Pokémon Chronicles: The New Beginning

"Natsume, did you come here to sell potions?" Before long, the two were back on topic.

Finally back to the main point. This Link the pharmacist really is a chatterbox... Natsume smiled and nodded, placing the healing potions from his backpack onto the table.

There were a total of eight healing potions, all of which he had hurriedly made the night before.

Link nodded, picked up one of the healing potions, opened the cap, and took a sniff. Instantly, he felt a rush of energy, but a moment later, his brows furrowed again.

From the scent, he could only identify that the healing potion contained Oran Berry, but this type of fruit was commonly used in potions.

He certainly didn't believe that this potion only had Oran Berry as its main ingredient, but he couldn't discern any other components from the smell.

Was it possible that the medicinal effects blended so perfectly that they masked the original scent...? Link thought, feeling even more admiration for Natsume.

"I need to test the potion's effects."

This was the normal procedure for testing potions, and Natsume naturally had no objections.

Holding a potion, Link entered the back room, which contained special instruments for testing potion effects.

Once ready, Link immediately began testing, but the more he tested, the more surprised he became. In this potion, he could only detect Oran Berry.

Could it really be formulated solely from Oran Berry...? Link's expression was one of disbelief, even though Oran Berry indeed had restorative effects.

While he couldn't pinpoint the components of this potion, he could confirm that its effects were essentially equivalent to those of a standard healing potion.

To formulate a special potion that was equivalent to a healing potion using Oran Berries... Link shook his head again, feeling this matter should be left for his teacher to judge.

After thoroughly checking the potion, Link walked out from the back room and nodded to the shopkeeper.

The shopkeeper beamed with joy and said to Natsume, "According to market price, one healing potion is three silver coins..."

But before the shopkeeper could finish his sentence, Link suddenly shook his head and reminded him, "Mr. Hawk, it should be five silver coins."

The shopkeeper's expression froze, and he looked at Link as if he had eaten something terrible, then added:

"A regular healing potion is three silver coins, but Link believes it's worth five silver coins..."

He paused and continued, "It seems Mr. Natsume's healing potion is much better than a regular healing potion, so let's go with five silver coins."

Link really is nice to his friends, but when it comes to business partners... Natsume watched the scene unfold and shook his head slightly.

As a businessman, the shopkeeper clearly wanted to drive the price down. After some haggling, it was likely that the price would settle at four silver coins.

Knowing the exact selling price of healing potions, Natsume wasn't going to back down, but he didn't expect the shopkeeper to be directly undercut by his own partner.

After further discussions, both parties agreed on the final price.

He had a total of eight healing potions, each priced at five silver coins, totaling 40 silver coins, or four gold coins.

"Pleasure doing business with you." Link whistled, completely oblivious to the frustrated and helpless glances coming from his companion.

"Yes, pleasure doing business with you," Natsume said with a smile, but he did not immediately put away the gold coins.

Instead, he looked at the fruits nearby and continued, "Boss, what do you do with fruit trees that go bad?"

The shopkeeper looked puzzled, unsure why Natsume was asking. "Of course, we throw them away. We run an honest business here and would never sell rotten fruit."

"Throw them away..." Natsume said with a slight smile, then added, "Could you sell them to me at a low price?"

Upon hearing his words, the shopkeeper suddenly became cautious and whispered, "You're not planning to repack these fruit trees and sell them again, are you?"

Link also looked over, as he had never heard of anyone wanting to buy rotten fruit.

"Don't worry; I just want to use them to formulate a special potion," Natsume explained with a smile, leaving both of them even more confused.

Rotten fruit can be used to formulate potions? Can such potions really be consumed? They won't be harmful, will they?

Seeing the doubts on their faces, Natsume shrugged, "Of course, I wouldn't let anyone drink it. This potion is meant for Warcraft."

After hearing this, their expressions improved slightly. It was true that some special Warcraft could benefit from these unusual potions, such as those that are poisonous.

"In any case, I need to dispose of these rotten fruits, so feel free to take them," the shopkeeper said generously. "But I have one condition..."

So he truly is an unscrupulous businessman... Having seen through the shopkeeper's nature as a shady businessman, Natsume listened attentively.

The shopkeeper smiled mysteriously, then suddenly pulled out a piece of paper and a pen to hand to Natsume, saying, "Mr. Natsume, would you be interested in joining us at our little shop?"

Natsume was taken aback for a moment, then realized that the shopkeeper meant not the fruit stand, but this pharmacist contact point.

Naturally, he wouldn't refuse; having this connection would benefit him as well, allowing for mutual exchanges or sharing of materials.

"This is a contact point for pharmacists."

"Pharmacists can come here to formulate potions, accept and publish entrust missions, or sell potions," the shopkeeper said with a proud smile. "Of course, all of this comes with a fee, and the prices are quite reasonable."

What a shrewd businessman... Natsume thought to himself, recognizing that this arrangement was a win-win for pharmacists.

After all, not every pharmacist has enough energy to manage their own potion shop; they need to spend a considerable amount of time on potion formulation and research.

In this case, the shopkeeper acts as an intermediary, providing many conveniences for both pharmacists and customers.

"I wonder how much you charge for accepting and publishing entrust missions," Natsume asked casually.

The shopkeeper seemed to have been waiting for him to ask that question, smiling as he raised a finger and said, "A ten percent commission; no matter what, I take ten percent."

A savvy businessman, indeed... Natsume paused for a moment before responding, "That's a very reasonable fee."

"Hey, I know what you're thinking, but for a pharmacist, the most important thing is time, right?" the shopkeeper shrugged.

Natsume fully agreed with this; many pharmacists spend far more time collecting materials than they do actually formulating potions.