Chapter 245:Linda Potion Shop
Chapter 245:Linda Potion Shop
In the afternoon, Charlotte went to the construction site.
The craftsmen were working enthusiastically, and the progress was impressive. The project would be completed and handed over in two days.
According to Charlotte's requirements, the ground floor would be a factory building, and the second floor would be employee dormitories. The construction was being done according to the blueprints, with a high level of authenticity.
"Doctor, I need to tell you something. The factory building is almost complete, and I did some calculations last night. It seems we will need to increase the budget a bit..." the short foreman said somewhat apologetically.
"Another budget increase? We've already gone from 250,000 to 300,000 copper coins," Charlotte frowned.
The foreman looked helpless and said, "You're Miss Diana's friend, and we definitely won't cheat you out of your money. But the style of this house is different from others, and if we stick to the previous budget, we won't be able to deliver the same quality. If you don't believe me, I can show you the purchase receipts."
"How much do you need to add?"
"50,000 copper coins, making a total of 350,000 copper coins. I'm just paying my brother's fair wages, not making any profit off you," the foreman explained.
Charlotte nodded slightly and said, "Just finish the job properly. I'll transfer the remaining payment through Buddy. He has more experience in this."
Leaving the construction site, Charlotte couldn't help but smile wryly. These guys seemed to know that he had earned 200,000 copper coins yesterday.
Then Charlotte went to Guy's blacksmith shop. However, the shop was closed and there was no one inside.
He had wanted to check on the progress of the big cauldron, but since there was no one around, he had to give up.
With nothing else to do in the afternoon, he decided to rent a horse and head straight to Calva.
...
"Come and take a look! Don't miss out on the essential first aid kit for wilderness adventures! Treat minor injuries at home without having to go to the infirmary! The price is cheap and affordable, only 400 copper coins per set. You won't be taken advantage of; you won't be deceived!"
Leo stood at the entrance of the apothecary shop, shouting at the top of his lungs.
However, none of the adventurers passing by stopped, and most didn't even spare him a glance.
"Have some water. Your throat must be hoarse from shouting," Linda walked out with a cup of water and handed it to Leo.
Taking a sip of water, Leo sighed and had a worried expression on his face.
"Ah, it's been three days, and I've only had one order from a friend. How did it end up like this?"
"Yeah, Doctor Charlotte sells his potions so well even in the Abyss. We opened our shop right across from the Adventurer's Guild, where thousands of adventurers come and go every day, but we can't sell a single bottle," Linda said, also puzzled.
She had seen Leo's efforts these past two days. For someone as introverted as him, it was unimaginable for him to stand at the shop's entrance and shout for business.
"What? Just started and already thinking about giving up?" a voice interrupted.
Leo and Linda turned around instinctively and saw a square-faced rugged man smiling at them.
"Char...?" Leo stopped himself but still looked surprised. "Why are you here?"
"Just came to see how your apothecary shop is doing and to collect the items your friend gathered for me," Charlotte said with a smile.
As soon as he arrived at the Adventurer's Guild, he noticed the apothecary shop opposite. It was called 'Linda's Apothecary.' Leo and Linda stood in front, looking troubled.
For an apothecary shop, this location was simply prime real estate.
However, for most adventurers, potions were not something they frequently used. Some even didn't know anything about them.
Those apothecary shops hidden in dark alleys with black curtains always gave people a sense of unease.
So even though Leo shouted his lungs out, it seemed more like a scam rather than a legitimate business.
Adventurers had dangerous jobs where they risked their lives. They didn't have time to stop and listen to random shouting on the street.
"We've just opened, so business hasn't been good," Leo scratched his head sheepishly.
"It doesn't seem 'not good,' it seems like there's no business," Charlotte smiled faintly.
"Well, that's true. No matter what tactics I've tried these past few days, I couldn't attract any customers. I feel like a fool shouting in front of the shop," Leo shrugged, no longer pretending to be strong.
Charlotte looked around and said, "Find a wooden board and write 'Apothecary Shop: Free limited treatment for three minor injuries daily' on it. Put it in a prominent position at the entrance, where anyone coming out of the Adventurer's Guild can see it right away."
"But... my medical license has been confiscated by my grandfather, and running a private clinic is illegal," Leo hesitated.
"Who said you're running a clinic? You're running an apothecary shop, and you're treating patients with potions. What's illegal about that?" Charlotte said firmly.
"Are you saying that you want me to treat patients in your way?" Leo pondered, his expression becoming more bitter. "I don't know how to perform surgery or stitch wounds."
"I can help with cleaning wounds for patients," Linda offered proactively.
Charlotte glanced at Leo and said to Linda, "Then you can also handle the application of hemostatic agents. As the beautiful mermaid shop owner, you should be in charge of this apothecary."
"Alright," Linda smiled and nodded.
"I..." Leo wanted to say something else.
Charlotte interrupted, "You'll take care of emergencies. If there are any injured patients that the medicine cannot treat, you can use your healing spells to assist. After all, your medical license was confiscated by your grandfather, not revoked by the Medical Association. Even if you treat someone for free, they won't arrest you, will they?"
"Understood," Leo nodded.
He understood Charlotte's plan. Injuries among adventurers were commonplace, and having a reputation like this would be more effective than any advertisement.
Using medicine to treat injured patients would demonstrate the effectiveness of their first-aid kits.
Only when adventurers truly experienced the benefits of the medicine would they be more willing to spend money to buy it?
Once word-of-mouth spread, their sales would naturally increase.
"Wouldn't you invite me inside for a while?" Charlotte smiled and asked.
"Please come in quickly," Leo finally came to his senses and hurriedly led him inside.
Linda handed him a cup of warm water.
Charlotte took a sip and then took out a bottle of pale golden potion and placed it on a small table beside him. "This is my newly developed Golden Vitality Potion. Do you want to order some?"
Leo picked up the potion and asked, "Golden Vitality Potion? How much can it restore?"
"25% for intermediate knights," Charlotte replied.
Leo's hand trembled, and the potion bottle almost fell to the ground. He quickly regained his grip and looked at Charlotte in disbelief. "One bottle can restore 25% of an intermediate knight's vitality?"
"That's right," Charlotte nodded.
"This is too incredible!" Leo didn't think Charlotte was lying to him. This guy never followed conventions.
Based on his experience visiting various apothecaries in Calva over the years, even the most popular vitality restoration potions for intermediate knights could only restore around 15% and were priced at 2,000 copper coins.
The potion that Charlotte took out, however, reached an astonishing 25%!
"How much does it cost in the Abyss?" Leo asked.
"800 copper coins per bottle," Charlotte replied.
"That... is too reasonable!" Leo was shocked and almost cursed. With this price, there would be no room for other competitors.
"If you sell it for 1,600 copper coins in Calva, will there be a market?" Charlotte asked.
Leo nodded and said, "If I can open up the sales channel, I won't have to worry about the market. Adventurers in Calva are much wealthier than those in the Abyss."
"But..." Leo frowned, "I'm a bit tight on funds at the moment. The potions I've sold these days haven't brought in any money yet, so I'm afraid I don't have the money to order more."
He naturally wanted to sell such high-quality vitality potions.
Unfortunately, he was short on money and couldn't afford to restock at the moment.
"I understand your situation, that's why I want to offer you these ten bottles of Golden Vitality Potion on credit. You can pay me back after you sell them and receive the money," Charlotte said, taking out nine more bottles and placing them on the table.
"I can't accept this," Leo said, touched.
"The weather is getting colder, and this is the last window of opportunity for adventurers to enter the wilderness. Once the heavy snow blocks the way, adventurers won't venture out anymore, and the potion business for this year will come to an end," Charlotte looked at him. "We are in a mutually beneficial partnership. The more you sell, the more profit I make."
"I understand, and I'll do my best," Leo said earnestly.
After clarifying everything, Charlotte didn't linger any longer.
Leo led him to the slaughterhouse and took the frozen beef pancreas that his friend had kept for him.
Charlotte had underestimated the slaughterhouse's slaughter volume. The frozen beef pancreas alone weighed over three tons.
According to his friend, this was only a day's worth, and he thought Charlotte wouldn't need too much, so they didn't freeze anymore.
Currently, the demand for insulin wasn't high, so Charlotte didn't have a large need to purchase beef pancreas.
But the slaughterhouse was indeed a good place to obtain a stable supply of fresh beef pancreas, and Leo had connected him to this source.
Stuffing the three tons of frozen beef pancreas into his space ring, Charlotte bid farewell to Leo and headed straight back to the Abyss.
With this small mountain of beef pancreas, he would need to preprocess and store them in the cellar when he returned. He would then find a time for Vivianne to extract insulin from all of them. It would be enough to last for a long time.