Chapter 253: Public demonstration
rchants had to be flexible and resolute.
The level of corruption Liam had exposed ant that Grace had to rearrange her entire business, losing market presence in the process, or incur heavy debt to hope to retain it.
However, that debt would leave Grace at the rcy of other rchants, who would rather control her forever than allow her to repay it. She was confident she could overco that challenge, but there was a better way to handle everything.
Instead of resizing, Grace would double down. The only way to prevent loss was to rely on soone else, so she would bet on the one who promised the biggest return.
Many would see Grace as crazy for trusting a shady figure so blindly and with no safety nets, but her business instincts never lied. Besides, since she had to entrust her life to soone, she would choose the man who had refused to kill Old Joe over dishonest rchants every day.
It was almost hilarious that it had taken honesty, a currency forbidden among rchants, to get Liam to agree to a proper partnership. Still, Grace was already beyond caring about that.
In Grace’s mind, only the next step existed.
Since trust had been established, Grace forgot about ratings and believed everything Liam said about his products, trading them for the best price they could get, without bothering to bargain.
The custors would question the products’ quality, but that was Grace’s problem to handle. Her na alone might not suffice, but she had a plan already.
The sale awarded Liam over two thousand spirit stones, which Grace retrieved from a separate section of the warehouse, even requiring a cart to deliver them.
The narrow passage on the warehouse’s back closed while Grace pushed the cart of spirit stones to Liam, but it was too late. He had already sensed what that other section radiated, prompting a genuine question.
"Grace," Liam called, puffing black smoke. "Are you rich?"
"That’s part of my faction’s fund," Grace explained, leaving the cart in front of Liam. "Most of it is already promised to my contacts to get ingredients and everything else. I can’t risk missing any paynt since they’ll go to other rchants otherwise."
Now that the deal was in place, Grace didn’t hold much back. Even her behavior changed, avoiding pleasantries and the appearances rchants had to put up with.
After all, Liam wasn’t a desirable custor anymore. He was a business partner.
"The rest is for ergencies," Grace continued. "The part ant for my rchants is already in their pockets. If we had t a few months ago, it would have saved
most of it."
Liam stored the pile of spirit stones with a wave of his hand, vaguely understanding what Grace ant. Just like he needed funds for the compound concoctions, she was already locked in imminent purchases.
If anything, Grace’s real wealth was in the warehouse’s items, and Liam had just deed two-thirds of them useless.
"I can start a new business by selling what you cleared," Grace reassured, reading what Liam thought while looking at the two piles. "Ti is the issue. Unless so wealthy alchemist is willing to purchase these ingredients in bulk, it might take
months to sell everything."
Grace pointed a strange smile at Liam, which he instantly grew wary of.
"Actually," Liam ntioned, feeling a bit guilty for so reason. "I also have a rank 2 martial art, but it’s not exactly mine, and reselling it might create problems for you."
Grace’s smile vanished, replaced by a deadpan expression.
"Was this all a ploy to bleed
dry?" Grace asked. "Did one of my competitors send you?"
"Why would I want your blood?" Liam blinked, bringing the pipe to his mouth.
The reply filled Grace with so much helplessness that she actually beca speechless, only for her hand to rise to her face as she shook it.
"Forget it," Grace sighed. "I could afford it, but I can’t risk being left with nothing. Let’s focus on earning money first."
Grace turned toward the unusable pile, crossing her arms in thought. Liam had indeed done her a great favor. If those ingredients had entered the market, her reliability as a rchant would have crumbled.
Honestly, that vast amount made Grace wonder whether soone was behind the corruption, but it was pointless to waste ti and money investigating. She could step up her business now, through a reliable partner on top of that.
The issue was what to do with the unusable pile.
"William, are you sure I can only throw this away?" Grace wondered.
Silence followed, which gave Grace hope, only for the lack of replies to continue, turning her toward Liam.
For so reason, Liam was looking around, inspecting his surroundings, as if searching for soone.
’Who is she talking to?’ Liam pondered. He was certain there was no one else in the underground warehouse, but his perception might have finally t its match.
That changed when Liam noticed the glare on Grace’s face, and her following quasi-threat finally brought clarity. "You are William, right?"
"Oh, yes, right," Liam nodded, clearing his throat, focusing on the pile to change the topic. "So ingredients are just too far gone. For others, it’s possible to extract their properties and make concentrates, but the results will vary."
Grace’s face grew serious as she circled the cart and reached Liam, placing her finger on his chest.
"It’s possible?" Grace cursed. "You are my alchemist. If you know a way to cut down our losses, go and do it."
Now that the businesswoman’s mask was off, Grace turned out to be quite overbearing. In theory, the deal saw her serving Liam, but that didn’t stop her from scolding him and ordering him around.
"I should warn you," Liam recalled. "Concentrates aren’t popular in alchemy. I would only trust those I made myself."
The explanation was quite technical. Liam had only thought of ntioning it since he himself would have never bought concentrates unless he was certain of their composition.
"I have an idea to make you more notorious as an alchemist," Grace revealed. "Even I can’t just start selling alchemical products en masse. I made a na for myself, but not that kind of na."
Bad ingredients could ruin a concoction, but bad alchemical products could ruin a dantian. They were also far more expensive, requiring a higher level of reliability.
Liam knew about those implications. He had considered them himself ever since his breakthrough with little to no luck, but Grace hadn’t hesitated to show her value.
"What idea?" Liam questioned.
"A public demonstration," Grace explained, turning and crossing her arms again. "A tournant will happen a month from now. It’s sothing the Recruitnt Guild started long ago. Lone cultivators and Guild mbers fight each other, hoping to get recruited by soone in the audience."
’The tournant Old Joe ntioned,’ Liam thought. ’Since Guild mbers will fight, too, the audience must be Sects and other Guilds.’
"I set up shop there every year," Grace continued, "As other rchants do. There’s always soone in need of imdiate resources. Also, the Sects are rarely self-sufficient. I obtained my most affluent returning custors there."
Liam didn’t need to think there. His Master had owned the alchemical market among six Sects for that exact reason. rchants might not have the sa quality or rank of resources, but they offered a variety otherwise unachievable.
"But this year," Grace exclaid, sharply turning to point at Liam, "I plan to have an alchemist publicly concocting products to sell on the spot. We’ll reassure the custors by showing the whole creation of what they’ll purchase."
Liam diverted his gaze in thought. That was a good idea as long as soone in the audience could confirm that what he was doing was correct, but the plan had a big issue.
"Concocting in the open adds huge variables," Liam stated. "Air composition, temperature, weather, and more can turn any success into failure. That worsens with the concoction’s rank."
"I can get you talismans for all that," Grace reassured. "Just list what you need. I’ll list the products you should make in return, so also tell
which ingredients the usable pile lacks."
It seed Grace had already decided on another purpose for her remaining usable wealth, but she had a condition first.
"However," Grace said. "Show
how you concoct first. I must see this product I’m betting my business on, and whether it’s of any entertainnt."
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