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Chapter : 8 The Alchemist of Florin (4)
The cold voice that followed the praise froze Rotem in place for a moment.
“…Uh, why?”
“As I said, your quality is not far above others. It’s only equal or slightly better.”
“But Imperial Delivery is all about quality—”
“That’s exactly the mistake beginners who only trust their quality make.”
While drinking cheap wine Rotem had brought to wash away the potion’s aftertaste, Tulcas continued speaking.
“It’s true that quality is the top priority in Imperial Delivery inspection.
But people often forget something. The real purpose of Imperial Delivery is to secure a fixed amount of goods with a minimum quality level.
In other words, what matters just as much as quality is supply quantity.”
“Supply quantity…”
Rotem repeated the words, but his expression still showed confusion. Tulcas pulled his chair closer and continued in detail.
“Let’s make it simple.
Say Calpheon needs 100 Insight Potions this quarter.
Our Cyan Merchant Guild says we can immediately supply 90 potions of quality level 10.
And you say you can supply 10 potions of quality level 15.
Then Calpheon will accept you because your quality is good.
They’ll take 90 from the guild and 10 from you. That’s fine.
But what happens next quarter?”
“….”
“If the required amount becomes 200 potions?
Our guild will say we can supply 150 based on last quarter’s results.
And another workshop says they can supply 50 potions of similar quality.
In that situation, do you think Calpheon will still choose you, who can only supply 10 units with no increase?”
“So… you’re saying that not only quality, but also stable supply is important.”
Tulcas nodded.
“It’s true that even a small successful delivery can give you the title of an artisan.
But there is no guarantee you can maintain the same quality and quantity next time.
That’s why most creators join guilds or workshops after succeeding, rather than going independent.”
Rotem finally understood Tulcas’ warning.
“So even if I succeed once, it’s risky if I want to keep earning from it.”
“Unfortunately, yes. It goes against the original purpose of Imperial Delivery, but that’s reality.”
“…I understand. Thank you for the advice.”
Rotem bowed his head. Tulcas stood up and scratched his beard with a complicated expression.
“Sorry if I poured cold water on your plans. But this is the most realistic advice I can give.”
“Thank you.”
After Tulcas left the workshop, silence briefly filled the room.
But not for long.
[So basically, even if you succeed in Imperial Delivery, you can’t make big money easily, right?]
“That’s right. Even if I win, as a slave I can’t just join a guild or workshop.”
[So what now? Giving up Imperial Delivery?]
Rotem calmly cleaned empty potion bottles.
“No. I’m not giving up.”
[But that dwarf just said—]
“If mass-producing high-grade potions is difficult…”
Rotem looked toward an unopened box.
“Then I’ll go with differentiation in basic products.”
“W-What is going on?!”
In the early evening under a pale blue sky, a giant shadow of a dwarf and a giant suddenly appeared in front of a house.
The Shai girl Juno, who opened the door, screamed in shock without realizing it.
But when she recognized Rotem, she sighed in relief.
“Oh… it’s you. You scared me.”
“Hello. Can we talk for a moment?”
“Well… I guess it’s fine…”
Juno’s round eyes shifted to Tulcas, who had come with him.
“And who is that?”
“Oh, pardon me. I’m Tulcas, blacksmith from the Cyan Merchant Guild.”
“The Cyan Merchant Guild?”
The strange combination of a slave from Florin Village and a blacksmith from Calpheon’s largest guild made Juno tilt her head. But Rotem soon got to the point.
“Did you finish the recovery medicine I gave you last time?”
“No, I barely recovered so I didn’t use it.”
“You’re already healed?”
Rotem stepped closer to the door and asked directly, without any hidden intention.
“Can you show me your thigh?”
“….”
“…What the hell is wrong with you?”
Juno, flustered by the sudden request, quickly pulled the two men into the house, worried someone might misunderstand.
Tulcas was small, so he had no issue. But Rotem had to carefully move inside, hitting the low ceiling as usual.
“Sorry. I need to show the effect of my healing potion to this uncle here.”
“If that’s the case, just say it normally! Why ask to see my thigh like some pervert?”
Juno’s sharp tone left Rotem speechless.
“My wound is healed. No fever, no pain. Only a small scar remains.”
“You were cut by a contaminated sword and you’re fine?”
Tulcas stroked his beard, suspicious.
“I’m fine because I said I’m fine. Why would I lie?”
Rotem shrugged slightly at Tulcas. The dwarf nodded in satisfaction.
Juno didn’t like how the two of them were acting like they had already reached a conclusion without her.
“So what is this really about? You came all the way here just to check my wound?”
“Hmm…”
Rotem hesitated.
He had come to show Tulcas the potion’s effect using Juno as the first “test subject,” but he had not prepared how to explain the real reason to her.
Juno was someone who had once followed him out of suspicion.
He wasn’t sure how she would react if he revealed everything.
But the problem solved itself in an unexpected way.
“Oh, it’s because this kid here is trying to submit his healing potion for Imperial Delivery.”
Tulcas laughed loudly and casually revealed everything.
Rotem didn’t think there was any malice, so he nodded.
But Juno reacted differently than expected.
“What? Imperial Delivery? A healing potion? Are you trying to throw away money?”
Her voice mixed concern and frustration.
Rotem shook his head slightly, as if saying “I knew it.”
Tulcas just shrugged as if to say “see?”
Juno continued:
“Recovery potions are all about ingredients. To qualify for Imperial Delivery, you need high quality.
Unless you’re a large workshop mass-producing them, there’s no way to make profit.”
Then something clicked in her mind.
“…Wait, you…”
She glanced at Tulcas.
Rotem answered calmly.
“I told him about the cave.”
“Oh, I see.”
Juno relaxed slightly.
“So let me guess. You’re washing low-quality materials from the cave into high-grade ones, and trying to use that for Imperial Delivery?”
“Yes, more or less.”
Juno frowned.
“That might give short-term profit, but after transport costs and everything, it’s not really efficient.
Why not just work under a merchant guild or contract outside after your deal with the village ends?”
“For me, Imperial Delivery is just a middle step. Of course, profit would be nice too.”
“Middle step?”
“It’s still in planning.”
Juno’s expression hardened, thinking he was hiding something.
“But even if you upgrade materials, it won’t matter if the potion itself isn’t consistent.”
“Hm? But you already proved it.”
Tulcas pointed at her leg.
“You were cut by a contaminated blade, right? And a single potion healed it without infection.”
Juno looked slightly annoyed.
“I mean… isn’t that normal for a healing potion?”
“Hah!”
Tulcas laughed.
Juno’s face turned red, thinking she was being mocked.
But Tulcas wasn’t mocking her.
In a peaceful village like this, people rarely understood the true value of healing potions.
“Tell me, girl. If your thigh is slashed by an axe on a battlefield, how many healing potions would you need?”
“…One?”
“You would need to drink a full medium potion, and pour large potions on the wound until the bleeding stops. Even then, you’d be lucky to move in 2–3 days.”
“….”
“So if what you said is true, you were given a high-grade healing potion used by nobles and officers… for free.”
Juno’s expression softened into confusion and realization at the same time.
Tulcas continued:
“Anyway, quality is confirmed. Now the problem is quantity.”
“Yes. Even if we can’t supply everything Calpheon wants, we need at least 10% to qualify.”
“10%… about 50 boxes.”
Tulcas scratched his beard.
“Next bid will be in about a month. So you need 50 boxes in a month. Can you do it?”
“Yes, I can.”
Rotem answered confidently.
But Tulcas still looked worried.
“You still have village work and truffle deliveries too. Are you really okay?”
“Yes. I’ll be fine. Because I’ll have a partner.”
His gaze naturally turned to Juno.
“Me? Partner?”
“Yes. Of course, if you don’t want to, I won’t force you.”
“Wait, what are you talking about all of a sudden?”
Juno, Tulcas, and even Rotem himself were surprised. It was an idea he had just come up with.
“You know about the cave, and you know how I work.”
“…So you want to keep me close so I don’t talk?”
“I won’t lie. That’s part of it.”
But more importantly, Juno had not told anyone about the cave or exposed his secret.
That gave Rotem a strange sense of trust.
“….”
Juno stayed silent.
Then she asked:
“So… what about profit sharing?”
