Securing the Order at Full Price

"You've read it? That's required reading for beginners. Why?"

Flora gave him a strange look.

Lance clutched his chest in anguish, feeling like his heart was bleeding.

That had been a full twenty silver coins!

If he had known there was a walking library here, why had he wasted that money?

"It's nothing... I'm just a little heartsick."

After recovering for a moment, Lance shamelessly asked,

"Then could I borrow the books you mentioned and read them sometime?"

"Of course. Aren't we friends?"

Flora agreed without hesitation.

In her view, books were meant to be read. Lending them to friends saved money and gave them something to discuss, so why not?

"But speaking of which."

Flora pulled the conversation back on track.

"While it is theoretically possible to take on a second Class, very few people actually do it."

"Even combinations with vastly different paths, like a Swordsman also becoming a singer, still cause slight Soul Wear."

"And most importantly, a secondary Class cannot provide growth in your base attributes."

To help Lance understand more intuitively, Flora picked up an empty wooden cup from the table.

"This cup is your body."

"Improving your main Class is like not only pouring water into it, but also constantly stretching out the walls of the cup, making it bigger so it can hold more water."

"And a secondary Class..."

She pointed inside the cup.

"It's more like dye being dripped into it."

"It can change the color of the water and give you more functions and methods, but it won't increase the cup's capacity."

It was a very vivid analogy.

Lance understood completely.

A main Class determined the upper limit of one's attributes and the foundation for growth, while a secondary Class merely broadened the skill tree.

"Is Soul Wear truly unavoidable?"

Lance pressed.

If he wanted to maximize the system's functions in the future, taking on secondary Classes would be almost inevitable.

Flora had already finished the chocolate ball and was wiping the traces from the corner of her mouth with a handkerchief.

She thought seriously for a moment before answering,

"Of course there's a solution."

"I just don't know what the specific method is."

"I only saw rumors in books saying that some special Classes are naturally immune to these penalties, or that certain legendary alchemical potions might be able to do it."

Special Classes...

Lance nodded thoughtfully.

Whether it was [Potion Research] or [Biological Research], these two system modules were like extra Talent plugins attached to him.

If he could make use of them through secondary Classes, the resulting chemical reaction would undoubtedly be enormous.

As long as the so-called wear remained within an acceptable range, even with some penalties, it would still be worth it.

Just as he was weighing the pros and cons.

The potion shop's front door was forcefully pushed open from outside.

The brass bell on the door rang urgently.

Lance instinctively turned toward it.

A woman around forty strode in with brisk, energetic steps.

She had a striking mane of dark purple hair. Though faint lines of age had appeared at the corners of her eyes, it was still obvious that she must have been a great beauty in her youth.

She wore a neatly tailored dark-brown leather vest over a white linen shirt, its sleeves rolled high to reveal pale yet powerful forearms.

The outfit made her look less like a potion maker who spent all day in a laboratory and more like an adventurer ready to draw her sword and start cutting people down at any moment.

The newcomer was Morwenna, the owner of the shop.

"Flora! I'm back!"

Morwenna's booming voice made the glass bottles on the counter tremble slightly.

She casually tossed the documents she was carrying aside before noticing Lance sitting by the counter.

"Why are you here?"

Morwenna narrowed her eyes suspiciously, her gaze moving back and forth between Lance and Flora.

Her look was as sharp as if she were examining some bad boy trying to lure away her little white rabbit.

But soon, as though she had remembered something, the scrutinizing expression on her face instantly melted away.

"Oh, you're here to ask about the results for your potion, right?"

Morwenna smiled, her bright grin as refreshing as a spring breeze.

"Yes, Aunt Morwenna."

Lance nodded obediently.

The next second.

A sturdy arm, as powerful as an iron clamp, hooked directly around his neck.

Then an irresistible force dragged him over. Lance's body moved against his will, and his head was immediately trapped beneath Morwenna's armpit.

Lance felt his cervical vertebrae crack, and his entire mind went blank.

Was this the strength of a Class user?

Was this really the arm strength a potion maker should have?

Morwenna did not feel there was anything improper about her actions. With Lance tucked under her arm, she dragged him before Flora as though displaying a trophy and proudly boasted,

"This time, we owe it all to this kid's potion!"

"In the category of wound-treatment medicines, which accounted for the largest share of the procurement list, we defeated those bastards from Silver Bottle Alchemy Firm!"

"And we finalized the deal at the original price you told me yesterday—twenty-five copper coins, without lowering it by a single coin!"

"Really?!"

Although he was still trapped in Morwenna's arm and in a rather undignified position, Lance could not stop himself from letting out a delighted cry.

He had won the bid at full price!

That was twenty-five copper coins!

After deducting costs, he could tearfully make a bloody profit of seventeen and a half copper coins from every jar!

"Of course it's true!"

Morwenna loosened her grip somewhat, but her arm still rested over Lance's shoulders as if she were slinging an arm around a good buddy.

"I didn't take a commission from your order. Consider it a favor."

"But riding the wave of your Hemostatic Ointment, I also secured the orders for the remaining detoxification and purification potions, status recovery potions, and the rest."

"These accompanying orders alone will be enough for me to make a fortune."

Morwenna smiled happily.

This was not merely about money. It was also about finally venting years of frustration from being suppressed by her old rival.

However, right at that moment.

The smile on Lance's face suddenly froze.

He remembered a critically important question.

"Um... Aunt Morwenna."

Lance carefully asked, his voice carrying an imperceptible tremble.

"Since it was the largest order for wound-treatment medicines... how many did you negotiate in total?"

The maximum production capacity he had calculated last night surfaced in his mind.

Twelve hours—at the absolute limit, he could only make 144 jars.

Hearing this, Morwenna slowly released him from her arm.

She placed both hands on Lance's shoulders, and her previously smiling face gradually moved closer.

Though her lips still curved in a smile, Lance somehow felt a hint of chill.

"Since you dared to have Flora submit the sample for bidding, you must already have a large stockpile at home, right?"