They stood before a three-story opulent building in the upscale market district.
"Mr. Rivers, here are your key and documents for the building."
Leon handed over the items to Eli, who reciprocated with 1,500,000 Gems.
"Best wishes for your business ventures."
Leon extended his hand, which Eli shook, momentarily captivated by the building. Once alone, Eli entered his newly acquired property. The space, formerly a shop, was expansive yet bare, save for a simple counter and a few shelves.
Ding!
[Secret Quest: Purchase a building and secure a basic business operation license]
[Reward: Super rare Gold-tier item, Evolving Chemistry Table]
Evolving Chemistry Table and Equipment:
Fully furnished Chemistry Lab Table and Equipment
Acquiring the building and license took less time than anticipated, just 24 hours. Carthage, being a merchant city, often saw new traders setting up shop.
Eli's only hiccup came when inquired about his intended merchandise. Unsure, he vaguely remembered Willow and mentioned:
"Magical... Items...?"
Which, to his surprise, sufficed, and no further questions followed. However, Eli was cautioned about regular inspections to ensure his wares were safe.
This was concerning, as Eli had no actual plans to sell anything. He was merely following instructions to acquire a building and a license, with no additional guidance. For all he knew, the next directive could be as absurd as leaping into a river.
Initially, he intended to thoroughly inspect his building, as he had only seen the main store area. The basement held three additional rooms, all vacant, which he could furnish and repurpose as needed. One room was likely to become a storage space, and another, an alchemy lab.
The second floor comprised the living room, kitchen, and two bedrooms. The third floor featured four rooms, including a bathroom equipped with a toilet and shower. The rooms, fully renovated with luxurious furniture, left him in awe, realizing the furnishings might cost more than the store itself.
He was also trying to figure out how to obtain more MSP, but there was no way he could get them through regular adventures. He desperately needed more points because the items he traded were not earning him many points.
Eli made his choice and decided to focus on alchemy. He would need to gather resources and then process them. Alchemy seemed like the best way to make a good profit for the time he would spend creating potions.
Selling potions would be his main source of income in the near future, but Eli didn't know how long it would take him to learn the skill. He looked worried at the thought of that. With the way things were going, he would need more than just ingredients to brew potions.
His dreams of simply grabbing ingredients and combining them into a potion disappeared in an instant. He shuddered at how realistic alchemy crafting was.
Eli collapsed onto his bed and opened the daunting 300-page tome on alchemy. Taking a deep breath, he delved into reading. It took him a week to grasp the book's contents, after which he gained the alchemy skill in his crafting section.
[Unlocked Alchemy Skill Tree]
+Alchemy Skill Tree (F Rank):
Enables the creation of potions, poisons, and other concoctions, with a 10% increase in success rate.
-Potioneer (F Rank):
All potions have a 10% boost.
Tears of happiness flowed as he realized he could now begin potion brewing. That week wasn't spent in idleness; he could only read so much before needing a break. He ventured outside the city, collecting the necessary ingredients for his craft.
Eli planned to sell health, stamina, and mana potions, even though he could only make low-grade versions with the Alchemy book. Since healing magic was rare, he expected the health potions to be in high demand. He wasn't sure about the mana potions, but he hoped for the best.
He started by gathering two Moon lilies herbs and processed them using a mortar and pestle. Then, he began brewing water on the alchemy table before adding the ground herbs in the correct order. However, he failed his first attempt and wasted two of the ingredients.
"God fucking damn it!"
Instead of trying again right away, Eli studied the health potion recipe in his book and took a few minutes to carefully understand it. After calming himself, he tried again with more confidence but failed once more.
Throughout the day, Eli persisted at the alchemy table, making multiple attempts and learning from his mistakes. Eventually, after many failures, he successfully brewed a potion and held a glass bottle with red liquid, feeling a sense of accomplishment.
Over the next few days, Eli continued brewing potions until he ran out of herbs. He was almost ready to open his shop, but first, he needed to commission a sign. The building he owned looked like a plain house, and he realized that no one would know it was a shop without a proper sign.
No one would visit his shop if they were unaware of what he was selling. Bearing this in mind, he had to be creative with his shop's advertising. With limited options due to his circumstances, he needed MSP quickly. His building, situated in the city's central plaza on the busiest street, had sufficient passerby traffic to leverage.
After acquiring a store sign and additional equipment, Eli returned to his shop, intending to rest early in preparation for the significant day ahead. He laundered his clothes to ensure a positive impression for his visit to the Adventurers' Guild, where he would promote the potions from his shop and seek rare items.
Overwhelmed with excitement, Eli struggled to sleep but eventually dozed off, dreaming of wealth akin to Scrooge McDuck. Come morning, he mounted the sign above his shop's entrance and paused to reflect on the chosen name, Western Tumbleweed Frontier, amused by its abbreviation, WTF. With a smirk, he reached the Adventurers' Guild and was greeted by Bonnie Eclair, his Therianthrope Bunny clerk.
"Hello Eli, how may I assist you today? Are you contemplating a change in your job title?"
Bonnie asked.
"Currently, I'm just exploring whether the Guild could assist in promoting my potions."
He stated.
Subsequently, he presented her with three distinct potions:
- Lesser Healing Potion: Restores 5% (Closes wounds, Regenerates 1% health per second for 1 minute)
- Lesser Mana Potion: Restores 5% (Regenerates 2% mana per second for 1 minute)
- Lesser Stamina Potion: Restores 5% (Regenerates 2% stamina per second for 1 minute)
Initially, Bonnie suspected Eli of becoming just another charlatan. However, upon utilizing her appraisal skill, she realized the potions' complexity was beyond her grasp.
"Apologies, Eli, but I must consult my manager regarding these potions; I'm not authorized to make such a purchase."
She explained.
After leaving him with the potions, she hurried off to find her manager. Shortly after, she returned accompanied by a man with black hair and violet eyes, dressed in a crimson gothic medieval tuxedo tailcoat with elaborate embroidery and long sleeves, exuding an aristocratic presence.
"Greetings, I am Lothric Sulyvahn, the Guild Master of the Carthage Adventure Guild. We are interested in your potions, and it is an honor to meet a High Elf like yourself."
He declared, bowing deeply at a 90-degree angle, much to Bonnie's and the guild's astonishment.
Following negotiations, an agreement was reached. The Guild would retain the three potions, promote his potions, and advised him to dilute them.
This is because a standard weak potion, costing 10 gems, heals only 2% of health and seals wounds. In contrast, his potion heals 5% and boosts health regeneration by an additional 60%, totaling 65%—a feat only the nation's finest Alchemist could achieve.
He agreed to sell the Lesser Healing Potion for 100 gems, concluding the negotiations with Bonnie and himself.
"Bonnie is there are any good quests available around my level."
Eli replied.
"Ah, since your encounter with the wolves a week ago, we've been receiving more reports of wolf attacks in the woods. We've posted a quest to slay the wolves. Unfortunately, the reward is only two gems, and it's suitable for F Rank adventurers. Are you interested, Eli?"
Bonnie explained.
"Alright, I'll take the quest! Where can I find the quest sheet?"
Eli asked.
"They're available on the main board, but I also have a copy here for you."
Bonnie said, pulling out one of the quest sheets from under her desk and handing it to him.
"Are there multiple locations for this quest that I should be aware of, Bonnie?"
Eli inquired.
"Yes, our Adventures guild also sells maps of the region. The cheapest one we have is for 10 gems, and it's a regular map. The next one costs 50 gems and comes with a self-repair and preservation enchantment. The subsequent one costs 100 gems and includes a previous enchantment and a quest marker to help you locate your position and the quest target."
"Finally, the most expensive one cost 10,000 gems, and it features all the previous enchantments, as well as a self-learning enchantment to add and mark new locations in the map, which would be beneficial in dungeons or new regions."
Bonnie explained.
"Which one will you buy today, Eli? I suggest getting the one that costs 100 gems. Although it's pricey, it will help you in your adventures with its location function."
Bonnie said. Eli reached into his pouch and pulled out 10 gold coins, placing them on Bonnie's desk.
"I'll take the most expensive one!"
The declaration shocked Bonnie and everyone else in the adventure guild.
'Holy crap, he has that much money. Eli must be some elf noble's son.'
She murmured to herself.
'Ok, Bonnie, change of plans. Forget about finding a new Sugar Daddy. This kid is loaded. Begin operation, seduce the young dark elf.'
"Excuse me for a moment, Eli. I need to take the payment and verify it with my manager."
Bonnie said.
"I'm okay with that, as long as I get my map."
Eli replied. Bonnie took all the 10 gold coins and hurried to her manager's office once again. Ten minutes later, Bonnie returned with her manager.
RACE: Sun Elf
NAME: Eli Rivers
Job Level: 5
Health Points: 290
Mana Points: 225
Stamina Points: 380
Attunement: 13
Vitality: 13
Endurance: 17
Strength: 14
Dexterity: 19
Perception: 15
Skill: 16
Charisma: 16
Luck: 18
Skill: 5 point
MSP: 665
Gems: 6,358,200