Chapter 337
Chapter 337
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 337
Chapter Title: Contract (1)
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“I’ll give you this.”
What Rokan pulled from his inventory was a single small potion bottle.
Presenting a potion to an alchemist who had reached level 450 was a gamble bordering on recklessness, but Rokan believed that very fact would pique his interest.
Wouldn’t an alchemist find it intriguing if it was something he couldn’t make himself, or hadn’t even thought of?
“Uh… this is?”
Edal took it, looking slightly flustered.
He’d never imagined someone would offer him a potion, and the information on this one was anything but ordinary.
[Beauty Potion]
The potion Rokan handed over was none other than a Beauty Potion.
The item the Join Clan had disguised themselves to obtain.
He’d flooded Sky Island with so many of them, but hadn’t released a single one in the Heavenly Realm yet, deeming the timing wrong. Its rarity was more than sufficient.
Even someone called the Universal Alchemist might have tried making something similar, but it wasn’t your run-of-the-mill item, so there was a good chance it hadn’t crossed his mind.
And it seemed the latter was true.
“Where did you get this?”
“I made it. More precisely, it’s an exclusive product from the alchemists under my command. It hasn’t been released in the Heavenly Realm yet, either.”
Seeing Edal take the bait, Rokan reeled in the line hard.
Now that he knew what it was, Edal might try making it himself, but Rokan judged he wouldn’t stoop to that level of thievery.
“If you’d like, I can share the recipe.”
Edal’s eyes wavered at those words. A recipe would make research far easier.
Plus, he was confident he could improve on it if he made it himself.
Of course, if Edal produced it and sold it directly, Rokan could take a big financial hit. But he had a trump card.
Production volume.
Edal worked meticulously alone, producing small quantities. Even if he made an enhanced Beauty Potion and sold it, it’d be a premium product at best. Rokan was confident he could dominate the market first.
“Ehem…”
A moment of deliberation. Then Edal made up his mind.
“Fine, we have a deal. But it’d be great if you could provide plenty of materials along with the recipe.”
It wasn’t much to agonize over. The Chaos Elixir wasn’t in high demand anyway.
Its effect in halting Void Erosion had gained some recognition and value, but it wasn’t the only way to block the Void, giving it a bit of a white elephant vibe.
In that case, handing one over wouldn’t hurt.
“Here you go.”
The moment permission was granted, Rokan laid out his items before Edal could change his mind.
The Beauty Potion recipe and materials.
Enough for at least a hundred, and he was willing to provide more if asked. The materials weren’t particularly rare.
[You have acquired a Chaos Elixir.]
Rokan obtained the bottle of Chaos Elixir but didn’t turn to leave. If the rumors about Edal were true, there was more to discuss.
“Would you ever consider partnering with me?”
“Partnering?”
Edal looked slightly displeased at Rokan’s suggestion. Even for a weirdo like the top alchemist, plenty had made similar offers before.
They never ended well, so Edal already seemed repulsed.
“Don’t misunderstand. I just hate seeing your creations go to waste without realizing their true value. If it’s coins you’re after, there are plenty of other ways to earn them.”
To preempt any misconceptions, Rokan immediately shared a portion of his inventory.
His coin holdings.
He’d converted all his ground gold, added taxes from his demon realm territories, and coins from hunting—enough to make even Edal’s head spin.
“Huh…!”
Edal had never seen so many coins.
Even if he sold off all his research products, could he amass that much? His wariness eased a bit.
As Rokan said, someone with that much could make money any number of ways.
“Alright. Let’s hear it. What kind of partnership do you have in mind?”
“Simple. We’ll handle distribution for the items you’ve researched. Only the ones you choose, of course. If any can be mass-produced, my alchemists could handle that. We’ll supply all materials, and you get 30% of the total profits.”
“Hmm…”
His warehouse was stuffed with finished products gathering dust.
He hadn’t cashed in much lately, so research funds were running low.
Sure, at level 450, he could earn enough solo, but it took significant time and effort.
Materials provided, plus a cut of profits? Edal wavered.
Others had made similar offers, but at 10-20% max. This was more appealing.
Plus, Rokan was a Visitor. He might grow enough to fetch even rare materials Edal couldn’t get.
Edal was strong himself, but not combat-focused, so plenty of materials were out of reach.
And others capable of getting them wouldn’t fetch them for free.
At best, they didn’t demand his masterpieces in exchange. He’d heard plenty of demands bigger than his belly.
Honestly, this tempted him more than coins.
Then Rokan drove the nail home.
“Additionally, I’ll provide monthly research stipends. How about 20 million coins? If there are specific materials you want, I’ll get them as far as my reach extends.”
Edal flinched.
There was calculation here. Someone who reached level 450 in alchemy had to crave research.
That’s why Rokan offered materials and funds.
Focus solely on research. In return, he’d share recipes for his existing creations.
Making them himself would take time and effort, after all.
“Deal.”
Edal caved. They drew up a contract right away, with Rokan writing terms as favorable as possible.
With his recipes, profits would cover material costs easily.
Plus, he scored several rare potions Edal had made. A generous gift from the satisfied alchemist.
“Thank you.”
High-performance potions useful even to Grand Masters filled Rokan’s inventory.
He got extra Chaos Elixirs too—stuff he had no use for anyway, tossed in as service.
They’d sat unsold for ages.
With all preparations gathered—and a new revenue stream secured—Rokan returned to his territory.
He opened dedicated shops in each territory selling special potions made from Edal’s recipes and registered the bulk he’d received.
Limited quantities since Edal made them solo, but no issue. He could replenish using the recipes.
He ordered all necessary materials bought up, then entrusted himself to the Rainbow Teleporter after a long while.
Back to the ground.
To retrieve monster hearts collected on the ground and craft the final item: Power Essences.
“How are the other Celestials managing?”
As per Rokan’s orders, the hearts were stored in Hamel, Mitty, and Polten’s inventories. He’d promised them ample rewards upfront, and all quantities were logged, so no worries about embezzlement.
After collecting them, Rokan checked the other Celestials’ activities. Curious what countermeasures they’d taken after his sabotage.
“Weaklings.”
As expected, they’d found their own paths.
They kept the monster heart quest active but lured users with sub-quests.
Like collecting specific monster byproducts or rare items in bulk.
Low efficiency, but they could squeeze out some power.
Rewards: Heavenly items or Rainbow Teleporter discount vouchers. Faction bonuses included.
Not a bad deal for users.
Early guilds reaching the Heavenly Realm withheld items to fend off latecomers, so Heavenly gear was essential. Byproducts came alongside hearts anyway—just took inventory space.
High quantities needed, but worth it for Heavenly gear.
This competition flooded the ground with Heavenly items, raising its overall level.
New hunting grounds and monsters eased leveling, and with those levels and gear, Koreans were finally reaching the Heavenly Realm.
“Damn, those crazies.”
Intriguingly, some Korean players who made it had even taken down a Misralthorum. The monster even Rokan had avoided.
Just one, others dodging it, but still an impressive feat.
Korean gamers through and through.
They arrived late, but Rokan had no doubt they’d catch up to foreigners soon.
Not that it mattered much to him.
“Preparations are set. Time to fulfill the contract.”
Back in territory, he processed the hearts into Power Essences.
The ground haul was huge, yielding not one but two essences.
That wrapped up Void Gate preparations, but one more task before the next map.
The contract with the Russian users.
Rokan hadn’t idled; he’d tracked the designated top American users’ locations.
Their levels, main hunting spots, Celestial standings.
They’d stuck to Celestials from the start, racking up huge contributions, but nothing to make Rokan tense.
He’d killed the Heavenly God’s High Priest and razed their capital city, after all.
With Polymorph, he could roam Heaven freely. Light-hearted, he activated the Heavenly Rune Book.
Infiltrating the base where Verdan—the one who dared sell him to the Celestials—and the American users operated.