Nightly preparations

"Master, this is the list of the herbs that I managed to prepare." As soon as Sheeren noticed Sebian's return, he instantly ended his negotiations with the strangers, opting to rush to Sebian's side instead.

Sheeren task consisted of three real duties. First off, he was told to prepare as much of the herbs necessary for the Kubian pill as possible. Given how everything Sebian did in the day before was aimed towards swarming the market with those pills, this was the most logical move. But it was actually the second part of what Sebian wanted him to procure that put a hint of doubt in the elder's mind.

'A piece of any kind of medicine commonly accessible on the market? Wouldn't it be easier to just go to the market once the night would pass?' As puzzled by this strange request Sheeren was, he decided not to comment on that. On the other hand, seeing a long list of strange markings, Sebian smiled. "Good job. Bring me to the samples. Then go back to brewing those pills. We need as many of them as possible."

Even though ordering the apothecary around like that wasn't nice, Sebian just couldn't be bothered with the pleasantries. Rather than wasting time using flowery words, he would usually opt to be as direct as possible.

"Right away." Just like expected, facing the mountain of wealth that those new recipes would bring him, Sheener couldn't be bothered with the details either. It was for his own benefit that he would move mountains to keep the other party happy.

After leading his new master to his own study, Sheeren breathed a sigh of relief. 'For the heavens sake… Just being around this guy is disturbing.' Blinking his eyes a few times to get rid of the exhaustion, the apothecary then promptly returned to the workshop.

With the abundance of resources so great that there was barely any room to actually work, Sheeren could already see the mountain of pills and potions that could be prepared. And no matter what kind of devilish scheme the other party was creating, it was bound to result in a greater number of pills in circulation. And for someone nearing the end of his days, this kind of contribution to the city he loved so much was far more important than potentially earning a literal mountain of gold.

"Everyone! I know that's slightly extraordinary, but I have lost this workshop in a bet. Right now, I'm about to embark on a new journey, and I would like to invite every single one of you to join me." Looking down at the small group that he was talking with before, Sheeren's lips twitched when he saw the determined faces of his subordinates. "Those who are willing will be bound to my new master with loyalty and fortune. Those unwilling, you are free to leave." Raising his head and looking amiably at his pupils, Sheeren smiled. "This is not a path I will force any of you on."

At first, nothing happened. Both parties stared at each other as if expecting the other to make the move first. Then, the oldest of the Elder's students, a man nearing his forties, stepped forward. "Master, where you go, we follow." Kneeling on one knee, this middle-aged man caused a wave that shook the rest of the group. In a flash, all of the apothecary apprentices knelled on the floor.

"Good. Then let's not waste any time." Reaching under his robe, Sheeren pulled out a few pieces of paper that he already prepared for the situation. Passing them to specific students of his, he then brought his thin arm up, pointing at the insane mass of both fresh and dried herbs. "Follow the instructions without a failure. The procedures are not that complicated so everyone should just take it easy. Now then…"

Taking a quick glance to the doors of his study, Sheeren turned silent for a moment. Then, after shaking the doubt out of his head, he looked at his students again. "As stated in instructions, you should split into the usual groups. I need a central workshop to test the limits and scalability of the process. Royals, for now, help to prepare materia prima, but later you will be responsible for overseeing the soaking process. Merchants, just keep pumping the materia prima out!" Shouting order after order, Sheeren quickly turned his rundown shop into the most active place in the entire city. Directing his orders to each of the group named after the location of the shop they were working in, the apothecary quickly stirred his people into action.

Yet another glance moved towards the doors. 'If only I could ask…' From the looks of things, everything that central shop group would be pointless with just a few words of the master of this strange, new alchemy. 'Urgh. Just the thought of doing so gives me chills.' After a shiver shook the elder's body, he turned his eyes away from the doors. 'Who knows what antics is he up to right now.'

'God damn it!' Ever since Sebian used the godly curse for the first time, using it again turned out to be way easier. But it still emphasized how annoyed the alchemist was. In his order, he clearly stated that he needed every single kind of herb available in the city. Even if in small quantities, he would go for it. Because only by knowing what herbs were readily available, would Sebian be able to figure out what other pills he should make.

Boasting the knowledge of both cultivation and alchemy all the way to its absolute peak level, Sebian had more than just a few ideas in store. If the products that he saw back in the store outlined the general level of alchemy in the area, then even with garbage-level herbs Sebian could easily whip out some godly pills.

Sadly, for now, his only value laid in his knowledge. Without proper backing or his own strength, Sebian had no other choice but to rely on Sheeren. Not only his personal strength, not only his wealth, but even his own, personal influence came to play in Sebian's hand. 'I need to make sure he will value our relationship above everything.'

It was pretty easy to see what Sheeren greatest with was. From the moment the elder saw Sebian perform a different type of alchemy to what the old man knew for his entire life, his eyes lit up with curiosity and passion. From this alone, Sebian could tell that at least Sheeren was someone truly passionate about his craft.

And that meant, he would spare no expenses or efforts to see it flourish!