"Ah?!!"
Elan seemed to know that Furan was completely unaware of this, so he sighed and said:
"Ever since the Apothecary Association, an organization that had existed in Apprentice City for who knows how many years, collapsed, Apothecaries have returned to the era of freedom from long ago."
"But they soon discovered that this freedom wasn't quite what they imagined. They used to think that the Apothecary Association was just inexplicably taking a cut of their money."
"Once the Apothecaries became independent en masse, they realized that finding materials wasn't hard, but finding high-quality materials at low prices was extremely difficult."
"In the past, it was the Apothecary Association's sophisticated material procurement mechanism that allowed the Apothecaries of Apprentice City to have such low material prices."
Elan continued:
"Now, the prices of all materials are two to three times what they used to be. The Apothecaries really can't stand it anymore."
"On top of that, many Apothecaries opened their own shops, only to find that they couldn't sell anything unless they sold at a loss."
"So now, many Apothecaries have started to band together, centrally organizing people to purchase materials and sell potions. This has yielded good results, which gave them the idea of establishing another association."
This was indeed the first time Furan had heard this news. Hearing that the Apothecaries planned to rebuild the association, she also fell into thought.
Fundamentally, the association hadn't actually mistreated the Apothecaries much in the past. The problem was the embezzlement scandal that broke out, which led to a financial strain on the association.
The Apothecaries didn't believe the association's funds could still support its services to them. Furthermore, they were dissatisfied with the association's price changes, which significantly increased selling prices and took away a large portion of the profits.
In the eyes of an Apothecary, 'I processed the materials, and I brewed the Potion. Why should you get to take such a large cut of the profit?'
So, even though they knew the association had no choice but to raise prices, they were still unhappy. Besides, the association's situation was its own doing; what did it have to do with them? Did the association's cut ever go into their pockets?
Perhaps now, the Apothecaries not only didn't regret the skyrocketing material prices but were instead joyfully thinking about forming their own association so they could take a cut from their colleagues in the future.
"So? What does this have to do with us?"
Furan didn't understand why Elan was bringing this up. Weren't they just selling some smuggled goods under the association? Now that the association had collapsed, they had to consider the cost issues when selling.
So even though her Pharmaceutical Studies skill was about to level up, Furan didn't seem very keen. She only brewed two bottles a day, just to use up her existing materials first.
Currently, material prices were simply too high. If she really brewed them, she would likely lose a little money. To someone who had made so much from potions, this was unbearable, so she decided to wait for the turmoil to pass before grinding Pharmaceutical Studies again.
Elan smiled and said:
"Others can form an association, so why can't we? Don't you have many 'friends'? We can pull them together and build an association; we'll make a profit no matter what."
Elan thought that since everyone was building associations, he should build one too. Not only did Furan's friends have strong technical skills—being able to brew so many energy potions—but his channels in the Apprentice Market were also incomparable to those of other fly-by-night associations.
If they joined forces, they would have a high probability of winning the final 'battle royale.' Even if they didn't win in the end, they could still sell the association for a good price, just like demonstrating its strategic value for a takeover.
But Furan broke into a cold sweat and said hurriedly:
"Um... you seem to be too late... My friends seem to have already joined other associations."
Where would Furan get so many 'friends'? She had faked them all, and it was only because of the energy potions that she could produce so much.
If they really wanted to build an association, they would definitely have to offer all kinds of potions. Although Furan brewed quickly and accurately, just dealing with the materials for every type of potion would consume most of her time.
First, there was the processing and preservation of medicinal ingredients, and there would also be some expired or rotten herbs that needed regular cleaning. This wasn't something that could be solved just by hiring someone; management alone would be a huge problem.
"I see..."
Elan found this answer unexpected yet reasonable. He could accept it; after all, those Apothecaries wouldn't just sit idle. Even if they had just made a fortune from energy potions, you couldn't stop them from wanting more money.
Elan let out a long sigh. It was just a matter of timing. If Furan had come to find him the day after the association collapsed, there might have been a chance to prepare, but it was really a bit late now.
However, he also knew Furan was busy thinking about promoting to a Formal Mage, so he could only lament the poor timing.
"Alright then, let's stick to our old methods."
Elan turned around, tapped on a groove in the wall, and a small opening appeared. From it, Elan took out several sheets of paper.
"What's this?"
Furan was a bit confused by Elan's behavior. Stick to the old methods? Before, they could earn so much because the association set high prices. Once those new associations stabilized, could their smuggling prices be lower than others'?
Elan seemed to know Furan's doubts. He handed the papers to Furan and explained with a smile:
"These are orders sent from Antire."
"Orders?"
"Yes, orders. The Territorial Nobles of Antire are busy preparing for war, and preparing potions is a very important part of that."
"I used my channels to intercept these orders to launch our new model."
Furan was still a bit confused. What was all this? Just tell me how you're going to launch it.
Furan glanced at the contents of the orders and found that the types of potions requested in these two orders were quite limited, and they were ones she had brewed before.
"healing potion, strength potion..."
"For those Territorial Nobles, these simple things are what's needed most. healing potion can treat the wounds of their subordinate Knights, and strength potion can be given to those young people who have just gone to the battlefield."
"Because of the long distance and the fact that the final payment is only made upon delivery, the unit price of the potions in this order is very high. Although it doesn't compare to the time of the energy potions, we can still make a lot."
"I'm sure your friends won't pass up this opportunity to make money. After all, my price is much higher than the purchase price of other associations."
Elan finished explaining everything in one breath and stood there waiting for Furan's response.
Furan looked at the order quantities and the agreed-upon compensation on the paper, calculated the deadlines, and finally felt she could complete it.
"Alright, I'll take it, but you'll have to help with the materials."
Elan replied:
"Sure. Now let's discuss the cut for each bottle of potion. Different types of potions have different cuts."