Martin's Fables, Part 3: The Empire
The Empire. Its official name was the Bittenberg Great Empire, but it was usually referred to simply as the Empire. The Great Forest, which they had visited a while ago to cure Falco's fever, lay right in the heart of its territory. It was a nation of vast lands, sprawling enough to swallow a forest that rivaled the size of most minor kingdoms.
"Of course, I'm not saying we should head straight to the Empire. It would be better to make a name for ourselves in the Royal Capital of Westania first," Charles suggested, his sharp merchant instincts already at work.
"Yeah. My thoughts exactly. So, I've been doing some thinking..." Yohan replied.
Yohan explained the plan he had cooked up on the spot to Charles and the Goddess. First, they would return to the Magic Tower in the Royal Capital and sign a consignment contract for the mass production and sale of High Potions under the pseudonym Pharmacist Martin. Once the name Pharmacist Martin gained traction, they would leverage that fame to publish the fable book in the Royal Capital. After that, they would market the books to consumers in the Empire as 'a collection of fables written by a renowned scholar from the southern kingdoms.'
"Usually, a book has to sell at least a bit locally before you can even think about exporting it..." Yohan mused.
"But this time is different," Charles countered. "Whether it sells or not doesn't matter. Our goal is to pour money into it and make sure as many people read it as possible, right?"
"Exactly."
"Then let's start by producing and selling the book in the Royal Capital, just as we originally planned."
Perhaps because it involved 'business,' Charles was exceptionally enthusiastic about Yohan's plan. As for the Unnamed Goddess, she had no reason to object since it meant her teachings would spread far and wide. If anything, she simply watched Yohan and Charles put their heads together with a thoroughly pleased expression. After several hours of intense discussion, Yohan finalized the plan to sell their handmade potions and fable books, starting with the Westanian Royal Capital.
"It has been a while. So, what brings you here today...?"
Thud!
Back at the Magic Tower. Yohan slammed a massive oak barrel down right in front of the Old Mage they had met before.
"I brought you a little present," Yohan said.
He popped the lid off the oak barrel to reveal its contents. The mage's eyes went wide as saucers.
"I went home and did some thinking, and let's just say I had a change of heart."
"T-this is..."
The barrel had originally been purchased to age the wine made in their village. However, what Yohan had brought was filled to the brim not with wine, but with top-grade High Potions. Right after Yohan had met Charles in Balifield a few weeks ago to draw up the plan, Billy had set to work brewing a massive batch of potions under Yohan's instructions. This was the fruit of his labor.
"Let's start by selling this much. I heard last time that High Potions are in pretty short supply these days."
"Y-yes, indeed. You have made a momentous decision." The Old Mage suddenly leaped to his feet.
"I must contact the Tower Lord immediately. This is not a matter I can handle on my own. Please wait here for a moment." Leaving Yohan and Billy behind, he hurried out of the room.
"I wonder what kind of person the Magic Tower Lord is," Billy murmured.
"Well, rumor has it his skills are enough to put court mages to shame."
"Then, if he's the Tower Lord, does that mean he can cast magic as powerful as those flashy skills you use, Boss?"
"Who knows? Now that you mention it, I'm kind of curious myself."
The two of them exchanged idle chatter in the quiet room. A few minutes later, the door swung open, and the Old Mage walked back in.
"Thank you for waiting. This is the master of our Magic Tower."
Behind the Old Mage stood another wizard, who appeared to be around the same age as Wilhelm. His robes were incredibly ornate, making it immediately obvious to anyone that he was a high-ranking figure of the tower.
"Ah, so you are the rogue pharmacist I was briefed on. A pleasure to meet you. I am James, the master of this Magic Tower and the Magic Guild Master. You may call me Jimmy."
The Tower Lord introduced himself and extended a hand to the two of them.
"I'm Yo... Martin. Just a guy hiding out in the mountains doing a bit of this and that. And this green giant here is my assistant and friend."
Jimmy, of all names. It had to be the exact same name as the treacherous grave robber he had personally burned to death. Yohan fought to keep his face neutral as he shook the Tower Lord's hand.
"I heard from the elder here that you brew a healing potion that rivals, or perhaps even surpasses, the High Potions we produce..."
"Ah, yes. I brought it in that barrel over there. Go ahead and see for yourself."
At Yohan's prompting, the Tower Lord nodded and approached the oak barrel resting on the table.
"Would it be alright if I drew a single bottle's worth to test it?"
Since High Potions were incredibly expensive, it seemed he felt the need to ask for permission even for a simple sample test.
"Sure, go right ahead."
The Tower Lord immediately began chanting a spell. At his words, the cabinet door on one side of the wall swung open on its own, and a glass vial stored inside floated into the air, drifting gracefully over to the oak barrel.
"Oh."
Yohan let out a soft exclamation of admiration. Yeah, now that's a fantasy mage. Doing simple chores with telekinesis was exactly how it was supposed to be.
After transferring a small amount of the potion into the vial, the Tower Lord examined the liquid closely.
"The color is magnificent. Almost zero impurities. Well then, let us test its efficacy immediately."
Slash!
True to form, the Tower Lord severed his own arm without a single flinch. Yohan grimaced deeply at the gruesome sight, while Billy actually gagged. What followed was a repeat of what they had witnessed last time.
Squelch! Squish!
"My word..."
The moment the potion was poured over the stump, a brand-new arm sprouted in seconds. The Tower Lord flexed and rotated his new limb, his face filled with profound awe. Meanwhile, the Old Mage quietly retrieved the severed arm from the floor. Yohan sincerely did not want to know what they planned to do with it.
"It is indeed an extraordinary effect. And the volume you have brought as a sample is quite substantial as well."
"Well, yeah. We had nothing but time, so we just brewed it at our leisure," Yohan replied smoothly. He subtly turned his head and gave Billy a quick wink.
"You are truly a remarkable man. How did you manage to brew this much potion in just a few months? Setting the processing aside, securing such a massive quantity of the raw herbs could not have been easy."
"Uh... well, we've been quietly stockpiling them for a while."
In truth, they had harvested a massive amount of raw materials in a short span of time by planting seeds blessed by a Guardian Deity into soil blessed by the Goddess. Of course, there was no way he could reveal that to anyone.
The capacity of the oak barrel was roughly ten liters. Since a standard bottle of potion held fifty milliliters, this single barrel was worth a whopping two hundred bottles of High Potions.
"Excellent. Now, let us discuss the contract."
The Tower Lord suddenly pulled a small wand from his robes. He looked at Yohan, Billy, and the oak barrel, and began chanting an incantation.
"We shall head straight to my office. It is a short distance, but you might feel a bit lightheaded, so be prepared."
They had long since grown accustomed to the aftereffects of teleportation. Not only Yohan but even Billy let out a soft chuckle. In the next instant, the three of them teleported to the Tower Lord's office.
The Tower Lord's office was located on the very top floor of the Magic Tower, which was essentially a skyscraper. Furthermore, the front wall was made entirely of glass, offering an unobstructed, panoramic view of the Royal Capital.
"Whoa..."
"Now that is a killer view," Yohan remarked.
Billy and Yohan voiced their honest impressions, causing the Tower Lord's lips to curl upward in quiet pride.
"Please wait a moment. I shall have some tea brought in."
"Ah, sure."
They spent a short while admiring the cityscape of the Royal Capital through the glass. Soon, the office door opened, and a maid entered carrying a tray with teacups. She set them on the table and promptly made her exit.
"Now, let us get straight to the terms of the contract."
Yohan gave a light nod at the Tower Lord's words.
"Generally, the High Potions produced and sold by our tower and others go for about ten Imperial gold coins per bottle. There might be a variance of half a coin to a full coin, but most stay around that range."
"T-ten gold coins?" Billy stammered, his eyes widening in shock at the explanation.
"Indeed. Considering it is a miraculous medicine that can regrow a severed limb in an instant, ten gold coins is actually quite cheap. By the way... you appear to be an Orc, yet your speech is remarkably fluent. You are truly worthy of being the assistant to such an outstanding pharmacist."
"Hahaha..."
Billy let out an awkward laugh at the Tower Lord's unintended insult. Yohan, of course, knew that while Billy was smiling on the outside, he was on the verge of snapping inside. Then again, this was just the average mindset of people in this world.
"—How dare that knave? Spouting such discriminatory nonsense against my believer so casually!"
Even the Goddess was fuming in Yohan's mind. Though, this scatterbrained deity seemed to have completely forgotten the very first thing she had said when she saw Falco.
Of course, ten gold coins was a mind-boggling fortune even by Yohan's standards. Back in Balifield, the amount he had paid to win the auction for the statue put up by the Big Boss was a mere thirty silver coins. Since one Imperial gold coin was worth ten silver coins, a single bottle of High Potion was worth three times the winning bid of that statue. Maybe I won't have to go around hunting down bandit dens and raiding them one by one anymore, Yohan thought to himself.
"As you may know, High Potions are currently facing a severe shortage, not just in our kingdom, but across the entire continent. Rumor has it that demand has skyrocketed near the Great Mountain Range in the northern part of the continent."
To put the Tower Lord's euphemism bluntly: the northern continent was currently at war. Realizing this, both Yohan and Billy's expressions hardened.
"For that reason, the current price of a High Potion is at least fifteen gold coins per bottle. And that is only in peaceful nations like Westania. I hear the price skyrockets up to double that amount once you cross into the Empire."
"Whoa..."
"However, the potion brewed by Master Martin has not yet been proven among general consumers."
"So what you're saying is, we need to sell it a bit cheaper at first, right?"
"Precisely. Furthermore, as the Magic Tower handling the consignment sales of your potions, we must also take our cut..."
The Tower Lord penned some numbers into the blanks of the contract resting on the table and slid it toward Yohan.
"For the batch you brought today, how about we set the retail price at thirteen gold coins? After deducting our commission and taxes, you will net about ten gold coins per bottle."
The fees for consignment and taxes amounted to roughly twenty-three percent. Since this was far more generous than he had anticipated, Yohan's face lit up with delight.
"If the feedback from actual consumers is positive, we can raise the price of the potion and, at the same time, reduce the percentage of our commission."
It was an offer too good to refuse. Above all, he loved the condition that the Magic Tower would handle the entire marketing and sales process.
"Whew, alright. Let's do it. Pharmacist Martin's High Potion. Thirteen gold coins a bottle," Yohan replied.
The Tower Lord smiled warmly and nodded.
"Thank you for accepting so readily. Before long, I am certain there will not be a soul in all of Westania who does not know your name."
"Ha, I certainly hope so."
Indeed. He would spread the name of 'Pharmacist Martin' far and wide, and then leverage that fame to peddle Martin's Fables everywhere.