Path of an Alchemist (2)

Manager Qing's offer was undoubtedly tempting but the three-year contract felt like a letdown to Liu Feng.

Sensing his hesitation, Manager Qing elaborated on the benefits. "The three-year contract may seem lengthy, young master, but rest assured, it's quite fair. We will buy the pills from you at a fixed rate and we will not charge any extra fees on pill sales that we usually do. You will be given access to rare materials that are not readily available to the public on priority. Apart from that if you establish a contract with us, all the ingredients you require to concoct pills will be provided to you in advance You just need to list your ingredients and those will be delivered to you at the earliest. Additionally, in cases of special requests from the Pavilion, there will be additional reward."

Liu Feng pondered for a moment - access to knowledge, resources, and financial rewards – all were incredibly tempting. But the conditions, particularly the three-year commitment, still felt restrictive. He weighed the pros and cons of the contract, and his mind raced with possibilities.

He did not want to open his store just yet. Managing a store would be a demanding task, and frankly, Liu Feng was not eager to take unnecessary hassle. Heck, what he would even sell? unprocessed demon beast corpses?

He knew from his experience that demon beast corpses had way lesser value without proper processing. To make matters worse, he was not even confident in his ability to refine pills. Although he felt he could not let Manager Qing know of this, he was cautious internally. 

From the palace library, he had already learned many information about the alchemy profession. While the profession itself was glamorous and highly respected in society, it was far from easy. To become a successful alchemist, it required a high aptitude for the craft.

It was a profession that required a high amount of resources and only the most skilled practitioners turned significant profit. Achieving a 70% success rate during pill creation was considered exceptional, a mark of genius, and beyond that were the true master of the craft.

"Manager Qing," he finally replied, "while the offer is very attractive, three years is a significant amount of time."

"Indeed it is," Manager Qing replied quickly. "However, allow me to clarify – the contract's duration is based on the number of pills an alchemist provides. For instance, we require our alchemists to provide us with a minimum of 150 low-grade pills per month, which makes it 1,800 low-grade pills annually. Fulfilling this quota, or its equivalent value in higher-grade pills would complete the contract."

"Although it might be difficult," manager Qing hesitated, "but the three-year contract is indeed negotiable, young master," he assured, "we could adjust the term to one year just for you."

While producing 150 low-grade pills monthly was challenging even for a seasoned alchemist, the real hurdle was to gather the resources to produce them. Without the pavilion's contract, one would be required to invest a significant amount of resources to acquire them.

Although Manager Qing's offer showcased his goodwill, this also allowed him to assess Liu Feng's skills and capabilities.

Liu Feng realized he might have unknowingly caught into Manager Qing's well crafted plan. Though a year seemed less daunting than three, the number of pills remained the same at an average. Internally, however, he felt a flicker of confidence. Perhaps, he thought, he could manage this.

"Here's our grand catalog, young master," Manager Qing pointed, as the servant placed a hefty book adorned with intricate symbols on the table in front of Liu Feng. He casually started reading it but soon a look of surprise appeared in his eyes.

The listed items were extraordinary – from common pills, and ordinary potions to valuable medicines, precious herbs, rare demon beast parts, and invaluable elixirs, everything was present there. But his awe quickly turned to shock as he scanned the prices. Even low-grade pills cost several gold coins, while rare treasures cost a hefty sum in the hundreds of thousands of gold coins. Some rarer items even listed prices in spirit stones.

He had learned about spirit stones already. Although it was not rare, it was valuable. Too valuable for ordinary people. While dealing with precious items, most cultivators relied on them as the standard currency for transactions.

Although he had 100 such low-grade spirit stones as his reward, he regarded them as his treasures after knowing their value. Even in his trusted Zhang residence, he had ensured a three-level of deception to hide them.

The collection of Misty Medicine Pavilion truly impressed Liu Feng. As he delved deeper into the catalog, he noticed many important pieces of knowledge were on sale as well. This gave him confidence.

He was sure, given some time, he would also be able to acquire them and use them to elevate his skills. Suddenly, the contract, even with its disadvantages, looked like a golden opportunity.

However, first things first - he needed to make sure he could successfully refine pills.

Suddenly a thought struck Liu Feng. To acquire Dao Points and make breakthroughs in his body cultivation, hunting demon beasts was necessary. He realized he could sell the Demon Beasts' corpses directly to the pavilion. Additionally, if the Pavilion required rare demon beast materials, he could leverage his skills to fulfill those needs as well.

This way Liu Feng would receive double benefit – collecting Dao Points from the beasts themselves while simultaneously profiting from the pavilion's purchases of the corpses. It was a clear win-win scenario for him.

His mind raced with possibilities, and Liu Feng decided to propose his plan to Manager Qing. He was eager to see if the pavilion would be open to such an arrangement.

Liu Feng expressed his thoughts to Manager Qing. He proposed a contract that wouldn't solely focus on alchemy pills. Instead, a dual contribution system – a set number of demon beasts delivered to the pavilion alongside any pills he could manage to refine each month to fulfill an overall quota.

Manager Qing could even make specific requests for rare demon beasts, and Liu Feng, within reason, would take on the hunt. This way, a steady income stream was secured regardless of his skills in alchemy. He could pursue upgrading his skills in Alchemy while continuing his demon beast while maintaining a steady income.

Manager Qing's initial reaction was one of surprise. He expressed the feasibility of such a unique contract but emphasized the need for confirmation from the pavilion's headquarters. Additionally, he added, that due to the nature of this contract, he will require some time to prepare the necessary arrangements.

This unexpected delay, however, worked in Liu Feng's favor. He saw it as an opportunity to delve into alchemy in the meantime. A smile appeared across his face. This arrangement left him satisfied.

Noticing his newfound enthusiasm, Manager Qing asked him. "While we finalize the contract details," he offered, "perhaps you'd be interested in some of our collection, young master?"

Liu Feng readily confirmed. "Indeed," he replied, "I would like to get some supplies for alchemy in the meantime."

***

Right now, Liu Feng's metaphorical pockets were bulged with a hefty sum of 10,070 gold coins, a combination of his palace rewards and his "borrowed" money from the green python bandits.

Sadly, he did not have any of the convenient spatial rings mentioned in his beloved Xianxia novels, so he had to leave his wealth in the Zhang household for safekeeping. Moving around with such an amount of fortune was cumbersome.

Finishing his thoughts, he decided to buy Beginner Grade Alchemy Knowledge first. The hefty price tag of 2,500 gold coins pained his heart a little, but Liu Feng recognized its value.

Manager Qing was taken aback by his choice as he had already assumed Liu Feng possessed some level of alchemy skills. But quickly he returned to his usual demeanor. To him, business was business, after all.

To further solidify his knowledge, Liu Feng decided to buy Beginner Grade Herbs Knowledge with another 1,000 gold coins.

While his library sessions had exposed him to common pills, a conversation with Manager Qing shed light on the current market trends in the world of alchemy.

Alchemy pills were divided into Low, Middle, and High Grades. Healing pills, regardless of grade, were always a hot commodity.

Thinking about it for some time, his decision to purchase the prescription for Low-Grade Healing Pills for a mere 100 gold coins seemed wise.

As he familiarized himself with the specific ingredients of the said pill, he discovered that a perfect batch of ten pills ideally required four Golden Roots, seven Stalks of Vermilion Grass, and twelve Jade Flower Petals. However, the actual amount was heavily influenced by the skills of the alchemist refining them.

Typically the yield fell between five to seven pills per batch. Despite this fluctuation, the cost to acquire the ingredients for such ten pill batch was reasonable with 15 gold coins.

The market price for low-grade healing pills was anywhere between five to ten gold coins apiece depending on the quality. However, a contract with the Misty Medicine Pavilion meant selling them at a slightly lower price – a range of four to eight gold coins.