An Accident

The dwarfs' new capital, the Golden City, gleamed with magnificent hues under the sunlight. Just how much did this gold-like sheen stem from nostalgia for their former desert palace? Even the dwarf king himself would find it hard to answer. Yet despite leaving the ancient palace that had been passed down for millennia, this new capital was quite nice—agreeable in every respect. If one truly had to nitpick, its only shortcoming was the lack of inexhaustible gold buried beneath the earth. Perhaps for this very reason, the dwarfs' new capital not only appeared as if forged from gold, but also vigorously promoted domestic commerce, hoping to recreate the glorious days when dwarfs never lacked money. Endel Mark was one of the fortunate few who caught this favorable wind and reaped the era's dividends. The young noble wiped the sweat from his forehead and climbed down from the carriage. Packed inside this carriage was a freshly delivered batch of "God of Alchemy Selected: Fountain of Youth." A single small bottle was worth 1,999 gold coins, making the Fountain of Youth loaded into this one carriage worth a million gold coins. And that was only because the luxurious packaging took up so much space; otherwise, it could have held far more. Yet the packaging was necessary. This was a premium product that didn't swindle the poor, supplied exclusively to the nobility. By securing the distribution rights for the Fountain of Youth, the Mark family had made a fortune, transforming from the brink of bankruptcy into rising stars of the commercial world. They were even granted an audience with the dwarf king, who with a wave of his hand designated the highest tier of the Fountain of Youth as an exclusive royal supply. They didn't make much profit off that particular deal, but the brand effect had taken off. The dwarf king was the new master of this land. If he fancied it, would other nobles not scramble to buy it? Whether you liked it or not, if you didn't keep a few bottles at home, did that mean you harbored dissatisfaction with dwarven rule? While framing it that way was a bit of an exaggeration—dwarfs were hardly in the habit of running an oppressive regime—even without the threat of having one's family executed and estate seized, it was still a missed chance to curry favor with dwarven royalty. A lower-tier bottle was only a thousand-odd gold coins, so why not just buy it? Consequently, the Mark family's business boomed, swiftly amassing immense wealth. Yet just as the Mark family thought they were set to soar into the heavens, they caught wind of a shocking piece of news. The "God of Alchemy Selected" brand wasn't limited to the Fountain of Youth. Over in the desert, a new type of sunscreen had already gone on sale, and a small quantity of golem machinery was selling briskly among adventurers. The golem machinery could be ignored; the volume was low and posed no threat. The sunscreen, however, was a different story entirely. A consumer product aimed at the common public, it had instantly slaughtered all competing products with its rock-bottom price. There was no helping it. Theirs was just as effective, cheaper, certified by a legendary alchemist, and endorsed by the God of Alchemy himself. Rumor had it that the God of Alchemy had performed a divine miracle in the desert, coating an ice block in the sunscreen that then sat under the sun for ten days without melting. Whether that was true or false, the advertising power alone crushed every competitor on the market. Selling to commoners was all about value for money, while selling to nobles was about brand prestige. This sunscreen was not only cheap, but also a divine-certified product—commoners and nobles alike would flock to it. As for pricing, they could simply split it into multiple tiers just like the Fountain of Youth; nobles always bought what was expensive over what was cheap. With just a bit of inquiry, Young Master Mark learned that the sunscreen was earning even more than his Fountain of Youth, pulling in figures enough to turn anyone green with envy. And when he went to make his routine payment to Miss Isabel, he was blindsided by another shocking revelation: Isabel was searching for distributors for the Fountain of Youth in other kingdoms. Only then did Young Master Mark realize that the distribution rights he had fought so hard to seize were strictly limited to the Dwarf Kingdom. Looking back over the contract, the clause really was there, buried amid a mountain of other terms. He simply hadn't read it carefully before signing. Who knew distribution rights could be sold by territory? He had genuinely never heard of such an approach. Previously in the City of Alchemy, arrangements were either total exclusive distribution or completely unrestricted sales; territorial distribution was entirely unprecedented. Upon learning of this, the Mark family immediately pursued two options. First, continue negotiations to bid for distribution rights in other territories. Second, dispatch personnel to other kingdoms right away to open up the markets before the distribution rights were finalized. After inspecting the cargo in the carriage, Endel Mark promptly urged the driver toward the commercial teleportation circle. This time, he was heading to the tieflings' Kingdom of the Unholy Hymn, where the Mark family had familiar friends who could help open trade routes. Yet upon arriving near the teleportation circle, Endel Mark was greeted by a convoy so long its end was out of sight. Endel Mark let out a sigh. This wasn't the first time he had seen such a sight. Ever since the dwarf king vigorously promoted commercial development and various alchemical products reemerged, everyone had been scrambling to claim their share of the previously vacant market. Conducting cross-border trade relied entirely on teleportation circles. Endel Mark had also heard that due to the recent surge in users, several mages responsible for maintaining the circles had collapsed from exhaustion. There had even been multiple teleportation mishaps—either sending people to the wrong location, or blasting travelers and cargo alike to smithereens. The kingdom had eventually been forced to decree the construction of new continental teleportation circles, but it still clearly wasn't enough. There was no telling how long this queue would take. Fortunately, Endel Mark had anticipated this and set off early, so he could still afford to wait. After queuing for nearly three hours, Endel Mark's convoy finally made it into the continental teleportation circle. Handing the destination coordinates to a dwarf mage with heavy dark circles under his eyes, along with an entire chest of gold coins, the glow of the teleportation circle slowly flared to life. Space began to warp. This power tore through space, overlaying the destination's spatial coordinates onto this location before severing the link to the current coordinates, instantly transporting people and goods to the other side. Normally, it had little effect on the body, though those overly sensitive to spatial perception might feel dizzy and nauseous. Endel Mark had teleported many times and had long grown immune to teleportation sickness. Yet something seemed amiss this time. Wasn't the glow of the circle a bit too bright? Just as Endel Mark grew suspicious, he saw the drowsy dwarf mage suddenly shout, "Something's wrong! Get off the circle, quickly!" However, it was already too late. The light of the teleportation circle entirely enveloped Endel Mark and his convoy. The next instant, the spatial warp flared, and everything atop the circle vanished. "How is this possible? This is a newly built continental teleportation circle!" The dwarf mage hurriedly called for a halt to further teleportations and thoroughly inspected the magic circle, finally arriving at a conclusion. Days of severe overload had caused even the newly built circle to malfunction. But unfortunately, kingdom-built teleportation circles operated at one's own risk; whether maimed or dead, not a single copper would be compensated. Glancing at the fee Endel Mark had handed over, the dwarf mage couldn't help but sigh. "How pitiful. With a spatial warp that severe, they've probably been squashed into mincemeat." *** On the other side of the continent, Endel Mark and his convoy materialized in a remote grove. He was uninjured, but the carriages carrying the Fountain of Youth had suffered severe damage. A corner of the carriage had been crushed by the spatial warp, shattering two crates of the Fountain of Youth in the process. Thankfully, no lives were lost. The driver and several laborers were all alive, though one unlucky laborer had his right arm completely twisted like a rope. Strangely, he felt no pain, and his fingers could still move. This was a textbook teleportation failure. Disrupted space warped a person's physical structure—not simple trauma, but an outright alteration of anatomy. Much like this laborer, his arm hadn't been twisted off; it had simply grown that way now. Endel Mark said helplessly, "When we get back, collect your compensation and go home." It wasn't that the condition was incurable, but rather that treatment was far too costly. Amputating the arm and regrowing it would cost enough to hire thirty laborers. The Mark family couldn't possibly pay for a laborer's treatment; paying a death benefit was the end of it. The laborer understood that this was the best outcome he could hope for. At least he had kept his life. After calming everyone down, Endel Mark ordered, "Quickly unload the Fountain of Youth and inspect it!" The laborers hurried to unload the cargo and carefully opened the exquisite packaging, only to confirm that the entire batch of Fountain of Youth had been compromised. Originally, the liquid possessed the deep, breathtaking hue of a starry night sky. The night sky remained, but it was now dotted with tiny specks of red. Visually, it looked even more striking than before, but the batch was undoubtedly ruined. The spatial warp during teleportation had surely caused foreign impurities to seep into the solution. Alchemical formulas were exceedingly precise; the slightest deviation could ruin the effect, or even turn a healing potion into lethal poison. With impurities now mixed in, Endel Mark wouldn't dare sell this Fountain of Youth. "It's over! Cargo worth over a million!" The Mark family had taken a catastrophic loss this time. If not for the fortune they had made earlier, a loss of this scale would have bankrupted them. Endel Mark felt utterly helpless, but such was business. As long as they could weather the blow, they could earn it back next time. Right now, the priority was forgetting the cargo and figuring out a way back home. With the teleportation botched, where on earth had they ended up? Just as Endel Mark was about to send someone to scout the area, the rapid thunder of horse hooves rang out. A silver-armored host appeared, encircling Endel Mark and his men. Silver armor, rose crest—the paladin corps of the Ryan Empire! The teleportation had dumped them inside Ryan territory?! Endel Mark urgently ordered, "Everyone get down! Don't resist!" Every man he had brought threw himself prostrate upon the ground. Their submissive posture caused the paladins, who had already raised hand crossbows, to ease slightly. A red-haired paladin, built like a lion, rode up to Endel Mark and demanded, "Where did you spies sneak in from? How did you bypass our city defense magic array?!" Endel Mark slowly raised his head. Catching sight of the striking red hair, he instantly recognized the imposing commander. Ryan's Iron-Blooded General, Rachel Angelo. This time, they were finished. It was common knowledge across the world that this Iron-Blooded General didn't just discriminate against other races—he didn't spare humans either!