"Yuhao, how much money do you have now?" within his spiritual sea, Yao Lao suddenly asked.
Huo Yuhao paused for a moment, mentally calculated, then replied, "I have a little over ten thousand gold soul coins, why do you ask, Teacher?"
"Now you can start learning alchemy, but to do so, you need materials and a medicine cauldron," Yao Lao explained.
"I mentioned your financial problem before, and I can help you with that. My suggestion is that you can sell the products of your alchemy. But first, you need enough money to buy materials and a cauldron. You should prepare at least twenty sets of materials because learning alchemy requires being prepared for failures," Yao Lao advised.
Huo Yuhao nodded, realizing that he had already guessed some of what Yao Lao was going to say.
After all, the Flame Emperor initially relied on selling the pills he and Yao Lao refined to earn some money and status in the beginner's village. His current situation was not much different from that time.
Selling pills to earn money, using the money to buy materials for refining pills; this was the cycle of profit for alchemists.
Moreover, when seeking an alchemist to refine pills, it was impossible to provide just one set of materials; generally, three to five sets were required.
If the pill refining succeeded, the remaining materials would belong to the alchemist. If all the materials were used up but the pill refining failed, the alchemist bore no responsibility.
It was a risk-free business for alchemists. Yet despite this, many people sought out alchemists for pills. There was definitely a market for it!
However, for Huo Yuhao at this moment, his biggest problem was the lack of startup capital.
While the ten thousand gold soul coins in his hand seemed like a lot, it wasn't enough to buy the materials for alchemy and to forge a suitable medicine cauldron.
Yao Lao's pill refining materials consisted of rare herbs and blood essence from soul beasts of over a hundred years old. Although these items were not priceless, they were indeed very expensive.
Moreover, to withstand the flames generated by soul power, as well as the burning of beast fire and strange fire, the materials for the medicine cauldron had to be extremely heat-resistant rare metals.
After careful calculation, he found that the money he had on hand was far from enough; there was a big gap.
After all, he also needed a considerable amount of money for daily expenses, and he couldn't afford to spend all his money on buying materials for alchemy and a medicine cauldron, which would affect his cultivation.
At this moment, Yao Lao was also observing Huo Yuhao. If Huo Yuhao asked him for help to refine some items for sale, he wouldn't refuse. However, that would mean Huo Yuhao was becoming dependent on him, which was very dangerous.
Flowers in a greenhouse may grow fast, but they can't withstand wind and rain. Only by being self-reliant and independent could one become a true powerhouse in the future.
"Otherwise, who should I ask to borrow some money?" Huo Yuhao was also thinking about this issue at the moment. After all, he didn't want to ask Yao Lao for help over such a small matter.
"Wang Dong probably isn't short of money, but it's better for me to keep my distance from her for now. She has a trace of Tang San's divine sense in her body; I dare not get entangled with her now."
"Ning Tian is the young master of the Nine Treasures Glazed Tile Sect, so she should be wealthy. But we're not familiar enough yet; would she lend me money?"
"If Vice Dean Qian Duoduo of the Soul Engineering Department has money, he would definitely lend it to me as long as I ask. But... forget it, owing favors to people from Shrek Academy means having to repay them with my own body. I'd better not trouble myself."
Huo Yuhao thought of several people, but none seemed quite suitable.
"Big fish, where can I find a big fish to make some soul coins?"
Just as Huo Yuhao was lost in thought, a slightly lean but sturdy-looking man seemed to have heard his words and eagerly walked towards him.
"Hey buddy, how did you know I caught a twenty-pound Golden Dragonfish today?" Huo Yuhao was taken aback by the man's words. He was clearly muttering to himself, and he didn't even know this person! Who asked you? Sneaky fisherman!
"Wait, fish?!" Huo Yuhao's eyes suddenly lit up.
"Brother, you have great skills! You managed to catch such a big Golden Dragonfish?" Huo Yuhao patted the fisherman's arm, praising loudly.
"Cough, well, this... fish wasn't entirely caught by me." The fisherman scratched his head with a simple smile. "Today, my daughter accompanied me to catch fish, and she caught this twenty-pound Golden Dragonfish on her first cast. But she doesn't have the strength, so I pulled it up for her."
Huo Yuhao, hearing this, looked with some pity at the Golden Dragonfish on the trailer beside the fisherman, which was over a meter long.
The old bird isn't scary, it's the rookie. Why did you provoke her?
"Well, buddy, what do you do?" Huo Yuhao asked.
"I deliver fish to the academy's cafeteria. I'm just a regular merchant in Shrek City," the fisherman chuckled. "Shrek Academy's students are noble soul masters; I dare not let you call me 'big brother,' it will shorten my life. Just call me Old Mo."
"Old Mo?!" Huo Yuhao was momentarily stunned, then immediately showed respect.
"Hello, Old Mo, I'm a freshman at Shrek Academy, my name is Gao Qi... I mean, Huo Yuhao!" Huo Yuhao shook Old Mo's rough right hand.
"Starting today, I'd like to buy some fish from you, and also, could you help me purchase some fresh meat from ten-year soul beasts and some vegetables? I'll pay three times the market price for everything. What do you think?"
"Three times the market price?!" Old Mo exclaimed in disbelief. "No, no, that's too much. I can't take a child's money. Just give me some delivery fees."
Huo Yuhao smiled gently, patting the fisherman's shoulder firmly.
"It's okay, just do as I say. When my business grows in the future, I'll pay you more!"
Old Mo tried to refuse several times, but he couldn't resist Huo Yuhao's insistence and had to leave, grateful.
And the twenty-pound Golden Dragonfish also belonged to Huo Yuhao, along with the other items, all of which were handed over to him in the evening.
Huo Yuhao gave Old Mo a down payment of one thousand gold soul coins to purchase these items. Considering that he might not have time to pick up the goods from Old Mo personally in the future, he also arranged a secret code with him for pickup.
"Tell Old Mo, I want fish!"
At this moment, Yao Lao was completely puzzled. Seeing Old Mo leave, he hurriedly asked Huo Yuhao, "Yuhao, what are you planning to do?"
"Teacher, doesn't alchemy require practicing control over flames?" Huo Yuhao asked with a smile.
"That's right, soul perception is crucial for controlling the heat in alchemy, but why do you ask?" Medicine Elder replied, puzzled.
"Nothing, I've found a very clever way to practice my control over flames. You'll see tonight," Huo Yuhao said with a smile.