Back at the inn, in their room, Nikos pulled out the necessary ingredients for the potions, placing them on top of the table. Silverleaf and other ingredients filled the table.
Then he turned towards Liriel and handed her a small gold pouch. "Liriel, go to the town hall and purchase a selling permit for the market area."
Liriel nodded, took the pouch, and left the room.
Turning back to the ingredients in front of him, Nikos opened the system. Time to make some money. Nikos smiled as he selected the available potion recipes.
------------------------------------
!Crafting
Are you sure you want to craft 25 Health Potions?
| Craft | — | Cancel |
------------------------------------
------------------------------------
!Crafting
Are you sure you want to craft 25 Mana Potions?
| Craft | — | Cancel |
------------------------------------
He clicked 'Craft' on both, then turned to check the 'Production & Crafting' process.
------------------------------------
2. Production & Crafting
> Extract Blueprint: 0/0
> Experiment: 0/0
v Craft Product: 50/50
- Health Potion (25) — 1%
- Mana Potion (25) — 1%
------------------------------------
Of course, he didn't forget to use his advantageous skill.
— Instant Crafting
The supposedly long crafting process finished instantly, and the potions materialized before Nikos on the table.
------------------------------------
!Finish
Health Potion x20 – Medium Purity
Health Potion x5 – High Purity
Mana Potion x14 – Medium Purity
Mana Potion x11 – High Purity
------------------------------------
These were great results for the first batch, but unfortunately, 'Instant Crafting' had a cooldown of one hour, so I couldn't spam it as much as I want. However, with just a one-hour cooldown, I was already setting myself apart from the competition in terms of production speed.
------------------------------------
Instant Crafting
Cooldown: 59 Minutes 44 Seconds
------------------------------------
Nikos continued the crafting process while waiting for the cooldown, letting it proceed normally. As the crafting process went on, he wrote down his next plan on a piece of papers.
On the other side, Liriel was handling some documents for the selling permit at the town hall. After a couple of hours, she received a bronze seller's card made of cheap metal. This card was the legal permit for small sellers in this town.
With her work done, she walked back to the inn.
When she opened the room door, "Sir…" a small light emanated, catching her by surprise as she saw Nikos transforming ingredients into potions in an unconventional manner that's she's never seen before.
Noticing Liriel presence, he turned to her, placing a finger to his lips. "Shhh, keep this a secret, will you?" he said softly in a hushed tone. "Come inside and close the door behind you."
Liriel walked slowly towards him, still in confuse processing what she had seen. "Si-sir, are yo—"
"Did you finish handling the permit?" Nikos cut her off.
She nodded and presented him with the seller's card.
Nikos took the card and gave her an approving nod, "Well done. Go take a rest now; you need to wake up early tomorrow for our first day." he instructed her.
Liriel opened her mouth to ask more, but no words came out. Even though many questions swirled in her mind. She knew if Nikos didn't want to answer, he wouldn't, at best he will only giving her a brief made up explanation.
This understanding came from their interactions thus far.
Without much she could do, she just nod, following his order, and slowly walked to one of the beds.
As she lay there, she tried to close her eyes, but they eventually opened again, her gaze lingering on Nikos figure who sat on a chair next to the window, writing something on paper. His serious features were perfectly complemented by the moonlight's shadow of the night.
This man is truly mysterious, he was different than others she had ever met. Liriel's heart beat faster somehow when she looked at him, but she quickly shook her head. He was her owner now, until three years when the time she could buy her own freedom.
I can't let my guard down. She closed her eyes, steeling herself.
On her bed, the day's weariness finally seeped through her body, slowly swaying her mind into a deeper sleep. The comfort of the bed was far better than her previous one, relaxing her body and sending her fully into sleep.
From his seat, Nikos glanced at her sleeping state, a gentle smile tucked in at her before he focused back on his work.
Nikos continued to prepare for the next day's, as he work throughout the night.
Hours slowly passed, the night and the moon moved away, and one hour before sunrise, Nikos woke up from his short rest at the table.
Gathering his energy he stood up from his seat.
He walked closer to Liriel, who slept peacefully on the bed. He gently shook her body, "Wake up, Liriel, we will start our first day selling at the market."
As she was gently shaken, Liriel woke up and slowly opened her eyes, having had a good rest for the night. Her body is fully recover from tiredness.
She stood up, nodded at him, as they both prepared their stuff.
After finishing their preparations, the pair went to the market at the crack of dawn, bringing with them some wood and planks for their small stall.
As they walked through the market early in the morning, a symphony of quiet activity unfolded along the market streets.
Stall owners began their daily routines, unpacking crates and arranging their wares with precision. Some just arrived, their footsteps echoing with quiet urgency as they set up their stalls.
Some early riser customers also started to trickle into the market, seeking their needs before it became too crowded later in the day.
The smell of freshly baked bread and pastries wafted through the air from the bakery stalls. Other vendors polished gems, setting up precious stones, crystals, and more. There were stalls selling maps, charts, navigational tools, and exploring gear. Some even sold small exotic creatures, that they safely put on caged.
Nikos and Liriel passed by many stalls until they finally reached a spot nestled between a fruit vendor and a fabric seller. It was a humble and modest stall made from old wood.
"Is this our spot?" Nikos asked Liriel.
"Yes, this is the spot the staff showed me last night," she confirmed.
"Alright, let's set up our stall," Nikos decided.
Liriel nodded and started to make a small sign from the wood and plank they brought, she wrote 'Selling Potions, Weapons, and Magic Items.'
Nikos took his place behind the stall, pulling out items from his magic inventory bag. He displayed the health and mana potions for sale.
He placed forty potions, arranging twenty of each type health and mana potions, but the stall still looked somewhat empty. So he added a selection of low and medium-grade weapons: daggers, broadswords, longswords, shortswords, maces, bows, and more.
Not forgetting their defensive gear, he displayed some leather armor, plate mail, chainmail, shields, and other protective equipment.
For variety, he added some magic items: magical gloves, wands, crystal balls, pendants, earrings, and other magic accessory.
All these weapons and magic items came from the previous caravan he had acquired.
Liriel placed the sign next to the stall and stood beside Nikos.
The sun began to rise, and people started to trickle into the market. Slowly, the place became busier with buyers. Customers wandered between stalls, vendors shouted about their wares, grabbing the attention of passersby. The sound of haggling and coins exchanging hands filled the market.
The market began its daily ritual of buying, selling, and socializing.
Nikos turned to Liriel standing beside him, giving her a smile. "Now, let's begin our first day."