"You just said what? Say it again." Lemanski felt his heart skip a beat.
Wait a few days? What are you planning to do? Surely you want to set off with the caravan and go somewhere else. I have to make sure to win him over.
Kraun had no idea how many thoughts were racing through the old man's mind. He replied, "I'd like you to wait a few more days. I'm planning to brew another batch of Blood-Boiling Potions. Money's a little tight lately."
Lemanski was rather surprised. There weren't many alchemists who would say they were short on money.
However, he didn't dwell on it. Right now, he had only one thought: he had to make sure to win over this genius alchemist.
He stood up, said, "Wait here," and hurried out.
About five minutes later, Lemanski returned carrying several small boxes.
"I can scrape together enough Black Sage and Blue Tulips for forty batches. The other ingredients for the Blood-Boiling Potion are common herbs, and I don't have any in stock."
"I have plenty of the secondary ingredients."
The old man nodded. "About how long will you need to brew these potions?"
Kraun thought briefly, then gave a number. "Two days."
"Good. We'll wait for you!"
These herbs would normally be taken to a familiar alchemist in the Gisai people's settlement to be brewed. That alchemist's success rate was a little over thirty percent.
But if he could make a connection with a genius alchemist here, any loss would be worth it.
"Forty batches of ingredients cost eighty Gold Shields. You brought nine Blood-Boiling Potions, worth forty-five Gold Shields, so you still owe thirty-five Gold Shields."
Kraun had brought all his belongings with him when he came. At the moment, he had forty-one Gold Shields on him.
They exchanged money and goods, and both were pleased.
After receiving the ingredients, he got up to take his leave. "Time's tight, so I'll head back and start brewing right away."
Lemanski saw him to the back door of the inn's lobby and advised him, "Don't rush. Stay in peak condition and work at your usual pace. If time gets really tight, being a day late is fine."
Kraun gave him a warm smile, and the two said goodbye.
With the herbs in hand, Kraun first went to the market district to buy grain, meat, and vegetables. He replaced his pot with a good iron one, then found a carpenter to replace his wooden door.
By the time he was done, he had spent one and a half Gold Shields.
By the standards of this small town, his current lifestyle could be called luxurious.
Still, these things were necessary. If he didn't eat well, Visualizing the Golden Light Incantation might kill him.
Once he was done, he rolled up his sleeves, washed the vegetables, and started cooking.
He made beef tripe soup, lamb stir-fried with wood ear mushrooms, and chicken stewed with potatoes. This time, he didn't make rice; instead, he steamed a pot of plump, white mantou.
After enjoying a hearty meal, he began brewing the potions.
Whenever he found his attention wavering, he practiced Visualization of the Golden Light Incantation.
Apart from visualizing beneath the moonlight during You Hour, he kept up a steady rhythm of brewing and visualization.
As he continued brewing Blood-Boiling Potions, both his success rate and brewing speed improved considerably.
By the afternoon of the second day, he had finished brewing all the ingredients.
His overall success rate had reached forty percent, and his success rate over the last ten batches was already sixty percent.
A golden wall appeared, and the steadily rising number on it filled him with delight.
[Herbalism: 1276/5000; Tier Three]
The proficiency he gained from brewing Blood-Boiling Potions had slowed down too. Perhaps before long, he'd need to find a new Transcendence potion formula—or keep grinding until he reached a certain point...
After quickly packing up the potions, Kraun slung the medicine case over his shoulder and headed out. He had become a regular at the Goat Inn over the past few days.
Seeing him come in with the medicine case on his back, Old Jason greeted him warmly. "Business is booming, huh!"
"Haha, it's going well. When I leave later, get me a barrel of your best ale."
"No problem!" Jason replied cheerfully, privately entertaining the idea of playing matchmaker.
This kid's doing really well now. Should I introduce him to my niece?
Seeing the table covered with potions, Lemanski's breathing grew ragged.
The fifty potions dazzled him. With trembling hands, the old man inspected them.
He checked their color and smelled them.
Only two days had passed, yet the man's success rate had improved so much. Lemanski couldn't rest easy without inspecting them carefully!
Half an hour passed before he finally finished checking them.
"Do you do business like this with everyone? If I had a few hundred Transcendence potions, would you waste an entire day inspecting them?"
Kraun was a little displeased. It had been perfectly reasonable to check the goods carefully during their first transaction.
But this was their second deal, and they already had a history of working together. Inspecting them so rigorously was nitpicking.
At that moment, the old man stared at him with burning eyes, like a lecher gazing at a beautiful woman, unwilling to blink even once.
Kraun felt a chill creep over him. Raising his voice, he said, "Hey, if everything's fine, let's settle the bill."
Lemanski finally seemed to come back to his senses. "There's no rush to settle up. I think we can work together more closely from now on."
"What do you have in mind?"
"We'll pay a certain percentage as a deposit and provide the ingredients. We can agree on a monthly supply."
"No problem," Kraun readily agreed.
He had no other channels at the moment, and having a steady supplier and sales outlet was exactly what he wanted.
"You provide the ingredients, and pay a twenty-percent deposit. We'll settle the cost of the ingredients together at the end."
"No problem!"
This time, Kraun was the one who was surprised. The terms were rather harsh, and he had expected the other man to bargain.
Seeing Kraun's suspicious expression, Lemanski explained, "A genius alchemist deserves this kind of trust."
Kraun clutched his backpack tightly as he entered the inn through the small back door in the courtyard. Two hundred and fifty Gold Shields—a fortune. The money sent wave after wave rippling through his otherwise still heart.
Herbalists made damn good money!
The inn was gradually filling up. He greeted Old Jason and went up to the guest rooms on the second floor.
He had promised to treat the Witcher and his apprentice to a meal today, and he'd come to invite them to his house.
At the end of the corridor, Kraun straightened up and raised his hand to knock.
Knock, knock.
"Coming!" someone inside called. The door opened, revealing Alan's delighted smile.
"Big brother, I was just asking my teacher whether we should go straight to your place to find you."
"You missed me that much?" Kraun teased.
"Hehe." The boy laughed awkwardly, then turned toward the room and called out, "Teacher, big brother's here to pick us up!"
Geralt emerged from inside with a solemn expression and a polite smile.
Even though they were only going to dinner, he still had his weapons strapped to his back.
Before you continue