Selling Potions

"Are you here to sell potions, Aiven?" The two soon returned to the matter at hand.

Whew, finally back to business. Apothecary Link really is a chatterbox... Aiven smiled and nodded, taking the Healing Potions from his backpack and setting them on the table.

There were eight bottles of Healing Potion in total, all of which he had hurriedly brewed the night before.

Link nodded, picked up a bottle of Healing Potion, and opened it to take a sniff. His spirits lifted at once, but moments later, his brows furrowed again.

From the scent, he could only identify Orange Fruit in the potion, but that fruit was commonly used in potions.

Naturally, he didn't think Orange Fruit was the only main ingredient in the potion, but he couldn't make out any of the others from its smell.

Could the medicinal effects have blended together so perfectly that they masked the original scents...? Link thought, his admiration for Aiven growing.

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

Testing a potion was standard procedure, and Aiven naturally had no objections.

Holding a bottle of potion, Link went into the back room, where special instruments for testing potion effects were kept.

After getting everything ready, Link immediately began testing it. But the more he tested, the more astonished he became. Orange Fruit was the only ingredient he detected in the bottle.

Could it really have been made using nothing but Orange Fruit...? Link looked incredulous. Orange Fruit did indeed have stamina-restoring properties.

Although he couldn't identify the potion's ingredients, its effects were essentially on par with an ordinary Healing Potion. At least, he could confirm that much.

A special potion made from Orange Fruit that works just as well as a Healing Potion... Link shook his head again, feeling that he should leave the matter to his teacher.

After checking the potion over carefully once more, Link came out of the back room and nodded to the shop owner.

The shop owner brightened and smiled at Aiven. "At the market rate, a bottle of Healing Potion costs three silver coins..."

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

The shop owner's expression froze. He looked at Link as if he'd just eaten a dead rat, then added:

"Ordinary Healing Potions cost three silver coins, but Link thinks this one is worth five..."

He paused, then continued, "It seems Mr. Aiven's Healing Potion is much better than an ordinary one. Let's say five silver coins, then."

Link's a really good friend, but as a business partner, he's... Aiven watched the scene and shook his head slightly.

As a businessman, the shop owner had clearly wanted to drive down the price. After some haggling, they would probably have settled on four silver coins.

Since Aiven already knew the exact market price of a Healing Potion, he naturally wouldn't budge. He just hadn't expected the shop owner to be stabbed in the back by his own partner.

After some more discussion, they agreed on the final price.

He had eight Healing Potions in total. At five silver coins each, that came to forty silver coins, or four gold coins.

"Pleasure doing business." Link whistled, completely unaware of the resentful yet helpless look his companion was giving him.

"Likewise." Aiven smiled, but didn't immediately put the coins away.

Instead, he looked at the fruit nearby and continued, "Boss, what do you do with the fruit that goes bad?"

The shop owner looked puzzled, unsure why Aiven was asking. "Throw it away, of course. We run an honest business here. We'd never sell rotten fruit."

"Throw it away..." Aiven smiled faintly, then added, "Would you be willing to sell it to me at a low price?"

At that, the shop owner grew wary and lowered his voice. "You're not planning to repackage the fruit and sell it again, are you?"

Link looked over, too. He'd never heard of anyone buying rotten fruit.

"Don't worry. I just want to use it to make a special potion." Aiven smiled as he explained, leaving the two even more confused.

You can make potions from rotten fruit? Would anyone really be able to drink something made that way? Could it kill them?

Seeing their confusion, Aiven spread his hands. "Of course I wouldn't make people drink it. This potion is for monsters."

Only then did the two look a little less uneasy. Certain monsters could indeed consume these special potions, such as poisonous ones.

"I have to get rid of the rotten fruit anyway, so take as much as you want," the shop owner said generously. "But I have one condition..."

Just as I thought. He really is a shrewd merchant... Aiven had already seen through the shop owner's true nature, so he wasn't surprised. He simply gave him an expectant look.

The shop owner smiled mysteriously, then suddenly pulled out a pen and paper and handed them to Aiven. "Mr. Aiven, would you be interested in joining our little shop?"

Aiven was taken aback, but quickly understood that the shop owner wasn't referring to the fruit stand. He meant this apothecary contact point.

He naturally had no reason to refuse. The connection would benefit him, allowing him to exchange ideas and trade materials with others there.

"This place is a contact point for apothecaries."

"Apothecaries can brew potions here, accept and post commissions, or sell potions."

The shop owner smiled smugly. "Of course, there's a fee for all of that, but the rates are very reasonable."

What a shrewd businessman... Aiven thought. Of course, it was a win-win arrangement for apothecaries, too.

After all, not every apothecary had the energy to run their own potion shop. They had to spend a great deal of time brewing and researching potions.

In that situation, the shop owner acted as a middleman, making things much more convenient for both apothecaries and their customers.

"How much do you charge for accepting and posting commissions?" Aiven asked smoothly.

The shop owner seemed to have been waiting for him to ask. He smiled and held up one finger. "Ten percent. No matter what it is, I take ten percent."

As expected of a shrewd businessman... Aiven was silent for a moment, then smiled. "That's very reasonable."

"Hey, I know what you're thinking, but time is what matters most to an apothecary, isn't it?" The shop owner shrugged.

Aiven had to agree. Many apothecaries spent far more time gathering ingredients than brewing potions.