Witch, Fireball and Steam Evil God

Chapter 449 Dream Merchant
Earn 2000 easily?

Winter's mysterious appearance immediately gave Ethan a bad feeling. The whispers that seemed to come from the devil naturally reminded him of the atmosphere of crime.

"Are you plotting something bad again?"

"bad thing?"

Winter blinked innocently, tilting her head. "What bad thing?"

"It's that kind of...that kind of thing."

"What kind?"

"Something similar to that pink potion from before."

Ethan suddenly realized that she knew nothing about the economic situation in Winter. She used to be a professor at the academy, and later she was transferred to the Council of Seven. Even after leaving the Empire, she joined the "Dream Eclipse," a top evil organization in the dark world. Theoretically, she should never have been short of money.

Thinking back, the days she spent posing as a stray cat in Riverwood were the poorest and most destitute days of her life.

At that time, he was just a clerk in the Adventurers' Guild, earning very little money each month. He and his cat ate only two meals a day: a proper meal in the morning and some cold leftovers to fill their stomachs in the evening.

Could it be that Winter is actually so rich that he can easily pull out thousands of gold lions to exchange for enough contribution points?

"...Pink potion?"

Winter paused for a moment, then nodded. "That works too."

"What do you mean 'also possible'!?"

“I originally wanted to open a shop with you, but I have no objection if you want to make money through other channels.”

Winter deliberately gave Ethan an appraising look, "This sounds pretty exciting. If you pay, you'll have to do whatever I say, right?"

After saying that, she deliberately lowered her head and brought her soft, pointed ears closer to Ethan. "You've been staring at my ears and tail the whole time. I didn't expect you to like this kind of thing. What, are you getting restless?"

"Let's discuss the matter of opening a store."

Ethan coughed lightly, trying his best to remain calm.

But in reality, his mind was in complete turmoil. Although Winter usually harbored ulterior motives, this time it seemed that he had completely misunderstood.

Moriko, you really shouldn't have done that!

Have you fallen into depravity too?

"Actually, I think there's still room for discussion on the second option."

"Open the shop!"

"Then let's go out and talk."

Winter glanced at Little Darkness lying on the bed. The reason she lowered her voice was to guard against this black cat. After all, from now on, they were direct competitors. She couldn't let the other party steal her idea for opening a shop. Don't be fooled by how silly this black cat usually looks. If she wanted to, she could provide the people of the far west with many "goods" that they dreamed of at any time.

In Winter's view, Darkness possesses all the qualities to establish a cult and become a new evil god on this continent, except that her intelligence limits her development.

In daily life, Xiao An is more like a child who hasn't grown up yet, is a bit of a show-off, and is very clingy, perfectly fitting the stereotype of elemental spirits in people's eyes.

Stepping out of the room, I arrived at the deserted open-air balcony on the second floor of the inn. Looking down, I could see the bustling streets. The border cities were teeming with outsiders, and after forming the Devout Warband, the Holy See had also established military camps in these cities.

"What's this about opening a shop you mentioned earlier?"

After closing the door, Ethan asked.

"After all, this is a competition between me and Xiao An. She won't be satisfied unless I win by fair and square means."

Winter shrugged. "All the funds raised are counted from when we arrived in the far west, but even so, that idiot has no chance of winning."

In this world, how could anyone possibly surpass an alchemist in terms of earning power?
"Perfect timing, let me show you the power of an alchemist... Why are you backing away?"

Winter frowned. "I meant earning power!"

She felt that Ethan might have a huge misunderstanding of the profession of alchemist; his wary reaction seemed to regard alchemists as a dangerous group comparable to cultists.

really weird.

Why is this?

"In other words, you plan to make money by selling potions."

Ethan understood Winter's plan.

However, based on his understanding of potions, the most expensive potions that people usually come into contact with only cost about 15 to 20 gold lions per bottle, and the sales volume is extremely unstable. After deducting the cost of materials and shop rent, earning 4000 gold lions for two people is a huge undertaking, and it is by no means easy.

Moreover, this could very well attract the attention of the local alchemists' association or even the Vatican.

After all, high-ranking alchemists are all recorded in the association's register.

"It's very simple. As long as each bottle of potion costs 201 gold lions, and we disregard the 1 gold lion material cost, we can achieve our goal if we sell 20 bottles."

"A 201 Golden Lion?! Why don't you just rob it!"

Ethan was shocked and, on behalf of the vast majority of consumers, angrily denounced the outrageous pricing. He had never seen a potion priced over 100 gold lions in a potion shop in a first-tier city like the capital. Such a price could only be achieved by having a high-level alchemist make a private custom-made potion according to the buyer's requirements.

He couldn't think of any foolish, rich people who would use 201 gold lions to buy potions, especially in a place like the far west. Wouldn't it be easier to gain the favor of the Goddess of Life by donating the extra money to earn contribution points?
"Rob?"

Winter raised an eyebrow. "Robbing is nowhere as fast as selling potions?"

For alchemists, robbery is a high-risk, low-reward, worthless profession; even novice apprentices wouldn't give a second glance to a robber.

Moreover, the 201 Gold Lion was already a "friendly price" she set so as not to leave a bad impression on Ethan.

Normally, requests worth less than 1000 gold lions wouldn't even catch her eye.

If this were in the Empire, she could just go to the noble district and slaughter a few fat sheep, and those 4000 golden lions would come to her.

"So tell me, what kind of potions are you planning to sell?"

Ethan pulled up a chair and sat down. In front of Winter, he felt that his previous pricing when he opened the store had been far too conservative.

A magic scroll with a purity of 99.9% is priced at only 1.5 gold lions, which is affordable for ordinary families in the empire. After moving to the capital and relieving themselves of economic pressure, the prices of Old Sen's Magic Technology Store have never increased. They sell products that ordinary people can afford, so new stock often sells out on the same day it hits the shelves.

Perhaps because he had lived in a border town like Riverwood for a long time, he was deeply affected by the low consumption situation, and sometimes even worried that the prices of goods in the Magic Technology Store were out of touch with the masses.

However, compared to his wife, his business now seems like the difference between a night market stir-fry and a Michelin three-star restaurant.

Although Ethan had never been an alchemist, he had gained some basic knowledge of potions while Miss Chloe was learning alchemy. The best-selling potions were often used to assist those with extraordinary abilities in their cultivation.

Meditation potions, energy potions, and invigorating potions are all sold in the Empire on a low-profit, high-volume basis, with a bottle typically costing between 5 and 8 gold lions. Those that can be bought for 15 to 20 gold lions are types used for less common purposes such as interrogation and summoning.

It's expensive, yet it often takes several days to sell a single bottle.

"The target customer group is very clear: wealthy businessmen and nobles who are foolish and rich."

Winter had already devised a plan: "Ginny should have a lot of names of fat targets in border cities. For those people, price isn't the issue; the key is whether we can understand their intentions."

This potion, costing 201 gold lions a bottle, is certainly not a rip-off for the poor.

Winter is demonstrating to her husband, who is used to running a small business, the secret to "Michelin three-star pricing" through practical actions: "In the far west, as long as we convince them that the 201 gold lion can bring greater value than the 201 contribution points, our customers will come in droves."

She only showed such patience when she was with Ethan.

When she was affiliated with the Alchemy Association, no client ever complained about her high fees; they all eagerly handed over large sums of gold to her.

Only someone as exceptionally talented and with such a powerful background as her, who escaped severe punishment even after blowing up the Alchemist Guild building, could truly satisfy the bizarre ideas of her clients.

"What are the effects of the potion?"

Ethan's heart raced. He had to admit that Winter's serious demeanor did indeed exude a queenly aura, and he was also keenly interested in how Winter could use 201 Golden Lions to provide potions that were more valuable than 201 contribution points.

"How about letting them meet the Goddess of Life?"

"It was a scam!"

The Goddess of Life and the other rightful gods have long since perished, so how could she possibly hold a fan meeting with more than 20 potion users?

On the other hand, Ethan knew very well that devout believers would be willing to spend 201 gold lions, or even more, because even the most devout believers in the Vatican, those ascetics who dedicated their lives to the goddess of life, could not earn even a single glance from her.

"I don't think so."

Winter shook her head, looking intently at Ethan. "What do you think faith really is?"

Ethan couldn't answer immediately because the word had completely different interpretations for different people, and he couldn't find an answer that could encompass everyone's thoughts.

"In my opinion, the truth is the least important thing in this topic. Whether the goddess of life still exists or whether she can answer the prayers of believers will not change their inner thoughts. For true believers, even if their prayers have failed ten thousand times, they will firmly believe that they will succeed next time, or the time after that."

Winter lay on the edge of the balcony, looking down at the crowd of people coming and going. "In our eyes, they are all fools who have been blinded by Carlo, but each of them firmly believes that they are on the right path."

Whether it was the prophecy of Doomsday or the coming of salvation afterward, they firmly believed.

“I think that’s what makes Carlo Esposito truly amazing.”

Anyone who doubts the authenticity of the Doomsday prophecy is not only opposing the Vatican, but also placing themselves in opposition to the people of the far west.

They looked down on them with condescending eyes, accusing them of their ignorance.

Such actions are destined to fail to awaken the people of the far west; they will only lead to their own execution by the angry mob, burning them at the stake as heretics.

As Ginny said, the truth doesn't matter, and it never has been in this place.

"Actually, he is somewhat similar to an alchemist. A truly great alchemist never sells a specific potion, but rather wishes."

The same goes for Carlo Esposito.

He convinced everyone in the far west of the future he described, allowing them to find their place in the world after salvation.

Winter happened to turn her head to the side.

Her waist-length, silvery-white hair shone in the midday sun, and her captivating eyes left Ethan somewhat dazed.

At this moment, Winter was like a true witch: "There are only two ways to deal with such a formidable opponent: either weave a more captivating dream, or enter the dream he has woven, and then... steal his dream!"

Therefore, Winter does not support Ivy's proposal.

A fireplace explosion might throw the Vatican into temporary chaos, but it would also make Carlo a martyr in the eyes of his followers.

"Moreover, I've already decided on my first guest."

Winter's lips curled up slightly.

Ethan was convinced. "Who is it?"

“Bishop Solaris”.

Pope Carlo's most trusted subordinate, an incredibly steadfast believer, was willing to dedicate his entire life to the goddess of life.

Before heading to the far west, Ginny had mentioned this person to them.

Bishop Solaris's residence was located in the side wing of the cathedral. He was an ascetic model admired by the devout followers of the goddess of life. Over sixty years old, he was unusually thin, as if all the energy of his life had been drained by strict fasting, long prayers, and endless paperwork.

In today's society where the Vatican is so corrupt and oppressive, Bishop Solaris is one of the few exceptions among believers who is not obese.

Solaris's face was thin, with high cheekbones, and his skin, like translucent parchment, tightly wrapped around his bones, giving him an almost sickly pale appearance.

In the afternoon, Ethan, holding a glass bottle filled with swirling, eerie green bubbles, asked his senior, the Electric Element, to help him explore the inside of the stained glass windows of the church.

Solaris has a very regular schedule, and he is currently in his room.

The afternoon is a fixed time for prayer, and he is probably the kind of person that Winter described. Since Solaris joined the Church of Life as a child, he has probably prayed more than ten thousand times.

This made Ethan feel that the glass bottle in his hand was somewhat heavy.

Solaris was their first target customer and the first local person he needed to reach in the city.

So here comes the question.

How could he convince a life-goddess-like devotee, who was like an ascetic, that the potion in his hand, priced at 201 gold lions, could surpass the tens of thousands of prayers he had ever received and earn him a single glance from the goddess of life?
Ethan had been lingering outside the cathedral for nearly ten minutes.

He suddenly understood Winter's intention.

Top alchemists sell wishes.

Solaris's resolute face came to mind, and with that thought, Ethan took a step forward.

Now, he was going to sell them a dream that was even more appealing than that of Pope Carlo.

(End of this chapter)