WTF Store Opening
Eli finally met up with Rusty in WTF and began chatting with him in his new, low tone of voice.
"How's it going, boy? Do you like my new voice?"
Rusty looked puzzled, wondering how his master changed the tone of his voice. After a moment, he put his face near Eli, huffed his nose, and then neighed in acceptance. He then petted his head, happy that his partner accepted him.
"I knew you would like it, buddy. You and I are going to be inseparable, I tell you what."
He soon rode Rusty. After a few minutes next to his store and waited until the traffic peaked, and he finally made his move. A bundle of emotions swirled inside him, ranging from nervousness to excitement. He feared he might fail, but he steeled himself. He pulled out his acoustic guitar. Attaching the shoulder strap, and began to practice playing a tune on it.
"Do you like the tune, boy? I'm about to play a song from one of my favorite singers, Johnny Cash. The song is called 'Rusty Cage'."
Rusty neighed and moved his head around in excitement upon hearing that the song was named after him.
Eli began to play the tune of (Johnny Cash, Rusty Cage)
🎶You wired me awake,
And hit me with a hand of broken nails🎶
🎶You tied my lead and pulled my chain,
To watch my blood begin to boil🎶
🎶But I'm gonna break,
I'm gonna break my,
Gonna break my rusty cage and run🎶
🎶I'm gonna break,
I'm gonna break my,
Gonna break my rusty cage and run🎶
Eli soon got the attention of the townspeople from his singing in the city of Carthage.
🎶Too cold to start a fire,
I'm burning diesel, burning dinosaur bones🎶
🎶I'll take the river down to still water,
And ride a pack of dogs🎶
🎶I'm gonna break,
I'm gonna break my,
Gonna break my rusty cage and run🎶
🎶I'm gonna break,
I'm gonna break my,
Gonna break my rusty cage...
Eli lingered a couple of moments in silence. leaving the crowd in suspense about what he's going to say next.
and RUN~🎶
He surprised most of the listeners with his suave and the low tone of his voice, making most of the female audience fall in love with him. Eli then changed to a more slowed tone beat in the song.
🎶When the forest burns along the road🎶
🎶Like God's eyes in my headlights🎶
🎶When the dogs are lookin' for their bones🎶
🎶And it's rainin' icepicks on your steel shore🎶
🎶I'm gonna break🎶
🎶I'm gonna break my🎶
🎶I'm gonna break my rusty cage and run🎶
🎶I'm gonna break🎶
🎶I'm gonna break my🎶
🎶Gonna break my rusty cage and run🎶
🎶I'm gonna break🎶
🎶I'm gonna break my🎶
🎶Gonna break my rusty cage and run🎶
🎶I'm gonna break🎶
🎶I'm gonna break my🎶
Gonna break my rusty cage..🎶
and run.🎶
The crowd surrounded him with applause.
"Howdy folks! Everyone! Gather around! I have something amazing to show you that demands your attention! Today, I announce the opening of Western Tumbleweed Frontier! And what a glorious opening it is! Yehaa!"
Eli announced like a stereotypical cowboy, raising his voice so many could hear him, but not quite enough for him to be yelling.
The audience was captivated by the strange-looking elf singing and they fell in love with his outfit. Soon they swarmed Eli and Rusty, asking questions like "Where did you get your outfit?", What do you sell" and "Can you sing more songs, mister?"
Eli put away his guitar and crouched down near Rusty's ear.
"Hey buddy, can you help me out here?"
Rusty sensed his master's predicament and headed to his stable, but not without rearing up on his hind legs like a typical stubborn horse, scattering the crowd as he retreated to rest.
"We're wasting daylight, folks! Starting today, Health, Mana, and Stamina Potions are available at WTF for just 10 gems each! Plus, I'll buy any rare items you have, just like a Pawnshop."
"Grab these potions while you can, as we've got a limited supply!"
Eli's eyes bulged with alarm as his announcement unleashed chaos, prompting a stampede towards him. He dashed back into his store.
"Please form a line, no pushing or shoving!"
He called out as he scurried behind the counter.
The first floor of the building was an empty store, save for the furniture. He was grateful for the emptiness, considering the two dozen people now crammed inside, all vying for his attention, driven by the urgency of limited stock.
"Behave yourselves, or I won't sell any potions!"
That was enough to calm the crowd.
With peace restored, he began to sell his weaker potions until a request from a well-dressed, portly middle-aged man took him by surprise.
"I'll take all your potions."
Eli was taken aback. Such a request from an adventurer would be understandable—they often faced life-threatening dangers. But why would a regular citizen need so many?
He pondered briefly but realized it didn't matter. His role was simply that of a shopkeeper, not to question his customers' needs. However, he couldn't afford to deplete his stock entirely.
"Apologies, good sir, but my store has a limit on sales. I will only sell five of each potion type per person."
He announced loudly enough for everyone to hear.
The rule he had just established was exploitable, and he was aware of it, but his goal was to attract more customers to his shop. This would increase the visibility of the traffic to and from his store, sparking interest and spreading the word about his business more quickly.
"When can we expect more stock?"
The man asked gruffly, clearly displeased with the limitation.
"I cannot guarantee daily sales, but I encourage you to check back every other day."
Eli replied, leveraging his customer service experience to tell the customer what he wanted to hear, all the while smiling.
The man nodded, his dissatisfaction apparent, and peered past Eli at the wall shelves, which were neatly stocked with bottles. He recognized the Regular Potions, but his eyes were drawn to other bottles filled with a blue liquid.
"You mentioned a limit of five potions per type for each person. Could you tell me about those over there?"
The man asked, quieting the increasingly restless crowd. They, too, were curious about the mysterious potion.
"Those are premium potions priced at 500 gems each, and I'm selling only one of each potion type per person. The Health potion restores 65% of health within a minute. The Mana potion replenishes 125% of mana in the same time. The Stamina potion also restores 125% of stamina in one minute."
Eli explained, noting the crowd's eagerness at the potions.
"I'll take all I can get of each potion," the man declared, placing 1,650 Jewels on the counter without a second thought.
"Here you go, sir."
Eli handed over the potions and pocketed the money, pausing briefly before offering a smile to the next customer in line.
As sales continued, Eli was quite certain some customers intended to resell the potions at a higher price. However, he remained unconcerned. Potions, after all, were consumable goods. Those who purchased them would inevitably need more, leading them back to his store, thereby increasing his clientele and spreading the word about his business.
He kept up with the brisk trade of potions, exchanging them for gems. The cycle persisted until a customer inquired if he could make use of gemstones, soon realizing that Eli offered a handsome sum for them.
Typically, these gemstones were less sought after, overshadowed by the more versatile magic stones used for everything from power sources and enchantments to decorations. In the face of such competition, non-magical gemstones were seldom utilized beyond ornamental purposes. They were rarely sold on their own, often displayed to entice shoppers into selecting them as inexpensive adornments for their armor, weapons, or jewelry.
Later in the afternoon, Eli stood behind the counter, tallying the gems and MSP he had accumulated throughout the day, as the shop had no remaining customers. Occasionally, one or two would stop by to inquire about Potions, but upon learning they were out of stock until the next few days, they would quickly depart.
Eli had successfully concocted 53 Lesser Healing Potions, 55 Lesser Mana Potions, and 48 Lesser Stamina Potions. Diluting the Lesser Potions resulted in 32 weak potions of each type, and from diluting 40 of each, he obtained 1,280 of each type.
Whistled!
In a matter of hours, he had earned 30,800 gems, a sum not to be dismissed lightly. Additionally, he had garnered 840,000 MSP by trading items he had acquired from individuals for 13,000 gems.
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 Points: 0
MSP: 840,665
Gems: 6,376,000