Not only had Dylan’s group received payment for the "mission" they had completed, but Alice’s group also arrived a few minutes later and were very happy to receive their payment.
Lohan and Lisa had used guild funds to pay the players for their materials, not wanting to make the members wait until the items were sold before receiving their reward.
For them, this wasn’t difficult, since not only was the amount of Silver and Gold coins in the guild’s stock already quite high, considering both the 10% from each transaction they kept and the money "purchased" by Lisa, which also became cash flow for them.
And when it came time to sell, instead of physically hauling all those animal parts around, they simply placed them in the Astral Chest and went to Thalendor to sell directly to Intervar or one of the other merchants they had partnered with.
After reorganizing the guild’s finances, Lohan and Lisa walked calmly through the vineyard walkways of Thalendor toward the Silver Crucible.
The day in the elven capital was so beautiful that neither of them could get enough of the view; it was so incredible that not even Lohan’s previous world or some of the beautiful planets Lisa had seen could compare to this city.
This time, however, Lohan wasn’t just "hitchhiking" on Lisa’s back; he glided effortlessly alongside her with the new agility granted by the evolved viscous flow, surprising the elves and other beings passing by them.
As they entered the alchemy shop, the sound of the crystal bell announced their arrival.
Intervar was leaning over a rustic wooden counter, organizing some glass vials that glowed with colorful essences. He looked up and, upon seeing the blue Slime and the white fox, flashed a professional smile.
"Lord Halon, Lady Lisa! I see the hunt was productive, right?" Intervar greeted them, recalling their last transaction. "I hope you’ve brought more of the materials with a purity that only Halon can guarantee."
Lohan formed a small bluish hand and performed the elven greeting with precision. "Purity is guaranteed, Intervar, but what we brought today wasn’t just the result of our work." Lohan transmitted through the mental link, his voice sounding deeper and more imposing after his recent evolutions.
Without wasting any time, they approached the counter.
With a mental command, Lohan began to "spit" the loot out of his mass.
First, a torrent of Level 10 Fierce Wolf Claws, all sharp and perfectly preserved. Then, dozens of Iron Boar Muscle Fibers, and finally, vials filled with a Crepitus Apparition Ectoplasm so clear it looked like liquid sapphire.
Intervar, who had initially maintained a relaxed posture, raised his eyebrows.
He adjusted his monocle and began counting the items, his eyes widening with every new pile of materials that appeared on the counter.
"By the trees of Thalendor... this is... didn’t you two already hand me such a large amount of items yesterday? Don’t tell me you spent the whole night hunting without sleeping?!" Intervar exclaimed, his hands trembling as he touched one of the Fangs of the Atrocious Wolf. "How did the two of you manage to collect all this in such a short time? It would take an entire squad of veteran scouts to clear out elite nests so far apart from one another!"
Lohan stirred his jelly with a note of satisfaction. "To be honest, Intervar, that’s exactly what we have now. The Astralis Requiem is no longer just a pair of wandering monsters. Now we have teams of professional adventurers operating under our direct coordination." Lohan explained, referring to Alice and Dylan’s groups that were now grinding constantly for the guild.
He continued, keeping his tone firm: "And in the future, this group will grow even larger. We’re refining our ’quest board’ and supply logistics. I hope the Silver Crucible needs plenty of materials, because this is just the beginning of our production scale."
Intervar paled slightly, a hint of hesitation crossing his refined face. He looked at his shop’s inventory and then at the mountain of high-quality items before him.
Although he owned the largest alchemy shop in Thalendor, the city was extremely peaceful, so the products he sold usually went only to young students in training or veterans conducting research.
That actually represented a good amount of sales for him, but it didn’t compare to cities embroiled in war or teeming with adventurers who demanded such large stocks.
Sure, Intervar didn’t know that the massive influx of these "adventurers" would soon reach the city, once average Players reached Level 11 in a few days.
"Halon... I truly appreciate the professionalism and quality. But Thalendor, though magnificent, is a city that values balance. If you start dumping that amount of reagents into the local market every day, demand will saturate in less than a week. I wouldn’t have enough capital or shelf space to keep all of this in stock...".
Lisa narrowed her golden eyes, staring at the man skeptically.
"Halon, perhaps we should see if those other merchants who’ve contacted us are interested in our surplus materials then." She said, glancing at the Slime.
Noticing the shift in the atmosphere and the potential profit he was about to lose to the competition if he refused, Intervar sighed and raised his hands in a defensive gesture, but soon shifted to a shrewd look.
"However..." the elf continued, lowering his voice. "I have contacts. Friends in other metropolises and even trading posts that are desperate for materials of this level of quality and purity. If Astralis Requiem can guarantee the supply, I can act as the redistribution hub for these cities."
Lohan’s artificial "eyes" gleamed. This was the news he’d been hoping for. Having external sales channels meant the guild wouldn’t be limited to a single city’s economy, allowing for exponential growth in gold and silver coins.
Even if demand in Thalendor were to increase in the near future, he didn’t want to rely solely on demand from a single group.
"That’s great news for us, Intervar," Lohan conveyed, satisfied. "Prepare the contracts. If you open the doors of other cities to us, I guarantee you won’t be disappointed."
Intervar smiled upon hearing that; even as a long-lived Elf, not overly concerned with wealth like humans with their short lives, who tried to get rich in a few decades, when an opportunity like this knocked on his door, Intervar would feel like a fool to refuse.
And Lohan knew that the other merchants they’d contacted would also have connections in other cities, likely cities different from the ones Intervar knew, so he didn’t worry about that at all.
Suddenly, just as they were about to leave the shop, a surprised voice rang out from the entrance.
"Halon?" He heard someone calling him, with a mix of reluctance, anticipation, and various other feelings that, while they piqued his curiosity, sparked something completely opposite in Lisa, who didn’t like hearing that.
Lisa knew exactly where that voice was coming from, and for some reason she couldn’t quite figure out, she didn’t feel comfortable imagining Halon with the owner of that voice again.
Lohan looked back, and when he saw who had called him, a slight pang of guilt washed over him.