Chapter Eighty five
After dumping all the items other than the necessary in the room, Artha decided to hit Zumi. He was collecting lots of items now. He was running out of space. He could not get another room as he knew personally that most of the inn was occupied by long time renters. That term is not right. They paid rent daily but they had enough capital to pay for long term if needed. If anyone of them won't get a room to sleep, they had enough power and people to trace the case back to Artha.
Artha didn't want that. So how to dispose these things?
Zumi had higher chance of knowing it. Zumi looked just like a middle management guy staying in suburbs, lording over an area because within the heart of city, he would be considered a nobody. However, he had enough tact to not lord over, which made him endearing. That uncle who won't preach or hand over life's lessons at the jot of the hat. Is it a wonder that Artha likes him? He had enough uncles and aunts who dropped advice whether needed or not.
Pay before you pray. Artha brought few things, including some good scrolls and stuff. Costly as h*ll, but worth every penny. He would earn them back as credits.
"Say, Zumi! You have any idea what to do if you have lots of items?"
"Sell them?" What answer can you expect from a shopkeeper?
"To whom? My fellow blessed immortals could get them on their own. Why would they buy from me?"
"Wait! These items. They are raw products or finished items or in between?"
"In between?"
"The essence, the concentrate." Looking at the blank face, Zumi elaborated further, " Like in potioneering, you make essences of all items, then mix them to create potions! Like they use concentrate of metals taken from ores in Smithy!"
"Oh! No. I have lots of raw materials." He could use potions, whatever kind they were but unless required for tasks, he could not use the raw materials he had collected.
" Then make them into essence or concentrates. Believe me, it saves so much space. I once saw a potioneer using a armful of grass just to make few drops of essence. "
"But ....I am not potioneer or a blacksmith. How can I get essence and stuff you spoke of?"
"That...I believe is a trade secret. You have to ask the relevant people about it." So what good is this plan? It's just like giving good advice without advising anything.
" Well, there goes another plan down to the drain."
"Young man, why are you so pessimistic? You see this village. This is holding up just because we villagers didn't give up. Why are you giving up at the first tumble?"
" No, no. Please don't think like that. It's not that I am pessimistic, but I can't change the situation much. Others have given me nearly impossible jobs for me to be apprentice. Be it Tavish or Zoya, none showed mercy on me. So I really don't think they'll teach me this trade secrets."
"So, trade with them directly. You are a trader, kid. You can decide if the transaction can be done in cash or kind or barter. Why don't you have some talk with them and get something? If the talk fails, you can just sell the materials."
"To you?" Artha asked hopefully.
Zumi shook his head. "Nah! I took over this shop, because I can't stand the hassle. I will talk with village chief and ask someone from village to purchase it from you. But....this is the last resort. So you won't get much coins, you might even suffer a loss. So try other venues before." Yeah. Technically as a trader he could sell all sorts of items to NPCs, not just what they wanted in the tasks. But his level of trading job was pitiful. He had bought and sold only pitiful number of items using coins. With such low level of trader job, will other NPCs purchase from him?
Artha signed again, took few tasks, mainly related to dungeon runs and walked out. Next stop, Zoya. She, of course, made him rearrange the potions.
"This lot, here. That one, on the shelf to your left. And that one, near the door, in that shelf at middle one. It's one of the best sellers, among you, blessed immortals. Don't want to break my back by bending to pick again and again."
"Why don't you have an apprentice to do such work? The Smithy has one. Even the tailor shop has one."
"Nah! Can't stand it. The brats here are snotty. They can't serve you people."
"Where are your apprentices, then? Haven't seen them."
"Working. It's not easy being a potioneer in such a village. Other than snottiness, they are good seeds. If they learn a bit more, they can move out and learn more things, and their pride will shatter automatically. Good thing, you didn't meet them now. Either you will shatter or they will. I will lose either way."
"When can I become apprentice?"
"What's the hurry? You already have a great foundation, becoming a herbologist."
"I want to make essences." Artha replied.
Zoya laughed. "Why do you need to be my apprentice to make essences?"
She explained further. "Making essences is like having a shortcut. For low level potions, having essence saves time, increases efficiency, so obviously we teach apprentices to make essences. But you know the problem of having a shortcut? You cannot reach the highest realm in your profession. You are following premade path, you will be restricted by the path."
"But I heard selling essences will get you more coins."
"Who told you that nonsense? I bet it was Zumi. D*mn that pesky little -" she stopped herself. Few calming breaths. "Become my apprentice, maybe I'll teach you that."
"My lady, the list you gave me to collect is not simple."
"To have a great foundation, that much is a minimum necessity."
"It takes time. Now that the dungeons have opened, how many of blessed immortals do you think will go on and pioneer new maps?" Artha presented her his main problem. Strange how his main problem tends to shift around. Heh! Human nature.
"So collect them inside the dungeons, you bozo!" Zoya yelled.
"I thought only monsters were present inside the dungeons."
"You wish!" Zoya replied sarcastically. They had to allow that ticking bomb named dungeons stay near the village precisely because they brought many benefits. Who would like to stay when the chances of dungeon outbreak was ever present unless there is some profit?
This game
Before he could talk more, he was pinged many times. All from different people, all requesting purchase of potions.
Artha was shocked. Why such urgent need of potions?
The answer was on the board near the till, which was blocked by Zoya, so Artha had noticed it yet.