You're Just Plain Jealous

Kraun pushed open the door and walked inside. It was lit, and the place was relatively bright.

He saw several mules and horses quietly eating feed in the stable. The carriages were arranged in a circle, with some old rags draped over them.

A burly man came toward him. He wore a shabby coat and a black felt hat, and sported a thick beard.

"What do you want?" the big-mouthed, round-faced man demanded. "We've rented the back courtyard."

"Business. I'm here to buy a few things and sell a few things."

"Why didn't you come during the day? What are you wandering around for on a freezing night?" the man muttered, pointing to the lit room. "Our people are all in there. Go on in, but keep away from our carriages. If we catch you with your hands where they shouldn't be, heh..."

Kraun paid no attention to the man's tone and strolled over to the room.

It was lively inside, filled with laughter and speech he couldn't understand.

He lifted the curtain and walked straight in.

The room fell quiet at once. Two or three dozen people all turned to look at him.

Being stared at by so many people made him a little uneasy, but Kraun quickly composed himself. "I'd like to discuss a big business deal with you, and buy a pocket watch while I'm at it."

"How big a deal are we talking?"

An elderly Gisai man spoke up. His hair was gray and white, and the weathering of the years was etched into his face.

The little girl in his arms coughed heavily several times, then listlessly buried her face against his chest.

The man spoke Faruk with a strong, peculiar accent, but Kraun, with his third-tier language ability, understood him perfectly.

"I'm an herbalist. I've made a few very useful potions."

"Wait, what did you say you were? An herbalist?"

The man cut him off, then said a few words in an unfamiliar language to the people beside him, provoking a burst of laughter from everyone in the room.

After a while, the old man stopped laughing and spoke in halting Faruk. "Young man, you're trying to sell herbal remedies to the Gisai? Don't you know we're experts in Herbalism too? Just tell me what kind of pocket watch you're looking to buy."

"Experts? I don't see any sign of that! If you were really good at Herbalism, couldn't you cure a little girl's cough? Her face is pale, too. I bet she has a fever."

The old man narrowed his eyes and gave the young man another look.

He was handsome, with a faint confidence about him. His slightly hooked nose marred an otherwise harmonious face.

"What, you can treat her? Don't tell me you're going to pass off church Holy Water as a potion you made yourself."

Kraun set down his medicine case, took out a vial of Bupleurum Potion, and handed it to the old man. "Try this. It'll take a day or two for her cough to clear up completely, but it'll bring down her fever in one dose. There are three doses in the vial. Shake it before use, and take it with hot water."

The old man accepted the potion doubtfully, uncorked it, and sniffed. Then he poured a little onto his finger and tasted it.

The potion's bitterness made his brows furrow slightly. He savored it carefully, then picked up the bowl on the table before him.

He poured in some hot water, then added a third of the potion.

After a while, the old man checked the water's temperature and gave the potion to the little girl in his arms.

Five minutes later, a fine sheen of sweat appeared on the girl's forehead.

Another five minutes passed, and she was sweating profusely, her hair damp with perspiration.

Five more minutes later, the girl lay quietly in the old man's arms, breathing evenly as she gave a soft snore. Her occasional coughs had also grown much weaker.

Seeing the change, the people in the room murmured among themselves. A touch of respect entered their eyes as they looked at Kraun.

The old man passed the child to a young woman beside him, then stood and came over to embrace Kraun. He warmly brought him a chair. "My name is Lemanski. In the ancient tongue, it means 'child of the wind.' How much do you plan to charge for this potion? Do you have any others?"

"Kraun Moya. I've also brought another kind of potion and an ointment. This pink one is an aphrodisiac. It improves a man's stamina and prolongs his performance. The ointment treats bruises and sprains."

"The potion for fever and coughs is called Bupleurum Potion. It costs five Silver Coins per vial. The Pink Potion costs twenty Silver Coins per vial, and the ointment costs eight Silver Coins per jar."

Kraun took out all the samples he'd brought and handed them to Lemanski.

The old man took the Pink Potion and pushed the ointment back. "We can make ointment for bruises and sprains ourselves. I'll need to test this potion's effects."

"Of course. I'll leave two vials here for free. Take one vial per dose. I'll come back tomorrow, and after you've tested it, we can discuss the details of the deal."

Kraun had complete faith in his potions. His tests on a stud horse had proved the stuff worked brilliantly!

The old man nodded. "All right. How much of these two potions do you have in stock?"

"Five hundred vials of Bupleurum Potion and eighty vials of Pink Potion. Can you take that much?"

"If they work as well as you say, and the price is reasonable, that won't be a problem at all."

After agreeing to discuss the details of the deal tomorrow, Kraun stated what else he needed. "I'd also like to buy a pocket watch, just an ordinary one, and some Black Sage and Blue Tulip Petals."

"What do you need Black Sage and Blue Tulip for? You don't seem to be a Transcendentalist."

The old man looked suspicious.

"Have you heard of Blood-Boiling Potion?"

"You can make magical potions?"

Lemanski exclaimed in surprise. Herbalism was easy to learn but difficult to master. Beginners needed a great deal of practical experience before they could become qualified herbalists.

For an herbalist to reach the level where they could make magical potions required more than accumulated experience. They also needed considerable talent.

In some fields, without enough talent, no amount of effort could take you to the true heights.

"I feel like I'm ready, so I want to give it a try."

Kraun shrugged, entirely unaware of how much his words had shaken the old man.

"Heh." Lemanski gave a low chuckle. "You're imagining things, aren't you?"

The old man had spent his entire life as an herbalist without ever reaching the point where he could even attempt to make a magical potion. The thought left him feeling rather bitter.

Imagining things? What was that supposed to mean? It was practically the same as saying, "Are you sick in the head?"

My abilities are real, and my cheat never lies. Otherwise, how would the Blood-Boiling Potion recipe have appeared out of nowhere?

You're just plain jealous. Kraun pursed his lips. "Whether I am or not, I want a hundred grams of Blue Tulip Petals and three stalks of Black Sage."

"We have them. Our caravan trades in small, out-of-the-way places, but our Gisai people have powerful figures in the mysterious world too!"

Lemanski said bitterly, "The petals cost fifty Silver Coins per gram, and each stalk of Black Sage costs two Gold Shields."

Kraun stared into the old man's eyes and said in a low voice, "Before I came, a friend told me you people butchered your customers like pigs."