Challenging the Workshop

The red sunset spilled into the room, turning the bottles on the shelves golden.

Each bottle stood quietly in its place, its label clearly listing the names and effects of various plants.

The air was filled with a faint herbal fragrance, making the room feel calm and relaxing.

Nfirea walked slowly between the shelves. From time to time, he picked up a bottle, wiped away dust that wasn't there, and then returned it to its place with satisfaction.

His expression was relaxed, yet tinged with pride. He was the grandson of Lizzie Bareare, E-Rantel's finest Pharmacist. His parents had died when he was young, and he had followed the same path as his grandmother, becoming a Pharmacist. He was also well known for his rare innate ability.

But Nfirea wasn't proud of his innate ability. He was proud to be a Pharmacist. Though only sixteen, he could already use second-tier magic.

Though others thought he was already as skilled as Lizzie Bareare, Nfirea knew he still couldn't match his grandmother.

The potions made by the Lizzie Workshop had contributed greatly to the kingdom. Thanks to E-Rantel's position as a fortress city at the crossroads of three nations, the workshop's potions were sold in other countries as well.

His grandmother Lizzie Bareare's reputation among Pharmacists was much like Fluder's among Magic Casters in the Baharuth Empire.

After taking stock of the potions on the counter, Nfirea nodded in satisfaction. They'd sold quite a few today, and even the blue magic potions, which cost one gold and ten silver coins each, had sold out.

Of course, the price wasn't due to greed. The ingredients for those blue potions were expensive, and they had to be made using magic.

Compared with potions made from herbs, the output of magically made potions depended on the Pharmacist's mana. Even if Nfirea and his grandmother devoted all their mana to making blue potions, they still couldn't produce them in large quantities.

What's more, they also had to make regular healing potions, which further limited their output. As the saying went, scarcity made things valuable, so it was only natural that these blue potions were priced in gold.

It would be dark soon, and the shop was about to close for the day. After taking stock, Nfirea was about to shut the door when he heard the entrance bell ring.

"Welcome!"

Nfirea called out automatically. Other than him and his grandmother, there were no assistants at the workshop. They handled everything themselves, from brewing the potions to selling them.

"Are you looking to buy potions?" Nfirea turned around and looked at the boy who had entered.

"Yeah." Hades nodded. "What kinds of potions do you have?"

"They're all here, sir. Please take a look. The labels list their names and effects." Nfirea stepped aside, revealing the display case behind him.

Hades stepped up to the glass case and looked at its contents. He didn't recognize the names of any of the potions. They probably weren't potions from YGGDRRASIL.

His eyes moved over the labels and their detailed descriptions. But to him, they were all junk. Not one of the potions was worth anything.

"May I ask which potion you're looking for?" Nfirea asked. The boy looked about his age, but his hair was black rather than the more common blond, a bit like the people from the southern regions.

But E-Rantel was at the crossroads of three nations, so all kinds of people passed through. It wasn't surprising.

"I heard you had a blue potion here. Why don't I see it?" Hades asked. He'd learned about the potion from Brita.

Brita was an adventurer he'd approached at the adventurers' inn. She'd been wary of him from the start, and after Hades explained why he'd approached her, she'd said her party was full and wasn't recruiting anyone else.

Hades had no choice but to give up on that. But he didn't have anyone else to talk to, so he continued trying to strike up a conversation with her and learn about the New World.

Brita had no desire to chat and kept an eye on him as if he were a thief. Feeling awkward, Hades noticed she was clutching a bottle of blue liquid, so he used it as a way to start a conversation.

He then learned it was a healing potion. Hades was surprised. Healing potions came in blue? He'd never seen one before.

But it gave him an idea for a new business opportunity. Compared with magic scrolls, healing potions were much easier to make.

Making magic scrolls required not only materials but also a spellcaster to imbue the scroll with the appropriate spell. That meant two people were needed. If someone had no companions, they could summon a mercenary to serve as the spellcaster.

Healing potions were different. As long as you had the ingredients, you could make them on your own.

Since he couldn't find a suitable adventurer party, he might as well visit a potion workshop in the New World. At the rate he was spending the money he'd borrowed from Nigun, it would be gone in a few days.

So, following the information he'd gotten from Brita, he found the famous Lizzie Workshop in E-Rantel just before nightfall.

"You mean magic potions?" Nfirea apologized. "I'm very sorry, but we've sold out. If you need one urgently, come back tomorrow morning. I'll brew a batch tonight."

"You're saying you made that blue potion?" Hades looked Nfirea up and down. Long hair covered his eyes, and his voice was gentle. He seemed very shy.

"Yeah." Nfirea added, "Though I'm not the only one who makes them. My grandmother makes some when she isn't doing research."

"You're a Pharmacist?" Hades asked, already knowing what he intended to do.

"You could say that." Nfirea nodded shyly. He was a Pharmacist, of course, but he felt he wouldn't deserve the title until he was as skilled as his grandmother. That was the standard he'd set for himself.

"Let me introduce myself. My name is Jimi. To be honest, I'm a Pharmacist too. I came here from the southern regions." Hades made up a name on the spot. He'd heard from Brita that people from the southern regions had black hair.

"You're a Pharmacist too?" Nfirea froze.

"So you should know why I came here, right?" Hades asked.

"Um, did you want to discuss potion-making with Grandmother Lizzie?" Nfirea asked. That seemed like the only reason. After all, Grandmother Lizzie was famous, and many Pharmacists came to visit her.

Hades nodded. "That's right."

Originally, he'd planned to challenge them. Once he saw how they brewed potions and what effects their magic potions had, he'd observe for a while and then admit defeat.

An ordinary customer probably wouldn't agree to such a rude request. But if he challenged them, they'd have to demonstrate their skills if they accepted.

But it seemed the New World didn't have anything like challenging a workshop. Still, all he needed was an opening.