Another World’s Versatile Crafting Master c1-1074

by Zhuang Bifan

  These words were a little harsh. What did it mean if they were unworthy of trust? William's heart jumped. If this got leaked, he would become an enemy of all pharmacists! It couldn't be helped; pharmacists were quite unreasonable. What could he do? They were sufficiently capable to be arrogant.

  Even Lin Li was momentarily stunned by Wilkinson's words. What Wilkinson had said seemed to be quite subtle, but in fact, anyone who wasn't a fool could sense that this was an undisguised threat.

  Other than those living legends at the Sanctuary-realm, only pharmacists who were capable of making the impossible possible could be so boldly unreasonable. With Wilkinson's status as a high-level pharmacist, even true Legendary-realm powerhouses would treat him as an equal.

  "Wilkinson, they are Mr William's formulae. Although we don't know the authenticity of the formulae yet, Mr William is their owner, and has the freedom to decide whether he wants to let us see them. It's too much to say such things." Lin Li pitied William, so he lectured Wilkinson a bit. He then turned to William, and said, "Don't mind him, Mr William. His personality is just like that, and he speaks whatever he wants. You see, we don't really have much time. Do you want to think about this back at home?"

  William didn't know whether to laugh or cry. This President Felic appeared to be extremely reasonable, and was subtle in his speech, but was in fact more vicious of the two, and directly attempted to chase him out.

  Thinking about this carefully, William knew that it was meaningless whether he held back a trick or not. Those formulae were already deemed impossible to formulate by the pharmaceutics Master from the Pharmacist Guild. Now, the only hope remained in the Tower of Dusk here. If the Tower of Dusk was also unable to concoct these potions, so what if he gave all these formulae to them? However, if the Tower of Dusk could really concoct these potions, he still had to rely on them and give them these formulae in the end. What else could he do but comply? Kidnap that pharmaceutics Master?

  This meant that even if the Tower of Dusk had decided to pocket these formulae and hang him out to dry, William wouldn't lose anything from the deal. At most, he would have felt happy over them for nothing.

  To get them was luck; to lose them was fate. Thinking of this, William calmed down, and replied, "You're overthinking, President Felic. I didn't say that I didn't trust you. I will pass you the formulae now." He stood up and passed Lin Li a wooden box carved with patterns.

  Chapter 524 - Invitation

  Lin Li grabbed the wooden box, but didn't open it immediately. Instead, he placed it on the table, and said, "Mr. William, although I said that the formula may or may not be genuine, and I don't know if the potion can be prepared according to the instructions of the formula, there is always a possibility. Since I don't have anything on now, let's assume that the formula is genuine, and talk about the cooperation that you mentioned. Do you have some ideas already?"

  Lin Li was a very straightforward person. If William had been his enemy, he would have immediately killed him and snatched the formulae away without feeling a sense of guilt. However, he decided to act appropriately since William was rather polite. In order to earn the respect of others, one would first have to respect others too. Lin Li would respect whoever respected him.

  Staring at the wooden box that he had just given Lin Li, William suddenly felt as if he had fallen into a trap. It seemed like President Felic was very confident about these formulae. Otherwise, no one would be willing to take the time out of their busy schedule to discuss cooperation that was based on an assumption.

  Honestly, when William had first arrived, he had considered what kind of partnership he should have with the Tower of Dusk, as well as the ideal conditions he aimed for and the bottom line that he would maintain. However, it seemed that he could only push his bottom line further down.

  He had already handed over the formulae and the initiative for the business cooperation. It would be impossible for him to have a true share in the profits, and he could only hope to be offered a tiny amount of benefits. William sighed deep down, though he politely continued, "I wouldn't dare to call it a cooperation. The formulae would go to waste in my hands."

  "Hmph, so you do have some self-awareness, after all," Wilkinson sneered coldly.

  Although Wilkinson had ruthlessly rejected William's claim regarding the authenticity of the formula, and even scolded him a lot, Wilkinson had a sudden change in attitude after Lin Li expressed a faint interest in the formula. After interacting with Lin Li for three months, Wilkinson and the other pharmacists learned that some rules were meant to be broken.

  However, Wilkinson did not feel ashamed about scolding William just now, because he felt that his words aligned with pharmaceutical theories, and whether or not it was right would depend on the abilities of the omnipotent Master Felic. In the eyes of Wilkinson and the other pharmacists, Master Felic was indeed omnipotent, for he was the only one who could concoct a potion using such a formula.

  "You don't have to feel sorry or embarrassed, Mr. William. Feel free to speak your mind. We're just making an assumption, aren't we?" Lin Li said magnanimously with a smile.

  Although most of the formulae in the wooden box did not appeal to Lin Li, he felt that it wouldn't be too difficult to formulate the potions with his incredible skills. The only difficulty that he might face would be concocting the Divine Potion that would make one possess godly abilities. However, it was not necessary to tell that to William. After all, they had only met twice so far.

  "Well… alright then, I will just say it." William paused for a moment. After seeing that Lin Li was not just patronizing him, he continued, "If the Master you know can really formulate the potions, I hope to get the franchise for these potions."

  William's request was indeed not overboard. After all, Lin Li wouldn't be able to produce the potions without the formulae that William had provided. Likewise, his formulae would be useless if Lin Li refused to help him formulate the potions. Hence, they both needed each other to establish a fair partnership which offered mutual benefits.

  However, William had already surrendered his dominant position, and it would be too unrealistic to think that he could share the profits with the pharmacists. Hence, he chose to forgo the rights to the formulae, and put himself in a position where he was purely a businessman.

  In fact, William had put in some thought and effort into this. He owned the Time Consignment Store, and apart from the powerful Divine Potions, the rest of the potions that he sold weren't advanced. In other words, those potions were eligible for auction. Given how popular and in-demand the long-lost potions from the Dark Age were, it should not be a problem to sell them at sky-high prices.

  When faced with a huge temptation, not many people would be able to see the harsh reality and hold back. Even Wilkinson gave a nod of approval with a look of satisfaction on his face after hearing William's request, though he could not hide his intentions from Lin Li.

  From Wilkinson's point of view, the potions had to be sold even though they could also use the potions themselves. They would be up for sale regardless of whom they hand the potions to. After all, the formulae were William's, and although Wilkinson was unreasonable, he was well aware of that. Therefore, after hearing William's request, he felt that the old man was quite sensible to give up on the ownership of the formulae.

  Lin Li obviously wouldn't be duped so easily. What William wanted was sole franchise and distributor rights to the potions, which was enough to maximize the profits from the potions. Although the other benefits seemed insignificant compared to obtaining the Divine Potion, profits were still profits. Besides, Lin Li didn't want others to think that he was a pushover who could be duped easily.

  Lin Li smiled faintly and looked at William with a playful look. "Mr. William, in that case, what is the price that you're willing to pay when you take the potions from us? Is it going to be proportional to your sales revenue or our cost price?"

  Monopoly meant that they would reap huge profits, not to mention
the auction sales method. Although there was a possibility of the potions not getting auctioned off, it would not be considered a loss. Besides, there'd always be a demand for magical potions in this world.

  "That… would have to be tabulated according to our sales revenue," William said upon realizing that the young mage was indeed not easy to fool.

  "Haha, just kidding. Everything is simply an assumption for now. As for the details of the future cooperation, we'll let Archmage Gavin of the Guild of Magic discuss them with you carefully." Lin Li was pleased with William's willingness to compromise, and he believed that Gavin would definitely be able to come up with a profit ratio that would be beneficial to the Tower of Dusk.

  No one would say no to more money, not even Lin Li, who had a stable means of earning plenty of money that was continuously invested in the Tower of Dusk. However, the Tower of Dusk was not using up more money than Lin Li could make. The more investors there were, the quicker their abilities would increase.

  As the master of the Tower of Dusk, he would obviously place the interests of the Tower of Dusk first, especially since he was not close to William at all. They had only met each other twice.

  Although William was forced to make a compromise in the end, and did not manage to confirm the details of the cooperation, it was at least not a wasted trip for him. William could tell what Lin Li implied, and he knew that he was about to end the conversation. Hence, he said, "President Felic, there will be an auction at the Time Consignment Store next month. I would like to take the liberty of extending an invitation to you. Would you allow me the honor of having you participate in this auction?"

  "Auction…"

  Auctions were not something new to Lin Li. The Jarrosus Guild of Magic suddenly popped up in his mind. When he'd auctioned his potions, the forces and leaders from Jarrosus all rushed to call their bids like madmen because the prices of the potions were not too high. Auctions were events where something could be sold at 10 times their original value. One would be allowed to rip someone off openly during auctions.

  "This auction is held once a month. I'm not boasting, but we do have some influence in the Breezy Plains. Therefore, it often attracts sellers who have rare items that they want to sell for a good price. All those castellans, captains, and leaders love attending my auctions to purchase some items of their d.e.s.i.r.es." Although William had just been criticized for his pharmacological knowledge, he still sounded prideful.

  In order for auctions to become influential, they would have to sell top-grade items, which naturally had to be discovered and authenticated by the appraisers. Although William had been criticized by Wilkinson for his lack of knowledge, he was confident that it was not superficial.

  Just like pharmacists would be delighted to get a potion formula and magicians would be excited to get a new magic spell, an appraiser would be glad to find new knowledge. Hence, William decided to befriend Lin Li after hearing his description of the Adamantine of Bad Luck during their meeting at the banquet in the main city of Roland.

  At that time, William had also believed that Lin Li would be pleased to befriend him once he found out about his identity and reputation in the Breezy Plains. However, he'd never expected that he would go back and end up receiving no news despite having waited for a long time.

  He'd only found out during his visit to the Tower of Dusk that the young chap was actually the reputable and renowned genius young mage and President of the Guild of Magic in the Breezy Plains. William sighed and thought to himself, No wonder he didn't take me seriously. He has the support of an esteemed Pharmacist Guild, while I'm just an inferior appraiser. What am I to him?

  Chapter 525 - Returning To Roland City Again

  This time, William didn't want to miss the opportunity again. Although there was a possibility of cooperating, that was completely different from friendship. In order to convince Lin Li to attend the auction, he again began to talk about the items that would appear during the upcoming auction, such as some rare magical materials, equipment, and medicinal materials.

  "Last but not least, please allow me to keep you in some suspense. The finale of this auction will be a mystery object from the elves' kingdom," William said vaguely.

  Lin Li knew that the Time Consignment Store auction was actually very famous in the Breezy Plains, so much so that even outsiders would specially rush to the Breezy Plains for the auction. Lin Li would often hear his mages talking about it too. However, since he left Roland City back then, he proceeded to battle in the Dragon Mountains and the Scar of Death. He then spent three months in the Abyss of Tharlen. Hence, he did not have the time to pay attention to the auction.

  Although he was still very busy now that the operations of the Tower of Dusk and the pharmaceutical business were in full swing, it was not impossible for him to find some time. Moreover, Lin Li still remembered the pair of daggers which had been used by the Legendary assassin that he had acquired for Norfeller from the Time Consignment Store previously. According to Ujfalusi, those daggers were produced by the Immortal King. Clearly, there were still superior items that could be purchased at the Time Consignment Store, and he reckoned that it wouldn't be a waste of his time.

  Just as Wilkinson was about to speak and make things clear to William as a pharmacist, he was stopped by Lin Li, who smilingly said to William, "Since you've invited me personally, how can I turn you down, Mr. William? Besides, I'm also looking forward to that mystery item from the elven kingdom that you have mentioned."

  "Alright, I will await your arrival," William said, standing up to leave after seeing that everything had been settled.

  "Mr. William, please wait a minute," said Lin Li, who did not plan to end the conversation just like that. Instead, he extended his hand to gesture for William to take a seat again. "Since you've invited me to an auction, I can't turn you down or let you leave without giving you something in return. I do have some things here. Please arrange for them to be put up during the auction." He then whipped out a few bottles of potions and placed them on the table.

  "These are…?" William asked apprehensively.

  "These are the potions that Wilkinson and the other pharmacists have concocted during their practice. However, you can rest assured about the results and effects of the potion. These two silvery white potions are Sacred Potions, these five are mystical potions, while this one is the Power of Achilles… "

  Staring at the 20-odd potions in front of him and listening to Lin Li's introduction, even William, who had gotten used to seeing rare items, could not help but feel astonished. Although the colorful potions served different purposes, they were rather similar in the sense that all of them were highly coveted by Archmages and Sword Sages, who would be willing to do whatever it took to obtain them.

  Yet, President Felic claimed that they were just the practice pieces of the pharmacists even though they were powerful enough to drive anyone crazy! William could not help but feel a little jealous when he saw Lin Li whipping out the potions nonchalantly as if they were just bottles of water.

  The disp.l.e.a.s.u.r.e caused by being forced to hand over the formula of the potions and make concessions on the issue of cooperation vanished from William's heart at that instant. Staring at the potions on the table, he thought to himself, This must be the advantage of having the support of pharmacists. The potions that are highly coveted yet hard to acquire by many are actually the byproduct of the training sessions of the pharmacists. William made his mind up, and was determined to build a close relationship with the young mage.

  William was an appraiser and a businessman. He was also old in his years and way past the age where he would act rashly. To him, going toe-to-toe with each other for power and interests were things that were meant for youths. Although they could win their dignity and gain pride, they wouldn't be able to acquire other benefits, and might even bring about damage to their family. It absolutely was a silly behavior.

  There's no harm in making compromises as long as I can still re
ap some benefits at the end, William thought to himself. He was sure that he would be able to gain massive profit as long as the potions were put up for sale during the auction. Even if he could only enjoy the revenue from auction fees, he would gain a huge boost in his reputation, which would make up for the monetary loss that he might incur.

  "Don't worry, Young Master Felic. These potions will definitely be sold at a price that does their value justice," William said solemnly.

  "Mr. William, I hope that our cooperation will be successful," Lin Li said smilingly while standing up to see him off.

  For the next several days, the representatives who were waiting in the hall of the Tower of Dusk continuously discussed the purpose of William's visit. Some of them suggested that William was probably there to recruit the pharmacists too. After all, he was reputable in the Breezy Plains. The conjecture and speculation made them feel like they were pressed for time because none of them was confident in trumping William.

  It had been a few days since William visited, and the auction that he'd mentioned was just round the corner. Lin Li decided to use this chance to unwind and relax, and see if he could get his hands on some superior-grade items at the same time.

  When he'd held a pharmaceutical competition previously, Lin Li promised to take the winners to the auction. Unsurprisingly, Wilkinson earned himself a spot. Several senior pharmacists, including Wilkinson, as well as two Undead creatures, Lich Ujfalusi and the Vampire Norfeller, headed together with him to Roland City.

  It had been almost a year since he went to Roland City; this time, he actually didn't have much to feel emotional about. In Lin Li's opinion, this world was progressing and evolving too slowly, unlike the city that he'd lived in before he arrived in Anril.

  Roland City was one of the most developed ones in the Breezy Plains, and was even known as the granary of the Breezy Plains. Lin Li recalled the time when he'd come here and exerted plenty of effort to obtain a million gold coins' worth of food. He managed to rescue the daughter and son of the castellan of Roland City, took Lich Ujfalusi under his wing, and even met the pious and religious female Paladin. He hoped that he wouldn't meet another loony again.