Chapter 60: Ch 60: Tommorow’s Apothecary
Raidan sat on the edge of the bed, staring blankly at his own hands.
He found no concrete answers to the bizarre questions swirling in his mind. Was it a glimpse of a distant future, or just a trick of his expanding consciousness?
He decided to let it go entirely. He needed to focus on the present situation. The bright sunlight streaming through the large window told him it was already morning. He had somehow slept through the entire afternoon and the entire night.
The rich, savory aroma of toasted garlic and spiced eggs drifted up the wooden staircase, completely interrupting his thoughts.
"Raidan!" Naida called out, "Breakfast is ready!"
He quickly washed his face and headed downstairs to the private kitchen on the second floor.
"You slept for a very long time Raidan," Naida noted playfully as she set a steaming plate down in front of him.
"I guess moving all those heavy crates finally caught up to my body," Raidan replied, pulling out his chair and sitting down.
"Did I miss anything important yesterday afternoon?"
Naida sat across from him, her eyes practically sparkling with contained excitement.
"Yes. You missed a very eventful afternoon."
"Oh? Did the local guards come by to collect a district tax already?"
"Haha, no, much better than that. I had my very first official customer."
Raidan paused, "You actually made a sale on the very first day? Without a signboard?"
"Correct. It was a complete accident though. A very naughty noble girl tripped and smashed her nose right outside our front door. I brought her inside and used a basic frostmint salve to heal the bruising."
"And she paid you all of this silver for a simple healing salve?"
"Umm, yes. She insisted on it. She told me that exceptional quality demands a proper price. Raidan, I actually earned this. This is my very first real payment."
"Then I am incredibly proud of you, Naida. I knew this shop was the perfect investment for you. If a noble girl is already singing your praises, we are going to be overwhelmed with customers very soon."
"That is exactly why we need the sign makers to finish their work immediately, They promised to come this morning to install the storefront sign. It is completely impossible to build a proper reputation if people do not even know what to call us when they recommend us to their wealthy friends."
Raidan took a bite of his food, chewing thoughtfully before swallowing.
"Now that you mention it, we never actually settled on a formal title for the shop. The deed just listed it as a commercial property. What exactly would you tell the sign makers to create?"
"Sigh, I spent the entire night thinking about it," Naida confessed, a soft blush returning to her cheeks as she looked down at her empty hands.
"Well? What did you choose? Something grand like the Golden Lotus Alchemy? Or perhaps something simple and elegant like Naida’s Apothecary?"
Naida shook her head slowly. She looked around the beautiful, sunlit kitchen, her gaze softening as she took in the reality of their new life.
"Those names belong to the past. Before yesterday, we were always just trying to survive the day. We never had the luxury of looking forward to the days ahead. But now, everything has completely changed for us."
"So what is the name?" Raidan pressed on, smiling faintly.
"Tomorrow’s Apothecary."
--
By mid-morning, the rhythmic sound of heavy iron hammers echoed across the bustling Silver Fountain plaza. A team of three burly sign crafters had erected a pair of tall wooden ladders right outside the shop’s front display. With coordinated grunts of effort, they hoisted a massive, beautifully polished slab of dark oak into place above the main entrance.
Naida and Raidan stood on the cobblestone walkway, watching with bated breath as the lead crafter secured the final iron bolt. He stepped down, wiping sweat from his brow, and gestured proudly toward his handiwork.
The morning sun caught the deeply carved, gilded lettering, making the shop’s new name shine like a beacon across the street: Tomorrow’s Apothecary.
A little further down the road, the commotion had drawn the attention of the neighboring business owners. Madam Vala had paused her morning sweeping, leaning heavily against her wooden broom. Next to her stood Elian, the tailor, who had stepped out holding a measuring tape and a cup of warm tea.
"Look at that craftsmanship," Madam Vala said warmly, "It’s a beautiful, hopeful name for a fine young pair. It completely brightens up this old side of the plaza, does it not?"
"It certainly does," Elian agreed, taking a slow sip of his tea. "And they are not just empty faces, Vala. Did you hear the rumors from the market guards last night? Apparently, the youngest daughter of the wealthy Vance family took a nasty tumble right on their doorstep yesterday afternoon."
Madam Vala gasped, her hands flying to her plump cheeks. "Oh, heavens! Lord Vance is notoriously strict. If his daughter returned home with a scarred face, he would have had the entire city watch searching for someone to blame."
"Exactly," Elian nodded enthusiastically. "But the new girl—Naida—brought her inside and completely healed the bruising in mere seconds. The little miss was so smitten she paid in pure silver. Word is already spreading among the noble estates about a miraculous new alchemist with unblemished hands."
"A miraculous alchemist?" a cold, sharp voice interrupted from behind them.
Vala and Elian turned to see a tall, gaunt man dressed in extravagantly expensive emerald silk robes. He had a sharp, hooked nose and held a gold-tipped walking cane.
This was Master Garrick, the wealthy and infamously arrogant owner of the Gilded Mortar, the largest and oldest high-end apothecary shop located directly in the center of the inner ring.
Garrick stared up at the newly hung signboard and let out a loud disdainful scoff.
"Please, do not make me laugh so early in the morning. Healing a child’s scraped nose is a parlor trick. Any novice with a handful of crushed frostmint could accomplish such a trivial feat."
"They seem very capable, Master Garrick. You should not underestimate them just because they are new."
"I am not underestimating them; I am simply stating a commercial fact. Operating an apothecary in the Central District requires deep aristocratic connections, a vast fortune for rare monster cores, and generations of master-class brewing lineage. These two look like they just crawled out of the outer slums."
Elian frowned deeply. "That is incredibly harsh, Garrick."
"Humph, It is the reality of the market. Let them enjoy their little wooden sign today. The overhead taxes and the cost of premium ingredients will bleed them completely dry. I give them exactly one month before they go entirely bankrupt and crawl back to the gutter where they belong."
---
On the other hand.
With the new signboard proudly hanging above their door and a few curious onlookers lingering near the front display window, Raidan decided it was the perfect time to do some reconnaissance.
"Naida, I am going to take a quick walk around the market. I want to see what our direct competition is selling."
Naida smiled warmly, her natural red lips making her charming against the morning light.
"Be careful, Raidan. And please do not buy anything! I promise whatever it is, I can brew it better myself."
"I know my love," he chuckled.
Raidan stepped out into the bustling street and made his way toward the wealthier center of the inner ring. Over the next hour, he visited three different apothecary shops, quietly blending in with the crowds of wealthy merchants and armored mercenaries.
His final stop was a lavish, heavily guarded building marked by a massive, gold-trimmed stone monument: The Gilded Mortar.
He immediately recognized the name. It belonged to Master Garrick, the gaunt arrogant man who had publicly scoffed at their new shop earlier that morning.
Stepping inside, Raidan was hit by the overwhelming scent of expensive floral perfumes. It was clearly a deliberate tactic to mask the sharp, bitter smell of burnt herbs that lingered underneath.
The interior was excessively opulent, decorated with plush velvet carpets and heavy crystal chandeliers.
However, when Raidan approached the main display counter to inspect the actual merchandise, he stopped dead in his tracks.
He blinked, leaning closer to the thick glass case just to make sure his eyes were not completely deceiving him.
Arranged delicately on individual silk pillows were rows of what the shop labeled as "Premium Health Potions."
But to Raidan’s eyes, they looked absolutely terrible.
The liquid inside the ornate, gem-encrusted vials was a murky cloudy crimson. At the bottom, unrefined sediment could be seen clearly.
Raidan had watched Naida brew basic health potions a hundred times back in their rundown outer district clinic. Even when she was forced to use bruised, low-quality herbs and cracked stone bowls, Naida’s potions had always been completely translucent.
They always glowed with a pure, vibrant red light, completely free of any impurities.
"May I help you, sir?"
All of a sudden, a snooty clerk stepped up to the counter and asked.