Chapter 5: The Slum Market
The air in the slums was undeniably heavy, filled with the smell of sweat, blood, and cheap perfume. It felt like stepping into a refuse pit, but instead of frowning, Elliott calmly breathed in the foul air and pushed through the crowd toward the depths of the market.
There were hardly any stalls worth calling stalls. A merchant only needed to spread an old piece of cloth over the dirt and place his goods on it. That alone was enough to turn the spot into a shop.
'I can sell things here too.'
Elliott found a place in a corner of the market where few people passed directly, yet the goods remained visible to anyone walking nearby. The surrounding peddlers glanced at him from the corners of their eyes, but he ignored them and took a small packet wrapped in waxed paper from inside his clothes.
He casually dropped the packet of Blood-Staunching Powder onto the cloth.
'It isn't mid-grade, but people here should still be grateful for something this good.'
Its color was dull and it carried a faint burned smell, but its medicinal effect was real. Elliott rested his chin on one hand and watched the passing crowd with half-lidded eyes.
His prediction proved correct. Less than eight minutes after he settled down, his first customer stopped in front of the stall. It was a middle-aged Mercenary with a blood-soaked bandage wrapped around one arm and a chipped iron sword strapped across his back. His rough beard and scar-covered face showed how harsh a life he had lived.
The Mercenary's gaze fixed on the packet lying on the ground.
"…Blood-Staunching Powder?"
His voice was rough, carrying a metallic rasp as though his throat had been damaged.
"That's right."
"It looks terrible. I can smell the burn from here."
Without even picking up the packet, the Mercenary sniffed at it and began finding faults. It was an obvious attempt to lower the price, but Elliott showed no reaction. Instead, he gave a short laugh and looked directly at him.
"The Hundred Herbs Apothecary sells clean products without scorch toxin. Buy yours there."
"…What?"
The Mercenary's eyebrow twitched at Elliott's unexpected attitude.
"They charge eight mana stones for one packet. Go there if you have that kind of money. Otherwise, buy this before you bleed to death in the street."
The Mercenary frowned at Elliott's blunt words, but he could not argue. A Mercenary scraping by in the slums would never spend eight mana stones on Blood-Staunching Powder.
"…How much?"
"Two mana stones."
"Too expensive. One mana stone."
"Then don't buy it. It looks like someone is waiting behind you."
Elliott deliberately looked past the Mercenary's shoulder. In truth, there was only a filthy dog walking through the dust, but the gesture placed considerable pressure on the man, who was already in a hurry. He had to go hunting again that very night, and emergency medicine was not optional. It was necessary for survival.
Even so, the poor Mercenary refused to give up.
"…Two mana stones is still too much. One mana stone and five mana shards"
He continued trying to bargain down the price. Elliott clicked his tongue inwardly. Dragging this out any longer would only waste time.
'I need to hook him properly.'
As though playing his final card, Elliott took out the other packet hidden inside his clothes and placed it on the cloth.
"Fine. I'll compromise."
"…?"
"Pay two mana stones, and I'll include this."
The packet Elliott pointed to contained the lowest-grade Blood-Staunching Powder, which was little better than a failed product. To the Mercenary, however, it simply looked like another packet of medicine.
It was a buy-one-get-one offer, a sales tactic unheard of in this market.
"The color is a little dull, so it has less commercial value, but it will still work in an emergency."
The Mercenary's eyes wavered.
"Take it or leave it. I should get going."
When Elliott pretended to gather his things, the Mercenary hurriedly shouted, "D-damn it! Fine!"
Grumbling, he threw down two mana stones. Contrary to his reluctant words, his hands moved like lightning, snatching up both packets and stuffing them deep inside his clothes. Afraid Elliott might change his mind, he turned and vanished into the crowd without looking back, humming happily as he went.
"He thinks he's the one who got the better deal."
Elliott gave a faint laugh and picked up the mana stones from the ground.
He packed up the stall without hesitation. It was finally time to do some real shopping.
As Elliott walked between the merchants and examined their goods, his expression turned strange. The merchandise was in a miserable state. There were roots twisted like dried bark after losing nearly all their Mana, leaves riddled with holes after being half-eaten by insects, and unidentified mushrooms covered in white mold because they had been stored in damp conditions.
'I would be fortunate to produce even lowest-grade Blood-Staunching Powder from these.'
Any ordinary Alchemist would have cursed at the sight of such garbage, claiming that merely looking at it damaged the eyes. Elliott's lips, however, slowly rose.
'Perfect.'
The materials were in such terrible condition that success was nearly impossible. They guaranteed failure, making them perfectly suited for his Infinite Proficiency trait.
Among the piles of refuse, Elliott found what he was looking for: a heap of yellowed grass carelessly stacked like dry hay in the corner of one stall.
[Item Information]
[Name: Bloodwort]
[Grade: Lowest Grade Low]
[Condition: Wood-aspected Mana remaining: 2%. Toxicity may exceed its medicinal effect.]
'Found it.'
The herbs had been harvested before they matured, tossed around until they were nearly crumbling apart, and now looked no different from common weeds. Their toxicity might even be stronger than their medicinal effect. No proper Alchemist would have looked at them twice.
Keeping his expression indifferent, Elliott asked, "How much for all of it?"
The merchant immediately named his price.
"One mana shard!"
A single mana shard was worth one-tenth of a mana stone.
'Cheap.'
"I'll take the entire pile."
Elliott agreed without bargaining. While the delighted merchant rolled the herbs inside a piece of rough cloth, Elliott's gaze moved across the nearby merchandise.
'Since I'm already buying, I might as well take a few other things.'
Blood-Staunching Powder was not the only recipe in Introduction to Basic Alchemy. Elliott pointed toward several mushrooms covered in purple mold and a few medicinal roots whose lower halves had been cut away.
"Give me those as well."
"Ah, I've met a generous customer today! Here you are!"
Even after buying an armful of miscellaneous ingredients, Elliott still had plenty of money left. He paid with one mana stone and received eight mana shards in change. After purchasing a small mountain of usable materials, he had only spent the equivalent of two mana shards.
'This is almost too good for the price.'