Chapter 1 The Starlight Potion Shop

The towering two-story Starlight Potion Shop was built entirely of white stone. The dazzling white exterior made a strong visual impact. Each pillar and beam was carved with exquisite patterns, creating an intense, dreamlike sensation. The shop's furnishings and counters were also neat and beautiful.

After a while, Niao Bu Sheng Dan (Bird-Doesn't-Have-Eggs) walked in from the entrance.

"Boss, I'm here." Niao Bu Sheng Dan paused, looking around. He couldn't help but marvel; it was actually a level two shop. He wondered who had opened it.

"Mm, I have something I want you to do." Nie Yan nodded and said, "From now on, you'll be temporarily in charge of this potion shop. I'll arrange some work for you. As for remuneration, if the shop does well, you can receive a certain bonus each month. Of course, you don't need to do too much work. Your main task is to level up your apothecary rank. As usual, you'll only receive the basic salary once you reach Apprentice Apothecary."

"You opened this potion shop?" Niao Bu Sheng Dan couldn't help but be moved. He knew Nie Yan had money, but he never imagined Nie Yan was wealthy to this extent. He had heard from others that buying a plot of land in Faith cost at least one or two gold coins, and upgrading a shop... it seemed a level one shop required two gold coins, and upgrading to level two required five gold coins. This kind of price made the majority of players sigh in despair. The dream of opening a shop was like a cloud in the sky to him—gorgeous, but unattainable.

However, even just managing the shop was a huge satisfaction to Niao Bu Sheng Dan.

"Naturally, I opened it. You'll be managing it from now on. There will be a group of apothecaries coming to apply later. I hope you can represent me in hiring them. I'll tell you the relevant matters later. I don't want to show my face."

"I understand." Niao Bu Sheng Dan nodded.

Niao Bu Sheng Dan was quite quick-witted, and he understood Nie Yan's meaning. For some reason, Nie Yan didn't want the outside world to know he was the owner of this shop. As for the specific reasons, Niao Bu Sheng Dan didn't dare to ask.

"Since you understand, I won't explain further. This NPC is called Incelas. He's the shop assistant responsible for selling goods in this potion shop. The second floor is the apothecary laboratory. I'll give you certain permissions. You can withdraw a portion of money from Incelas to buy medicinal ingredients and fill the laboratory upstairs. Then, hand over the potions produced each day to Incelas and have him sell them. You can ask me about the pricing of the potions. There's also a more troublesome task: you need to produce a summary statement of income and expenses each week and give it to me. Since the system directly calculates it for you, it shouldn't waste too much time." Nie Yan added as he thought of things, instructing him item by item.

Niao Bu Sheng Dan recorded everything Nie Yan said to avoid forgetting. In this way, his workload wouldn't be too high each day. He just needed to manage those apothecaries.

Nie Yan thought for a moment that even if he didn't come to manage the Starlight Potion Shop, the Starlight Potion Shop could still operate normally and orderly according to the procedures, and there shouldn't be any loopholes in the system.

Niao Bu Sheng Dan seemed to want to say something but hesitated.

"What's wrong? Just say what you want to say." Nie Yan glanced at Niao Bu Sheng Dan.

"It's like this... so many people are applying, and many of them are already Apprentice Apothecaries... Why did the boss choose me?" Niao Bu Sheng Dan hesitated for a while, but he still voiced the question in his heart. If he didn't say it, he definitely wouldn't feel comfortable.

Nie Yan smiled and said, "It's nothing. It's just that I think you're more trustworthy than others. That's all."

"Trustworthy..." Niao Bu Sheng Dan took a deep breath. It had been a long time since someone had said this word to him. When a person was poor, even dogs would despise you. He chose the name Niao Bu Sheng Dan with a hint of self-deprecation. But having stumbled and crawled to where he was now, if he was afraid or timid, then he would be a coward. When you learn to trust no one, it's most heartwarming when someone is willing to trust you. "Thank you," Niao Bu Sheng Dan said sincerely.

Nie Yan smiled, explained the affairs of the potion shop, and then said, "There are two apothecaries you should pay a little more attention to. One is called Di Diao De Nan Nan (Low-Key Nan Nan), and the other is called Shang Xin Yi Jiu (Heartbroken As Before). Listen to what conditions they offer and send them to me." As for Di Diao De Nan Nan and Shang Xin Yi Jiu, Nie Yan would agree to whatever conditions they offered as long as they weren't excessive.

"Mm, okay." Niao Bu Sheng Dan nodded in agreement, feeling slightly uneasy in his heart. After all, those two were both Apprentice Apothecaries, while he was only an apothecary apprentice now. He felt a sense of urgency.

Niao Bu Sheng Dan hadn't found the feeling of being the King of Apothecaries yet. Right now, he was no different from an ordinary apothecary apprentice.

"How long will it take you to reach Apprentice Apothecary?" Nie Yan asked.

"Probably... three or four days, maybe."

Nie Yan nodded and said, "Hurry up and practice your proficiency. Here's a recipe for Basic Magical Resonance Potion. After Di Diao De Nan Nan and Shang Xin Yi Jiu sign on, give it to one of them and have them quickly make some. This potion should sell for a good price right now."

"Mm, I'll choose the one with the higher success rate." Niao Bu Sheng Dan felt quite frustrated. If his level had already reached Apprentice Apothecary, Nie Yan wouldn't have given such a profitable recipe to someone else. But he wasn't a petty person. He understood that everything depended on strength. If he didn't have the ability to take it, then it was only natural that Nie Yan gave the recipe to someone else to make.

The relationship between apothecaries and employers was similar to a cooperative profit-sharing model. The employer found materials and recipes for them and was responsible for sales. The employer took the bigger share of the money earned, and the apothecaries took a basic salary and a smaller share. If the apothecaries obtained a profitable recipe from the employer and the potions they produced sold well, then they would earn more money. If the potions they produced didn't earn much money, then they wouldn't get much of a share.

"In the future, there will definitely be more and better potion recipes. I have several Anti-Petrification Potion recipes here. Have all the Apprentice Apothecaries learn one each and make more Anti-Petrification Potions. I also put seven thousand portions of raw materials for various potions in the laboratory upstairs, of which two thousand portions are for Anti-Petrification Potions." Nie Yan said. After such a long period of acquisition, he already had quite a few Anti-Petrification Potion materials, potions, and recipes on hand. He had also stored more than eighty pieces of equipment with +7 or higher Anti-Petrification, and the purchase price of these equipment was mostly no more than thirty copper coins. The best ones cost only about fifty copper coins at most.

Unlike Black Fenol Potion, the heat of Black Fenol Potion would slowly diminish, because there weren't many monsters with dreadful poison in other places besides the werewolves of Sothas Valley, while Anti-Petrification Potion would be useful for a long time to come, so the price had been steadily rising.

Although Nie Yan had acquired a large number of Anti-Petrification Potions, the output of Anti-Petrification Potions had always been very large. The Anti-Petrification Potions he had acquired were only a part of them. Although it would affect the market supply and lead to an increase in the price of Anti-Petrification Potions, it was basically impossible to achieve a near monopoly like Black Fenol Potion. However, the price of Anti-Petrification Potion could at least increase by more than 5 times. A 500% profit was enough to drive people crazy.

However, the Medusa's Lair was known as the most profitable dungeon, and the teams that could go to the Medusa's Lair could basically afford the petrification potion.

The most valuable thing was still those anti-petrification equipment. The Medusa's Lair was about to open tomorrow. Medusa's attacks weren't very strong, but petrification was too troublesome. If you kept using anti-petrification potions to dispel petrification, the consumption would be quite alarming in a day. If your own petrification resistance was 14 points or more, you basically wouldn't have to fear petrification.

If melee classes had more than three members equipped with anti-petrification equipment, a team could save at least twenty silver coins in a day in the Medusa's Lair. However, melee classes couldn't wear too much low-defense equipment. At most two pieces, more than three pieces would cause the defense to drop too much, easily leading to the annihilation of the team. Therefore, the value of equipment with +7 or more Anti-Petrification was highlighted. A piece of equipment with +7 Anti-Petrification, even if its other attributes were poor, would sell for at least ten silver coins or more. With this alone, Nie Yan could earn about 8 gold.

Nie Yan finished explaining the affairs of the potion shop and was about to leave when a player in his late twenties, wearing a gray-white apothecary robe, walked in. He looked at Nie Yan and Niao Bu Sheng Dan, and finally his gaze stopped on Nie Yan.

"Excuse me, is the owner of this shop here?" the player asked tentatively. In his opinion, compared to Niao Bu Sheng Dan, who was wearing an apothecary apprentice robe, Nie Yan looked more like the boss.

Niao Bu Sheng Dan glanced at the player's collar. The edges of the robe were embroidered with a Bauhinia pattern using silver thread. A hint of envy flashed in his eyes. It was this Bauhinia pattern that was the dream he hadn't been able to achieve so far—the badge of honor for an Apprentice Apothecary.

Nie Yan exchanged a glance with Niao Bu Sheng Dan. Niao Bu Sheng Dan walked towards the player.

"I am the owner of this shop. May I ask what's the matter?" Niao Bu Sheng Dan asked. He didn't seem timid at all, and he really had the air of a boss.

"It's like this, I'm Di Diao De Nan Nan (Low-Key Nan Nan). I heard you're recruiting apothecaries here." The player said to Niao Bu Sheng Dan. He was really surprised to hear Niao Bu Sheng Dan say he was the owner of the shop. Thinking about it, it was true that the real rich people often dressed very plainly.

"So many large guilds are recruiting apothecaries. With your identity as an Apprentice Apothecary, why don't you go to those large guilds and come to my place instead?" Niao Bu Sheng Dan asked, looking at Di Diao De Nan Nan.

Nie Yan nodded slightly. He had instructed him earlier not to let people with ulterior motives mix in. Niao Bu Sheng Dan was quite cautious and knew to ask.