Deal

"Sir, this is not my decision to make here. I will need you to follow me inside." Just as anyone could expect, while a single box of pills didn't seem like much in the eyes of the sect members, the opportunity to obtain some insane numbers of them for less than half the market price was something that a simple guard couldn't handle.

"I fully understand. I will be counting on your guidance, then." Respectfully lowering his head, Sebian didn't bother to fight off his urge to smile. With this new identity of a shrewd merchant, he managed to not only pass through the sect's gates but after moving through the set of paths, he was led straight towards the living quarters of the elders!

"Sir, I will need you to wait here for a moment." After approaching one of the many, spacious villas in the area, the guard turned around and ordered the Alchemist. "Not a problem, young master. I will be counting on you to introduce my business to the elders." Lowering his head once again, Sebian could feel a wave of relief. Given how little he demanded of a fee for what he proposed, there was a huge chance he would be questioned about his motives. Thankfully, for a sect that was dominant in the area for a while already, there was one excuse that could work pretty well.

After a few moments of waiting, the same guard from before returned from the mansion before gesturing at the alchemist. "Sir, come with me. Elder Yeanye agreed to meet with you."

Following into the building, Sebian got the chance to observe just how wealthy the man was. All along the way towards his quarters, the corridor they were walking through was filled with various paintings, each more intricate than the one before. If one were to fully focus on the art on the walls, then their quality would continue to grow as they neared the office of the elder. Right before said room, the corridor suddenly widened, turning into something of a reception hall.

"Now we need to wait a bit." Instructing the alchemist on the go, the guard calmly sat down on one of the chairs, before inviting the alchemist to do the same. "Right, I didn't ask before, how should I call you, mister?"

Hearing the question, Sebian smiled. In theory, it should be common knowledge to give him a false name. But with how he wanted to play the entire situation out, that option was sadly out of the picture. 'Well, it's not like anyone outside of Aina and Sheeren know my name either way…' After his eyebrows twitched, Sebian put on a wide smile. "My name is Sebian, but please, do not pay me much mind. As a lowly merchant, I have no courage to be called by name by a disciple of this great sect!"

"What a humble young man!" Opening up the doors to his study, the Yeanye elder smiled. Despite bearing the respectable title, he was still in the midsts of his best years. Adding up the man's relatively high cultivation, he appeared to be somewhere around his thirties, but could very well already reach fifty if not sixty of age. "Come on in, there is no need to waste your time on just waiting."

While it could be just the outwards appearance, a fake face the man would wear when interacting with others, Sebian wasn't so sure about this harsh judgment he passed on the man. Because there was a huge chance, he just met a genuine elder, concerned with the matters of his sect more than he was about filling his own pockets.

"Thank you for the invitation, respectable elder." Lowering his head for the third time today, Sebian forced his smile to disappear from his lips. Raising his head, he instantly moved to the business. "Sir, before I talk about this plan of mine, let me explain what I believe to be the reason behind that strange grandmaster's actions." Still speaking with a voice filled with respect, Sebian took a serious expression on his face before looking directly into the elder's eyes.

"Sir, whether his grudge against sects is real or not, is up for debate. But with the current arrangements… There is only so many people capable of forking out twenty grade two stones to buy a single box of pills. After all, this is quite a fortune on its own." That was one of the major points within Sebian's plan. If he allowed the sale of single pills, all his stock would be swarmed and bought out by every other commoner within the city. As much as grade two stone was worth, it wasn't a sum that a clever man would have to struggle to obtain.

"That's why I believe, his wishes are centred around something else. And by openly declaring that he will not sell a single pill to any of the sect members, he implied…" Bringing his guts to the maximum, Sebian dared to stop his words just before explaining the situation. It was a simple trick but extremely easy to fall for. Because once the elder would finish his words himself, he would be certain about their validity.

Because in the end, he would be the one to say them!

"That he wishes not to be a part of the conflicts between different sects. That makes sense. For someone with his wealth and ability, it would be unreasonable to join any of the existing powers." Taking Sebian's hints for granted, Yeanye elder quickly 'come to an understanding', nodding his head over the 'wise plan' of the 'stall owner. "So what you are suggesting, is that it won't be a problem to buy the pills, as long…?" This time, it was the elder to play the same trick as Sebian before. But rather than pushing his vigilance to the maximum, the alchemist happily stepped into this trap.

"As long they won't be bought directly by the sect members. Given the number of pills that he sells, that grandmaster has to count on people like me to silently trade his stock." Shrugging his arms, Sebian revealed one of the three pillars of his plans. But although he was honest with the reasoning, his actual reasons behind this kind of arrangement were aimed at something else.

'If no one has the clear picture of what others are buying, it will be far easier to coax them into the scam.' When it came to cheating others out of their hard-earned money, an abundance of information was one's greatest enemy. Only by enclosing the target into an information bubble where all his wishes would seemingly come true, could one guide him into total devastation.

"I understand now. Then, what is your offer? I heard something about twenty-one grade two stones per box of pills. Is that information correct?" Bringing up a cup of tea that magically appeared in his hand towards his lips, the young elder took a gentle sip, clearly relaxing as soon as the liquid warmed up his throat. "Respectable elder, I dare not ask for a greater fee. But there is one thing I need to ensure." Shaking his head with a fake worry, Sebian lowered his head as if in shame.

"Sir, I can go and buy several boxes with just the money I have on me. What's more, there is a new product that's announced to appear today, with some strange scheme to it. The thing is…" Taking a momentary break to showcase just how unsure he was about speaking of the matter out loud.

"Friend, you brought a great opportunity for this sect and you even remained rational when calculating your righteous fee. Speak of your troubles freely, and I will do my best to solve them." Smiling amiably to the alchemist, the elder's face tensed a bit.

"Sir, if that's the case, then let me reveal one last thing. It just so happens… That I'm a close friend of an apothecary, who is now closely working with that grandmaster. And from what I heard directly from him…" Sebian slowly moved his head around, as if to check if no one was eavesdropping on their conversation. Only after a moment of this play did he dare to utter the rest of his words. "That grandmaster doesn't seem to manage money well. In worry, and to make some pocket money himself, whenever his master sends him to buy something, he uses his own funds to get even more of the required resource."

At this point, the elder could no longer hold his excitement back. Most likely because they moved from the topic of a strange grandmaster he could not understand, to the problem of ever-present greed.

The greed that he could make use of.

"What are you trying to suggest?" As clearly excited as the elder was, he dared not to openly show it on his face. Asking a casual question, he directed his eyes towards Sebian.

"Sir, I do believe that you are not in the power to sign the obligation documents on behalf of the entire sect. That's why, I will use all the money I currently have, to buy all the pills I can from my friend." Explaining the plan step by step, Sebian had a hard time infusing excitement to his voice. Because while for the elder the sums they were talking about were bound to be great, for him, even a million of grade two stones were of little if any value. "I will send some handymen to deliver the pills to the sect. But once you confirm their validity, I wish to obtain the written letter of obligation, according to which the sect will buy out all the pills I will procure."

For someone from an advanced civilisation like Sebian's original world, a deal like that was akin to singing an in Blanco cheque. But for someone of this world, foreign to market and price manipulation, this kind of deal would appear quite reasonable.

After all, Sebian's persona just claimed to risk his entire wealth on this job. If the sect wouldn't buy the pills he would procure, his entire wealth would be gone!

"I understand. Once the first batch of the pills will arrive, I will make sure to procure such a document for you. But on the passing note," Suddenly hesitating, the elder looked sternly into Sebian's eyes, "why are you charging the sect so little? You know that it wouldn't be a problem to raise the price to twenty-two, or even twenty-three stones, given the risk you are taking."

Finally, the most important question for today appeared. But rather than jumping in joy, Sebian turned his serious face towards the elder before calmly responding.

"Sir, I'm not the only smart merchant in the city. I just happened to be the quickest. If I ask for more than minimum, you would change my services to someone who will offer a lower price. That's why, I would rather curry some favours with the sect by earning a little now so that I will continue to earn this little over a long period of time, rather than receiving a huge but singular gratification!"