Soaring Prices

Soaring Prices

Alchemy City had once been the wealthiest city on the continent. The people who lived here carried a certain pride, even if they were merely workers tightening screws in an Alchemy Factory. They walked the streets with their heads held high.

Whenever they encountered outsiders like Amber Xiu, their eyes would unconsciously take on a trace of arrogance, as if they were looking at country bumpkins who had come to Alchemy City to take advantage of it.

But today seemed different. Pedestrians kept their heads slightly lowered, no one lingered by the roadside to chat, and everyone hurried along as if they did not have a moment to spare.

The shops lining both sides of the street, which should have been bustling with activity, were now more than half shuttered at a glance. Quite a few even had rental notices pasted on their doors.

"Is Alchemy City really about to go bankrupt?"

Amber Xiu thought carefully. Over the past few years, all kinds of Magic Materials had begun to rise sharply in price, while export volumes had plummeted.

But things had seemed sustainable before. How had Alchemy City's economy deteriorated this badly after only two years without him coming here? No wonder they had imposed such a heavy Tax Increase. Perhaps they really had reached the brink of collapse.

Amber Xiu had no mood to wander around. He headed straight for the tower that looked like a lump of green shit. Because its shape resembled the result of a failed Healing Potion refinement, the locals called it the "Green Healing Tower."

Ugly was merely the tower's exterior. Its interior was quite stylish.

Since Alchemia's alchemists could not change the tower's appearance, they had gone to every effort to make the interior décor look understated yet luxurious, full of elegance and artistic flair. This had turned the seven ugly towers into a distinctive feature of Alchemy City.

But upon closer inspection, most of the attendants looked listless, some shops were tightly shut, and trash even remained in the corners of the floor. In the past, they had practically polished the floors into mirrors.

The more Amber Xiu looked, the more he felt that something was seriously wrong with Alchemy City. He did not have time to investigate and went straight to the place selling Magic Seeds.

Amber Xiu had come to buy seeds today. He needed crops for the subjects who would soon arrive. But since they would be farming on a lich's territory, he needed special seeds. On the entire continent, only this shit-colored tower had what he wanted.

Humans needed vast amounts of food to survive, and farming had always been the most important form of production. Thus, Alchemy City had developed many Enchanted Seeds with different effects. There were Oats that could be harvested soon after planting, Beets sweeter than sugarcane, potatoes so drought-resistant they could even be grown in deserts, and more.

Unfortunately, most could only be planted once. The resulting crops would quickly lose their enchantment afterward. But that suited a Lord as penniless as Amber Xiu perfectly. He wanted to settle people's hearts and help them adapt to their new territory as quickly as possible. Food that was easy to plant and quick to mature was the best choice.

Unfortunately, Amber Xiu truly knew nothing about farming. Otherwise, he would have simply summoned Magic Crows to place an order. Precisely because he did not understand it, he had to come in person and ask the staff here.

Amber Xiu browsed for several rounds and found that every type of Enchanted Seed was advertised as peerless under heaven, as if it could yield a harvest even if planted in midair.

That was the trouble with not knowing the trade. Amber Xiu did not know any friends who understood farming, so he could only pick a few varieties and hope for the best. But when he asked about the price, the politely smiling attendant quoted a number that shocked him.

"What? A hundred Gold Coins? That expensive? Are you robbing me?"

Two bags of fast-growing Enchanted Seeds actually cost one hundred Gold Coins. That amount could buy enough of the cheapest low-grade grain to feed several hundred people for a year. It was nearly five times the previous price.

The attendant immediately dropped her smile and said coldly, "How is that expensive? It was already this price last year, and it hasn't even gone up this year. Don't talk nonsense, all right?

"Besides, our Enchanted Seeds aren't made from that cheap stuff. They're all genuine quality goods. This price is already very cheap. If you can't afford them, maybe you should consider whether the problem is with you."

Amber Xiu expressionlessly reached out and flicked the magic bell on the counter.

A puff of smoke emerged from the bell and formed into a tiny humanoid figure. In a mechanical tone, it said, "Bell Sprite Number 996 at your service. May I ask—"

Before the sprite could finish, Amber Xiu said, "Complaint. Bad attitude."

The attendant immediately grew agitated and tried to explain.

But Amber Xiu gave her no chance at all. He turned and left, then heard the sprite say, "Customer complaint received. Failure to obtain forgiveness. Thirty percent of this month's wages deducted."

Damn, thirty percent deducted!

Alchemy City really had gone broke.

Amber Xiu left the tower with a heavy heart and began to worry. Prices in Alchemy City had risen to a terrifying degree. The Living Mercury Solution he had ordered earlier might not be obtainable for twenty thousand Gold Coins.

Should he forfeit the deposit?

No, absolutely not.

The thought of losing money made Amber Xiu feel awful all over. He absolutely could not forfeit the deposit, and he absolutely could not take a loss.

Amber Xiu decided not to wait for them to deliver it. He would go collect it himself.

Leaving the Green Healing Tower, Amber Xiu entered another black tower that resembled a mangled corpse. This shape was the most common failed result of Bio-Alchemy experiments: the test organism would be blown into a charred, indescribable mass.

But precisely because it was so iconic, anyone could tell at a glance that this was where they practiced Bio-Alchemy.

He entered through the doors, went straight into the most luxurious hall, and found an attendant dozing off.

Amber Xiu said directly, "I placed an order yesterday for one bottle of Living Mercury Solution. I'm here to collect it."

Read the error-free version at Yiyikan!

The attendant checked the records, then said, "Oh, found it. One bottle of Living Mercury Solution, priced at thirty thousand Gold Coins. Will you be paying in cash or by note?"

"How much?!" Amber Xiu asked in disbelief.

The attendant repeated, "Thirty thousand Gold Coins."

"Wasn't it only eighteen thousand Gold Coins before?"

"That was last year's price," the attendant said expressionlessly. She had begun to think the customer before her could not afford it, and her attitude immediately worsened.

Amber Xiu had thought he could make a small profit, but now he was going to lose ten thousand Gold Coins instead. How could he tolerate that?

"Can't you give me a discount?" Amber Xiu asked.

"A discount is impossible. The price will probably go up again after a while."

Amber Xiu said strangely, "If you keep raising prices, won't you lose even more when you can't sell them?"

Hearing that, the attendant said mysteriously, "It's not as though there are no discounts, but..."

Amber Xiu immediately became interested and quickly said, "How much after the discount?"

"Only five hundred Gold Coins."

Amber Xiu was instantly stunned. This was not a discount at all. They were selling fake goods, weren't they?