Chapter 1 Nie Yan Begins to Collect Spoils

Nie Yan climbed down from the cliff and began to collect his spoils.

The porcupine leader had dropped five pieces of equipment, all Silver-grade. There were items for Warriors, Thieves, and Holy Paladins, but they all required Level 20. By the time Nie Yan reached Level 20, he wouldn't even glance at Silver-grade equipment.

He tossed the equipment into his backpack, then gathered up the coins the porcupine had dropped. After making sure he hadn't missed anything, he counted them and found there were twelve silver coins—a considerable sum.

His main purpose in coming here was to level up. After using Thunderfire, Nie Yan removed all the intelligence-boosting items he had equipped and switched back to his original gear. He took out a Return Scroll and began to read it.

A flash of white light, and Nie Yan was back in town. He glanced at the level rankings. The highest-level player was only Level 9, barely on par with him.

Most players hadn't leveled up yet, so Nie Yan wasn't in a hurry. It was time to retrieve the other Chapter of Order.

Nie Yan received a message from Niao Bu Sheng Dan.

"Boss, I..."

"What is it?"

"I've combined all the herbs you gave me into potions. But..." Niao Bu Sheng Dan hesitated.

"What's the result?"

"I estimate... I can sell them back for three silver coins. I'm sorry, my success rate is too low." Niao Bu Sheng Dan said, feeling quite embarrassed. The materials Nie Yan had given him were worth more than ten silver coins, but after less than a day in his hands, the potions he made could only be sold for three silver coins. Even if Nie Yan was rich, he probably couldn't afford to keep him.

"Go to the Apothecary Guild. Wait for me at the entrance." Nie Yan said. He sucked in a cold breath when he heard Niao Bu Sheng Dan's reply. This guy's skill success rate was ridiculously low. If a normal apothecary had combined the ten silver coins' worth of ingredients, they might not have made much profit, but they certainly wouldn't have lost money. How could Niao Bu Sheng Dan have lost so much?

"Okay." Niao Bu Sheng Dan felt anxious and even despairing. Nie Yan was probably going to fire him this time.

At the entrance of the Apothecary Guild, Niao Bu Sheng Dan paced back and forth anxiously. He had already accepted his fate—he was definitely going to be kicked out by Nie Yan.

People came and went, players wearing various apothecary robes entering and exiting. Most of them were apothecary apprentices wearing Silver Moon badges. Occasionally, he saw a few junior apothecaries wearing Gold Moon badges. Niao Bu Sheng Dan looked at them with envy.

The Gold Moon badge represented their noble status. These apothecaries were well-respected in the guild because the potions they made were crucial to the guild.

As an apothecary apprentice in a guild, the guild would provide you with a large number of herbs to practice your skills. Basically, there was no profit, and you were just acting as a free laborer for the guild. If you could level up your apothecary skills in one go, you would be set. The guild would give you considerable benefits to cultivate you, with a salary level similar to a white-collar worker in real life.

Once, Niao Bu Sheng Dan had dreamed of becoming an apothecary in a guild, leisurely collecting his salary. But now, he no longer had such extravagant hopes.

Dark Wanderer was a famous old guild. Before *Faith*, it had transferred to several games. After *Faith* opened, it had settled in. Although it wasn't a large guild, it had strong cohesion. Niao Bu Sheng Dan had been specially recruited because he had obtained a special apothecary skill, but he had been kicked out after only a few days. The reason was that his potion success rate was too low. The Dark Wanderer Guild didn't know how much it would lose if it tried to cultivate Niao Bu Sheng Dan. Although the Dark Wanderer Guild had a lot of money, it didn't fall from the sky.

So many people were making money in the game, so why was he still failing?

Niao Bu Sheng Dan felt inexplicably irritable. The money he had in real life was only enough for a few months. He had finally found a patron willing to cultivate him, but he had messed it up again. Logically, every apothecary apprentice's potion success rate should be similar. Why was his potion success rate so low?

As he walked around irritably, Niao Bu Sheng Dan looked up and saw Nie Yan walking in from the entrance of the Apothecary Guild.

"Boss." Niao Bu Sheng Dan was too embarrassed to say anything.

"Let's go inside and talk. Did you rent a private laboratory?" Nie Yan asked. The Apothecary Guild had many private laboratories that players could rent for thirty copper coins a day, so they wouldn't be disturbed by outsiders when making potions. As for those who couldn't afford to rent a private laboratory, they could only make potions in the Apothecary Guild's hall, where it was noisy and could easily affect the success rate of potion making.

"No, renting a private laboratory is too expensive..." Niao Bu Sheng Dan replied. He couldn't bear to spend so much money just to rent a private laboratory.

Nie Yan walked towards the Apothecary Guild's counter. The counter was made of pine wood with wavy wooden patterns, simple and unadorned. In charge of apothecary affairs was a beautiful NPC named Solana, wearing a light blue floral dress, with curved eyebrows, sapphire-like eyes, a high nose, and two strands of hair falling from her shoulders, adorned with rubies, full of a rich Greenlandic style. Virtual technology perfectly interpreted the word "perfection".

"Hello, what do you need?" Solana asked, her voice as melodious as a nightingale.

Such beauty made one's heart beat faster.

Nie Yan was used to it and didn't feel anything. He said, "I need a private laboratory."

"What level do you need? We have ordinary, exquisite, and luxurious private laboratories. The rental fees are thirty copper coins per day, five silver coins per day, and sixty silver coins per day." Solana said.

"I need an ordinary private laboratory." Nie Yan said. At the current level, an ordinary private laboratory was enough.

"Isn't that too wasteful?" Niao Bu Sheng Dan, who was following behind Nie Yan, trembled in his heart. That was another thirty copper coins! He had spent so much of Nie Yan's money, but he hadn't produced anything for Nie Yan, and he felt guilty.

"It's just thirty copper coins." Nie Yan opened a private laboratory, paid thirty copper coins, and turned back to Niao Bu Sheng Dan and said, "Let's go."

Niao Bu Sheng Dan followed Nie Yan into the private laboratory.

Nie Yan glanced at the laboratory. It wasn't very large, about 5x5 yards. In the early stages, with relatively few materials, such a large space was more than enough to make potions. On the left side of the room were two cabinets filled with potions. Red, blue, and green liquids were stored in delicate crystal bottles of various colors. Each crystal bottle had a white label with the item's name and price on it. These potions were provided by the Apothecary Guild, but they were not free to use. If these potions were used, they would be settled when the laboratory was returned.

In the center of the private laboratory was a rectangular workbench with various instruments on it.

"When you're making potions, are you unable to concentrate?" Nie Yan glanced at Niao Bu Sheng Dan and asked.

Niao Bu Sheng Dan recalled the previous potion-making process. He had too many worries in real life, which made him quite impetuous, so he was eager to achieve something. His mind was uneasy, which affected the success rate of potion-making, so his potion-making success rate was only 30% of ordinary players.

"I guess so."

"The first thing to do when making potions is to be calm and at peace, forget about external things, and concentrate. Only then can the success rate reach a normal level, which is about 60%. The remaining instruments and other things can increase the success rate to about 90%. From now on, abandon the distracting thoughts in your heart and concentrate on making potions. Try again." Nie Yan said. There were still very few high-level apothecaries at the moment. These experiences were summarized by many apothecaries in his previous life. Nie Yan unceremoniously used them.

Nie Yan placed several sets of materials on the table.

"Okay." Niao Bu Sheng Dan nodded, picked up a set of materials, and began to process the herbs according to what Nie Yan said.

Perhaps because Nie Yan was standing next to him, Niao Bu Sheng Dan was a little nervous, and his movements were clumsy when processing the herbs.

Is this really the Potion King of the past? Nie Yan frowned. It didn't make sense. That Potion King was indeed called Niao Bu Sheng Dan. But then again, Potion Kings weren't born, but earned through hard work.

"Be absolutely calm in everything you do. Don't be disturbed by external things. If you're as clumsy as you are now every time you make potions, get lost as soon as possible. Don't embarrass yourself here." Nie Yan said mercilessly. He gave Niao Bu Sheng Dan a chance, and it was up to Niao Bu Sheng Dan to seize it. If he really couldn't do it, he could only kick Niao Bu Sheng Dan out. Even if he had more money, there was no need to support a useless apothecary.

When Niao Bu Sheng Dan heard Nie Yan's reprimand, his heart felt like it was being pricked by needles. Did Nie Yan have a reason to let him make potions unconditionally? No! If he really couldn't do it, he had no doubt that Nie Yan would kick him out like the Dark Wanderer Guild did. Even if Nie Yan didn't kick him out, he wouldn't have the face to stay. He had finally gotten such a chance, and he didn't want to give it up!

Niao Bu Sheng Dan took a deep breath, slowly calmed his mind, and stared intently at the potion bottle in his hand, watching the potion in the porcelain bottle shake, presenting a colorful display. Then, the colors dimmed.

System: Potion failed.

Still no good. Niao Bu Sheng Dan didn't look up at Nie Yan. There were more than a dozen sets of materials on the test bench, which were a little dazzling. He had more than ten chances. If he didn't improve his potion-making success rate, he would still be the same. After using up these ten sets of materials, he should leave.

If I still fail, then I may not be suitable to be an apothecary. Maybe I should delete my account and remake a combat class.

Niao Bu Sheng Dan thought so, and he had the feeling of burning his boats.

"Hold the neck of the crystal bottle, rotate it at a constant speed! Don't use too much force..." Nie Yan had never been an apothecary, so he could only give Niao Bu Sheng Dan some advice based on what he had heard.

Niao Bu Sheng Dan understood that this was his last chance. He began to concentrate on making potions, shaking the potion bottle in his hand, completely forgetting himself.

System: You have created a bottle of Low-grade Paralysis Removal Potion.

Success! Niao Bu Sheng Dan's heart trembled. He let out a turbid breath and felt much more relaxed. He continued to make potions.

Niao Bu Sheng Dan seemed to have completely forgotten that Nie Yan was by his side, staring at the potion bottle in front of him, completing the steps one by one. This focused expression made Nie Yan's heart flutter. At this moment, he confirmed that the person in front of him was indeed the Potion King.

Bottles of potions were made by Niao Bu Sheng Dan. The failure rate was about 50%. Although the success rate was only slightly lower than that of other players, it was a huge improvement for him.

He seemed to have found the trick to potion-making in an instant.

Niao Bu Sheng Dan had realized it, and becoming the Potion King was only a matter of time. Nie Yan quietly withdrew, but Niao Bu Sheng Dan didn't notice.

Niao Bu Sheng Dan made all ten sets of herbs into potions, and he succeeded in making five bottles. Such a success rate made him ecstatic. When he turned around to look for Nie Yan, Nie Yan had already left.

"Boss, I succeeded in making five bottles." Niao Bu Sheng Dan said ecstatically, wanting to pour out all of his emotions. He had failed too many times, which made him almost despair, but now, he seemed to see the dawn of dawn.

"Not bad, I know. The success rate is less than 50%, which is still far from enough. Keep making potions." Nie Yan said. In fact, no matter what profession you were in, as long as you found the trick, the rest was just a matter of personal effort and talent.

"Yes, I understand." Niao Bu Sheng Dan said happily. This success rate was beyond his imagination. In the past, he could only succeed once or twice out of ten or eleven times. As long as Nie Yan didn't kick him out, he would still have time to slowly improve his potion-making success rate.

"I'll go to the auction house to buy some materials and mail them to you. Hurry up and level up to become a Junior Apothecary. Don't sell the finished potions you make. Keep them first. I'm going to open a pharmacy, and you'll be the manager then." Nie Yan said. He had so much land in his hands that upgrading one or two stores was definitely not a problem. Those pieces of land were relatively remote, so the price of upgrading the store was relatively cheap. It was estimated that it would cost two or three gold coins to upgrade a Level 1 store. If he waited until the prosperous area of the city center shifted over there, it would cost more to upgrade the store. Nie Yan's first goal was to upgrade a pharmacy.

"Manager? Me?" Niao Bu Sheng Dan asked excitedly. He also longed to have his own store, but he didn't have that much money at all, so he could only think about it. Being the manager of a pharmacy would probably bring in a lot of income every day.

"Work hard, and I won't treat my own people badly."

"Yes, I will definitely work hard." Niao Bu Sheng Dan couldn't describe his mood at the moment. He was about to give up before, but he unexpectedly found the feeling. He felt like he had seen the light of day, and the future was bright. Niao Bu Sheng Dan took a deep breath, unable to restrain his excitement. His hand shook, and the potion in his hand failed again. Extreme joy begets sorrow. "Damn!"

Nie Yan pondered for a moment. Since he had decided to upgrade the pharmacy, he wasn't in a hurry to sell the Black Phenol Potion. It wouldn't be bad to use the Black Phenol Potion to increase the popularity of the pharmacy.

How much popularity would selling a large number of Black Phenol Potions that were being snapped up on the market in his store bring to his pharmacy?

Nie Yan thought to himself and had a plan in mind. He went to the auction house in the city center and bought about ten silver coins' worth of materials, mailed them to Niao Bu Sheng Dan, and told Niao Bu Sheng Dan to concentrate on making potions. He also sold some Black Phenol Potion materials and Black Phenol Potions, and he collected three gold coins. Then, he walked towards the east of the city, where the pieces of land he had bought were located.

At this time, the east of Calore was still a slum, and all kinds of NPCs in tattered clothes passed through the streets and alleys. The dilapidated houses built of trees on both sides of the street were crumbling in the wind.

No one would have thought that this poor slum would become the most prosperous commercial area in Calore in the future.

All the prosperous areas nearby were firmly in Nie Yan's hands. In the future, this would become Nie Yan's territory. Cao Xu, who had created a commercial myth here in his previous life, could get lost!

According to the future pattern, it was best to place the pharmacy at the intersection. He chose the most suitable location from the 12 pieces of land.

System: Do you want to upgrade the store? This upgrade will cost 2 gold coins.

Yes!

System: The store has been successfully upgraded.

A building rose from the ground on the land Nie Yan had chosen. It was a one-story house made of white stone, exquisite and beautiful. There was a counter and rows of shelves inside. Even the corners were engraved with exquisite carved runes, full of a rich Greenlandic atmosphere.

System: Do you want to hire shop assistants?

Nie Yan glanced at the list of available employees, a row of listed names, with the employees' information, employment prices, and other information for reference.

Shop assistants could manage the store for players and sell goods on consignment, but shop assistants could only sell items according to the prices given by the store owner. They had no autonomy, and they only had low-level intelligence.

Kaladi: Gender, male, age 30, credibility 30, skill, Quick Run, employment price 20 silver coins per month.

Tesla: Gender, male, age 26, credibility 28, skill, Strength Amplification. Employment price 18 silver coins per month.

...

Nie Yan flipped through the lists, looking for suitable people. Their skills were all strange and weird, with agility, intelligence, and strength, and the employment prices were also different.

What was the name of the shop assistant that the Prosperous World Pharmacy hired in his previous life? Nie Yan vaguely had an impression that he was a cripple, called Lyles?

Nie Yan continued to flip through the list, and he found a somewhat familiar name in the back.

Limping Inseles, gender, male, age 56, credibility 37, skill, ??. Employment price 50 silver coins per month.

Nie Yan remembered, it was him! Although the price was a bit expensive, he hired him without hesitation.

An unknown skill and a limping NPC shop assistant cost 50 silver coins, which was obviously strange. In the beginning, the Prosperous World Pharmacy had always been secretive about Limping Inseles, but later, Inseles's skills were dug up. It was a rare Diplomacy skill, a skill that allowed him to communicate smoothly with all NPCs and win their favor!

~~ 20,000 words have been updated. Although I have nearly 10,000 words in reserve, Snail is still exhausted. Please vote for me! I'm about to be overtaken from behind, and being overtaken is very painful!