171 Negotiation

There was a heavy silence in the room following Mariposa's question. He Huian and Valkyria shocked expressions on their faces. Ever since the Five Cycles Pill was first introduced they had been searching for clues as to who its seller or creator was. However, they had come up empty-handed with no leads. Could it really be possible that the player before them was the same individual behind the Five Cycles Pills being sold at the auction house? If so, then this would be a huge opportunity for their guild! "Oh? What makes you think that I'm a grade three Apothecary? I could simply be selling them for someone else or through other secret means." Izroth responded in a carefree tone of voice. "I've thought about that as well, however, I trust my instincts and it tells me that you are its creator and seller. Not only did you freely gift us three pills back in the Chaotic Dogma Realm, but I have a hard time believing someone like you would go around doing someone else's footwork." Mariposa said. She then continued, "While it's possible that you may have other secret means of obtaining the pills, then that's fine too. Although, I would have to admit that it is the most logical explanation. After all, a grade three Apothecary seems a little farfetched." To be honest, Izroth had no reason to hide his identity as a grade three Apothecary. He was unafraid of those with bad intentions and was confident in taking care of himself. Izroth was simply curious about something else. "You truly are Zi Yi's elder sister." Izroth said as he briefly opened up his system interface before closing it a few moments later. "I'll take that as a great compliment." Mariposa replied with a smile on her face. "You are correct, I am a grade three Apothecary." Izroth said. Everyone was stunned and excited at the same time when they heard Izroth's confirmation. If what he said were true, then they were looking at someone with the potential to be filthy rich and a chance to make a connection with him. However, He Huian did not get too excited just yet as there was one thing that she needed to verify first. "Um, if you don't mind, is it possible for you to show us your profession badge?" He Huian asked in a soft and polite tone of voice. "He Huian, right? This should cast any troubles aside." Izroth said as he removed the badge he received from the Apothecary guild from his inventory. He was not offended that He Huian asked for proof, after all, he would have been more concerned with Sleeping Gardenia's incompetence if they simply trusted his word. After he verified his identity as a grade three Apothecary, Izroth returned his badge to his inventory. "Thank you." He Huian said softly as she made a small bow in Izroth's direction. Mariposa had a large grin on her face that she could not wipe off. While she trusted her instincts and Izroth's words, it was always nice to have a definitive and unquestionable form of proof. However, she quickly cleared her throat and regained control of herself. Now that she knew for sure that Izroth was the rumored grade three Apothecary, Mariposa decided to move on to the main reason she asked for Izroth to meet up with her. "Everyone, I do not believe I need to say this to all of you but what you have heard or will hear in this room today stays here. If I find that anyone has broken this rule, then there will be a severe punishment set into place. Valkyria, I expect you and the Lotus Guard to stay on top of the matter." Mariposa said in a serious manner. "Understood." Valkyria responded as she swept her fierce gaze across the room. "There's no need to go out of your way. It's not as if I was intentionally keeping it a secret." Izroth said as he shook his head inwardly after seeing heavy the atmosphere had become. He simply had no reason to tell someone and no one had ever asked him directly. "My apologies, we have not even started discussing the matter at hand yet and I managed to get ahead of myself. However, if we do come to an agreement, then it will be important that at least for a little longer your identity remains a secret. You will have to forgive my selfishness." Mariposa said as she returned to her guild leader mode. "I see. In that case, I do not mind. I assume the agreement you're talking about has to do with the Five Cycles Pills, correct?" Izroth said. Mariposa nodded, "Yes, the main reason I asked you here was to discuss purchasing the Five Cycles Pills from you directly. However, that is only one part of the reason. I also wish to set up a contract with you as an Apothecary for my Sleeping Gardenia." 'A contract?' Izroth frowned slightly to show his disapproval towards a contract. First off, being an Apothecary was only a way for him to earn a stable amount of income. Secondly, he did not wish to be bound by a contract to one guild and spend his time crafting pills all day. Izroth's goal was not to be the best Apothecary within RML, but rather the number one player. The Apothecary profession was ultimately a hobby to him and he did not plan on spending all his time focused solely on that. Mariposa hurried to explain after she saw that Izroth appeared to be against the idea. She could tell that Izroth was not someone who would allow himself to be tied down and bound by a contract. But, she had something in mind that she believed would benefit both of them. "Allow me a moment to explain before you decline my offer. If what I say does not interest you, then I won't bring up the contract again. Is that alright?" Mariposa said. "It would be a shame if I did not hear you out after coming all this way." Izroth replied. Mariposa looked over towards He Huian as if giving her a signal to start. "I have a couple of questions for you, I hope that it will not be too much trouble for you to answer them. First, may I know how many Five Cycles Pills you are currently in possession of? Also, how many are you capable of creating every day? Of course, using the current in-game clock." He Huian asked. "I have 600 pills on me at the moment. As for your other question, I can make around 300 pills a day. However, to produce that amount of Five Cycles Pills would be overly time-consuming. Therefore, the average limit of my production rate would be around 150 pills per day." Izroth responded. Of course, if Izroth was serious and he had the proper amount of resources, he could easily craft over 10,000 pills in a single day. Even though Izroth's strong suit was not being a merchant or anything related to that, he even he knew that if he wanted the Five Cycles Pills to keep its value then he would have to careful. When it came to the number he would have readily available, it was safer to leave it at a lower value for now and slowly raise it over time. This would not only give him plenty of breathing room, but it would also serve as a reminder that the pills were extremely limited. Mariposa and He Huian had no trouble taking Izroth at his word. After all, they did not know how difficult it was to craft a grade three pill. However, they knew how challenging it was for an Apothecary to reach even the grade two ranking and craft that many grade two pills a day. 150 pills were actually well above their expectations as they were hoping for 50 a day at best. So, in the end, everything worked out being in their favor. But what they did not expect was the number of pills Izroth currently had in his possession. "600 pills?!" Mariposa said in a voice full of surprise as she leaped to her feet and leaned over the table. They only managed to grab a measly eleven pills the last time they were in the auction house according to the reports she received. Now, Izroth was saying that he had 600 pills quietly tucked away on him? How could she be anything but shocked? He Huian cleared her throat a few times as she gently nudged Mariposa. Valkyria facepalmed as she slowly shook her head at Mariposa's reaction. However, she could understand why Mariposa was so surprised. 600 pills were more than enough to take care of the entire Lotus Guard and many of the primary members of Sleeping Gardenia. Mariposa sat back down and pretended to clear her throat as a light shade of pink found its way onto her cheeks. She was slightly embarrassed by her over the top reaction. But still, 600 pills were over 50 times the amount they received from the auction house. Now she was absolutely motivated for this negotiation to succeed, no matter the cost. "It must be very tiresome for you having to collect the resources, craft the pills, and then sell them all by yourself. First I would like to discuss the pills in your possession. We would like to purchase all 600 pills at a fixed rate of 25 gold coins per pill." He Huian said. She then continued, "Not only that, but we would also like to provide you with the resources you need to craft the pill, providing it is within our means to do so. All we ask in return is that if you ever come up with any new pills, you contact us first so that we have a chance to purchase them at a fair price." "Also, if we both come to an agreement and we become your main provider of resources, we ask that any pills sold to Sleeping Gardenia will be at 30% of its market value." He Huian explained a few other minor details but made the overall picture clear for Izroth. "Of course, if you're willing to sell the recipe and method to us, we can offer you a lump sum of 100,000 gold coins. This also includes exclusive rights to selling the pill." Mariposa said. The nearby members of Sleeping Gardenia who heard that offer were dumbfounded. 100,000 gold coins?! With the current exchange rate, that was over 84 million RMB! Izroth would immediately become a millionaire! However, was his recipe really worth 100,000 gold coins? Izroth sat quietly and listened to the proposals. As for the 100,000 gold coins offer, he did not even bother considering it. While 100,000 gold coins may seem like a lot, in the end, it could not possibly compare to the true value of the Five Cycles Pill. There were hundreds of millions of players within RML. If even a small percentage of those players paid for a Five Cycles Pill, the number of gold coins would easily reach into the millions. In comparison, 100,000 gold coins were ultimately nothing but a drop in the ocean. "I'll have to decline the offer to sell the recipe, however, I am not completely against the other offer. But, there will need to be a few ground rules and some details that need to be worked out on a more technical level." Izroth said. "Great, He Huian and I would be more than happy to do summarize the key points for you." Mariposa said in a good mood. Izroth, however, shook his head and said, "Sadly, such things are not my strong suit. That's why I've decided to call someone else in to help in this matter." Mariposa blinked a few times. Could Izroth already have another partner? If so, they may need to reevaluate a couple of things. "It should not be an issue. What is their player name? I will add them to the guest list so that they join us." Mariposa said. "I have a feeling such a thing won't be necessary." Izroth responded which left Mariposa with a slightly confused look on her face. A few seconds later, a certain individual entered into the room which caused everyone's eyes to be focused on the doorway. However, when Mariposa saw the person who entered into the room she completely relaxed and even appeared more full of energy. The person who entered into the room was none other than Zi Yi. "Izroth? Big sis? What's going on?" Zi Yi said as she looked around the room and noticed that the atmosphere seemed a little tense.