

To create a special potion equivalent to a Healing Potion using only Orange Fruit... Link shook his head again, feeling that this matter should be left to his teacher's judgment.

After carefully examining the potion one more time, Link walked out of the back room and nodded to the shop owner.

The shop owner's eyes lit up, and he smiled at Aiven, "According to market price, one Healing Potion is 3 silver coins..."

But before the shop owner could finish speaking, Link, standing beside him, suddenly shook his head and reminded him, "Mr. Hawk, it should be 5 silver coins."

The shop owner's expression froze. He looked at Link with the expression of someone who had just eaten a dead mouse and added:

"A regular Healing Potion is 3 silver coins, but Link thinks it's worth 5 silver coins..."

He paused and continued, "It seems Mr. Aiven's Healing Potion is much better than a regular one, so 5 silver coins it is then."

Link is really good to his friends, but as a business partner, he's quite... Aiven watched the scene unfold, shaking his head slightly.

As a businessman, this shop owner clearly wanted to haggle the price down. After some bargaining, the price would likely end up at 4 silver coins.

Knowing the exact selling price of Healing Potions, Aiven wouldn't back down. He just hadn't expected his partner to directly stab him in the back.

After further discussion, both parties settled on the final price.

He had 8 Healing Potions in total, at 5 silver coins each, which came to 40 silver coins, equivalent to 4 gold coins.

"Pleasure doing business with you," Link whistled, completely unaware of his companion's hateful yet helpless gaze.

"Mm, pleasure doing business with you," Aiven smiled, but he didn't immediately put away the gold coins.

Instead, he looked at the fruits on the side and continued, "Boss, what do you do with your fruits if they go bad?"

The shop owner looked confused, not understanding why Aiven was asking this. "Of course, we throw them away. Our shop runs on a conscience; we'd never sell rotten fruit."

"Throw them away..." Aiven smiled slightly, then added, "Could you sell them to me at a low price?"

Hearing his words, the shop owner suddenly became vigilant and whispered, "You're not thinking of packaging these fruits and selling them again, are you?"

On the other side, Link also looked over. He had never heard of anyone buying rotten fruit before.

"Don't worry, I just want to use them to concoct a special potion," Aiven explained with a smile, leaving them even more bewildered.

Rotten fruit can be used to make potions? Can potions made this way actually be drunk? Won't people die from drinking them?

Sensing their confusion, Aiven shrugged, "Of course, I wouldn't let anyone drink it. This potion is for Magical Beasts."

Upon hearing this, their expressions eased slightly. Some special Magical Beasts could indeed consume these special potions, such as those that were poisonous.

"Since I have to dispose of these rotten fruits anyway, just take them," the shop owner said generously. "But I have a condition..."

As expected, a shrewd merchant... Aiven, having seen through the shop owner's shrewd nature, was not surprised and assumed a listening posture.

The shop owner smiled mysteriously, then suddenly took out paper and pen and handed them to Aiven, saying with a smile, "Mr. Aiven, are you interested in joining our little shop?"

Aiven was stunned, then realized that the "little shop" the owner was referring to was not the fruit stall, but this Apothecary's contact point.

He naturally wouldn't refuse. Having this connection would be beneficial to him, allowing him to exchange materials or communicate with others here.

"This is a contact point for apothecaries."

"Apothecaries can come here to concoct potions, accept and release commissions, or sell potions."

The shop owner said with a proud smile, "Of course, all of this comes with a fee, and the prices are very reasonable."

He's a shrewd businessman... Aiven thought to himself. Of course, this was also a win-win situation for apothecaries.

After all, not all apothecaries had enough energy to manage their own potion shops; they had to spend a lot of time concocting and researching potions.

In such cases, the shop owner acted as an intermediary, providing many conveniences for both apothecaries and customers.

"I wonder what the fees are for accepting and releasing commissions," Aiven asked, seizing the opportunity.

The shop owner seemed to have been waiting for this question. He smiled and held up one finger, "A ten percent cut. No matter what, I get ten percent."

As expected of a shrewd businessman... Aiven was silent for a moment, then smiled, "A very reasonable fee."

"Hey, I know what you're thinking, but for apothecaries, isn't time the most important thing?" the shop owner shrugged.

Aiven wholeheartedly agreed with this point. Many apothecaries spent far more time collecting materials than concocting potions.