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Chapter : 7 The Alchemist of Florin (3)
“Hello, uncle.”
The dwarf, Tulcas, who was helping unload goods from a merchant caravan, turned his head down when he heard a familiar voice calling him.
“Oh, it’s you, Rotem. Good to see you.”
“Welcome. You arrived earlier than planned?”
“Yeah, I had something to handle on the way through Keplan, so I came a bit early. Ah, but don’t worry. I brought everything you asked for. Let’s see…”
Tulcas walked with heavy steps to the other side of the loading area.
Soon, he brought out a large sack and a box, each as big as his own body, and placed them in front of Rotem outside the cart.
“Wow, thank you so much, uncle.”
“The sack has herbs and sap. The box has the other things you requested.”
“Thank you. Here is the payment.”
Rotem handed over a pouch of silver coins to the dwarf, who was sweating with effort. The moment Tulcas received it, he frowned strongly.
“Hey, this is too much!”
“You went through a lot to get these. And there’s also transport cost.”
The dwarf jumped down from the cart, trying to return the pouch, but Rotem’s large hand firmly stopped him.
“Hey, hey! In Calpheon, getting these things isn’t even that hard! And transport is just me letting space in the corner of the cart on the way here. This is really too much!”
“Please think of it as my personal gratitude, uncle.”
“No, no, I can’t accept this—”
“Then how about this? Please just check my axe once for free. Deal?”
“Ugh…”
Rotem’s attitude was too firm, so Tulcas grumbled but could not return the money.
As the dwarf put the pouch into his chest, he looked again at the large sack and box he had delivered, then up at Rotem.
“Anyway, I understand the materials are hard to find here. But why did you also ask for medicine boxes and potion boxes?
Even for Calpheon specialties, these include many items that are also made here, right?”
“Oh, those?”
Rotem looked down at the boxes as he spoke.
“It’s nothing special. I just want to check the quality of these potions and elixirs.”
“Quality? To compare and sell them?”
Tulcas sighed with a worried expression.
“Even if the products made in this village are high quality, it won’t be easy for a private person to sell them without going through a merchant guild. Are you okay with that?”
“Don’t worry. I’m not planning to sell them directly.”
Tulcas became even more suspicious.
“If you’re not selling them, then what are you doing?”
He asked out of pure concern.
As someone who had been in merchant guilds for a long time, he had seen many people who tried to enter city markets alone based only on product quality, only to be destroyed by large guilds.
But Rotem’s answer was something Tulcas never expected.
“Uncle, have you ever heard of ‘Imperial Delivery’?”
Imperial Delivery.
It was a system first created during the western continent alliance’s invasion of Valencia, to solve supply shortages and military logistics problems.
Simply explained, the central government directly buys certain military supply items at a fixed market price multiplied by a set rate.
This allows the military to secure supplies for the front lines and also decorative supplies through civilian cooperation.
The policy was designed to give small producers a chance to enter the market, which was otherwise dominated by large merchant guilds.
It worked well. Calpheon was able to secure military supplies like potions and elixirs without depending only on large guilds like the Cyan Merchant Guild.
Because of strict inspections and competition between applicants, only high-quality goods passed.
Over time, items approved for Imperial Delivery were seen as “masterworks,” and their makers were respected as “artisans” or “masters.”
Even food eventually became part of Imperial Delivery due to this culture.
“So, you’re aiming for Imperial Delivery…”
The scene changed to Rotem’s workshop.
It was mostly cleaned, but still felt messy.
Tulcas, sitting on a chair beside the bed and drinking beer Rotem gave him, actually said he liked this busy, rough workshop atmosphere.
“Yes.”
Rotem sat on a alchemy tool stand across from him, holding a beer.
Tulcas sighed and glanced at Rotem. Since Rotem mentioned “Imperial Delivery” earlier, his expression had not changed once, so Rotem already expected what he would say next.
“You probably already know, but Imperial Delivery has a very high barrier.
The price is fixed, so cost efficiency doesn’t matter. The main thing is quality in the first inspection.
These days, most workshops only sign contracts with artisans who have already succeeded in Imperial Delivery.”
“Yes, I know.”
“And the biggest problem is this: if you fail the bid, everything you invested—time, effort, money—can disappear.
If you prepare a lot of elixirs and fail to win the contract, and then you can’t sell the stock… you go bankrupt.
I’ve seen people like that myself.”
Tulcas’ words were true. Many independent sellers who failed Imperial Delivery suffered huge financial losses.
Large guild members had backup support to handle unsold stock, but individuals did not.
“That’s why I wanted your objective opinion first, uncle.”
Tulcas looked confused.
“Huh? From me?”
“Yes. You are from the Cyan Merchant Guild, and you travel a lot for deliveries.”
“I mean… I’m a blacksmith, not a potion expert…”
Tulcas tried to refuse, but Rotem calmly waved his hand.
“I don’t need a master-level evaluation. Just tell me the effect you feel. That’s enough.”
“…Hmm.”
“And don’t worry about safety. I tested everything myself. No side effects.”
“Hey—”
Tulcas wanted to say that wasn’t the point, but stopped.
Rotem was already taking out potion bottles from the box Tulcas brought and placing them in front of him.
“…Is that a ‘Insight Potion’?”
“Yes.”
“Are you sure? Without hunting monsters after drinking it, you can’t really compare properly.”
“It’s fine. Your experience-based feeling is what matters.”
“…Hmm.”
The Insight Potion was expensive, requiring rare truffle ingredients.
Even Tulcas, who worked with merchant guild logistics, did not drink it casually.
But he had used it before during escort missions.
However, Rotem clearly thought he was only a blacksmith. So how did he know about combat-support potions?
Before Tulcas could think further, two bottles were placed in front of him.
“Alright then.”
Without hesitation, Tulcas drank one bottle.
Since it was a known product, he finished it in one go.
“Hmm.”
A familiar sensation and warmth spread through him.
His senses sharpened. The air in the workshop became clearer. Even dust on shelves became noticeable.
It felt like everything in the workshop became more detailed and sharp.
“Oh, can I drink the second one right away?”
Rotem asked nervously.
“Hey, don’t worry. Potions of the same type don’t stack.”
Tulcas laughed.
“So if you drink two potions with effect 10, it doesn’t become 20.”
“Oh, I didn’t know that.”
“But if you drink a 10-effect and a 15-effect potion, only the 15-effect works.”
“So to test them, you just drink them together.”
Then Tulcas quickly drank Rotem’s potion as well.
Unlike normal ones, it had no additives, so the taste was extremely unpleasant.
“Ugh!”
Tulcas frowned hard.
Then came the evaluation.
Rotem stood nearby, trying to look calm, but his tense jaw betrayed him.
“Hmm… good.”
Tulcas slowly looked around and nodded with satisfaction.
Rotem relaxed slightly and sat beside him.
“Is it good?”
“Yeah. No distortion, sensitivity is balanced.
In terms of quality, it’s equal to or slightly better than what our guild handles.
Even without additives, this is very solid.”
“Thank goodness. Then—”
Rotem’s face brightened.
But—
“However, sorry, but Imperial Delivery will be difficult.”
