Everything Anbaixiu had said was targeted at small- and medium-sized nobles. Their entire family fortune might barely afford a single bottle of a genuine Potion of Youth, putting it far out of their reach. But this weakened version, which lasted only a few days, was a treasure that everyone would scramble for.
Hearing Anbaixiu out, many in the room found his reasoning sound. Previously, they had only thought of selling it to wealthy noble ladies—after all, women could be exceptionally generous when it came to youth and beauty. None of them had expected such additional applications. Looked at this way, every noble household ought to stockpile a few bottles of this potion just in case.
With good advertising, this potion could even be hyped into a crucial asset capable of determining a family's rise or ruin.
Endel Mark hurriedly shouted, "Nine hundred gold coins! I'll pay nine hundred gold coins a bottle!"
That shout instantly ignited the competitive spirit in the others. After another round of bidding, the wholesale price of the potion surged all the way to one thousand two hundred gold coins.
At that point, however, everyone began to hesitate. The bids crept up only a few gold coins at a time. In the end, young master Mark secured the distribution rights to this Potion of Youth for one thousand two hundred and eighty gold coins.
Smugly, Endel Mark said to Anbaixiu, "My apologies. Your foresight may be better than mine, but it seems our Mark family's coffers run deeper."
Endel Mark was deeply jealous of Anbaixiu. The man was younger and more handsome than he was, and the target market Anbaixiu had pointed out was something Endel hadn't even conceived of.
How could this fellow be so much more capable than him?
But it didn't matter—his family had money.
There was never any shortage of clever people in this world, yet the vast majority could never break free from the shackles of class. Just like now: this man knew full well that this opportunity could make a fortune, but without enough money, he could only watch helplessly as someone else profited.
Striking the posture of a victor, Endel Mark said to Anbaixiu, "A word of advice: don't go flaunting your little wit every chance you get. If you hadn't spouted those insights just now, you might have walked away with it for eight hundred gold coins. Instead, not only did you lose the chance, but you also taught me how to make even more."
Anbaixiu beamed. "Right, right, right. You're absolutely right. I do hope you make even more."
Endel Mark frowned, feeling as if his punch had struck thin air. Why wasn't this guy the least bit flustered?
Was he faking it? It didn't look like it. The man smiled as though he were the one who had made a fortune.
Just as Endel Mark was puzzling over it, Miss Isabel, the center of everyone's attention, walked over to the two of them. Endel Mark assumed Isabel was coming to speak with him; after all, from this moment on, he and Isabel were business partners.
This young alchemical genius was quite beautiful, and Endel Mark genuinely harbored considerable affection for her. If he could marry her into his family, wouldn't this potion effectively belong to them?
In fact, every bidder who came had harbored the exact same thought. After learning that Isabel was still unmarried, the nobles had sent their finest sons, hoping to claim both the beauty and the fortune. And right now, Endel Mark held the upper hand.
Just as Endel Mark was about to greet Isabel and invite her to dinner, he heard Isabel say respectfully to the young man he had just mocked, "Teacher, you're finally back."
"Teacher?!"
Not only did Endel Mark's eyes go wide, but everyone else found it utterly unbelievable.
This young man, who looked no more than seventeen or eighteen, was Miss Isabel's teacher?!
What kind of teacher? Surely he couldn't be a teacher of alchemy?!
Anbaixiu gave a faint smile and said to Isabel, "You've done well—I was genuinely astonished. But we can catch up later. Business takes priority."
Seeing how delighted the two looked, Endel Mark blurted out agitatedly, "You two colluded to swindle me?! I refuse to acknowledge the bidding results just now!"
Planting an insider as a shill was indeed a problem; it made sense for Endel Mark to want to back out.
Yet no sooner had Endel Mark spoken than Anbaixiu replied, "You have a point. How about this: the bid just now is void. Now then, who is willing to take it at twelve hundred gold coins a bottle? We can sign the contract right now."
The moment Anbaixiu finished speaking, several young masters from the families that had lost the bidding immediately chimed in loudly.
"Twelve hundred gold coins! Our Osman family will take it!"
"Twelve hundred and thirty gold coins!"
...
The scene once again turned into a bidding war, making Endel Mark feel as sick as if he had swallowed a fly.
This was precisely why Anbaixiu couldn't care less. The potion wasn't fake; its effects had been displayed for all to see. The market wasn't fake either. Whether Anbaixiu was a shill or not, everything he had said was entirely true. Whoever secured the distribution rights stood to make a fortune.
It was Endel Mark who had mocked Anbaixiu earlier, not them. Losing face had nothing to do with these other young masters. Naturally, turning a profit took precedence; who cared whether Endel Mark was willing or not?
Under normal circumstances, Endel Mark would have stormed off in a huff, preferring to forfeit the money rather than lose face.
However, the Mark family could not afford to pass up this business.
With the City of Alchemy destroyed, alchemy had been demonized as a force capable of destroying the world, causing alchemical goods to sit unsold for quite some time. Just as Anbaixiu had said, the world could not completely do without alchemy, but this recovery would take time.
Things would turn around in two months? The Mark family couldn't wait two months.
Their family primarily made a living transporting alchemical potions, unlike other nobles whose livelihoods rested on the production of their feudal lands. The stagnation in potion sales hit the Mark family far harder. Their funds were running on empty; if this went on, they would have to sell off the family castle—and the land along with it.
For a noble house, selling off land was tantamount to suicide.
Therefore, no matter how bitter Endel Mark felt inside, he could only grit his teeth and say, "Forgive me, I was too rash just now. I accept the outcome of the bid. Twelve hundred and eighty gold coins a bottle. Let's sign the contract."
Anbaixiu glanced at Endel Mark, genuinely surprised that the young master could swallow his pride. He had expected the fellow to lash out in a fit of rage, which would have allowed Anbaixiu to subdue him and extort a tidy sum of compensation from the Mark family.
"Oh, how could I let Young Master Mark take a loss? I was indeed somewhat discourteous. Let us set the price at twelve hundred and fifty gold coins. Consider the thirty gold coins a token of my apologies."
Endel Mark froze, startled. "Ah? Are you serious?"
"Of course. In business, it's all about a win-win. Making money together is the only way to go far," Anbaixiu said.
Endel Mark immediately found Anbaixiu much more agreeable. Although it was only a concession of thirty gold coins, when running distribution channels, such slight margins could make the difference between profit and loss.
The Mark family currently needed every possible way to resolve their financial crisis. This potion was their chance to turn things around, and this thirty-coin discount gave them an even better shot at doing so.
The sting of having lost face dissolved completely. Endel Mark even felt that he had been too petty. After all, he had been the one to provoke Anbaixiu from the start. Not only had Anbaixiu refused to take offense, but he had even offered a discount. What magnificent magnanimity!
Truly worthy of being Miss Isabel's teacher—such breadth of mind!
Overjoyed, Endel Mark signed the contract with Anbaixiu without scrutinizing the clauses carefully. Thus, he failed to notice that his distribution rights were limited exclusively to the old kingdom of the City of Alchemy.
In other words, the distribution rights for the rest of the continent remained firmly in Anbaixiu's grasp.
With business concluded, Anbaixiu had Cardina, the maid who had turned into a youthful maiden, escort the guests out before heading with Isabel to the castle's alchemy laboratory.
Anbaixiu naturally sat down in his chair and said to Isabel, "Sit. Now that we're alone, tell me what has happened while I was away."
Isabel looked at Anbaixiu, filled with complex yet reassuring feelings.
It was only after Anbaixiu left that she had realized the castle ghost and Lord Lich were actually one and the same person—because after Anbaixiu had departed, she had never seen her "teacher" again either.
She had actually complained about her work right in front of her "teacher." Remembering that now made her feel like an utter fool, toes curling in sheer mortification.
The moment Anbaixiu had spoken up to bid earlier, Isabel had already recognized him. Anbaixiu's voice had simply whispered in her ear, instructing her to play along with his act.
Isabel had understood at once that her teacher was about to fleece someone again, so she had dutifully played her part. Sure enough, that young master Mark had been led around by the nose, turning from an adversary into a devoted business partner.
Truly brilliant, just like always.
"Teacher, after you left, I realized maintaining the castle would cost money, so I thought about earning some through alchemy..."
Isabel recounted her experiences during this period in detail.
To tell the truth, it wasn't overly complicated. Anbaixiu had left Isabel with only a small stash of alchemical materials and a contingent of skeleton troops for self-defense.
As for money, there hadn't been a single gold coin. Isabel had been forced to work hard and earn her own way.
Ordinary alchemical potions were unsellable, which had left Isabel deeply disheartened. Then, one day, she stumbled upon a strange substance in a corner of the castle—a sort of mucus speckled with white spots.
Perhaps her luck had turned; Isabel had tested the effects of the mucus on mice and discovered that it possessed rejuvenating properties. Shocked, she attempted to refine it using her alchemy, and after numerous trials, she finally developed a recipe with relatively stable results.
"Something from inside the castle? How have I never seen it?"
Anbaixiu was astonished. Did his castle actually harbor such a good thing?
Isabel led Anbaixiu to the spot where the mucus had appeared. Looking at the strange orange mucus, Anbaixiu suddenly found the place somewhat familiar.
Anbaixiu quickly recalled—wasn't this the teleportation array connecting to the sewers of the City of Alchemy? Back then, he had left it behind hoping slimes would walk right into his trap. What on earth had been teleported over?
Chapter 236