Chapter 42: Winning the Order at Full Price
"Of course I’ve read them. They’re required reading for beginners. Why?"
Flora gave him a strange look.
Lance clutched his chest in agony, feeling his heart bleed.
’That was twenty whole Silver Coins!’
’If I had known there was a walking library right here, why would I have wasted all that money?’
"It’s nothing... It just stings a little."
After calming down a bit, Lance shamelessly asked.
"So, those books you mentioned... could I borrow them to read sometime?"
"Of course! Aren’t we friends?"
Flora agreed readily.
In her view, books were meant to be read. Lending them to a friend saved him money and gave them something to discuss, so why not?
"But getting back on topic."
Flora steered the conversation back.
"Although it’s theoretically possible to have multiple Professions, very few people actually do it."
"Even for a combination with huge differences, like a Swordsman who is also a singer, there would still be a slight soul attrition."
"And most importantly, a sub-Profession cannot provide any growth to your Basic Attributes."
To help Lance understand more intuitively, Flora picked up an empty wooden cup from the table.
"This cup is your body."
"Advancing your Main Profession is like not only adding water to it but also constantly expanding the cup’s walls, making it bigger so it can hold more water."
"As for a sub-Profession..."
She pointed inside the cup.
"It’s more like a drop of dye."
"It can change the water’s color, giving you more functions and abilities, but it won’t increase the cup’s volume."
It was a very vivid metaphor.
Lance now understood completely.
’The Main Profession determines the upper limit of your Attributes and the foundation for growth, while a sub-Profession only serves to broaden the breadth of your skill tree.’
"Is there no way to avoid the soul attrition, then?"
Lance pressed.
’If I want to maximize the system’s functions in the future, taking on multiple Professions is practically a must.’
By this point, Flora had finished her chocolate ball and was dabbing the corners of her mouth with a handkerchief.
She thought for a moment before replying seriously:
"Of course there are ways to solve it."
"But I don’t know the specific methods myself."
"I’ve only read rumors in books. They say some special Professions are naturally immune to these penalties, or that certain Legendary Level Alchemy Potions might be able to do it."
’Special Professions...’
Lance nodded thoughtfully.
’Whether it’s [Potion Research] or [Biological Research], these two system modules are like extra Talent plug-ins attached to me.’
’If I could utilize them through another Profession, the chemical reaction would be enormous.’
’As long as the so-called attrition is within an acceptable range, the trade-off would be worth it, even with a penalty.’
Just as he was weighing the pros and cons.
The potion shop’s main door was forcefully pushed open from the outside.
The brass bell on the door rang out in a frantic jingle.
Lance subconsciously turned to look.
A woman of about forty-something stormed in.
She had striking, deep purple hair. Although fine lines had begun to form at the corners of her eyes, you could still tell she must have been a great beauty in her youth.
She wore a sharply-cut, dark brown leather vest over a white linen shirt, its sleeves rolled high to reveal fair yet powerful forearms.
Her outfit made her look less like a Pharmacist who spent all day in a lab and more like an Adventurer ready to draw her sword and cut someone down at a moment’s notice.
The one who had entered was none other than the shop’s owner, Mowenna.
"Flora! I’m back!"
Mowenna’s booming voice made the glass bottles on the counter tremble slightly.
She casually tossed the documents she was carrying to the side, only then noticing Lance sitting by the counter.
"What are you doing here?"
Mowenna narrowed her eyes suspiciously, her gaze darting back and forth between Lance and Flora.
Her sharp gaze was like she was scrutinizing a bad boy trying to lure away her precious little white rabbit.
But soon, as if she remembered something, the scrutinizing look on her face melted away instantly.
"Oh, you’re here to ask about the results for that Potion of yours, right?"
Mowenna broke into a smile, a hearty laugh that felt as refreshing as a spring breeze.
"Yes, Auntie Mowenna."
Lance nodded obediently.
In the next second, an arm as strong as an iron pincer wrapped directly around his neck.
An irresistible force followed, and Lance was uncontrollably dragged over, his head pinned directly under Mowenna’s arm.
Lance heard a sharp CRACK from his cervical spine and his mind went blank.
’Is this the Power of a Professional?’
’Is this really the arm strength a Pharmacist should have?’
Mowenna saw nothing wrong with her actions. She kept Lance in a headlock, dragging him in front of Flora as if showing off a trophy, and boasted proudly:
"It’s all thanks to this kid’s Potion!"
"In the category for trauma-related medicine, which is the biggest part of the procurement list, we beat those bastards from the Silver Bottle Alchemy Shop!"
"And we sealed the deal at the original price you told me yesterday, 25 Copper Coins. Not a single coin less!"
"Really?!"
Although he was still trapped in Mowenna’s armlock in a rather awkward position, Lance couldn’t help but let out a happy gasp.
’We won the bid at the original price!’
’That’s 25 Copper Coins!’
’After deducting the cost, I’ll make a bloody, tear-jerking profit of 17.5 Copper Coins on every jar!’
"Of course it’s true!"
Mowenna loosened her grip slightly, but her arm remained draped over Lance’s shoulder as if he were one of her buddies.
"Although I didn’t take a commission on your order—consider it me doing you a favor."
"But riding the coattails of your hemostatic ointment, I also managed to sign the contracts for the rest of the potions, like the detoxification, purification, and status recovery types."
"Just these bundled orders alone are enough for me to make a huge killing."
Mowenna laughed happily.
It wasn’t just about the money; it was about finally getting back at an old rival who had suppressed her for years.
Just then, the smile on Lance’s face suddenly froze.
He had remembered a crucial problem.
"Um... Auntie Mowenna."
Lance asked cautiously, his voice carrying a faint, almost imperceptible tremor.
"Since it was the largest order for trauma-related medicine... exactly how many units did you agree to?"
The figure for his maximum production capacity, which he had calculated last night, flashed through his mind.
’Twelve hours, and the absolute maximum I can crank out is 144 jars.’
Hearing this, Mowenna slowly released him from her armlock.
She placed both hands on Lance’s shoulders, her once-beaming face slowly leaning in closer.
Although a smile still hung on her lips, Lance felt a sudden chill.
"Since you were brave enough to have Flora submit your sample for the bid, you must already have a large stockpile at home, right?"