Nikos and Liriel were surrounded by adventurers, and one of them shouted, "Hey, you!"
Liriel's body tensed up seeing so many adventurers circling them, while Nikos carefully observed the crowd.
The adventurers' eyes were wide with anticipation, and they leaned forward, their feet tapping the street impatiently.
"Is the stall open?!" another one finally asked.
Ah, the promotion worked like a charm. Nikos smiled at them. "Yeah, we're just about to open the stall. Please line up orderly," he said, holding Liriel's hand as they made their way through the crowd to the stall.
Now standing beside their modest stall, Nikos quickly pulled out potions and other items to sell.
Liriel felt a wave of relief wash over her as she realized they weren't in danger. All these people just couldn't wait to buy their product. Then she started helping Nikos arrange the items.
The adventurers gathered in a half-circle in front of the stall, swarming around the stall like moths drawn to a flame, anxious not to miss out on this cheap and high quality products.
"I'll take 8 health potions and 4 mana potions," called a female adventurer.
"That'll be 3 gold and 12 silver, miss," Liriel replied, handing over the purchases.
Another adventurer, not wanting to be left out, called out, "Me! Me! I want 7 mana potions, 10 healing potions, and this magic pendant."
"That will be 8 gold and 12 silver," Nikos calculated, then smoothly added, "Would you like to add this magical glove? It pairs perfectly with that magic pendant. I'll give you a special price of only 3 gold more. So, instead of 11 gold and 12 silver, just 11 gold for you. How does that sound?"
The customer happily agreed and paid 11 gold, feeling pleased with his deal paying 12 silver less.
"Hey lady, how much for this round shield and 6 health potions?" asked another adventurer.
"The shield is 3 gold, plus 1 gold and 16 silver for the potions. That's a total of 4 gold and 16 silver, sir," Liriel quickly calculated, completing the transaction to serve the next customer.
As Nikos was attending to a customer, another one quickly shouted her order, "5 healing and 10 mana potions, fast please!"
"Yes, please be patient for a moment," Nikos smiled at the customer, efficiently handling each buyer one by one.
Nikos and Liriel were busy managing the flock of customers. Now their stall also become a vibrant part of this bustling night market.
From a distance, Reychard watched them being busy and smiled. Then he walked away to meet his teammates again, leaving Nikos and Liriel to their bustling sales activity.
Two hours passed, and as the last customer left, they realized there were no more buyers for the night. The pair tidied up their stall and ended the day, even as the night market still had a couple more hours before closing.
Nikos and Liriel returned to the inn to count the money. Out of the 329 basic potions they had, they managed to sell 167 potions in 2 hours, earning 50 gold and 2 silver. Adding the sales of other non-potion items, they made another 13 gold and 12 silver.
In total, they made 63 gold and 14 silver in just 2 hours.
What an easy money to gain, but it just a starting point the moment the business stabilize, more will come. Nikos looked outside the window with sharp eyes.
For the next few days, Nikos and Liriel continued taking quests while gathering herbs. Afterward, Nikos would create more potions, and stocking up some for future purposes. At night, they would open their stall to sell their products.
Over these few days, Liriel also began to feel more comfortable around Nikos. She realized he wasn't as bad as she had often imagined slave owners to be—in her case, he was truly her boss, a good one.
Their cheap potions also started gaining popularity among adventurers, spreading by word of mouth, and their stall's reputation slowly increased day by day.
Now it had been a week since Nikos last deal with Lukas, the slave trader.
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> Main < | Merchant System | Class | Inventory
Nikos Aarav – Lv. 11
Race: Human – Class: Novice Support
Gold: 1219 (+ 909)
System Credit: 30
---- SC Converter
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In just a week, Nikos had already gained 909 gold—almost a thousand. This amount would usually take other merchants a month to earn. But for Nikos equipped with the merchant system and his little business knowledge, earning a thousand gold in a week was easy.
It had only been a week, and these earnings came only from selling basic potions. Imagine when we starts selling a wider variety of potions. How much will we earn.
Having a lot of money is always nice, isn't it? Nikos grinned at the results.
It was time to add more subordinates. Nikos and Liriel headed back to Lukas's mansion. At the gate, Lukas was already waiting for them.
"Sir Nikos, I knew you'd come back. My instincts are never wrong," Lukas greeted him with a confident smile.
Nikos nodded, "Sir Lukas, I'm here to pay for the rest of them."
Lukas walked over to Nikos side, gesturing politely towards the mansion's entrance. "Please, come inside first. I'll prepare some tea for you."
They entered the mansion, with Liriel trailing closely behind Nikos and Lukas.
Once inside, Nikos and Lukas took seats facing each other, while Liriel stood behind Nikos's chair.
"Sir Nikos, I've heard some rumors from adventurers lately. They say someone in this small town is selling potions cheaper than the Alchemist Association. Is that perhaps your doing?" Lukas inquired politely, sipping his tea.
"Rumors tend to be just that—rumors. Unless you check them out yourself, you can't be sure what's true. People love to exaggerate," Nikos responded back with a polite tone.
Lukas let little laugh, "But my instinct tells me it's true. Besides, you need not to worry, Sir Nikos. I'm not fond of those alchemists either, so I won't sell you out."
Nikos gave a light smile at Lukas's reaction.
"Let's get back to business, shall we, you came here for this?" Lukas clapped his hands, and the butler left the room. Moments later, he returned with a lizard-man and a female human slave.
Nikos inspected them. They appeared healthy; it seemed Lukas had fed them properly. Let's check their talents again, just to ensure I remember correctly.
— Talent Eyes
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Jarek Bladetail – Lv. 41
Race: Lizard-folk – Class: Expert Warrior
Talent Potential:
1. Master Warrior.
2. Elite Berserker.
Health Point: 2500/2500
Mana Point: 1900/1900
Stats:
Strength: 26 | Agility: 17 | Vitality: 25 | Intelligence: 19
------------------------------------
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Marielle Dovehart – Lv. 8
Race: Human – Class: Novice Healer
Talent Potential:
1. Master Healer
2. Expert Accountant
3. Diva Singer
Health Point: 700/700
Mana Point: 800/800
Stats:
Strength: 6 | Agility: 7 | Vitality: 7 | Intelligence: 8
------------------------------------
Great, they're just as I remembered. After finishing his inspection, Nikos reached into his magic inventory bag and paid for the rest, finalizing the transaction. Lukas happily accepted the payment.
------------------------------------
| > Main < |
Gold: 539 (- 680)
System Credit: 30
------------------------------------
They stood up, completing the magic transfer possessions of the slaves to Nikos.
With their business at Lukas's mansion concluded, Nikos bid farewell and left, walking back to the inn with Liriel and their two new companions.
Back in the inn room, Nikos turned to his new subordinates.
"Like with Liriel, I don't have a need for slaves. I chose you both because I see potential in you to be my subordinates. So..." Nikos drew out two 'Magic Contract' scrolls. The parchment crackled with energy as they activated, hovering in the air beside him.
"I, Nikos Aarav, appoint Jarek Bladetail as my subordinate. I will look after him and pay him fairly for his work. In three years, if his work is deemed satisfying, he can buy his freedom from me for the amount of 1 gold."
The 'Magic Contract' parchment filled with Nikos's new contract.
"Likewise, Marielle Dovehart, I, Nikos Aarav, appoint her as my subordinate. I will look after her properly and pay her fairly for her work. In three years, if her work is satisfactory, she could buy her freedom for 1 gold."
The second 'Magic Contract' filled with the new contract. Nikos placed a drop of his blood on both contracts. "Go ahead, place your blood," he instructed them.
Jarek and Marielle exchanged confused looks and turned to Liriel. She gave them a reassuring nod, having gone through the same confusion before.
Jarek, the lizard-man, was the first to speak, "I don't... thinksh this is necessary, Master Nikoss... I accept my state as your shlave. Thish... is my punisshment," his voice low with a faint hiss between some words, reflecting his origins as reptilian lineage.
"Yes, Master Nikos, you already purchased us, we are in your possession now," Marielle added, her tone was soft, "as.. for my freedom, it's very generous of you… but... maybe it's not the best," her voice trembled slightly, as she release a gentle sigh between her words.
Nikos listened to them patiently, "Just put your blood on the contract for now. In three years, if you see that I'm worth of your loyalty, you can decide for yourselves then."
The two looked at each other and after a moment of hesitation, followed his order, "Yes, Master," placing their blood on the contracts.
The magic contracts sealed and disappeared into thin air. Afterward Nikos explained to Marielle and Jarek what his works is, their roles, and the plans moving forward.
After giving them a brief overview, the two nodded in agreement. Now it's time to move on to the next step.
"Let's head to the adventurer guild to sign you two up," Nikos said.