No Money, What Medicine Are You Practicing!

After leaving his apartment, Li Yu headed straight toward the commercial district. He didn't bring any weapons today, just walking down the street by himself.

Because it was Saturday, there were quite a lot of people out and about. With it being noon, many were starting their lunch breaks, making the road quite lively.

Li Yu found a restaurant near his apartment to grab a quick bite, but the food was mediocre; he wouldn't be coming back.

After finishing his lunch, Li Yu began heading toward the area where medicinal herbs were sold to start his procurement.

He still had a fair amount of money on hand, enough to buy some herbs and equipment without needing much else.

As he walked, Li Yu pondered. Based on the knowledge in his mind, he estimated the cost of those potions.

Since most of the herbs required were common, he could concoct several bottles of Mana Recovery Potion for just a few hundred yuan.

Ordinary Mana Recovery Potion was sold by merchants in shops for hundreds of yuan per bottle. The profit margin was insane—he wouldn't have known if he hadn't studied it, and the realization was shocking.

Those merchants likely manufactured them in bulk, which would only lower their costs and increase their profits even further. From now on, he would definitely concoct his own potions.

He didn't want to be a sucker. Otherwise, the materials he gathered from a trip out wouldn't even cover the cost of buying potions. No wonder many people who enjoyed exploring the Dimensional Rift eventually gave up—they couldn't afford the lifestyle!

The money earned often didn't cover the expenses, especially since some black-market merchants liked to transport goods into the Dimensional Rift to sell, much like the inflated prices at certain tourist attractions.

Once you were inside, the prices would double. It was incredibly unscrupulous. Perhaps he could make extra and sell them to his classmates at a lower price.

Rather than letting those black-market merchants profit, he might as well earn it himself. Thinking of this, Li Yu suddenly felt energized; he seemed to have found another decent way to make money.

Before that, he had to actually produce the potions first. Nothing mattered until he had the finished product, so it was time to buy the herbs!

Arriving at the herb market, Li Yu began his shopping spree. The herbs needed for both Mana Recovery Potion and True Qi Recovery Potion were all common varieties.

They were easy to find. He checked online for a reputable herb shop nearby and headed over; it wasn't far, just around the corner.

This pharmacy, named Treasure Tree Hall, was a national chain located in the city center. Upon entering, Li Yu was greeted by a rich, medicinal fragrance.

The entire building seemed to belong to Treasure Tree Hall. The first floor alone was like a massive herb market, and the air was filled with the scent of various medicinal ingredients.

"Hello, how can I help you?" Seeing Li Yu enter, a young lady quickly approached him.

"Inula Flower, Violet Pill, Evening Primrose... give me five pounds of each," Li Yu rattled off the list of ingredients. Hearing the names, the young lady immediately understood what he intended to do.

"You're looking for materials for Blue-Red Potion, right?" She voiced her guess, as she was very familiar with these ingredients; they were standard for concocting Blue-Red Potion.

"Correct. If you have them, please help me prepare the tools and medicine bags as well." He wasn't surprised that she knew his intentions.

If she didn't have that basic knowledge, she wouldn't be working here. Since he was already here, he hoped to resolve all his needs at once.

"No problem, we have all of these. How about swapping the glass bottles for medicine bags? They are much more convenient nowadays." The young lady nodded as she recorded his order and offered a recommendation.

The medicine bags she mentioned were the type used for takeout soups or jellies; it seemed glass bottles were no longer in vogue.

Li Yu had no objections to this. It was actually quite practical, as he wouldn't have to lug around a bunch of fragile bottles that might shatter under pressure.

After all, this was reality, not a game. In reality, convenience was king. In a game, you could drink a potion and not a shard of glass would remain, but in the real world, that wasn't the case.

After requesting the items from the young lady, Li Yu followed her to the lounge to wait quietly, taking the opportunity to browse other herbs.

There were countless herbs costing hundreds or thousands of yuan per pound. Only by truly understanding the industry could one realize how expensive it was. Fortunately, the herbs he needed weren't too pricey.

After a short while, the herbs were ready. The young lady who had first greeted him returned with two large bags.

"These are the herbs you requested. Please check them. I'll go prepare the remaining equipment and medicine bags for you." She placed the herbs in front of Li Yu.

Li Yu didn't stand on ceremony; he opened the bags to inspect them. The herbs had been weighed and sealed in airtight bags.

He checked them and found they were of excellent quality; the shop's reputation was well-deserved.

With that thought, Li Yu resealed the bags and checked the rest, finding no issues.

Furthermore, the weights were accurate. Li Yu did a quick comparison, and the weights were consistent, meaning the shop hadn't skimped on him.

For someone who practiced martial arts, gauging weight was incredibly simple, and the shop wouldn't risk their reputation by cheating on such things.

After waiting a little longer, the young lady returned carrying a large box containing the tools and medicine bags Li Yu needed.

She set the box down, opened it, and took out a container, saying, "You can check if these tools are in good condition."

Li Yu nodded and began his inspection. He pulled out a device that looked like a kettle.

It was used for extracting medicinal essences and required an infusion of mana to operate. He activated his mana, confirmed the internal mechanism lit up, and placed it back.

He checked the rest of the items and, finding everything in order, said, "Pack them all up. I'll go pay."

"Certainly. Here is your receipt; the checkout counter is over there!" She quickly handed him the list.

Li Yu took it, checked it, and headed toward the counter. This single shopping trip had cost him two-thirds of his available funds.

Now he only had a few thousand yuan left. It was truly frustrating how quickly money disappeared. He had better get back, finish the potions, and sell them to Asuna!