River of Fate: Emerald Alchemist, page 18
“A heritage alchemist usually gets a certain amount of investment each year,” she replied as she calmed down, “but there’s a contract with the guild as well. You need to work for us for a while to pay it back. Normally, that comes from making the unique pills and giving them to us to sell. We take the profits from that, and when it’s earned enough, your debt is cleared.
“The rank of a heritage alchemist corresponds both to the level of their heritage, since some require more expensive materials to practice, and on how much they produce. Every heritage has to be evaluated for its cost and benefit. High-ranking recipes don’t always mean a lot of support. Sometimes, a heritage is too expensive to train, and those alchemists are out of luck. All they can do is sign up as a regular alchemist and work on their heritage recipes on the side.”
“I won’t sign any contract with the guild that’s too involved, nor too long of a duration,” Verse said, shaking his head. “I’m willing to give the guild pills to sell, but on a one for one basis. I only want to use it as a market, not as an obligation. But I am willing to put up a few recipes to start, as a way to get initial resources.”
“It’s not in my interest to have the guild look at you too closely either,” Vesana muttered as she considered the problem. “There’s too much risk of the branch manager finding out the full details of your heritage if it’s a high rank. He’s a Rank 5 alchemist, the only one in this entire region, and he has the authority to check on almost everything. I’m only a Rank 4 alchemist. He might be able to see more from your recipes than I can, even if you limit what you show.”
Despite being a rank lower than the branch manager, her pride at her rank was clear, and it revealed a lot about her skill. She was only at the Aligned realm, but a Rank 4 alchemist was able to make pills for the Primal Spirit realm.
That was impressive.
Since the branch manager was only at the Primal Spirit realm, it seemed he was just as outstanding and able to work up a realm, the same as her. He should be able to make pills for the Inspired realm.
“The other issue,” Vesana said as she continued to think, “is that you can make your heritage pills at every rank. That’s just ridiculous and it will get too much attention. I should have taken those out of the new slip. If you sell pills to the guild, you need to do it for only a couple of ranks per pill, so it’s more similar to other heritages.”
Ideas seemed to be flashing through her mind as she went back to staring at her glass, occasionally glancing over at him and the slip on the table. Verse just waited as she thought, letting her figure out how to best place him in the guild.
“Alright,” she said at last. She reached down and picked up the slip she’d just made. She studied it before she grabbed another blank one and began to create a new copy. “No more than two ranks for each pill, but let’s make them profitable. Rank 2 and 4 should be good for some...Rank 1 and 3 for others, and then some Rank 4 and 5 specifically for the better ones. And let’s scatter them around, so it doesn’t look so comprehensive.”
When she was done, she crushed the old slip and tossed the new one across the table at him.
“Take a look at that,” she said. “That’s all we tell the guild.”
When he checked the contents of the slip, what had once been clearly arranged now looked like a jigsaw puzzle. The information had already been full of holes after her second arrangement, but now it was even messier.
Pieces of information had been mismatched and rearranged in seemingly random order, as if she’d cut up the descriptions into pieces, mixed them up, and then tried to paste them back together in something resembling real order.
“That’s what a lot of heritages look like,” she said as she waved a hand at the slip. “Half the time, they never even succeed in making the pills mentioned because the recipes are so full of errors and wishful thinking. Sometimes they only master a couple pills and spend the rest of their lives trying to decipher the rest. If you want your heritage to look normal, follow that.”
Verse memorized the information at a glance and then set the jade slip down on the table. He was willing to follow her advice there. He would still make whatever he wanted for himself, but the list had a good set of pills at each rank. It wouldn’t be much trouble to pick ones to sell to the guild.
“I’ll register you with the guild as a Rank 1 Heritage Alchemist,” she said decisively. “It’s the lowest rank, but it’s probably for the best that way since you want to limit contracts. It’s where a lot of people start. Once you prove you can make pills at Rank 2, you can move up.
“It will look like your heritage is average, and as a Rank 1 alchemist you’re not required to register your known pill recipes with the guild. You won’t get as many resources up front, but there’s still the standard annual support. That’s easy to authorize.”
She reached into her sleeve where she had some type of spatial item, and came back with a white jade plate with a single golden star on the front. She focused on it for a moment and then she tossed it to him.
“There,” she said. “I’ve registered you. The star corresponds to your rank. At Rank 2, you’ll have two of them, and so on. The plate will update on its own. That plate is a guild badge that will record your activities in every branch, as well as your sales, contracts, and more. Put a drop of blood and spiritual energy into it to bind it to yourself.
“The standard support at Rank 1 is 100 medium-grade spirit stones a year, as well as two thousand Rank 1 herbs and two hundred Rank 2 herbs. In total, it’s worth around 200 medium-grade spirit stones, or about 10,000 low-grade ones.
“In return, you have to provide pills of equivalent value each year or the support will stop. You can pick up the resources at the guild trade counter. There’s a map in the badge, but I’ll show you where it is later.” She pursed her lips as she looked at him.
“Average Rank 1 pills sell for 10-30 spirit stones and Rank 2 for 100 or more. That means you need to return around 1,000 Rank 1 pills of the lowest quality, or something better. Yours should be worth a good amount once you make them.”
“I can work with that,” he said with a nod as he tucked the badge away. The resources sounded like a lot, but he already knew exactly how many herbs he could go through and he was just getting started. His speed would only increase with time.
Alchemy was a black hole for materials.
As for providing pills to the guild, that was something he would work on as soon as he mastered his current techniques to an acceptable level. Woodbalm Paste was only a training product.
“Now about trading recipes directly for resources,” he asked. “What can you do? You’ve seen the list on that slip. I can offer most, but not all of them. Let’s start with three perhaps, and only a single rank for each one.”
“I can negotiate for some of that, but I’ll have to clear it with Renzer for final approval.” Vesana’s gaze sharpened again as she looked at him. “So, let’s be careful. Since your heritage is cultivation locked, the recipes won’t get you as much, but the guild will still buy them for research.”
She frowned as she paused to think. Then she rattled off a list, her words coming quickly one after the other.
“For recipes, I’m interested in Woodbalm Paste at Rank 1, the Emerald Crane Pill at Rank 2, the Jade Body Pill at Rank 3, the Clear Heart Pill at Rank 3, the Cleansing Rain Pill at Rank 4, and the Serene Complexion Pill at Rank 2.
“That’s six pills, not three,” Verse said with a laugh, but he wasn’t bothered. She probably had her reasons. “Why so many?”
He doubted the guild would be able to make them, but it should keep them busy for a number of years as they tried.
“I’ll buy three directly from you,” Vesana explained, “on my own authority, but the others I’m not sure about. I’ll have to negotiate with the guild about them to see if they want to research them or not. You don’t have to give me the recipes until it’s successful.”
She frowned at him, as if daring him to argue. With the exception of the Woodbalm Paste and the Jade Body Pill, the ones she mentioned were the pills that were least reliant on jade and bloodline energy, at least on the surface.
She’d paid careful attention to the descriptions. She was trying to choose ones that the guild had a better chance of researching.
The Emerald Crane Pill was designed to restore vitality from overdrawing your life force, while the Jade Body Pill was a body refinement medicine based on a jade affinity. It sounded like it matched the Jade Scripture technique, but even he wasn’t sure if it would work for him, much less anyone else.
As for the other ones, the Clear Heart Pill was a mind-calming medicine to help with cultivation breakthroughs, while the Cleansing Rain Pill was a general antidote pill, and the Serene Complexion Pill was a cosmetic pill that improved the quality of your appearance. It could make you look younger and give a glowing aura to your skin.
It would be popular with anyone who treasured their appearance, but Vesana didn’t need the help.
“If those negotiations go well,” he decided on the spur of the moment, “I’ll give you half of the resources from the pills. Consider it as thanks for the help.”
Vesana’s eyes widened at that, but he didn’t know what the result of her deal would be anyway. It was a way of thanking her for fixing the heritage and saving him from the branch manager’s plan.
It also started their partnership off on the right foot. She’d probably get a decent price for the pills anyway, but now she had incentive and it showed that their fortunes were tied together.
“That is very generous,” she said slowly. “For the first three, I’ll buy the recipe for Woodbalm Paste for 200 mid-grade spirit stones, the recipe for the Emerald Crane Pill at 500, and the Serene Complexion Pill at 400. Those are the Rank 1 and 2 ones. I’ll see what the guild can offer for the Rank 3 and 4 recipes on the others. It should be better, especially if there’s a bidding war between research groups.”
That was 1100 mid-grade spirit stones. For a moment, he was surprised, since it was almost the same as his entire wealth before he came to Boreas, but then he adjusted his point of view.
It actually wasn’t that much.
That kid at the Azurewind Guard outpost had offered him twenty times that for his silver-ranked inheritance.
1100 mid-grade spirit stones was the same as five and half years of support for a Rank 1 Heritage Alchemist. Boreas was an expensive city, but the guild’s funds made it pale in comparison.
“That will work.” He got control of himself before he could show his shock, and gave her a nod.
Those spirit stones would go a long way to supporting his practice. It was enough to make this delay worthwhile. Plus, he’d met her.
“To our future cooperation,” he said with a smile as he raised his crystal glass from the table. Another vortex of stormy ocean energy was spinning inside like the heart of a blue gem. “And to not getting turned into soul slaves.”
Then he tossed back the glass. The storm of the spirit wine crashed into his stomach and left another crack in the wall separating him from the Aligned realm. The lingering spiritual power of it raged through his meridians and filled him with energy, but as soon as it appeared, it began to dissipate into his blood.
His bloodline was an emerald void soaking up endless amounts of energy. As soon as the wine touched it, it was gone. At the same time, he felt his inner vitality increase by a tiny fraction.
“We should head back,” Vesana offered. “It’s been a little while and I need to make sure Renzer doesn’t get too suspicious. This room is well warded against spying, so we should use it in the future if we need to discuss anything. I’ll make sure to get you an access badge from the auction house on the way out.”
“He’s going to be looking for me, I imagine,” he agreed as he stood up and stretched. Their discussion had taken a little while, but the wine that left him flush with energy. “What’s your plan for that?”
“I’ll distract him,” Vesana said with a wave of her hand. “He’s greedy, but now that you’re registered with the guild, he can’t do anything too obvious to you. He’s only able to kidnap alchemists before that, or the guild enforcers would come to investigate. That was why Heten was running over to find him.
“He really was in a meeting, by the way, so I hope he hasn’t even noticed us leave, but I wouldn’t put it past that rat of an appraiser to be sitting outside his door waiting for scraps and to tell him everything, so he’ll know before too long.”
“We’ll have to pretend not to know what he’s up to,” Verse said with a nod. “We don’t want to make him suspicious about why you interfered.”
“I’ll tell him I was eager to carry out my duties while he was busy,” Vesana said. “It’s what I’ve been doing ever since I got here, so it won’t be the first thing I’ve done before he could get around to it. This time, it just happens to be something that he wanted to do himself.
“He’ll be irritated, but all he can do is tell me to not work so hard. If he complains, I’ll talk about you being an Imperial Knight, which should make him cautious. It’ll be fine.” She looked down at the table between them, and then picked up the bottle of wine. She put the stopper back in it and held it out to him. There was still more than half the bottle left.
“Since you seem to like it, please take the rest of the Bright Storm Wine with you as a gift from me,” she said with a little grin. “It’s the least I can do. Think of it as an apology for causing you trouble.”
“This girl’s alright,” the shrine laughed. “That's how you do business!"
“I’ll drink it as I think about our success together,” Verse said with a matching grin as he tucked the wine away in his spatial bracelet. “Now, how do I sell this healing salve of mine? That’s what I originally came here for.”
“I’ll show you where the trading office is on the way back,” Vesana offered as she turned toward the door. “It’s the same place we need to go to pay you for the first three recipes anyway, and where you’ll get your annual resources. You can choose whatever herbs you need, buy other ones, and sell off pills you make there in the future.”
“I’d appreciate that,” he said easily, but he couldn’t hold back a smile as he reached out to stop her from opening the door. “But you should probably fix your hair before we leave. It would give the wrong impression.”
A small squeak of surprise left Vesana’s lips as she reached up and checked her hair. It was followed by her surprisingly hard smack as she hit him on the chest. Then she turned away and began to fix the loose strands, occasionally looking back to glower at him from the corner of her eye.
“Here,” he said as he laughed and created a thin sheet of reflective water in the air for her, “a mirror might help.”
Chapter thirteen
Natural Treasures
The guild trading counter was surprisingly quiet. He’d thought it would be packed with people, but it was divided into six small rooms for private transactions, each of them well appointed with a richly polished wooden counter and various testing apparatuses, as well as a clerk that oversaw the transactions.
There was also a list of available products for trade and their rates, which was placed at the center of the counter. It was inscribed onto parchment, rather than a jade slip, suggesting that the rates didn’t change that often.
Two of the rooms were occupied, but the rest were free. It only took a moment for Vesana to lead him into one. By the time they arrived, she had already settled back into her efficient guild persona. She gave the clerk some rapid instructions and then she turned to Verse, pretending like she barely knew him.
“Welcome to the guild, heritage alchemist,” she said formally as she gave him a slight bow. “I have to return to my duties, but I will be available if you need anything. It is rare to have an Imperial Knight join us, so please, let me know if you face any difficulties. For now, I wish you good luck.”
With an elegant turn, she was gone, leaving only the faint signature of her aura in the guild office, as well as the impression of bright blue eyes and neat brown hair in a bun.
He watched her go with a wry smile and a sense of deep amusement. She probably did have a lot of other duties as deputy branch manager to handle, beyond just misleading Renzer. Overall, things were looking up, since the guild was a lot more interesting now.
“It is an honor to welcome an Imperial Knight to the guild,” the clerk said politely, pulling Verse’s attention back to the counter. “Let me get those resources for you.” With a quick bow, the man disappeared into the back room.
Thanks to Vesana’s hint, he was focusing on Verse’s title rather than his new position as a Rank 1 Alchemist. It made it clear which one he thought was worth more.
He returned a few moments later with two jade plates and a small spatial bag. Spatial bags were more common in Boreas than they’d been in Whitestone, but they weren’t as highly regarded as spatial rings or other items, so they were generally only used if you couldn’t afford something better.
“The bag has your annual allotment of 200 mid-grade spirit stones, as well as the 1100 in trade from the guild,” the clerk announced as he pushed it toward Verse. “Please confirm the amount and then let me see your badge, so I can mark it as delivered.”
A moment later, the spirit stones were transferred into Verse’s ring and he pushed the empty bag back across the counter. After that, the clerk handed him the two jade plates.
“These have the Rank 1 and Rank 2 herbs that are available in the guild,” the clerk announced. “Please, make your choices and I’ll retrieve them for you.”
Verse just nodded as he took the plates and began to browse them for anything of interest. The selection was wide, with hundreds of herbs at each level, and it showed just how far the guild’s reach extended. Many of the herbs were from distant regions of the empire, and some were from even farther away.
