Chapter Sixteen: The Alchemist Guild

The duration of the Advanced Attack Aura had expired, so there was no point in lingering any longer on the Frozen Plateau. After bidding farewell to the monk Dingyuan, Ye Chen made his way back to Lieshan City.

No sooner had he stored his newly acquired equipment in the warehouse than his friend communicator began to beep insistently. Sure enough, when he checked, it was Dragon-Slayer from the Soaring Dragons. By his calculation, it was about time for him to have gathered the required gold.

As soon as he answered, Dragon-Slayer’s slightly anxious voice came through, “Brother Ye Chen, are you in the city? I’ve got the money together. When can we make the trade?”

Since the other party was so eager to hand over the money, Ye Chen was delighted, and his service attitude improved considerably. “We can trade right now. I’m in the city. Where are you? I’ll come find you.”

“No, no, tell me where you are. I’ll come to you,” Dragon-Slayer replied from the other end.

Ye Chen chuckled, not standing on ceremony. “Alright, I’m at the west-side warehouse. Come over.”

“Okay, I’ll be there right away,” Dragon-Slayer said, ending the call.

Less than a minute later, a flash of golden light burst from the nearby teleportation array. A swordsman player in full armor and wielding a longsword strode out—it was Dragon-Slayer himself.

“Brother Ye Chen!” Dragon-Slayer spotted him immediately, waved from afar, and jogged over. Once close, he shook the money pouch in his hand with a smile. “Five hundred gold coins, all here.”

Ye Chen glanced at the approaching Dragon-Slayer, momentarily stunned. “You came by teleport?”

“That’s right, is something wrong?”

“…It costs five gold each time,” Ye Chen winced inwardly. That’s a hundred bucks—what a spendthrift.

Dragon-Slayer laughed heartily. “I was in a hurry! Besides, Soaring Dragons isn’t short on five gold coins. Just our third division has over a thousand brothers; the guild funds we pay daily are more than enough for me to splurge. Besides, Brother Ye Chen, you’re a distinguished guest of ours. Our boss Wanderer told me to treat you well. If you called, I’d come running every time.”

Ye Chen grimaced with exaggerated pain. “No need to come every time. Just give me the teleportation fee next time and I’ll be even happier.”

Dragon-Slayer grinned. “You’re too funny, Brother Ye Chen. So, how shall we conduct the trade? Do you hand over the manual first, or do I give you the gold?”

“I’ll give you the manual first. With the size of Soaring Dragons, I’m not worried you’ll run off,” Ye Chen replied cheerfully. He sent the Bandit Hall manual to Dragon-Slayer via private message, then added with a light laugh, “You can have your people test it first. If it works, then you pay.”

“Brother Ye Chen, you’re truly straightforward. Alright, I’ll have the brothers over there try it now. If it works, I guarantee you won’t lose out,” Dragon-Slayer said, touched by Ye Chen’s trust, and gave him a sincere smile.

Ye Chen nodded calmly. He wasn’t worried Dragon-Slayer would renege on the deal. If the Soaring Dragons dared try, he could just publish the Bandit Hall manual for all in Lieshan City. No matter how powerful the Soaring Dragons were, they wouldn’t be able to monopolize the benefit.

Dragon-Slayer surely understood that as well.

In just a couple of minutes, Dragon-Slayer suddenly clapped his hands in delight, unable to suppress the joy on his face. “It’s done! Our brothers over there have already occupied the Bandit Hall. Brother Ye Chen, let’s make the trade.”

Ye Chen nodded, immediately accepting Dragon-Slayer’s trade request.

In the trade window, Dragon-Slayer promptly placed all five hundred gold coins on the table, not blinking an eye. Clearly, the Soaring Dragons were wealthy—if it were a smaller guild, even if they could scrape together the money, it would pain them deeply.

Seeing his pouch suddenly swell by five hundred gold coins, Ye Chen couldn’t help but smile with satisfaction. Five hundred gold coins—over ten thousand yuan. Even after the studio’s cut, he’d still clear over eight thousand. To Ye Chen, that was a considerable sum.

“Haha, Brother Ye Chen, you’re now one of Lieshan City’s wealthy elite. How about treating me to a meal? I’ve been longing to try that Imperial Banquet at ‘Food Perfection’ for ages,” Dragon-Slayer teased, seeing Ye Chen’s pleased expression.

Ye Chen rolled his eyes. ‘Food Perfection’ was the most upscale player-run restaurant in Lieshan City, with prices that were terrifyingly high. Ye Chen had never even set foot inside, let alone order the Imperial Banquet—it would bankrupt him. He said irritably, “I’m going to post these gold coins on the official trade market right away, so don’t get any ideas.”

Dragon-Slayer paused. “Are you that short on cash, Brother Ye Chen? Five hundred gold coins would buy a lot in-game. You could at least get yourself a full set of rare blue gear.”

Ye Chen shook his head. “Have you ever seen a studio that isn’t short on cash? I’m practically broke.”

“You’re with a studio? Well, it makes sense to sell gold then. The current rates are high, but they’ll drop soon—no way you’ll get over one-to-twenty for long,” Dragon-Slayer nodded understandingly.

…

After a bit more casual chatting, Dragon-Slayer took his leave. Ye Chen checked the time—already past one in the afternoon. No one had messaged him to make lunch, so it seemed Lingyue had already handled the midday meal. Since there was no rush to log off, Ye Chen pulled the golden letter out of his inventory and headed for the Alchemists’ Guild in Lieshan City. According to the system’s tip, the alchemist named Kronos was inside.

The Alchemists’ Guild was located in the very heart of Lieshan City, right beside the City Lord’s Mansion, clearly a place of importance—far more prestigious than the Blacksmiths’ or Tailors’ Guild.

The scene outside the guild was bustling, with players hawking potions at every turn. Most of them were alchemists, busy brewing potions in their cauldrons while loudly advertising their wares.

“Level ten red potion, restores 100 HP, 25 copper per bottle, buy four get one free! Come take a look!”

“Level five small red, restores 60 HP, only 10 copper per bottle, the best aid for leftover potions!”

“Bulk sale—level twenty red potions, cheap prices! Pre-orders available. Ladies get a special rate!”

…

Amidst this clamor, Ye Chen entered the guild, where stalls were prohibited and the atmosphere was considerably quieter. Here and there, a few players were either applying for alchemist positions or haggling with NPCs over potion recipes. Dressed in his unremarkable support gear, Ye Chen drew no attention as he walked in. It wasn’t until he reached the staircase to the second floor and was stopped by two NPC guards that the surrounding players finally turned their attention to him.