harleyscars Chapter 88 Years Ago
Chapter 88 Years Ago
Wednesday, December 3, 1346
Since Altair found a substitute herb in the underground market of the "Dragon Bar" seven days ago, she has increased the production of "Special Potion".
At first, she was worried about whether she could sell all the extra medicine she produced. But after only two days, her worries disappeared.
Perhaps because the drug is so effective, people now approach Altair whenever he appears on the streets of the North District to inquire about or buy it.
No matter how many doses of medicine are taken out that day, they will definitely be sold out in less than three hours.
During this period, some people even suggested that they could spend a lot of money to have her customize a batch of drugs that were more effective and stronger.
However, Altair found it troublesome and refused to make a custom order, citing his limited abilities and inability to create enhancement potions.
Because once Altair accepts a custom-made medicine, it means that he has to start a separate operation, prepare a separate batch of medicine, and cook a separate pot.
Although it's very profitable, Altair isn't selling these potions for profit.
She made and sold these potions to play the role of a 'witch' rather than a 'merchant'.
Instead of wasting time, it would be better to brew a large pot of the regular version of the medicine. That way, neither time nor herbs would be wasted.
Of course, increased production also means increased demand for medicinal herbs. Therefore, Altair's visits to the "Dragon's Tavern" have gradually increased, from once every two days initially to once a day now.
Recently, Altair has almost emptied out the medicinal herbs in the underground market of the "Evil Dragon Bar".
This doesn't mean the market is so small. The main reason is that with the New Year approaching, most workers are gradually going on holiday, so even if merchants have medicinal herbs, they can't transport them in.
In normal times, herbal medicine merchants would have already sourced the herbs from various regions and delivered them to Tingen. After all, Altair never haggles when buying herbs; she buys them if she feels the price is right.
As for the price of medicinal herbs, to be honest, those merchants wouldn't be "smart" enough to simply raise prices because Altair never bargains.
This is, after all, an "official" controlled market. If someone is found to be arbitrarily raising market prices, they will definitely be asked to leave.
Once you're out there, it will be very difficult to find a market that offers both protection and "legitimacy."
But the merchants wouldn't waste this opportunity to make money. After several transactions, they gradually figured out Altair's trading habits: as long as you said a few nice words and didn't offer too high a price, she was willing to make a deal.
Around noon, after selling all his potions for the day, Altair went to the market at the "Dragon Bar".
She looked at the middle-aged man who was packing the herbs and asked, "Is this your last batch of stock? If I offer a high price, could you get me a batch of herbs from somewhere else?"
"Beautiful lady, you flatter me." The herbalist, head bowed, finished packing the materials, then looked up at Altair with a smile and explained:
"With the New Year approaching, everyone is busy celebrating. Look at this market, there are hardly any people doing business anymore."
"After finishing this order with you today, I will officially begin my annual leave. Whether I have money or not, I will go home for the New Year."
"Work will have to wait until after January 6th next year to resume."
"It'll be 5 pounds 3 soles in total, you can just pay me 5 pounds."
Upon hearing this, Altair took out a five-pound note from his pouch, handed it to the herbalist, and picked up the packaged paper bag.
Just as she turned around to leave, she heard the merchant behind her say, "Please wait a moment, ma'am."
Before she could react, the herbalist produced a package wrapped in brown kraft paper from somewhere and handed it to Altair, saying, "These are cookies my youngest daughter made with oats and milk. Please have a taste."
Looking at the unusually shaped biscuits in front of him, Altair smiled politely and said, "Your daughter is so kind. May I try one?"
"Of course." After saying that, the merchant opened the bag of biscuits completely and pushed it forward.
Altair picked up a biscuit and put it to his mouth, taking a small bite and savoring it. As he ate, he thought, "Although the biscuit isn't very well shaped, the texture is really good. It's quite dry and crispy, with a slight charred aroma at the edges. The grain flavor is also very strong, and after a few more bites, you can taste a subtle sweetness."
After tasting the cookie, Altair remarked, "She's very talented; these cookies are delicious."
"Of course, I've always been proud of her; she's always had a great talent for this." The businessman was delighted to hear the praise.
After a few words of casual conversation, Altair accepted the biscuits from the merchant and said goodbye, "Then I'll stay here and wish you a Happy New Year in advance."
"Happy New Year." Upon hearing this blessing, the merchant removed his hat and bowed.
After leaving the herb stall, Altair glanced around at the few remaining stalls. Finding no one selling herbs, he left the underground market without stopping at the "Dragon Bar." He took a taxi directly back to the Wutong Branch Courtyard.
Without having lunch, they went into the laboratory to prepare the last batch of medicinal herbs for the year to be made into a "special-type medicine".
Before going to bed that night, I thought to myself, "After selling this last batch of potions tomorrow, I'll go back to Morse Town and prepare for the New Year."