Adventurer of Many Professions-Chapter 169: Done Deal!

Manik accepted the vials carefully, holding them up to the faint light. "Of course. I'll sell them tomorrow."

But inside, his heart skipped a beat.

Only three?

Last time, with a similar batch of materials, Rose had delivered eight bottles. And they'd sold fast. The fact that only three were left suggested one of two things: either Raymond had already sold the rest himself... or he had used them.

If it was the latter, it meant Mr. Rose was walking a dangerous path, possibly even facing more battles than before.

Either way, Manik didn't ask.

He simply nodded with a polite smile and tucked the potions away, knowing better than to dig into the affairs of someone as unpredictable and powerful, as the robed figure standing before him.

Raymond had told Manik that he'd used five bottles of Primary Magic Recovery Potion for his own needs, leaving only three for sale. A simple, believable explanation.

But Manik wasn't so sure.

Yes, it was possible that Mr. Rose, Raymond's carefully crafted underground alias, had genuinely used the potions himself. But in the back of Manik's mind, a troubling thought lingered: What if he'd been replaced?

What if, during those days of silence, Rose had tested out a new buyer, someone cheaper, faster, or more connected and handed the full batch of eight potions to them instead? And now, realizing the newcomer had failed to meet expectations, he'd returned to Manik out of necessity?

The idea made Manik break into a cold sweat.

If that was true, he'd barely dodged being cast aside. And he knew all too well what that would've meant, returning to the streets, begging adventurers for scraps of herbs, getting laughed at when he couldn't meet their prices. A day's work just to earn a handful of silver coins… if he was lucky.

No. He couldn't go back to that.

Thankfully, his decision to hit the streets himself had paid off. He'd scrambled, hustled, and pulled every string he could in the few hours he'd had and it worked. He'd brought back enough Blue Spirit Grass for eight full potions, and the flash of surprise on Rose's face when he opened the pouch had told Manik everything he needed to know:

He didn't expect me to pull this off.

That meant he'd passed the test. For now.

"By the way," Raymond said casually, just before turning to leave, "starting tomorrow, I can refine eleven bottles instead of eight."

Manik's eyes widened, barely able to contain his excitement.

Every extra potion Rose made meant more coin in Manik's pocket. But it was more than just money, it meant greater influence in the underground market. More supply meant more demand. And the more adventurers came to him, the more he became the preferred buyer. That was power.

But something didn't add up.

In just over two weeks of working together, Rose had gone from refining eight potions per batch… to eleven.

To make one potion, a pharmacist needed 100 points of mana. That meant Rose had increased his mana capacity by 300 points in barely fifteen days.

That was unheard of.

Even Arya, the newest member of Raymond's public team, had been making headlines in Witte Town for having a rare magic affinity of 4.2. But even she couldn't increase her mana pool that fast. So for Rose to jump from 800 to 1,100?

He must've already had it.

That thought sent a chill through Manik. Who exactly was Mr. Rose?

But Manik knew better than to ask. In their world, questions could kill faster than poison.

So he just smiled and nodded enthusiastically. "Understood, Mr. Rose. I'll be ready."

Raymond gave no further response. With a faint nod, he turned and walked into the shadows of the alley.

Manik watched him vanish into the darkness, his footsteps soft, his presence quickly swallowed by the maze of stone and silence. And then, he was gone.

---

Raymond made his way through the twisting backstreets, carefully checking his surroundings. When he was sure no one was following him, he ducked into a quiet corner between buildings and removed his disguise.

Gone was the secretive pharmacist. He was Raymond Kelton again.

Within minutes, he was back at the townhouse at No. 26 Red Rose Street. The moment he stepped inside, the comforting scent of polished wood and fresh herbs greeted him.

Arya was sitting on the couch by the window, carefully maintaining her bow. She was focused on the bowstring, checking its tension and looking for any signs of fraying, knowing that even a tiny flaw could be fatal in the middle of a fight.

When she saw Raymond enter, she perked up and set the bow aside. "You're back! How did it go? Were you able to brew a few bottles with today's haul?"

Raymond grinned. "Eight bottles. Not bad, right?"

Arya's eyes lit up. "Eight? Seriously?"

"Yep."

As usual, she came over to help. Raymond handed her the herb pouch, and she peeked inside with curiosity.

"Wow. Looks like it's getting easier to collect these," she said. "Must be the Black Wind Bandits disappearing. Without them shaking down travelers and merchants, people are probably more willing to trade again."

Raymond nodded. "That's part of it. But honestly… I think Manik pulled some strings today. He really went all out."

Arya looked up from the pouch. "Why do you say that?"

Raymond shrugged lightly. "Because it was short notice. Too short for this kind of haul unless he hit the streets himself."

She blinked. "Think he's trying to impress you?"

"Probably," Raymond said with a smirk. "And it worked."

They both laughed, and for a moment, the weight of secrets, side hustles, and survival lifted from the room.

Still, as Raymond moved to store the herbs and ready his equipment for tomorrow, his thoughts lingered on Manik's expression… and how close he'd come to losing a valuable ally in the shadows.

In this world, loyalty wasn't free, it had to be earned, tested, and kept.

"I'll go ahead and help you wash these herbs."

Arya entered the kitchen with a cloth bag, emptied the herbs into the sink, and began washing them.

She didn't find any difficulty in doing this. Before, she had been idle and didn't want to continue relying entirely on Raymond for everything. Although she once had no choice but to depend on him, she still wanted to contribute and help him as much as she could.

Especially since Raymond earned money by refining the "primary magic recovery potion," it felt important for her to help with washing the herbs.

Raymond didn't join Arya at the sink to wash the herbs, knowing she would prefer to do it herself. He understood her reasoning and let her take care of it on her own.

Washing the herbs wasn't difficult. All she had to do was add water to make them float, then quickly swish each herb a few times in the water. A simple cleaning was enough; there was no need to pick each herb apart and wash it leaf by leaf.

Besides, cleanliness wasn't much of an issue. The process of refining the herbs into the "primary magic recovery potion" already removed any bacteria. The washing mostly removed dirt and dust, and it didn't need to be thorough. Eating a bit of dirt wasn't harmful, and it could even be good for digestion.

Not long later, Arya had finished washing the herbs. She then took the kitchen knife and began chopping them into small pieces to prepare them for the medicine bottle.

Having done this many times before, Arya was quite skilled at it. She even divided the herbs into eight equal portions by weight.

"Raymond, I'm done!" Arya announced, showing him the eight portions neatly arranged on the chopping board.

Raymond smiled warmly and said, "Thank you for your hard work."

Arya shook her head, smiling. "It's no trouble at all! We still owe Sylph and Lorene eight gold coins each. If it weren't for you making the 'primary magic recovery potions,' we might still be wondering when we could pay them back."

Raymond smiled back, understanding her sentiment.

Indeed, the rewards from their current 'Black Iron Level' missions were small for a team like theirs. Their growth had been rapid, and their equipment was good enough to support them at the 'Bronze Level,' so the current money seemed insignificant.

However, that also meant they wouldn't need to upgrade their gear for a long time and could wait until they reached the 'Silver Level.'

When new teammates join, they won't need to upgrade their gear either when taking on 'Bronze Level' tasks. The equipment they have should suffice.

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This worked in Raymond's favor, as it would take some time for their team to be promoted to the 'Bronze Level.'

Once they reached that level, they could avoid taking 'Silver Level' tasks or choose easier ones, giving them more time before needing to change their gear.

At the 'Bronze Level,' mission rewards could go up to ten gold coins. Even with the addition of new members, Raymond was confident that once they reached the 'Bronze Level,' they'd soon have enough money to upgrade their equipment.

Of course, this applied to Lorene. For Raymond, the income from refining "Primary Magic Recovery Potions" every day would be enough to cover their equipment upgrades once they reached the 'Bronze Level.'

And since Raymond was a craftsman, he mainly needed to pay for materials.

When it came to the 'Silver Level,' equipment would likely have special effects. To add these effects, his "Forging" skill would need to be upgraded to the second stage.