Adam took a sharp breath of the shop’s clean air before he tapped on the two bronze stars on his chest.
"I understand your doubts, senior sister, but you have nothing to fear. I’m an official alchemist and wouldn’t risk my rank and shop license with failed or dangerous products."
The girl scratched her forehead, clearly unconvinced, and he understood her even if it stung his ego slightly. Afraid she’d leave without buying anything, he moved and gestured to the third case.
"Perhaps this one will fit your tastes better. I made it with silver lotus roots rich in starch and vitamins." He saw the girl’s eyes brighten before he continued. "It won’t cleanse your organs, though. That’s why I didn’t recommend it first."
The girl nodded, grateful for the honesty before her lips twisted when she saw the price tag.
"I get you’re an official alchemist, but forty sect points are a bit..." She shook her head. Maybe he made a mistake with the pricing or just didn’t know. "No one will buy them at this price, sorry."
He watched her turn to leave, his lips twisting. Should he show his pills’ benefits more aggressively? He pondered as her footsteps echoed before he rolled his eyes.
’Why am I trying to sell them as if I were someone else?’
It felt so unlike him! Those sale techniques could go whistle for all he cared. He’d sell his product using his honesty and skills!
A steely glint flashed in his eyes as he raised his hand and called for the girl.
"I used the wrong approach, senior." He saw her turn before his next words made her frown. "You seem quite inexperienced about alchemy."
"Oh?" She narrowed her eyes. "I joined the sect at least two years before you and saw my fair share of products from the best and worst outer sect shops. Yet, you call me on my lack of knowledge." She crossed her arms over her chest, harrumphed, and gestured mockingly. "Please, enlighten me then."
Adam shrugged. "You should know about the primary indicator of a pill’s quality if you saw that many, right?"
"Humph. Poor pills are dry, cracked, and barely have any scent. good ones are softer, colorful, and have marked medicinal scents." She pointed at his green, brown, and violet pills. "Yours fall in this category, meaning they’re worth twenty points since they are of the second tier."
He watched her confidant smirk and shook his head.
"That’s where you’re wrong. The poor pills you mentioned are failed products to me. The good ones?" He let his words linger, his lips curling. "Failed, too. The excellent ones you can’t see in the outer sect have sparse golden markings, meaning the alchemist flawlessly extracted and combined the herbs with his Qi." He watched the girl’s eyes widen as he laughed. "They’re failed, too!"
Confused, the girl raised her palms and asked, her smile faltering. "So what’s not a failure to you?"
Meanwhile, he took one of the pills out and showed the golden half.
"These are decent but I wouldn’t eat them because... Well, you can guess the reason. I’ll only eat those that are entirely gold!"
"That’s a failure, too?!"
She leaned forward, utterly lost by his explanations, as she took a whiff of the overwhelming medicinal smell. It felt as if it slammed against her, forcing her to acknowledge that he knew more than her since she had never smelled a pill so fragrant. Still, she’ll verify the information later. But if what he said was true, what kind of genius alchemist did that random girl introduce her to?
Lost in thought, she turned to Misha, who smiled at her.
Meanwhile, Misha nodded.
"You can trust him, sister. For better or for worse, he never lies. Oh! And I’m the one who recommended doubling the price because I’ve seen those amateurs’ pills..." Her nose wrinkled as she paused. "They’re unbalanced and will create trouble for you if you continue consuming them, sister."
Adam placed the pill back inside the display before he observed the girl and sighed.
"You’ll build up a resistance to the herbs because the alchemist didn’t balance the Qi properly. That’s the best scenario. The poorly processed herbs can also clog your meridians or even act as slow poison. By then, you’ll die without anyone finding the cause." He clapped his hands and smiled. "It’s the same for everything, though. You’ll die pretty young if you only eat meat, for example."
He chuckled at the frozen girl. She looked as if she had just had a revelation. But everything he said was true: balance was key.
A moment later, the girl recovered. Even if she had some lingering doubts, she trusted him, which led to the blush creeping over her face. She had planned to buy a pill this week but never expected the doubled price. And now that she knew about the others’ poor quality, she’d be a fool to buy them again.
Catching her embarrassment, Adam raised his thumbs.
"Did you know? You’re our first customer! Doesn’t this special occasion call for a discount?"
He saw her reach for her disciple card, her breath hastening.
"You can take any pill for the regular price! I’ll only ask you to recommend the shop to your friends if you enjoyed the pill."
Convinced but still afraid about the violet pills, she pointed to the last pills he had presented and stretched out her jade card.
"I’ll take one." She nodded. "You’re one of the best sellers. I learned so much, and it didn’t feel like those who tried to shove their products on me. I’ll be sure to tell my friends about this place."
"I appreciate that." He clanged his card against hers, cheering inside at his first successful sale. Well, it wasn’t just inside. Even his smile reached his eyes as he handed her the pill and waved goodbye.
"Thank you for the purchase. We hope to see you again in our Golden Dragon’s Pearl."