Chapter 67: Ch 67: An Assassin Seeking Med
The spiritual shockwave washed over the entire room.
The Emerald Flame acted like a starving, divine beast that had finally found a meal. The fire wrapped completely around the massive black lotus.
Next, the thick purple miasma vanished instantly. And the pitch black petals of the Abyssal Lotus began to peel back, shedding their necrotic corruption like dead skin.
Then, the terrifying aura of death and decay was replaced by a warm, incredibly comforting scent that smelled like fresh rain and blooming spring grass.
In exactly ten seconds, the brilliant green fire faded away.
Naida stood up straight. She held a perfectly pristine, glowing silver flower in her bare right hand. The petals looked as though they were carved from solid moonlight. They radiated a pure, soothing energy that made the air itself feel lighter.
Raidan smiled as the final system notification popped up in his vision.
[ Process Complete. ]
[ Result: Celestial Moon Lotus. 100% Purity. ]
[ Rarity Upgraded to Mythic Grade. ]
Naida walked smoothly across the room. She stopped right in front of Inspector Olerius. She gently placed the glowing silver flower directly into his trembling, white gloved hands.
"This is a Celestial Moon Lotus. It is an excellent base ingredient for high tier mana restoration elixirs. You may keep it as a complimentary gift from Tomorrow’s Apothecary. Do you still wish to burn my shop to the ground, Inspector?"
"Huh?!"
Olerius stared at the impossible silver flower. His cold, emotionless facade was completely shattered. His mind was entirely broken.
He was holding a Mythic grade catalyst.
He had just witnessed a young woman purify an abyssal hazard with her bare hands. She used a spiritual fire that defied every single law of mortal alchemy he had studied for fifty years.
He looked up at Naida. All of his cold arrogance was completely gone. It was replaced by raw, unadulterated awe.
Garrick was hyperventilating near the door.
"Inspector!" Garrick stammered in absolute panic. "Inspector, it has to be an illusion! Do not touch it! It is a trick! She is using a mind hex!"
Olerius turned his head very slowly to face Garrick. The look in the silver haired man’s eyes was completely murderous.
"Master Garrick," Olerius whispered with a terrifying rage. "You brought the Royal Guild to this shop under the pretense of stopping a fraud. You have instead forced me to insult a true, once in a generation Grandmistress."
"No!" Garrick pleaded. "I did not know! I swear it!"
"Garrick, Your crimson potions are an absolute insult to the very concept of alchemy,.Effective immediately, the Gilded Mortar is stripped of its royal supply contracts. You are hereby suspended from the Guild Council pending a full investigation into your gross incompetence and malicious business practices. Guards! Arrest this fool!"
The four heavily armed Guild enforcers grabbed Garrick by his shoulders. They dragged the weeping, broken alchemist out the front door. His entire empire was completely annihilated in less than ten minutes.
Olerius turned back to Naida. He dropped the silver flower into a padded pouch at his waist. Then, the Grand Inspector fell directly onto his knees. He bowed his head so low it practically touched the wooden floorboards.
"Grandmistress Naida," Olerius said humbly. "I apologize profusely for this unforgivable intrusion. The Royal Alchemy Guild will formally recognize Tomorrow’s Apothecary as a sanctioned, elite establishment. I will personally deliver a Platinum Seal license to your door by noon today. We will never bother you again."
"Thank you, Inspector," Naida smiled warmly. "I appreciate your efficiency. Now, if you will excuse me, I have a very long line of customers waiting outside."
Olerius scrambled to his feet. He bowed three more times as he backed out of the shop.
The heavy white carriages quickly rode away. They retreated in absolute defeat.
Raidan watched them leave. He chuckled and walked over to the counter. He handed Naida a fresh white cloth to wipe her hands.
"Well," Raidan smiled. "I suppose that takes care of our licensing issues. Are you ready to open the doors and make another mountain of gold?"
Naida looked at the massive crowd pressing against the front window. They were waving heavy bags of coins and shouting her name. She took a deep breath. Her eyes blazed with absolute excitement.
"Flip the sign, Raidan. Let us sell them the future."
The sun eventually set over the Central District. The sky turned a deep, bruised purple, and the magical street lamps flickered to life.
Tomorrow’s Apothecary had officially closed its doors three hours ago. The shelves were completely empty. Every single vial, pill, and powder had been sold.
Yet, the noise outside had not stopped.
Naida stood on the second floor of their two story house. She wore a comfortable silk robe. She held a steaming cup of herbal tea in her hands. She peeked through the heavy velvet curtains of her bedroom window, looking down at Silver Fountain Plaza.
The sight was absolutely absurd.
The plaza was completely packed with people. The line for the shop had not dispersed. Instead, it had transformed into a massive encampment. Dozens of small, magical campfires dotted the cobblestone streets. Wealthy merchants had pitched expensive silk pavilions. Heavily armed mercenary groups were sitting on crates, playing cards, and holding their spots in line for the next morning.
The name of Tomorrow’s Apothecary had spread like wildfire. The story of the shattered Resonance Mirror and the purified Abyssal Lotus had reached every tavern, guild hall, and noble estate in the capital.
"Look at them," Naida whispered in disbelief. "They are literally setting up tents outside our front door."
Raidan walked up behind her. He rested his chin gently on top of her head and wrapped his arms around her waist. He looked down at the glowing campfires and laughed softly.
"I told you the market would correct itself. Master Garrick was selling them muddy water for ten years. You showed them true miracles. Of course they are going to camp outside. The real problem is going to be keeping up with the demand."
"We sold out of our weekly stock in seven hours," Naida sighed, leaning back into his embrace. "I am going to have to stay up all night just to brew enough basic healing potions for the mercenary guilds."
"You are not staying up all night," Raidan commanded gently. "You are going to sleep. I already sent a message to the Thorne family guard. They are bringing three wagons of raw ingredients tomorrow morning. We will hire a few local kids to handle the basic sorting and washing. You only need to focus on the final refinement phase."
"Are you sure we have enough gold to hire help?" Naida asked playfully.
Raidan pulled up his system interface. He read the numbers floating in the air.
"Let me put it this way," Raidan smirked. "After my system multiplied our daily profits by thirty five times, we currently have enough gold to buy this entire city block. We could pave the street outside with solid gold coins and still have enough leftover to buy a small kingdom."
Naida giggled, turning around in his arms. She looked up into his eyes. "You and your broken system. It feels entirely unfair to the rest of the world."
"The world was unfair to us first," Raidan replied softly. He brushed a stray strand of hair behind her ear. "We are simply balancing the scales."
Suddenly, a heavy, metallic clicking sound echoed from the other side of the room.
Raidan instantly stepped in front of Naida. His relaxed posture vanished. His eyes sharpened into a deadly, predatory glare.
Creak!
The wooden double doors leading out to the second floor balcony slowly swung open.
Soon, a figure stepped out of the night shadows and into the warm light of the bedroom.
It was a woman.
She wore completely silent, form fitting black leather armor. A dark hood covered the top half of her face. Two curved daggers rested on her hips.
"You have very impressive wards on the ground floor. But you forgot to trap the balcony railing."
"I did not forget," Raidan said coldly. "I left the balcony wards deactivated so the night birds would not get electrocuted. Who are you? And why are you breaking into a two story house in the middle of the night?"
The woman in black leather held up her hands to show they were empty.
"My name is Vex. People in the shadows call me the Night Reaper. I run the intelligence network for the Central District underworld."
"So you’re an assassin?" Naida noted fearfully.
"Yes. But I am not here to fight," Vex said quickly. "I saw what you did to the Inspector today. I have absolutely zero desire to be turned into a pile of silver ash. I am here as a customer."
"The shop will open at sunrise," Raidan pointed out. "There is a very long line outside. I suggest you go pitch a tent."
"But I do not do lines," Vex replied stubbornly. "And my problem cannot wait until sunrise. I have been poisoned. It is not a normal poison. It is a Soul Burn curse."