Rick was the elder brother of one of the guys who used to bully Liam back when he was in high school. While the memories weren't pleasant, he was glad to have some knowledge about the guy as Rick was just a really extreme guy when it came to research and his goals.
Unlike his younger brother who used to bully Liam, he mostly focused on creating things which mostly weren't given the permit to sell openly. So the only way for Rick to make money was to sell his serums to the people at a cheap price.
Liam got out of the cab and looked at a familiar coffee shop that looked old and beaten down. While he knew about the workings of the place and its profits, the government officials were unfortunately clueless about the place.
He silently walked inside and saw two people drinking coffee. Not knowing much about them, he decided to play it safe and bought a coffee before waiting for the two of them to be done with their stuff.
After waiting for a few minutes, he saw the two men walk out of the store and once they did, he stood up from his chair, downed the contents of the cup in his hands and walked towards the counter.
"I would like to meet Mad Rick. I'm here to buy stuff.", he said and the old man behind the counter nodded before tossing him a business card.
Liam looked at he card that had the words, "Sour Heart" on it and walked out of the shop before taking the stairs to the top. The coffee shop was on the ground floor while Rick did most of his business from his room which was also a lab, which was on top of the coffee shop on the first floor.
He stopped in front of the door and knocked before speaking, "Sour Heart."
He didn't have to wait for long as a thin, scrawny man opened the door and walked back in silently while Liam followed him inside.
"Close the door please.", Rick said as he looked at him and Liam did as he was told before he walked over to the table where Rick was waiting for him.
Pushing a cardboard box towards Liam, Rick explained the side effects of the products,.
"These are similar to low grade serums but they're way more potent comparatively but they also have side effects. In about a month or so, you will lose all your hair.", he said and then thought about the prices for a second before giving Liam an offer.
"Five, Ten and Fifteen thousand for these low grade serums. Higher the cost, the better the effects and also the potency of side effects.", he said and to his surprise, Liam simply shrugged.
He looked around for a second and then spoke his mind, "Rick, I want the best one that you have to offer. I'm sure that you don't usually get clients who buy the mid and high grade since this neighborhood doesn't exactly have rich guys living here.
There's also the fact the the actual rich guys will just buy from a proper store since those don't have side effects."
Rick said nothing and simply stared at Liam for a few seconds before he let out a frown, "You're not wrong but you can also just buy from an official licensed store right?"
"Yes. But while I do have money, I'm not as rich as those millionaires. I want strength and I am willing to take risks as long as it isn't something too much like losing my sanity or mental capabilities or something like that."
After listening to Liam, the man sighed and stood up from his chair before he walked to a different room. It took him a while to bring the small box to the table but when he did, there was a wide smile on his face which he was unable to control.
"You seem a bit happy.", Liam commented and Rick nodded as he opened the lid of the wooden box, revealing three syringes filled with a greenish liquid and one filled with red.
"Of course! I always wanted to sell the big boys but I didn't want to sell them for less than their worth. I don't know how much you have but since you're my first customer, I'll consider giving you a really big discount.", Rick said before he pointed at the syringes and continued speaking.
"These ones here are high grade serums and the red one is a top grade. Though not the best, the amount of positive effects it has is comparable to Top Grade II level of serums that are available in the official stores. Of course, to purchase top grade serums at those stores, you must have some kind of background and a lot of money."
Liam looked at the serums in front of him with interest but there was still the worry about the costs as he knew that even a high grade serum was worth half a million Rudo.
Keeping his thoughts to himself, he shifted his gaze to look at Rick, "Interesting. What about the negative effects and the price?"
"High grade ones will um... reduce your chances of getting a woman pregnant, be it your wife or girlfriend. The higher the grade, the lesser these chances become. So if you have plans on making a family in the future, I suggest not buying these. You don't have to give me that look, it doesn't change the quality of your performance in bed.", he said while looking at Liam's fearful expression before pointing at the red serum.
"The top grade one has a different side effect since it was made with different materials. It's technically a positive thing but again, it's got it's drawbacks. It increases the regenerative ability of your body but in return, you grow hair and nails at a faster pace too. Based on my tests, it's around double the normal speed.
As for the prices... that's actually debatable but hmm, let's see. I'd sell the high grade ones for 70,000, 80,000 and 90,000 each but when it comes to the top grade one, since the price of the raw ingredients itself is 200,000 Rudos, I can't sell it for less.
I want to make profits too so the least I can go for is 250,000 Rudos.", he said, finalising the price of his products, leaving Liam's mouth hanging.
[A/N: For those who don't get it, here's a simplified table.]
High Grade Serum I - 70, 000 Rudo
High Grade Serum II - 80, 000 Rudo
High Grade Serum III - 90, 000 Rudo
Top Grade Serum I - 250, 000 Rudo