"A Goblin's Kindness? What kind of a name is that?"
Yu Sae-Jung frowned a little as she spoke. It was just too
weird a name to place her full trust in.
"You think so too?"
The credibility was everything to a potion, and so, it would be
named accordingly to reflect the assigned grades and its
medicinal effects. Take the reputable, widely recognised
"Drent" series of potions for example; for the shallow exterior
wounds such as cuts and bruises, there was the potion called
"Drent's Emergency Treatment" for the job, but if you were
looking to cure something more substantial, say, like a serious
disease, then there was the upper Mid grade potion named "The
Miracle of Drent."
On a side note, the Drent was the name of the legendary Tree
of Life from the Elven myths that could supposedly revive even
a dead person with an elixir concocted with only a single leaf.
But, there was this insurmountable gap between the
credibility and that of a "Goblin". Instead, it'd be hundred times
more correct to argue that there was a deep mistrust and
hostility between the two. Despite all that, the alchemist still
chose to stick with "Goblin" as the name of his potion....
"I was thinking the same thing initially, but when I heard the
explanations, it all kind of makes sense. I mean, Goblins'
abilities to make potions are something else, right? Seriously,
there are idiots crazy enough to raid a village of Goblins
specialising in medical concoction, never minding all that
poisonous gases and hazardous material just for a chance to
pilfer some potions, you know. And I hear it's been registered in
the registry of the Naming Series already. I guess there is a lot of
expectation riding on this potion."
A "Naming Series" was a type of a registered brand
trademark.
When the anonymity is valued to such degree in the world of
alchemy, the only avenue left to determine the credibility and
the apparent effects of a potion was through its name – it could
be confusing to the potential customers if another alchemist
came up with a different potion but named it similarly, not to
mention create distrust towards the makers of the potions
themselves, so this trademark scheme was vigorously upheld as
one of the absolute laws in the alchemists' society.
"Really? So the effects have been confirmed for real?"
"Obviously. Come on, honestly, would our Chairman and the
Order Master try to buy something that's shady? And also..."
Park Hyun-Oh stopped his words, quickly scanned the
surroundings, and suddenly leaned his face closer to Yu Sae-
Jung's ear to whisper the rest of his sentence.
"The Manager, the Dark Elf Hazeline, already has given her
affirmative, so you don't have to worry."
There was no real need to whisper in this single person
"VVVIP" hospital room, but well, he was treating her as a
royalty here so it was only natural for him to act this way.
The actual reason why the alchemists thought of anonymity
as a virtue was that currently, almost half of all active
alchemists were from the race of the Dark Elf. They were the
type of people that hated exposing their outer appearances and
always concealed their bodies with thick robes.
Many people assumed that the Dark Elves were incredibly
beautiful since they were called Elves and all, but as they hated
bright places with lots of humans with mad zeal, the number of
witnesses who had seen a Dark Elf's real appearance was
extremely low, as well as no records to speak of, either.
Heck, there was even a sinister rumour floating around,
which was now accepted by some circles as truth; in it the
person who uploaded a very first picture of a Dark Elf online
was hunted down and murdered by the very same Elf.
"Hazeline – she did? Then, it should be alright. So, when is
the product expected to definitely come in?"
"Huh? Well, she did say it won't be too long.... Wait, let me
quickly pop out and make the call, and ask her."
*
"Please wait for just a bit longer. Soon it'll be... here, surely?"
"...Hazeli.. – no, Manager Hazeline, what is the meaning of
your sentence at the end? Feels like you're deliberately trying to
obfuscate..."
"....You're mistaken."
"...Fuhu. Manager Hazeline. Our little Miss is a Knight of only
17 years young. She should be out there training and enjoying
her life, not confined to a sick bed and doing nothing..."
"Yes, I'm well aware of that. Just as I have told you before,
please just wait for a bit longer!"
The Dark Elf Hazeline ended the call in irritation and chucked
the mobile phone on the desk. It was easy to tell that she was
not in a particularly good mood, judging from her exaggerated
heavy breathing, deeply shut eyes and fast massaging of her
temples.
"Aieek... Just when is that guy coming here? Didn't he say
he got the completed potions already?"
Her ultra sharp eyes were immediately directed towards the
waiting Alchemy House employee. The poor guy was already in
a state of high stress before and now, he was sweating profusely
as he barely managed to open his mouth.
"Ah, yes, I'm not really... He did mention that he had three
completed potions in his possession... We did call him on the
phone number he wrote down but so far there were no
answers..."
"Haa.... D**n it all, this is pissing me off!! Seriously, I swear
these human idiots must think that potions are hammered out
in a single day! The reason for all this shortage of potions is
because the alchemists are sick and tired of all this bloody
nagging by the thoughtless sons of idiots!! But instead of fixing
the error of their ways, these sons of bi*ches.... Awooo, this
f*cking sh*t!!" (I've TL'ed this part as faithfully as possible, so,
yep, she's got a mouth on her, this one.)
As the steam of her fury reached the proverbial top of the
head, she rolled her fist tightly before slamming it down on the
desk.
– Tuong...
Quite unlike all the explosive anger she had displayed just
now, the resulting sound was rather adorably small; the door to
her office flew open right at the exact same time.
"He, he's here, Manager Hazeline!! That alchemist from
before, he has arrived!!"
At the hurried yell of the employee, Hazeline's eyes went
round, her body shooting right up from the seat.
***
There were two types of alchemists out there. The first was
the commonly known types that did the Transmutation and the
Reconfiguration, while the second of the lot spent their entire
lives trying to understand the mysterious liquid called potions.
(Some anally retentive experts would call these two alchemists
with separate terms, the former retaining the alchemist
moniker while the latter, potion crafter.) (TL: This bit is by the
author, not me.)
Even though their main skill sets used for their craft were
different, the alchemists all still possessed one habit that was
the same. And that common habit was, their preference towards
the darkness.
"...Do you find the coffee to your liking?"
In this dark but surprisingly un-gloomy room, where even the
sunlight failed to reach, the only thing brightening the place
was Hazeline's dazzling smile.
"Yes."
Sae-Jin, to the best of his abilities, played it cool and lowered
the cup nonchalantly, but he found it rather torturous to look at
the face of the Elf in front of him. That was because, she was
one of the most stunning women in the world, as befitting the
"race of beautiful people", the Elf.
The shiny alabaster skin that didn't seem a right fit for a Dark
Elf. With an indigo-coloured straight, long hair, and the finely
crafted, beautifully harmonious facial features where there
simply wasn't adequate enough a word to describe how
gorgeous she was.
"Now that the introductions are done, should we get straight
to the main topic, Sir Alchemist?"
Hazeline the Dark Elf had revealed her face, her name and her
race openly to Sae-Jin.
He had to wonder whether she was mistaking him as one of
her own race, as her open demeanor was quite a departure from
all the rumours he had heard before. Easily reading into his
confusion, she quickly moved to clarify her position, saying that
she was trying to show some courtesy towards him.
"It's fine. We're talking about the potion I've brewed, yes?
I'm also well aware of how good my potion is. It is my life's
greatest achievement, after all."
Even though he spoke with such confidence, he knew very
well that he was sprouting bullsh*t right now.
The Elite Goblin's knowledge base was full of compounding
methods that easily exceeded the methods of top alchemists,
and on top of this, Sae-Jin possessed the top ingredient, the
fangs of a Sabre-tooth Tiger, so instead of a life's greatest
achievement, he just needed around 7 days to brew this potion.
And that 7 days were actually for fermenting the contents
which was an unavoidable process in making this potion, so...
"Of course, we are also well aware of the difficulties. In order
to create a potion this effective, you must have struggled and
toiled hard for many years. As a fellow alchemist, I understand
it all too well."
Sae-Jin nearly spat out the coffee percolating in his mouth
after seeing how grave she sounded and how serious her face
looked. He still somehow managed to maintain his poker face,
wiping his lips as if to get rid of hot coffee and nodded his head.
"It's good that you understand."
"Indeed. Since it's such a good potion... A few customers,
having heard of the news, are wishing to purchase the goods
even before it's on sale. And these here are the letters sincerely
requesting you to sell it to them."
Hazeline pushed forward five stiff papers towards him. On
them, there were instantly recognisable names of Knights
Orders, big corporations and famous wealthy individual written
in large fonts.
'How many zeroes are there... $360K, $440K, S623K...???'
And the numbers written below each name was the kind of
amount Sae-Jin wouldn't even dream of seeing in his lifetime.
"These are the legally approved sales commissions. There's a
policy allowing an alchemist to deal directly with private
individuals or entities provided the amount of product sold is
less than half of your current stock. Of course, the government
takes the cut in the tune of 48% as sales tax but since the
potential customers add something a little extra on top of the
market price when buying the product, in the end, it just
doesn't matter at all."
"Sounds good."
When Sae-Jin nodded his head in satisfaction, Hazeline who
was observing his reactions carefully continued with her words.
"The thing is, though.... in order to secure commissions like
this, not only the efficacy of a potion but the role of the
Alchemy House is also very important, so we would be obligated
to take a certain percentage as well. If a House with no
connections receive goods like this, they would just put it up for
sale in the markets without thinking too deeply about other
matters. That is why..."
Hazeline slowly swallowed her saliva. Even though this was a
normally accepted part of the Alchemy Houses' modus
operandi, she was feeling nervous at the moment because of the
incredible potion this person had brought in.
"In a sales commission like this, the House usually takes about
half of the agreed amount.... We are prepared to lower that to
40%, no, make that 35%, specially for you. Any lower, then,
even other Alchemy Houses will find it difficult to match. If you
don't believe me, you can ask others. It's a pre-tax deductio..."
"Fine. It's all good."
Sae-Jin nodded his head, having no other opinion regarding
this matter. Whether it was a Dark Elf, a regular Elf or a High
Elf, he had not heard of instances where Elves defrauded the
other party, and on top of that, the stuff she said matched with
what he found online.
For obvious reasons, relying only on the information gathered
on internet for something of this much importance would be
foolish and undeniably pathetic. But that kind of thought was
applicable only if when one didn't know of the Dark Elves' and
alchemists' natures.
They all pursued anonymity. Once that was secured, these
people communicated and acted more lively than before. And
let's not forget, the Internet was the perfect place to
communicate anonymously.
Stories of half the alchemists being gaming addicts didn't just
come to life out of nowhere, after all.
"...Eh?"
When the conclusion came so easily, Hazeline couldn't help
but stare dumbfoundedly. But like a pro, she quickly regained
her wits, and before Sae-Jin could potentially change his mind,
moved to put the finishing touch to the deal.
"If, if that's the case, then all you have to do is to stamp your
jijang on the sales request form with the highest amount
written on it!! The corporation Saebyukdahl is offering the
highest amount with $623 thousand US... Ah, wait, where did
the stamping ink disappear to?!"
As she raised a royal ruckus while fetching the ink pad, Sae-
Jin watched her and floated a mysterious smile. It was a deeply
satisfying sight to behold, to see another person losing their
marbles over him, something a socially underprivileged like
him wouldn't get to experience under normal circumstances.
"Here it is!!"
When Hazeline hurriedly handed over the ink pad, Sae-Jin
leisurely studied the contents of the form once more before
stamping his jijang on it.
"Whew... Oh, by any chance, do you have the finished
products with you at the moment? You did mention that you
have three bottles back then, yes? We need the minimum of 2.
The law says we must put the half of the stock on the open
market, so the other can be sold through the sales commission."
"Oh... Well, I have brought all of them here with me."
Hazeline's eyes shone as she stared at the sight of Sae-Jin
rummaging through his bag.
"A total of 4 bottles. All with the same medicinal effects."
"Oh, Ohhh!!"
Finally. The 4 bottles of potion emitting the exact same
brilliant light as the samples revealed themselves to the world,
and on Hazeline's face an uncontrollable, wild grin broke loose.
But remembering her stations as the Manager of the Alchemy
House, she quickly erased the ungainly smile right off her face.
...Of course, by then it was already too late, though.
"It's perfect. All 4 of them. What a relief~~"
She couldn't prevent her sentence stretching out at the end
from the unbridled happiness, however.
Hazeline picked up one of the bottles, then she shook it,
smelled it, studied it from several angles before putting it down,
nodding her head in satisfaction afterwards.
"We don't need to test them. Oh yes. They are perfect.
Perfect...."
She then asked Sae-Jin very cautiously while staring at one
part of him that wasn't covered up by his robe – his lips.
"Weeell, there is something I'm slightly curious about. Just
from where... did you study this level of alchemy? If it were any
other normal alchemist, they would usually send in incomplete
potions as examples to get a verdict on.... It's your first time and
the product itself is beyond reproach, so even though I know
I'm out of line, I still wish to inquire you."
"Hmm..."
At her inquiry, Sae-Jin briefly showed hesitation but he
already had thought of a suitable story before coming here so he
told her that.
"My master once taught me this. If there was even a fragment
of doubt existing in your thoughts, then you are in the wrong,
so throw away all useless ideas and devote yourself completely
to the craft until you reach the true pinnacle. I am just following
this teaching to the letter."
Alchemists and Wizards valued their master and apprentice
relationship far, far greatly than any other professions out there
in comparison, and because of this fact Hazeline nodded her
head as if she was convinced.
"You have a truly wonderful master. I'm sure he's feeling
quite proud of you as we speak. After all, his apprentice has
become a great alchemist in his own right."
"Ah.... Yes. It's just that, it's regretful that he had to pass
away before seeing me succeed."
Although he knew she wouldn't ask him for the master's
name, but Sae-Jin still felt anxiousness creeping in up his legs,
so to make sure, he hammered in the final nail in the coffin.
Plus, technically speaking, he wasn't telling a totally c**k and
bull story anyways.
He did have a "master" that passed on all the knowledge and
technique, after all.
....Even though he bit that guy to death.
"Oh, how unfortunate."
Hazeline, who didn't know the actual truth, bitterly accepted
his version of the story and showed a heavy, sorrowful
expression.
"Well then, if that is all. I'm running short on time."
In the blink of an eye, 30 minutes flew past, so unable to dilly
dally any longer, Sae-Jin stood up first to leave. Hazeline
followed him and also stood up, and reached out with her hand
for a shake while carrying a content smile.
"For you Sir Alchemist who chose us, we'll definitely make
the Goblin series known as the best potion brand in the world.
You can place you trust in us. I'm planning to hold a press
conference right after this meeting is done. Nowadays, playing
up the mass media is an important marketing strategy, you
know."
"Ahaha. Well, thank you."
Sae-Jin faced her gorgeous smile and shook her hand firmly.