Chapter 381: The Special Alchemy Furnace
Chapter 381: The Special Alchemy Furnace
November 19, 2024
Upon hearing Jiang Cheng's question, Gao Ling smiled but remained silent.
Jiang Cheng felt a bit helpless.
Fortunately, he wasn't the only source of information.
Gu Changkong was also from the Inner District and would likely have some knowledge about the area. If not, he could always ask him later.
"In any case, Jiang Xiaoxiong, rest assured. As long as you stay here, no one will be able to harm you."
Gao Ling continued, then suddenly changed the topic, "Oh right, Jiang Xiaoxiong, Changlin asked me to ask you if you want to earn some extra money."
"What do you mean by earning extra money?"
Jiang Cheng was taken aback.
"It's like this," Gao Ling explained, "The quality of alchemical pills is directly related to the potency of the herbs used. In theory, the stronger the herbal potency, the higher the quality of the final product. You agree with this, don't you, Jiang Xiaoxiong?"
"Yes," Jiang Cheng nodded.
"However, during the alchemy process, due to high temperatures, a significant amount of herbal potency is lost. From another perspective, consuming the herbs directly would be better, but unfortunately, we are mere mortals, unlike beastfolk. If we were to do so, not only would we be unable to digest the potency, but it might even lead to death. This is why alchemy is so crucial.
Just as I mentioned before, ordinary alchemy furnaces, due to their mediocre materials, result in a substantial loss of herbal potency, indirectly increasing the cost of alchemy. If the materials used to craft the furnace are of better quality, it can reduce the loss of potency to a certain extent and increase profits."
Jiang Cheng's eyes lit up.
"Are you saying that we have such an alchemy furnace here?"
Gao Ling shook his head.
"Not at the moment."
"Why not?"
"Well, the materials required for this type of alchemy furnace are extremely hard to find. At least, they don't exist on this planet as far as we know. This scarcity drives the price sky-high, with a market value typically exceeding one billion, comparable to a Sixth-Rank Treasure."
"Over one billion..."
Jiang Cheng gasped, realizing the magnitude of the price.
A Sixth-Rank Treasure is something used by Seventh-Rank Grandmasters and above. At that level, they are akin to walking atomic bombs, capable of destroying an entire street with a single full-power strike!
Seeing Jiang Cheng's reaction, Gao Ling silently nodded in satisfaction.
This was the exact response he was looking for.
He sighed, "Indeed, one billion is a lot. Even if Changlin wanted to spend that much money, it wouldn't be an easy decision. But there's a reason for its high price.
Using that alchemy furnace can reduce potency loss by thirty percent. This means a thirty percent reduction in costs.
For example, if you currently need ten portions of herbs to craft a batch of pills, which costs five million, using that furnace would save one and a half million per batch. In a day, that's six million, and in a month, it's one hundred and eighty million. If you're crafting Fourth-Rank herbs, the savings would be even greater."
Jiang Cheng deeply agreed with this reasoning.
With reduced costs, profits would naturally increase, and he would earn more.
However, the price was astronomical, and he had a bad feeling about it.
If the other party didn't want to buy it, they wouldn't have mentioned it to him. Now that they had, he suspected they had other motives.
"Are you tempted, Jiang Xiaoxiong?" Gao Ling asked.
"Of course I am," Jiang Cheng nodded repeatedly, then sighed, "But the price is too high. One billion is a lot. Even with what I earn daily, it would take a long time to afford it."
"Indeed, but if Jiang Xiaoxiong truly desires it, Changlin can also purchase it and provide it to you for pill refinement."
"Really?" Jiang Cheng was both surprised and delighted.
"Of course it's true, but there's one condition that might put you in a difficult position," Gao Ling said with a frown.
Before Jiang Cheng could ask, he proactively revealed the condition.
"As I mentioned earlier, that alchemy furnace is extremely expensive, and it requires special fuel, which is also pricey. So, regarding the profit split, Jiang Xiaoxiong, you might have to take a slight loss."
Jiang Cheng knew that this was the real issue the other party wanted to address.
His greatest concern had come true.
"How much?"
"Sixty-four percent."
Gao Ling fixed his gaze on Jiang Cheng, observing the latter's expression. "For every furnace of pills, we'll take sixty percent of the profit, and you'll get the remaining forty percent."
"I see."
Jiang Cheng thought for a moment. "Can't it be fifty-fifty? With my talent, my pill refinement skills will only improve, and the number of pills I refine daily will increase. It's beneficial for everyone."
"I'm afraid that won't be possible."
Gao Ling shook his head.
"Jiang Xiaoxiong, although your share seems to have decreased, in reality, you'll earn a little more each day. Moreover, as I mentioned, that alchemy furnace is very expensive, and Changlin has many expenses. He needs to recoup the costs quickly.
Of course, I'm just making a suggestion. I'm not asking you to agree immediately. Jiang Xiaoxiong, you can take your time to consider it and give me an answer later."
Jiang Cheng felt helpless.
On the surface, the other party said it was just a suggestion, but in reality, it felt more like a notification.
Otherwise, they wouldn't have asked him to consider it carefully instead of saying to forget about it.
"Brother Gao, I think you're right. Sixty-four percent it is."
Since he couldn't change anything, he agreed directly, hoping to ease some of the other party's suspicions.
But he wondered how long this sixty-four percent would last. Would it soon become a seventy-thirty split?
Or even an eighty-two percent split?
When it came to money, who wouldn't want more? Gu Changlin was like that, and so was he.
But if the other party didn't keep their word, he wouldn't be honest either.
"Really?" Gao Ling was a bit surprised. "Jiang Xiaoxiong, you don't need to go back and think about it?"
"No need."
Jiang Cheng shook his head. "But Brother Gao, I hope we can maintain the sixty-four percent. If it decreases further..."
"It won't, it won't."
Gao Ling waved his hands repeatedly.
"Jiang Xiaoxiong, don't overthink it. This is a special case due to the high price of that alchemy furnace. Rest assured, there won't be a next time."
"That's good."
Jiang Cheng breathed a sigh of relief.
"Hehe, it's getting late. Jiang Xiaoxiong, you should go back and rest. I'll inform Changlin, and in a couple of days, the alchemy furnace will arrive. You can use it then, and the split will change to sixty-four percent. But for these two or three days, it'll remain fifty-fifty."
"Okay, thank you, Brother Gao."
"No problem, no problem. I'll see you off."
Gao Ling stood up and smiled as he escorted Jiang Cheng out.
(End of Chapter)
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