"Aven, you're here to sell potions?" The two quickly returned to the main topic.
'Finally, back on track. This Link guy really talks a lot…' Aven smiled and nodded, placing the healing potions from his backpack onto the table.
There were a total of eight bottles, all brewed the night before.
Link nodded, picked up one of the healing potions, unscrewed the cap, and took a sniff. His eyes lit up with energy, but moments later, he frowned.
From the scent alone, he could identify Oran Berry as an ingredient—common in healing potions. But he couldn't detect any other components.
'Could it be that the effects are blended so perfectly that the other ingredients' scents were masked…?' Link thought to himself, feeling even more impressed with Aven.
"I need to test the potion's effects."
This was standard procedure, and Aven had no objections.
Carrying a bottle, Link stepped into the back room, which had specialized equipment for testing potion effects.
After getting everything ready, he began the tests. But the more he analyzed, the more shocked he became.
The only ingredient he could detect was Oran Berry.
'Don't tell me… this potion was made using only Oran Berries?' Link was in disbelief. While Oran Berries did have restorative properties, a potion like this shouldn't be possible.
Though the ingredients couldn't be identified beyond the Oran Berry, the potion's effects were nearly identical to a standard healing potion. That much, he could confirm.
A unique healing potion made with only Oran Berries… Link shook his head. He felt this needed to be evaluated by his mentor.
After checking the potion thoroughly again, Link stepped out of the room and nodded toward the shop owner.
The owner smiled and said to Aven, "According to market price, a bottle of healing potion is worth 3 silver coins…"
But before he could finish, Link suddenly shook his head and interjected, "Mr. Hawke, it should be 5 silver coins."
The owner froze, giving Link a look like he'd just eaten something foul, then added, "Standard healing potions are 3 silver, but Link thinks these are worth 5…"
After a brief pause, he continued, "Looks like Aven's potions are significantly better than average. Let's go with 5 silver coins per bottle."
'Link's a great friend, but a terrible business partner…' Aven shook his head at the scene.
The shop owner had clearly tried to undercut the price and was likely planning to haggle down to 4 silver coins per bottle.
But since Aven already knew the market value, he had no intention of backing down. Still, he hadn't expected the shop owner to get undermined by his own partner.
After a bit more discussion, they finalized the price.
He had eight potions in total, sold at 5 silver coins each, totaling 40 silver—or 4 gold coins.
"Pleasure doing business." Link whistled cheerfully, completely unaware of the death glare his partner shot at him.
"Yeah, pleasure doing business," Aven replied with a smile, though he didn't immediately pocket the gold coins.
Instead, he looked over at the pile of berries in the corner and asked, "Boss, what do you usually do with spoiled berries?"
The shop owner looked confused. "Throw them out, of course. We run an honest shop—we'd never sell rotten fruit."
"Throw them out, huh…" Aven smiled faintly and asked, "Would you be willing to sell them to me for cheap instead?"
The shop owner suddenly grew wary. He lowered his voice, "You're not planning to repackage and sell them, are you?"
Even Link turned to look at him. He had never heard of anyone actually wanting to buy spoiled berries.
"Don't worry," Aven said with a smile. "I plan to use them to brew a special kind of potion."
That explanation left the two men even more confused.
'Spoiled berries can be used in potion brewing? Is that even safe to drink? Wouldn't that kill someone?'
Seeing their skeptical expressions, Aven shrugged and clarified, "Of course, it's not for humans. This potion is meant for magical beasts."
Only then did their expressions relax a bit. Some special kinds of beasts could safely consume such potions—particularly the poisonous types.
"Well, if I'm just going to toss them anyway, you can take as many as you want," the shop owner offered. "But on one condition…"
'Knew it… total businessman,' Aven thought, already expecting this. He gave a listening look.
The shop owner smiled mysteriously, then handed him a pen and paper. "Aven, would you be interested in joining our little shop?"
Aven was briefly stunned but quickly understood—he wasn't referring to the fruit stand but to the potion-maker's network.
Naturally, Aven didn't refuse. Forming a connection like this would benefit him—allowing him to exchange materials or ideas with other potion makers.
"I run a potion-maker hub," the owner explained.
"Potion makers can come here to brew, accept or post commission requests, or sell their potions."
With a smug grin, the shop owner added, "Of course, all of that comes with a fee—very reasonable, I assure you."
'Smart businessman…' Aven commented mentally. But to be fair, this setup was mutually beneficial.
After all, not every potion maker had the time or energy to run their own shop. Most of their time was spent on research and brewing.
In this situation, the shop owner acted as a broker, offering convenience for both potion makers and customers.
"How much is the fee for posting or accepting commissions?" Aven asked, playing along.
The shop owner seemed to have been waiting for that question. He raised one finger and said, "Ten percent cut. Whatever it is—I get ten percent."
'A sharp one, no doubt…' Aven went quiet for a moment, then smiled. "Very reasonable."
"Hey, I know what you're thinking," the owner said with a shrug. "But for potion makers, time is the most valuable thing, right?"
On that point, Aven wholeheartedly agreed. For potion makers, the time spent gathering materials often far exceeded the time spent actually brewing.
(End of Chapter)