"Lord Aven is really going to give these potions for the commoners to use?"
"I've met so many nobles in my life, but I think only Lord Aven is willing to let commoners use potions," the apothecary remarked as he carefully placed a wooden test tube into a wooden box. He gave a faint shake of his head, yet there was a look of genuine respect in his eyes.
He himself was a commoner-born apothecary, and thus held a natural fondness for Aven, who was also of commoner origin. Aven's attitude toward ordinary people had earned his heartfelt respect. So, upon hearing of the hardships faced by Fruitvale Village, he had still come here without hesitation.
In fact, he had originally been prepared to help Lord Aven concoct potions without asking for any payment at all. But once he arrived, he found that the conditions here were far better than he had imagined.
What's more, by following Aven and Master Olai, he had learned much new knowledge about the art of potion-making—things he had never encountered before. For an apothecary, knowledge directly translated into skill, and skill meant strength in potion-making.
…
Meanwhile, in the northern border of Aspiration City, at the headquarters of the Gilded Fang Merchant Guild, apothecaries and potion-makers from all directions were gathering one after another, beginning to concoct potions for the Guild.
Among them was the apothecary Harlan. At this moment, staring at the mountain of berries piled up before him, his face lit up with excitement!
He had no doubt in his mind—he was certain that practically all of Aspiration City's berries were now here. From this point on, the Gilded Fang Merchant Guild could be said to have completely monopolized the city's potion business.
"So, in the coming period, please focus on making as many potions as possible. Whatever you are owed, our Gilded Fang Merchant Guild will not short you a single coin," said the Guild steward.
Upon hearing this, Harlan nodded eagerly. These days, he could hardly get any potion-making work in Aspiration City. But here, not only was there an endless supply of berries to use, he could also earn far more in potion-making fees.
Soon after, Harlan was led to his own potion-making room. On the way, he was surprised to see a great many familiar faces. Clearly, many freelance potion-makers had been recruited by the Guild.
He even spotted the master apothecary Johann—well-known for his greed. Evidently, even he could not resist the lure of profit and had come to help the Guild brew potions!
"If even Master Johann has come, then it seems the Gilded Fang Merchant Guild truly intends to gain complete control over Aspiration City's potion trade," Harlan thought to himself, his guess now firmly confirmed.
Once in his room, he wasted no time and immediately began brewing potions. At this point, he was eager to prove himself—only then could he reap more rewards.
His eyes swept across the berries laid out on the worktable, and Harlan decided right away to make healing potions. This was the very type of potion that had nearly been rendered obsolete by Aven's new-style healing potions, yet now it was being brewed again in large quantities.
At that same time, in the Gilded Fang Merchant Guild's study, Nelson was reviewing the Guild's recent financial records.
The table before him was piled high with ledgers, a clear sign of just how terrifying the Guild's recent expenses had been. After all, they were attempting to monopolize the grain and berry supply of an entire city.
"Fortunately, once these potions are sold, most of the financial pressure will be eased immediately."
Setting the ledger in his hand back on the table, Nelson exhaled slowly. He had just been reviewing the Guild's current potion production figures.
"Now, it's time to reach out to those lords—especially the patrol knight orders stationed on the borders. Their consumption of potions is the highest."
After organizing all the ledgers on his desk, Nelson picked up a wooden box at his side and headed out the door, intending to personally visit the border patrol knights.
..
Inside the castle of Aspiration City, in the lord's study—
"Your Highness, aside from the rise in grain prices, the prices of berries and potions have also increased significantly. The city's potion shops have already shut down. I believe Fruitvale Village is finding it very difficult to continue sustaining its potion business," Johnson reported.
He was briefing her on the city's recent financial situation and grain price trends—a matter that had become a headache for every noble in the region.
When it came to berries and potions, Johnson naturally brought up the potion shop. In recent times, the potion shop—backed heavily by the city—had generated enormous profits.
Ever since it opened, the shop had practically monopolized the entire potion market in Aspiration City. Backed by the city's influence and with fair prices, many lords had been willing to cooperate with it.
One could say that after this period of operation, the shop's business was running smoothly, and "earning gold by the day" was no exaggeration.
If not for the limited speed of production in Fruitvale Village, the shop could have generated even greater profits. But now, without enough berries to make potions, even the potion shop had been forced to withdraw from the market.
"In contrast, the Gilded Fang Merchant Guild, after stockpiling berries, has hired numerous apothecaries to brew potions," Johnson went on. "In the coming period, they will inevitably monopolize the potion trade, and that is not good news for our territory."
His expression darkened as he spoke of the Merchant Guild.
Although the Ironblood Fortress had not launched any wars, the effect of this move on Aspiration City was even greater than war itself!
Through the Gilded Fang Merchant Guild, the Fortress had fully bared its fangs. This was a move that could shake the very foundations of Aspiration City.
With the strength the Ironblood Fortress had now accumulated, its power was no weaker than that of any other city. Even Aspiration City would find it difficult to deal with them.
The Fortress had truly grown beyond control. If not for the divine protection over Aspiration City, the Fortress might already have had the strength to overthrow them.
Unfortunately, the deity Azelf did not reside in this world, and summoning it into reality came at an extremely high cost.
Under these circumstances, as long as the Fortress abided by the city's laws, Aspiration City could not take the initiative to strike against it—the cost would be unbearable for both sides.
"I understand. When the time comes, I will speak to Marquis Hormay personally," said Mira, her expression grave. "Once we make it through this period, when the early winter harvest of berries comes in, the crisis will be over."
Potions were a vital strategic resource, directly influencing the combat capabilities of the knight orders.
Knock, knock, knock—
While the two were still in discussion, a sudden series of knocks came at the door.
"Enter," Mira called.
A knight attendant stepped in. "Your Highness, the Earl of the Southeastern Border has arrived."
At this, both Mira and Johnson's eyes lit up. They had just been talking about Aven, and now here he was.
"Go and invite Earl Aven in," Mira instructed.
When Aven entered and once again saw the white-haired young lady lord, he noticed her face looked more haggard than before—it was clear she hadn't been resting well lately.
It didn't take him long to guess that she must have been worrying over the grain and potion prices. In truth, there wasn't a single noble in the entire Aspiration City territory who wasn't troubled by them right now.
"Earl Aven, what brings you here?" Mira sat upright in her seat, resting her chin on her hands, her tired gaze falling on Aven.
Although she had some guesses as to why he had come, she genuinely didn't know how to resolve the matter.
"Yes, I did come for a reason this time," Aven replied straightforwardly. "I'm sure Your Highness already knows what has been happening recently. Fruitvale Village can no longer produce any surplus healing potions, so I have shut down all potion-related business."
Though she had already heard about this, hearing it directly from Aven still made Mira sigh. It seemed the potion trade truly could not continue, and that meant the Gilded Fang Merchant Guild's monopoly over the market was inevitable.
Aven fell silent for a moment. He knew very well how much profit the potion shop had generated during this period. Once the shop had been established, it had all but monopolized the potion trade in Aspiration City. And the profits from monopolizing an industry… well, anyone in the modern day could imagine.
"However… I now intend to reopen the potion shop, and I will need Your Highness's support," Aven said after taking a deep breath.
Mira was caught completely off guard. "You plan to reopen the potion shop?! Now?" she blurted out in surprise.
"Lord Aven… have you already resolved the berry supply problem?"
Johnson's face was also filled with astonishment at this moment—he simply couldn't imagine where Aven had managed to obtain enough berries to configure such a large quantity of potions!
"Well, Your Highness, Sir Johnson, don't forget that my territory borders the Black Forest," Aven said with a faint smile.
"The Black Forest contains an abundance of resources that can be gathered. In addition, I have already improved the potion-crafting method, so the problem of potion ingredients has been resolved."
His tone carried a half-truth. He only mentioned that the Black Forest had plenty of resources, but he made no mention whatsoever of the herbs he had discovered.
For any apothecary, the formula for a potion was their most valuable treasure. Even the Lady of Aspiration City himself could not casually compel a potion-maker to hand over their formula.
"Is this true?"
Coming back to their senses, Mira and Johnson exchanged glances, joy lighting their faces.
"Yes, I've already brought the potions here," Aven replied.
"Compared to standard potions, the effectiveness of my improved version is a little weaker," he admitted. "However, as long as the injury isn't too severe, it should still be treatable. The results are actually quite good."
As he spoke, Aven set down the small wooden box he had brought in from the start. Opening it revealed more than a dozen wooden test tubes nestled inside.
"Weaker-effect potions?" Johnson narrowed his eyes slightly, then picked up one of the tubes. Each was labeled with the potion's name.
The one in his hand was labeled Wound Medicine. From the name alone, it was clear that this was a recovery-type potion.
"Lord Johnson, the one you're holding is Wound Medicine," Aven explained.
"This type of potion cannot be taken internally—it can only be applied externally to wounds. For treating physical injuries, its effect is no worse than that of a healing potion."
Aven patiently described the properties of the Wound Medicine. As he spoke, he couldn't help feeling deeply sentimental. In the future world, this salve was one of the most popular medicines available.
Unlike potions—which, despite the name, were essentially just nutrient-rich berry juice—the Wound Medicine was simple to make, inexpensive, and therefore highly sought after.
Take the one in his hand as an example: the herbs needed to make this salve grew abundantly in the Black Forest, making the cost nearly zero aside from labor. Furthermore, these herbs were easy to cultivate artificially.
Of course, in the future world, the most popular treatment method was still a Pokémon's healing move. These kinds of medicines were primarily kept for emergencies.
"Wound Medicine… specifically for treating external wounds!"
Johnson's eyes lit up again. In truth, during battles, knights mostly suffered external injuries.
In such cases, this salve alone could handle most wounds, effectively replacing the role of healing potions.
"For regular injuries, just use the Wound Medicine," Aven continued. "If the wound is more serious, I also have Energy Potions. Their effect is comparable to that of standard healing potions and can completely replace them."
"In addition to Energy Potions, I also have antidotes, paralysis cures, and so on—more or less every type of potion currently available on the market can be found here."
He picked up several other bottles and began explaining them. These were all common medicines in the future world, but this was the first time they had appeared in this ancient era!
"How many of these Wound Medicines do you have, Lord Aven?" Johnson's breathing quickened.
Aven's lips curled into a smile. "A large quantity—more than enough to supply all the major knightly orders, with plenty left over to sell to other lords as well."
Johnson's expression brightened, and he quickly pressed on. "And how are these potions priced?"
Hearing this, Aven's eyes narrowed slightly, the corners of his mouth curling upward into a faint chuckle. "Since these potions are indeed somewhat less effective than standard ones, the price is only half that of regular potions."
"Yes, I mean half of the original standard price—before the recent price hikes. The current market prices for potions are obviously abnormal… I think it's about time the potion market was given a new standard price!"
As Aven's words fell, a sudden gust of wind swept in from outside the window, rustling the hair of the three people inside.
For a moment, the entire room was steeped in an eerily quiet atmosphere.
(End of Chapter)
TN: Warning me ranting.
Spent almost an hour on these potions and comparing chapter 330, 331 and 332 about these damn names. Wasted a goddamn hour for just 1 chapter and barely edited a 2nd chapter. Then these Chinese characters will start to look all the same after looking at them for too long and you'll forget the one you're looking at if you look at another one then you gonna have to do it all over again then the google translate will change its translation f me.
Anyway, after a frustrated ranting, I decided to just call them all Energy plant and potion. Only one that match and real was Energy root so I just decided to call them all energy even though I think vitality sounds better for a potion.