"Super Divine Potion?"
Based on the address provided by Li Shuyi, Bai Xiaowen found the location of the pharmacy. When he saw the towering building under the huge gilded signboard, he was dumbfounded for a second.
It was so imposing!
This shop called Super Divine Potion was located in a prime location at the crossroads. The steps were spotless. There were two poker-faced guards standing on both sides of the towering door. They stood upright, exuding a ferocious aura.
Just from the two fierce guards, one could see the standard of the Super Divine Potion Shop. This was definitely not an ordinary shop like Li Shuyi had said, but a large pharmaceutical trading company, similar to a to-notch jewelry shop in another time and space.
Bai Xiaowen walked up the stairs to the door. Although they felt a little dubious of his button-down shirt and worn jeans, the two guards did not stop him from entering. Their duty was to deal with thieves and troublemakers, not to determine the purchasing power of every guest.
The spacious hall was resplendent. Behind the transparent display window was a tube of liquid medicine of various colors. Under the light, it reflected a beautiful and intoxicating light.
"It's a little like the layout of a large jewelry mall. However, the price of the potions is much higher than ordinary gold, silver, and jewelry. It's not surprising that it has such a grandeur." Bai Xiaowen browsed through the display window as he walked.
"Hello, how can I help you?"
The female salesperson standing behind the display window routinely asked with a polite attitude. To be able to be a salesperson in a shop of this level, she must have undergone strict training. They would not judge people by their appearance or mock customers who were dressed in clothes bought from street stalls.
"I'm here to apply for a part-time job. This is my student ID." Bai Xiaowen handed over the ID. He did not directly mention Li Shuyi's name as that would be too superficial. Bai Xiaowen thought of himself as a man of depth.
The saleswoman took the student ID. She could not help but steal a few more glances at Bai Xiaowen. "Supervisor Fan is in charge of the store's daily affairs. Let me bring you to his office."
Bai Xiaowen thanked her profusely. He took a look at the female salesperson's name tag. Her name was Xu Ling. Of course, it was Bai Xiaowen's good looks that made her take the initiative to lead the way. Sometimes, a handsome face was an excellent stepping stone.
The manager was called Fan Jianwei. He was a refined-looking young man in his twenties who wore gold-rimmed glasses.
After understanding Bai Xiaowen's purpose in coming, he gestured for Bai Xiaowen to take a seat.
"You're a third-year student? What specialties do you have?" Fan Jianwei stroked his chin with his fingers. "The Super Divine Potion Shop will only hire employees who have special skills as only those people are qualified enough to work here."
"I can identify herbs," Bai Xiaowen said. He had Insight, so he could easily identify herbs.
"Hmph… Identifying medicinal herbs…" Fan Jianwei murmured. A strange look flickered across his eyes. He shook his head and smiled. "Did you know, I also graduated from Crimson Fire No.1 Middle School? On account that you're my junior, let me give you a piece of advice. I'm not joking when I say that you shouldn't casually say that you can identify medicinal herbs. I've studied in the Department of Botany at Jinghai University for four years, but I still don't dare to say that I'm 100% accurate in identifying basic medicinal herbs. A basic medicinal herb costs thousands of yuan. If you're wrong, who will compensate for the damage caused to the shop? Your part-time salary won't be enough to compensate."
Seeing that Bai Xiaowen was about to say something, Fan Jianwei raised his hand to stop him and continued, "However, you're my junior. It's fate that you came to me, so I'll help you. Here are two appraisal certificates for the potions. Fill in the price tag and I'll judge your handwriting."
As he spoke, Fan Jianwei took out a safe from the cabinet on the left and entered the password to open it.
After the safe was opened, it was divided into two compartments. There was a bottle of potion and an A4 paper in the upper and lower compartment respectively. Those A4 papers were the appraisal certificates for the potions.
The two bottles of potions were a light shade of black and crystal clear like crystals.
Fan Jianwei handed Bai Xiaowen two cards of flexible material and a black pen. "Here, copy the name and price of the potion onto the label and then paste it onto the potions. If your handwriting is good, I'll make you a clerk."
Bai Xiaowen took the pen and swept a glance at the two appraisal certificates. With his super brain, he could already understand the contents of the two certificates with a single glance.
"The Stone Skin Potion is on the upper compartment, and the Gargoyle Power Potion is on the lower compartment. Hmm, the price difference between the two is actually so big!" Bai Xiaowen thought as he took the price tag and copied it one by one. His handwriting was passable.
Bai Xiaowen quickly filled in the price tag, tore off the thin film on the back of the label, and pasted the label on the outside of the bottle.
The back of the label was coated with specially made superglue and was usually covered with a thin film. Once the film was torn off and the label was pasted on the potion bottle, it was very difficult to tear it off.
Fan Jianwei made a sound of acknowledgment. "Your handwriting isn't bad." The smile on Fan Jianwei's face became a lot friendlier. He handed an empty suitcase to Bai Xiaowen and said, "Take these two bottles of potions and the appraisal certificates to the front end and hand them to Xu Ling. Then, come back and talk to me about your work… Huh? What's wrong? Why are you just standing there?"
Bai Xiaowen stared fixedly at the two bottles of potions, then at the names written on the label. Finally, he glanced at the huge difference in price.
Stone Skin Potion: 98,000 yuan, Gargoyle Power Potion: 1,280,000 yuan.
However, Bai Xiaowen used Insight to look at the bottle of potion labeled "Stone Skin Potion". The information displayed was as followed.
[Enhancement Potion: Gargoyle Power]
[Potion Grade: Grade 1 Level 7]
[Purity: 82% (Excellent)]
[Components: 5.96% Heather, 4.26% Devil moss, 2.41% Lunar leaves, 3.47% Bone powder of the wing of a Bloodfang Bat, 83.90% Water]
[Effect: Permanently increases strength by 3 points.]
The next bottle of potion with the label "Gargoyle Power Potion" displayed the information:
[Stone Skin Potion]
[Potion Grade: Grade 1 Level 2]
[Purity: 78% (Good)]
[Composition: Stoneroot Grass 7.42%, Dry Leaf Grass 3.81%, Green Radish Powder 5.79%, Water 82.98%]
[Effect: Makes the skin as hard as a rock. Increases defense by 10 points and reduces bleeding by 66.7%. Lasts for 120 seconds.]
Bai Xiaowen had a weird look on his face. The labels of the two bottles of potions had been reversed!
Bai Xiaowen had copied the information on the appraisal certificates one by one. This meant that there was something wrong with the appraisal certificates that Fan Jianwei had given him. The two appraisal certificates had been deliberately swapped!
Bai Xiaowen was the one who had filled in the label. If anything went wrong, he would be in deep trouble.
"Why did Fan Jianwei switch the appraisal documents?" Bai Xiaowen's mind raced as he came up with several hypotheses. In the end, he eliminated them one by one, leaving only one possibility—gaining personal profit at public expense!
The original price of the Gargoyle Power Potion was 1.28 million yuan, yet it was sold as a Stone Skin Potion for 98,000 yuan. Bai Xiaowen was more or less certain that once the potion was put on the shelf, it would be quickly bought by Fan Jianwei's accomplices.
Why did Fan Jianwei ask Bai Xiaowen to fill in the price tag? The reason was simple. Bai Xiaowen was a temporary worker with no roots or backer. If the shop found out that something was wrong, Fan Jianwei would push Bai Xiaowen out to take the blame. The loss of more than a million yuan would be blamed on Bai Xiaowen. They would definitely confiscate his assets, and he might even be thrown into jail.
After figuring out the cause and effect, it was time to think about how to break out of the situation.
Exposing Fan Jianwei's trick in front of everyone? That was the stupidest choice. They were the only two people in Fan Jianwei's office. Moreover, Bai Xiaowen did not have any solid evidence to prove that Fan Jianwei had swapped the appraisal certificates. Instead, Fan Jianwei could accuse Bai Xiaowen of putting on the wrong label. One was an experienced supervisor who graduated from a focal university, while the other was a newcomer who was only a high schooler. It was apparent who the manager would believe.
"Xiaobai, why are you in a daze? You've been standing there for a long time." Fan Jianwei chuckled.
Bai Xiaowen raised his head and glanced at Fan Jianwei. If it were not for his Insight, he would never have thought that a seemingly enthusiastic senior would harbor evil intentions and use him as a scapegoat. In an instant, Bai Xiaowen had a bold idea.
He stuffed his hands into his pockets and grabbed his phone. He double-clicked the volume button and activated the recording function.
Bai Xiaowen smiled and said, "Supervisor Fan, these two bottles of potions are too similar. Do you want to confirm it again? It'll be terrible if there's a mistake."
There was an unnatural expression on Fan Jianwei's face. He paused for a second before he smiled. "Xiao Bai, you're being overly cautious. Since you're labeling it while copying the information from the appraisal certificate, there shouldn't be a problem. Don't worry, I was there watching as you labeled it, so there won't be any mistakes."
Bai Xiaowen sighed mentally. "Since you're so stubborn, then don't blame me for this," he thought. In fact, he gave Fan Jianwei a way out by hinting that the potions might be swapped. If Fan Jianwei felt guilty, he could just take back the potions, reappraise them, and fill in the labels.
It was Bai Xiaowen's first time here, so he did not want to openly oppose the supervisor like this. It would be best if everyone could get along peacefully and harmoniously.
However, Fan Jianwei did not consider the possibility that Bai Xiaowen could identify the two vials of potions. Of course, it was understandable that Fan Jianwei looked down on Bai Xiaowen. After all, Bai Xiaowen was only a student. He probably could not even recognize a few basic herbs, so how was it possible that he could recognize high-grade potions?
"All right. I'll take these over." Bai Xiaowen placed the two bottles of potions and appraisal certificates into the suitcase and left the office.
After leaving Fan Jianwei's sight, Bai Xiaowen did not go to the front end. Instead, he walked straight into the depths of the pharmacy through the staff passageway.
At the end of the passage was an iron door. On it was written, "Restricted area. Employees only."
Bai Xiaowen pursed his lips. It was precisely because this was a restricted area that he could meet the important figures in the pharmacy. He pushed open the iron gate and entered the backyard.
"What are you doing here?"
Before Bai Xiaowen could get a clear look at the layout of the backyard, two guards strode over and stopped him.
Bai Xiaowen said calmly, "I'm a new employee. Two bottles of potions went wrong so Supervisor Fan asked me to look for the shop manager."
The guards sized Bai Xiaowen up with dubious looks on their faces. Bai Xiaowen hurriedly opened the briefcase, revealing two bottles of potions and the appraisal documents.
The two guards' expressions eased up a little. One of them said, "The store manager is taking a break. Come with me. Do not make a racket."