Rise of the Alchemy God

Chapter 49: Business Acumen

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Ethan continued to wait calmly for others to come and buy his pills.

For a while, everyone ignored him, but after a few hours, finally, another customer approached him.

Seeing someone approach, Ethan prepared to deliver his usual pitch, but noticing who it was, he stopped.

The person approached the stall, and upon seeing who was selling, couldn't help but exclaim with a dumbfounded expression, "Brother, since when did you start selling pills?"

It was Da Shu.

He had gone out today to buy some cultivation resources, and when he saw a stall selling recovery pills, he decided to check it out as he was almost out of them.

He never expected the person behind the stall to be none other than his friend.

Ethan, seeing who it was and hearing what he said, replied,

"Since I became an alchemist," pointing to his left chest, where his two-star adept alchemist badge was pinned.

Seeing it, Da Shu couldn't help but exclaim in surprise,

"Heavens, when did you become an alchemist?

I'm pretty sure you weren't one when you joined the sect."

"It's normal that you didn't know. After all, I became one just recently," Ethan replied calmly.

He had no problem revealing his identity as an alchemist.

In fact, he was quite sure Da Shu would find out sooner or later, given that they shared a dormitory.

"Oh, that's why. But wait. Why are you already a two-star adept?" Da Shu asked, confused.

It was a well-known fact that everyone had to start from one star and earn the other two over time.

Da Shu, coming from a merchant family, had some knowledge of alchemists and their ranks, as his family also traded with various alchemists.

So, he knew it was impossible for his roommate to already have two stars.

Ethan, hearing this, simply replied with a smug expression, "Well, it turns out I'm a genius, so they decided to give me two stars instead of one."

Normally, people would think he was just boasting, but Da Shu didn't.

In fact, seeing the pills on the table, he could tell his friend might be telling the truth.

After all, he too, as a second-level Body Refining cultivator, could tell the pills didn't seem fake.

Da Shu, having grown up in a merchant family, had been trained in the world of business from a young age and had developed a good intuition for it over time.

And right now, his intuition told him there was a good business opportunity.

Da Shu thought that if these pills were indeed made by his friend, it meant he truly was a genius in alchemy, and if that was true...

"Tell me, did you refine these pills?" he asked with some anticipation.

Ethan, not knowing what was going through his friend's mind, simply nodded.

"Yes, but it seems no one wants to buy them," he said with a defeated tone.

Although he knew his chances of selling them at the market were slim, he decided to try anyway but failed.

He knew he could still take them to the Pavilion and have them appraised there, but the profit he would make from it would be almost half if he considered the appraisal fee, so he avoided going there.

But seeing the current situation, he thought he might have no other choice, so he was a bit downhearted at the moment.

'Well, it's either this or nothing. Oh well, I'll take it as an investment for the future,' he thought, trying to look on the bright side.

On the other hand, Da Shu, hearing that he had indeed made the pills, felt excited.

"I see. How about selling them to me? As you know, my family specializes in trade.

If you sell them to me, I could find customers interested in your products.

After all, with my family's reputation, I should be able to vouch for your pills," Da Shu said, deciding to establish a commercial connection with Ethan.

If in the future, his alchemical skills continued to improve, then the pills he could produce would be high-level ones.

Although Da Shu's family had connections with some alchemists, there weren't many, and the best was only an Expert Alchemist.

If Ethan's talent was as good as Da Shu thought, then perhaps there was a chance for him to become a Master Alchemist.

The only Master Alchemists were all associated with the Alchemy Pavilion, and it was very problematic to request their services.

No matter the price, they wouldn't work for his family, which was normal given how much they could earn on their own.

At their level, money was secondary, and reputation mattered more.

So, they couldn't work for just anyone; they would only accept commissions of certain value.

And refining materials became rarer as the pill grade increased, so Da Shu's family couldn't afford to attract a Master Alchemist.

Although Ethan would also be associated with the Pavilion, if he could establish a business relationship with Ethan now, it would be much easier to request his services in the future.

Associating with a high-level alchemist was equivalent to having a higher reputation, and a higher reputation meant more business.

Da Shu's intuition told him he couldn't miss this opportunity.

Ethan, hearing his friend, thought for a moment.

He could understand why Da Shu had decided to vouch for him and use his family's channels to help him sell his pills.

He wasn't sure why Da Shu was so convinced he would do well in the future, but he didn't mind much.

He didn't mind helping his friend in the future. After all, a future collaboration would benefit not only Da Shu's family but also him.

Until he became a well-known alchemist, it would be difficult for him to sell his pills at a good price.

If he could establish good business terms with his family, then he could make much more money than selling to the Pavilion.

He decided to accept Da Shu's offer.

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FRANK_LEE_JUNIOR:

Here's today's chapter. I hope you enjoyed it.

As usual, if you have any comments, suggestions, or errors to report, you know where to do it.

See you tomorrow.