Before the New Year

Wednesday, December 3, 1346

Since Altair found a substitute herb in the Underground Market of the "Evil Dragon Bar" seven days ago, she has increased the production of "Special Formula Potion".

At first, she was worried about whether she could sell all the extra medicine she produced. But after only two days, her worries disappeared.

Perhaps because the drug is indeed "effective," people now approach Altair whenever he appears on the streets of the North Borough to inquire about or purchase it.

No matter how many doses of medicine are taken out that day, they will definitely be sold out in less than three hours.

During this period, some even suggested that they could spend a lot of money to have her customize a batch of even more effective and stronger drugs.

However, Altair found it troublesome and refused to commission a custom product, citing his limited abilities and inability to create enhancement potions.

Because once Altair accepts a custom-made potion, it means that he has to start a separate operation, prepare a separate batch of herbs, and cook a separate pot.

Although it's very profitable, Altair isn't selling these potions for profit.

She made and sold these potions to play the role of a "Witch," not a "Merchant."

Instead of wasting time, it would be better to brew a large pot of the regular version of the potion. That way, neither time nor herbs would be wasted.

Of course, increased production also means increased demand for medicinal herbs. So Altair's visits to the "Evil Dragon Bar" have gradually increased, from once every two days at the beginning to once a day now.

Recently, Altair has practically emptied out the medicinal herbs in the underground market of the "Evil Dragon Bar".

This is not to say that the market is only so small. The main reason is that it is approaching the New Year, and most workers are gradually going on holiday, so even if Merchant have medicinal herbs, they cannot transport them in.

In normal times, herbal medicine Merchant would have already sourced the herbs from various places and delivered them to Tingen City. After all, Altair never haggles when buying herbs; she will buy them if she feels the price is right.

As for the price of medicinal herbs, to be honest, those Merchant wouldn't be "smart" enough to stubbornly inflate prices simply because Altair never bargains.

This is, after all, an "official" controlled market. If someone is found to be arbitrarily raising market prices, they will definitely be asked to leave.

Once you're out there, it will be very difficult to find a market that offers both protection and "legitimacy."

But the Merchant wouldn't waste this opportunity to make money. After several transactions, they gradually figured out Altair's trading habits: as long as you said a few nice words and didn't offer too high a price, she was willing to make a deal.

Around noon, after selling all his potions for the day, Altair went to the market at the "Evil Dragon Bar".

She looked at the middle-aged man packing the herbs and asked, "Is this your last batch of stock? If I offer a high price, could you get me a batch of herbs from somewhere else?"

"Beautiful lady, you jest." The Merchant, head bowed, finished packing the materials, then looked up, smiled at Altair, and explained:

"With the New Year approaching, everyone is busy celebrating. Look at this market, there are hardly any people doing business."

"After finishing this order with you today, I'll officially begin my annual leave. Whether I'm rich or poor, I'm going home for the New Year."

"If construction resumes, it will have to wait until after January 6th next year."

"It'll be 5 pounds 3 soli in total, you can just pay me 5 pounds."

Upon hearing this, Altair took out a five-pound note from his pouch, handed it to Merchant herbalist, and picked up the packaged paper bag.

Just as she turned to leave, she heard the Merchant behind her say, "Wait a moment, ma'am."

Before she could react, the Merchant appeared, producing a package wrapped in brownish-yellow kraft paper, and handed it to Altair, saying, "These are cookies my youngest daughter made with oats and milk. Please have a taste."

Looking at the "unusual" shaped biscuits in front of him, Altair smiled politely and said, "Your daughter is so kind. May I try one?"

"Of course." After saying that, the Merchant opened the bag of cookies completely and pushed it forward.

Altair picked up a biscuit casually, put it to his mouth, took a small bite, and began to savor it. As he ate, he thought, "Although the biscuit's shape isn't great, the baking texture is really good. It's quite dry and crispy, with a slight caramelized edge, and the grain flavor is very strong. After a few more bites, you can taste a subtle sweetness."

After tasting the cookie, Altair remarked, "She's very talented; these cookies are delicious."

"Of course, I've always been proud of her; she's always had a great talent for this." The Merchant was delighted to hear the praise.

After a few words of casual conversation, Altair accepted the biscuits from the Merchant and said goodbye, "Then I'll stay here and wish you a Happy New Year in advance."

"Happy New Year." Upon hearing this greeting, the Merchant removed his hat and bowed.

After leaving the herb stall, Altair looked around at the few remaining stalls. Finding no one selling herbs, he left the Underground Market without stopping at the "Evil Dragon Bar." He took a taxi directly back to the Wutong District Courtyard.

Without having lunch, they went into the laboratory to prepare the last batch of medicinal herbs for the year into a "Special Formula Potion."

Before going to bed that night, I thought to myself, "After selling this last batch of potions tomorrow, I'll go back to Morse Town and prepare for the New Year."