Discussion

"Ah?!!"

Elan seemed to realize that Fran was completely unaware of this, so he sighed and said:

"Ever since the Pharmacist Association—an organization that had stood in the City of Apprentices for who knows how long—collapsed, alchemists have returned to the era of freedom that existed long ago."

"But very quickly, they discovered that this freedom wasn't quite what they had imagined; they had only felt that the Pharmacist Association was inexplicably skimming money off them before."

"Once the alchemists became collectively independent, they realized that the materials weren't difficult to obtain, but finding high-quality materials at a low price was extremely difficult."

"In the past, it was the Pharmacist Association's perfected material procurement mechanism that allowed the alchemists in the City of Apprentices to enjoy such low material costs."

Elan continued:

"Now, all material prices are two to three times what they used to be, and the alchemists simply cannot stand it anymore."

"On top of that, many alchemists opened their own shops and tried selling potions independently, only to find that if they didn't sell them at a loss, they couldn't sell them at all."

"So now, many alchemists have begun to band together, centralizing the procurement of materials and the sale of potions, which has achieved decent results and sparked the idea of establishing a new association."

This was truly the first time Fran had heard this news, and upon hearing that the alchemists intended to rebuild an association, she fell into deep thought.

Fundamentally, the old association hadn't actually treated the alchemists that poorly; the problem was the embezzlement scandal that broke out, which led to the association's financial strain.

The alchemists didn't believe the association's funds could still support the services they provided, and they were also dissatisfied with the association's decision to raise prices significantly and siphon off large profits before the collapse.

In the eyes of the alchemists, the materials were processed by them and the potions were brewed by them, so why should the association be able to take away so much profit?

Therefore, even though they knew the association's price hikes were a last resort, they were simply unhappy about it. Besides, the association's situation wasn't caused by the alchemists themselves, so what did it have to do with them? Did the association share its cut with them?

For all she knew, the alchemists weren't regretting the current sky-high material prices; instead, they were likely delighted at the prospect of forming their own association so that, one day, they could siphon money from their own colleagues.

"So? What does this have to do with us?"

Fran didn't understand why Elan brought this up. Weren't they just selling smuggled goods under the association's nose? Now that the association had collapsed, they had to consider costs when selling their wares.

So, even though her alchemy skill was close to leveling up, Fran wasn't very enthusiastic; she just brewed two bottles a day to use up her materials first.

The price of materials was currently too high; if she really brewed a lot, she would likely lose a small amount of money. To someone who had earned so much from potions, this was simply intolerable, so she decided to wait for the storm to pass before she started grinding her alchemy skill again.

Elan smiled and said:

"Others can form an association, so why can't we? Don't you have many 'friends'? If we pull them together to build an association, we'll be able to make a profit regardless of how things turn out."

Elan was thinking that since everyone was building associations, he would build one too. Not only did Fran's mysterious friends have profound technical skills—being able to brew so many Energy Potions—but his own channels in the Apprentice Market were also something those amateur associations couldn't compare to.

If they combined their strengths, there was a high probability they could win the final "battle royale." Even if they didn't win in the end, they could leverage their strategic value and sell the association off for a significant price.

However, a drop of sweat rolled down Fran's forehead, and she quickly said:

"Um... you seem to be too late... my friends seem to have already joined other associations."

Where would Fran get so many "friends"? She had been disguising herself the whole time, and it was only because she could produce so many Energy Potions that she had managed to keep up the act.

If they were to really build an association, they would definitely need to offer all kinds of potions. Although Fran brewed quickly and accurately, the materials for each type of potion alone would take up most of her time.

First, there was the processing and preservation of medicinal herbs, and there would also be expired or rotten materials that needed to be cleared out regularly. This wasn't something that could be solved just by hiring someone; management alone was a huge problem.

"I see..."

Elan found this answer unexpected yet reasonable. He could accept this response; after all, those alchemists wouldn't just sit idle. Even if someone had just made a fortune with Energy Potions, you couldn't stop them if they wanted more money.

Elan let out a long sigh. It was just a matter of timing. If Fran had come to him the day after the association collapsed, there might have been a chance to prepare, but now it was truly a bit too late.

However, he also knew Fran was busy trying to promote herself to an official mage, so he could only lament the poor timing.

"Alright then, let's stick to our old method."

Elan turned around and tapped on a recessed part of the wall. A small opening appeared, and Elan took out several sheets of paper from inside.

"What's this?"

Fran was puzzled by Elan's behavior. Stick to the old method? They had only been able to make so much money before because the association had set high prices. Once those associations stabilized, could their smuggled prices still be lower than everyone else's?

Elan seemed to understand Fran's confusion. He handed the papers to Fran and explained with a smile:

"These are orders sent from Antir."

"Orders?"

"Yes, orders. Those territorial nobles in Antir are busy preparing for war, and preparing medicinal potions is a very important part of that."

"I used my channels to intercept these orders so we can launch our new model."

Fran was still a bit confused. What was all this? If he wanted to launch something, he should just say so.

Fran glanced at the contents of the orders and discovered that the types of potions requested were actually very simple, and they were the very ones she had brewed before.

"Healing Potion, Strength Potion..."

"For those territorial nobles, these simple things are what they need most. Healing Potions can heal the wounds of their subordinate knights, and Strength Potions can be given to those young men who have just stepped onto the battlefield."

"And because the journey is long, and the final payment is only made upon delivery, the unit price for these potions is very high. Although it doesn't compare to the Energy Potion days, we can still make a lot."

"I believe your friends won't pass up this opportunity to make money. After all, my price is much higher than the acquisition price of other associations."

Elan finished saying everything in one breath and stood there waiting for Fran's response.

Fran looked at the order quantities and the agreed-upon remuneration on the paper. She calculated the deadlines and finally felt that she could complete them.

"Fine, I'll take it, but you'll have to help with the materials."

Elan replied:

"That's fine. Now, let's discuss the profit-sharing for each bottle of potion. Different types of potions will have different splits."