Not much to say, you can consider this a side chapter, literally, not much happens in this chapter, I wrote it on a nice day after relaxing, albeit that was a few weeks ago.
You could also consider this a slight foreshadowing chapter for some events... Up to you.
Have a nice day, I shall now write more chapters.
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/Not so long later…/
'In the end, Hestia ended up going with Silver, making their way across Orario peacefully, just like one of their many dates.'
'But Silver wasn't here to play, he was here to finish some businesses... He would play later, perhaps eat dinner at a restaurant with her once he was back from work.'
'Still, he didn't mind having some fun on the way, buying Hestia a new pair of fluffy slippers for her to walk around the Manor, and even sneakily buying a hairclip for a certain blue-haired Goddess...'
'After a few ins and outs exploring Orario, they finally arrived at their destination…'
'A large wooden building just West of their Manor, it was rather close by, a 10-minute walk was enough, such proximity made buying potions a much simpler process.'
"We're here."
/Blue Pharmacy/
/Ding ding!/
'Silver opened the doors inside, making a small bell chime loudly.'
'It was still rather early, so there weren't that many customers, but it was a considerable amount nonetheless.'
"Phew… I find alchemy shops to be prettier than some jewelry shops sometimes." Hestia said as she looked at a long collection of colorful potions
500... 900... 1100... Those are the Basic potions, we have at least a few boxes of those back home, but they aren't really useful, they can at most, heal surface wounds and clear infections...
Why do their prices change so much though?...
'She kept reading their labels, and soon found out the reason.'
Different materials? Oh! It's for people that can develop allergies...
16.5K... 9.9K... 14K... Hm...
Variations of the Mind potions, not much to say about that. We have a few boxes of these as well...
41K... 53K... 46K... High Potions huh... Expensive as always, but fixing a broken bone, a deep wound, or healing most kinds of severe injuries can save your life, and that's priceless.
I think we had a small quantity of these back home... Everyone has at least one just in case.
'Her eyes suddenly opened wide.'
Wow, this one's over 98K?! Oh, it can fix a broken bone regardless of its position, that's huge...
'Normally, dislocated bones need to be forcefully put back in place, otherwise, they will heal badly, a good example of this is with amputated limbs, using one such potion on the wound will just close it, making it impossible to reattach the limb later.'
'Unless you re-open it... Not a pretty process to go through.'
'But in a do-or-die situation...'
"They even have Dual potions... They aren't as effective as High potions but their price is the same."
Do they have Dual High potions?... I guess not, those are normally made on demand.
'She frowned at the price tag of some of the potions, closing her eyes and shaking her head, trying to forget what she had just seen.'
'Even if her financial situation was better now, it still pained her to spend more than 5 digits on anything.'
"Hum? What is that inside that glass case?"
'She saw a beautiful glass case in the center of the shop, inside, she saw several potions of varying colors...'
"These are... Elixirs!"
'The ultimate healing item that cures all wounds and status ailments in general, albeit it cannot bring back lost limbs, it can connect them back together in most situations.'
'But the price...'
By the flame... Even the lowest-priced Elixir goes as far as 740 thousand Valis?!
This! Didn't we have one back home... Oh yeah! It was the one I... The one I... Almost dropped the other day...
'She realized something with a pale face.'
I see why Silver was so upset and gave me a light scold...
'She shook her head, taking her gaze away from these overly priced things.'
'Although… Her eyes lingered on a small vial of… Perfume, for a bit too long at that…'
[65.500 Valis]
"Urg…"
This is pricier than some High potions, forget it. We could use the money to buy one more High potion or a few normal ones…
Or equipment, or…
/Sniff…/
'She sniffed the bottle, and immediately loved the smell, alas… She turned her face from it, trying to forget it as she carefully put the perfume back in place.'
"..."
Look at her…
If you want it, you just have to ask, poor girl.
'Her actions weren't missed by Silver, who immediately started to look around.'
No worries, in these circumstances…
'Silver looked at the closest clerk, and she immediately recognized him, understanding his intentions.'
'With a small nod, she led him into the inner part of the shop.'
'But on the way, he turned around and had the cashier separate that vial of perfume for him, all to make that little someone a bit happier.'
'He wondered though, what would "that person" like?... Next time he visited her, he would have to take a closer look to make sure he hit the jackpot with a surprise...'
...
'Along the way, the clerk leading SIlver and Hestia said:'
"Miach-Sama has been waiting for you, he can be found inside his laboratory on the second floor at the moment."
"He's been wanting for me? This means…"
He's done with what I asked, as expected.
It was just a prediction, but he did it... Impressive.
'She nodded.'
"Your commission has been successfully completed, you can hear the details directly from Miach-Sama's mouth."
"What about the others? The shop seems oddly quiet."
'The girl seemed a bit awkward.'
"This isn't entirely unrelated to you…"
"Due to your commission, Miach-Sama has used quite a large deal of materials trying to accomplish what you asked for, and this has caused a small dip in our reserves."
"Don't feel pressured though, this was Miach-Sama's own mistake for being a bit too excited trying too many things at once, so currently, Naaza and the others are in the Dungeon acquiring a few more materials."
"A few others have also gone to the nearby markets to see if they can get a few good deals, and lastly, a few that have the development ability of mixing are currently on the third floor finishing some commissions."
'All of this left the shop with the minimal personnel possible..."
/Knock knock/
'She stopped in front of the door to Miach's laboratory and knocked on it…'
"Please enter…" Miach said in a low voice from inside
'He seemed slightly tired.'
'The girl bowed slightly, this was Silver's and Hestia's cue to get inside.'
…
'Upon entering the room, Silver said:'
"Excuse me."
There's an odd smell in the air…
'Hestia sniffed the air, but her eyes soon went slightly red...'
"Ex… Cough! Cuse me… Cough!"
What's this?! It's so heavy…
'The moment the doors opened, a strong odor assaulted their noses, a mixture of herbs, materials, the smell of burnt things, and more, all concentrated in the air over a long period of time.'
'For Hestia, this was simply an irritating and botherline unbearable smell, but for Silver, this was much more than that as his senses were considerably stronger than hers.'
'But he kept calm, just like his senses were higher, his tolerance was as well.'
'What the clerk didn't tell Silver was that Naaza didn't leave simply to collect materials, but also because she couldn't stand this smell, being a Chienthrope, her sense of smell, sight, and hearing were much stronger than those of a normal Human.'
'And with the fact, her senses were further boosted by her Level...'
'No matter where she was in this large pharmacy, she could smell Miach's experiments, and despite her massive loyalty to him, sometimes, her nose needed a time off.'
(So no Dog girl for you)
"Hello… Oh! It's you my friend, and you brought Hestia with you as well. Welcome, welcome!..." Miach said as he turned around
'Like before, Miach had a simple one-piece garb that was similar to a dress, and over it was a leather apron.'
'It was very noticeable, but his garb was severely stained in many places, this was likely his expendable clothes to use while performing alchemy... Or he simply didn't care.'
'His hands were very clean this time, no doubt due to the fact he was using gloves not long before, or perhaps he just washed them not so long ago.'
'But his face… A pair of large dark circles enveloped his eyes, it seemed he hadn't slept for at least a day or two, probably even three…'
'Behind him was a metal table with many tools on top of it, such as a pair of thick leather gloves, a pair of protective glasses, and a leather mask could be seen resting on top of the table.'
"Apologies for my current shabby look, not long ago I was in the middle of an experiment you see, nothing too great… But it ended up going bad and now the entire room is… Foggy."
'Silver smiled, approaching Miach for a handshake.'
"I hope we aren't interrupting anything."
"Cough!... Can't you open a window so some air may enter Miach?" Hestia said as she moved her hands around
'Hestia on the other hand was more focused on breathing properly instead of minding her courtesy.'
"Haha… My apologies, I'll do so right away."
"Naaza says this every time, but I always forget to open the windows after I'm done." He said as he turned around to open the windows
'Hestia frowned, grabbing a thin book to wiggle in the air.'
"Why don't you keep them open?"
'Miach became embarrassed, scratching his cheeks slowly.'
"Haha… The people outside often complain when I do this…"
/Thud!/
"Wha…? Is that your reason? You're the owner of a damn Pharmacy! Of course, it would smell strong, can't you see you're inconveniencing everyone else by doing this, it's bad for your health!" Hestia said as she helped him open the windows wide
This guy, can't he learn to be more considerate of his close surroundings?
"Naaza says that every time, perhaps I should do so…"
'Miach became slightly concerned of the people outside, but he shook his head, pointing at the table next to him.'
"In any case, I don't think you two came here to hear these little stories, right?"
'He started to walk, talking along the way:'
"I thought it was odd at the start, but the deeper I went into your request, the more I saw myself drawn into it." He said energetically
"At first, I thought that refining what you asked for would be a rather difficult process, but after a few tries, I succeeded, just to realize that it was, actually, a simple process."
"I'll be honest… I may have gone a bit further and overworked myself, but I did manage to make a few variations of it like you proposed…" Miach said as he approached a large objected covered in a brown cloth
"Here is the result." He said as he pulled the cloth
/Fwoosh/
"..."
'While Silver slowly approached the vats, Hestia frowned.'
"I'm sorry, but I didn't quite understand, can one of you tell me what this is?" She asked
'In front of Hestia were 4 large clay vats filled with a cream, very similar to ice cream that she saw once or twice throughout her walks around Orario.'
(The rock looking at you suspiciously)
"Oh! This is… If the name did not escape my lips…"
"D... Deodorant." Silver replied calmly with a dark expression
"Deo…Dio…Rent?" Hestia questioned as she tried to pronounce it
"That's right, deodorant! Quite the interesting idea." Miach said with a nod
"But… What does it do?" She asked with a frown
"Allow me to explain! It all starts with the mixing…"
'But Silver cut Miach in the middle and said:'
"It's like a perfume, albeit, its goal isn't to make you smell good, it's to prevent you from smelling bad, although, when you change your perspective, its goal is indeed to make you smell good."
"To be precise, it's an anti-bacterial antiperspirant." Miach pointed out with a smile
"... Can any of you… Speak in words I can understand?" Hestia said as her eyelids twitch
'Silver let out a sigh, turned his face to look at the vats, saying:'
"In other words, this is an alchemical product that aims in killing the bacteria in the skin, preventing it from causing bad odor, while also decreasing the flow of sweat from the sweat glands."
"But… What's the use of this?" Hestia asked
"Hum…"
'Instead of replying, Silver went into deep thought.'
To be honest, this was more of a test, I wanted to know just how capable was a God of alchemy in regards to… Chemistry.
And obviously, he is very capable, I'm in awe at just how quickly he made this, and how perfectly did he do it as well.
Although some more things can be done to improve this as a product... The manufacturing process is completed.
I shouldn't have underestimated the Gods in the first place… Not underestimated, but undervalued their Skills?
Not really any reason for the deodorant itself though, it just came to my head after I thought to myself how much I missed it... No, that would be a lie.
I missed it for a reason... Adventurers... They smell... A lot... To a point it gets uncomfortable.
So out of spite, I just asked Miach to make me one.
'He had an idea, saying as he turned to face Hestia:'
"Let me ask you one thing then… Do the girls back in the Manor… Do they smell when they come back from the Dungeon?"
"Huh?! What a redundant question, of course, they do!"
And insensible as well! Asking if a lady smells… Humph!
"Then let me ask you one thing… What if that smell could be decreased?"
"I can't do much about the smell of blood, but sweat? Now we can." Silver said as he pointed at the vats
"Wh…!"
'It suddenly came to Hestia…'
Can this be used to prevent bad smells after training?
If so…
"It seems you're starting to understand what this is for."
"Orario has a lot of hard workers, people that sweat regularly… What if there was something to make them sweat less and smell… Fresher?" Silver asked with a small smile as he turned his face sideways
"This… Everyone would want it… ?!" Hestia said as she understood her own words
"Of course, they would."
"Just a shame we can't make much at once." Miach said as he shook his head
/Thud/
'Hestia dramatically fell on the ground…'
'Miach touched his chin, thinking about the process.'
"The manufacturing process isn't hard, but everything else has its own complications."
"The materials used in this can't really be all found in the Dungeon..."
"Most of it can indeed be found in the Middle floors, such as the oil I used for it and the root powder…"
"And the flower extract I used for the smells as well, although alternatives can be used with materials from the surface, albeit that would need some researching."
"There is one mineral used in this process, and we can only get it from Melen, a similar alternative can be mined in the Dungeon, but that can only be found on the Lower floors, it isn't cost-effective to send a party there to collect rocks…" Miach said with a sad expression
"The process of putting everything together, processing each part, and reaching this point isn't hard at all."
"Putting it together takes no time at all, but the pre-processing? That can take considerably longer."
"A single vat can take less than 10 minutes to make depending on how efficient I am with my time. No more than 15, and I can definitely look over several at once."
"If I were to fully focus on it, which is unrealistic, I would at most be able to make a hundred large vats like these in a day, which would equate to a few thousand vials... Quite the considerable amount to sell."
"It doesn't require a lot of attention, it's really simple really, the hardest work I have is stirring everything." Miach said as he pondered
"But after? Filling many vials and processing the results… I'm afraid mass production is unrealistic…"
'Miach then became a bit embarrassed.'
"It is rather shameful of me to assume this, but our Familia does not possess the necessary facilities to mass produce these."
"Only… The Dain Cecth Familia would be confident enough to proclaim having the necessary personnel for such a massive task."
"This is, of course, going over your recommendation of trying to keep the price below that of a potion so normal civilians could get access to it rather easily."
'But Silver shook his head.'
"Don't mind it, when I asked you to make this I wasn't thinking entirely about the money."
A few thousand to sell is not a bad number at all, and even if we were to consider the complications, that number could still go to around a few hundred.
And with the price... Well, the thing was never about making a profit, if it was about that, a God like Miach is better off making Elixirs.
This item becomes valuable since it has the potential to be mass-produced as it does not need unrealistic needs such as the Mixing development ability.
Still... The technology of this world still confuses me from time to time.
The Gods have created many materials and inventions that far surpass this age, like rubber, plastic, and the invention of swimsuits… Yet, people still move around either on foot or on horses.
Few can claim to move around on beasts or monsters like the Ganesha Familia.
It is also surprising that these inventions often come from the Gods themselves rather than the people, I guess this is how far most Gods are in their way of thinking and knowledge.
It makes me wonder just how advanced that knowledge they hold actually is…
As for this experiment, it was more of a test to push Miach around, but perhaps, this wasn't the best choice to test that.
Next time...
"Still, if we sell it as it is, we could still get a profit of at least 35 to 60 K Valis per vat, the price of the materials is rather low and if it wasn't for what I said before, we could've made much more…" Miach said
"But in the end, it isn't as profitable as making potions." Silver said as he shook his head
"..."
'Hestia looked at the two of them in silence, she truly had no space in this conversation...'
"Let's make it like this then, instead of reducing the price, we'll increase it." Silver said plainly
"But that would be…"
"Listen to me first."
"If we turn this from a simple alchemical product into an actual potion… Things would be different, we could sell it as an actual potion and give it the normal price, and then, turn it into an exclusive product of the Blue Pharmacy." Silver said with a small smile
I don't really care about royalties or anything, I just want to see how things would progress…
Take it as a small test investment, I want to experience how business is done in Orario.
Besides, if this increases their reputation, all the better, the Dian Cecht Familia is simply growing too strong and a monopoly of the market was never a good thing when you are on the consumer's side...
"Oh? Like giving it additional properties and… Okay… That could work. But I would have to re-do the entire process…" Miach said with a serious expression
"That's a given, you can treat it as an extra commission, we can discuss it later… But make sure to rest first, for now." Silver said with a small smile
'He grabbed a small pouch on his waist and passed it to Miach.'
"Here, the commission fee."
"Oh? There's no need for it, I had so much fun making this that honestly I…"
'Silver rolled his eyes, there he goes, the natural nice guy…'
'Miach wasn't even trying to be a nice guy… He just was, this was why he was seen as a natural Gigolo in heaven, making many Goddesses fall for him.'
'Coupled with his pretty looks… No wonder many male Gods resent him.'
'In the end, Silver simply threw the bag at him, if it was intentional or not, Silver had no need for his kindness, nor would he take advantage of him simply for a few ten thousand Valis.'
"You better take it unless you want to be yelled at by Naaza again." He said as he shrugged
"... I'll take your word for it." Miach said awkwardly
'They exchanged a few more words before both he and Hestia made their way out.'
"Where are we going now?" She asked with a small smile
"Let me think..."
I was just thinking about lazing around until the time to meet with Hermes comes...
So why not?
'Silver decided to enjoy his time with her a bit more before making his way to the Dungeon...'
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