GDK 702: Celestial Pearl Pharmacy
Inside one of the meeting rooms in the Sainte Residence, Carmelita and Andre were engaging in a discussion with Han Shuo sitting opposite to them, listening to their conversation intently.
“Uncle, those medicinal pellets should be at least a hundred black crystal coins per pellet for it is just too efficacious and miraculous!” Carmelita argued.
“You girl, do you know how much a hundred black crystal coins are worth? At least give some thought to the expenditures of your own family!” Andre shook his aching head while wearing a bitter smile.
“If I say that it’s worth a hundred black crystal coin, then it is worth that much. Uncle, do you not believe me?” Carmelita said, displeased.
“Well, I would at least have to try and find out if the medicinal pellet is so efficient first, right? I know you have a pretty good relationship with Bryan, but still, you should keep private and public interests separated!” Andre sighed incessantly. He thought to himself, You have never taken charge of family clan matters, how would you know about the struggles and constraints we face? If those medicinal pellets aren’t worth the price, the first person your father will hold accountable is me, not you.
“Bryan, give him a pellet, let him test it on someone,” Carmelita casually instructed.
Han Shuo casually handed a medicinal pellet to Andre and explained the method of using it. Han Shuo knew that Carmelita did all this for the purpose of helping himself and he was rather touched by her efforts.
“Bryan, you can relax. As long as the medicinal pellet is worth its price, with this girl by your side, we will not force down the price. We will talk about our cooperation in detail after I have tried this medicine,” Andre was very polite towards Han Shuo due to his relationship with Carmelita.
“Of course!” Han Shuo nodded smilingly.
Andre left with the medicinal pellet in his hand, probably on his way to put it to the test. Han Shuo was very confident in the Pill of Rejuvenation he had personally refined. He wasn’t worried about the results at all.
“Alright, next, you should get a shop of your own. Only then can you grow the business,” Carmelita then continued with her brows furrowed, “However, you only have less than three hundred black crystal coins. That is far from enough to buy a shop lot. Although you could rent one, it’ll be very troublesome. How about this, I will buy a shop lot for you first and you pay it back when you have enough crystal coins?”
In the City of Shadows, Han Shuo could be considered as a wanderer. He usually rented and stayed inside a gymnasium. He knew that every inch of the soil of the City of Shadows cost money. Even a small shop lot was priced at at least several thousand black crystal coins. The black crystal coins currently in his possession were far from enough for him to purchase a shop lot.
However, Han Shuo did not want to owe Carmelita too many favors. After thinking for a while, Han Shuo took out a piece of lightning element divine essence and handed it to Carmelita, saying, “How many crystal coins is this divine essence worth?”
Carmelita gasped. She looked at Han Shuo with astonishment and asked, “How did you come to possess this divine essence?”
Han Shuo casually fabricated a story about its origin. “Last time in that valley, I discovered and picked up this piece from someone. How many crystal coins is it worth?”
“Divine essence is pretty valuable stuff. Hmm, this one should cost at least five thousand black crystal coins. Damn, you really are a lucky one aren’t you?” Carmelita received the divine essence from Han Shuo’s hand and said, “Alright, I know your intentions. I will exchange this divine essence for the shop you need. Rest assured, I can get anything done and settled.”
Carmelita did not take much time to get things done especially when she was devoted to helping Han Shuo. Han Shuo saw that in just three days, she had gotten Han Shuo a shop located not too far from the Sainte Residence using that piece of divine essence. It was a three-storey shop around forty meters in height. Although it could only be considered a small shop in the City of Shadows, it couldn’t have cost as little as five thousand black crystal coins. Carmelita must have used her influence and identity to obtain this shop with just one piece of lightning energy divine essence.
Carmelita’s presence in itself had saved Han Shuo a ton of work and effort. Carmelita even completed all the procedures and paperwork on Han Shuo’s behalf. On the fifth day, Han Shuo had officially moved into the small shop lot.
Han Shuo wasn’t hurried in filling the empty racks and counter with goods. Although the shop was small, he was extremely contented with it. At least, finally, he now had his own place on Elysium. In the future, he no longer had to live in the gymnasiums around the City of Shadows.
Of the three floors, Han Shuo left the bottom two floors empty and converted the top layer into a small gymnasium. Although it was merely two hundred square meters in size, it was more than enough for Han Shuo to play with. As with all things, getting started was always the hardest part. Han Shuo was incredibly busy with all kinds of work. He purchased some boundary towers and placed them on the third floor. Then, Carmelita, a highgod, helped Han Shuo deploy two layers of barriers that would keep the third-floor stable, saving Han Shuo even more work.
It was after the boundaries were deployed that the gymnasium on the third floor was finally usable. Following that, Han Shuo personally arranged the second floor by himself. He placed multiple enormous cabinets filled with small boxy drawers, which he packed with the myriad of medicinal ingredients he had collected since arriving on Elysium. Other than that, he also purchased a complete set of bottles that pharmacists used. The place appeared to be a proper lab for producing medicine.
The second floor was merely deployed with barriers to prevent outsiders from eavesdropping and prying. Han Shuo could deploy those boundaries by himself and did not need Carmelita’s help.
Han Shuo did not refine medicine using tools and methods commonly used by Elysian pharmacists. Instead, using some rare materials, he smelted his custom cooking cauldron specially used for refining medicines – the Nine Tessellation Cauldron. Refining medicinal pellets would become much faster with this specialized tool. With those medicinal ingredients he had collected on Elysium, Han Shuo managed to produce three hundred Rejuvenation Pills.
Elysium was the material plane with the most intense spirit aura, so the medicinal ingredients collected from this world were extraordinary. Han Shuo believed that the three hundred Pills of Rejuvenation would, therefore, have very obvious effects.
Refining the three hundred Pills of Rejuvenation took Han Shuo yet another five days. Then, using the remaining medicinal ingredients he had, he refined several other types of pelleted medicines such as the Rebirth Pill, most suitable for children born in this world, as well as some Pill of Tranquility which promoted calmness, emptying a person’s heart and mind, allowing one to better comprehend the true essence of their energy during cultivation.
By the time Han Shuo completely used up all the medicinal ingredients he had, he accumulated over three hundred Rejuvenation Pills and two hundred medicinal pills of various functions. He packed them into dazzling and colorful medicinal bottles. It was only now that Han Shuo started to decorate the first floor of his shop meticulously. The medicinal bottles of different functions were put on display.
As Han Shuo had told Carmelita beforehand that he did not wish to be disturbed while he refined his medicines, during this period of time, Carmelita did not come by to look for him.
It was only two days after Han Shuo put the medicines on display on the first floor and opened the tightly closed front doors that Carmelita and Andre came by to pay him a visit.
Compared to the polite etiquette Andre previously displayed, the Andre who came by this time was much, much more cordial. Before he walked into the shop, he raised his head and chuckled when he read the name. “Celestial Pearl Pharmacy. Haha, the name may be somewhat odd but in the future, this name will be known by all.”
When Han Shuo, who was arranging his medicines on the first floor, heard Andre’s cheerful laughter, he knew that Andre must have recognized the efficacy of the Rejuvenation Pellet he was given to try.
Indeed, before Han Shuo could step outside to greet him, Andre and Carmelita had entered the shop smilingly. Andre did not beat about the bush and immediately said, “Young man, we have tried that medicinal pellet that you made. Very good, very good indeed. The price of one hundred black crystal coins per bottle is very reasonable!”
“Bryan, we have come here to purchase those medicinal pills. Oh, it’s that one, Rejuvenation Pill!” Carmelita pointed at the rack displaying purple colored medicinal bottles. She continued, “Pack them all up, we are taking all three hundred bottles. Uncle, give him thirty thousand black crystal coins!”
But when Andre was about to take out his black crystal coins, Han Shuo put on a bitter smile and said to Carmelita, “I have only three hundred bottles for now. If you bought them all, I would have none left to sell. How about if you buy two hundred bottles first?”
Andre stared blankly for a moment before quickly saying with an amiable smile, “Of course, of course. In any case, your shop is just right over here. We will just come by again when you have produced more pills,”
“That would be best,” Han Shuo packed up two hundred bottles of Rejuvenation Pills and gladly handed them to Andre. Simultaneously, Han Shuo was handed twenty thousand black crystal coins.
Twenty thousand black crystal coins! That, on Elysium, was no small riches. Generally, a midgod could only earn around three thousand black crystal coins after working for big family clans for ten years. Even a family clan as big as the House of Sainte only paid around five thousand black crystal coins to a midgod over the course of ten years.
Those ingredients and herbs which Han Shuo had used in refining the Rejuvenation Pills were all collected from the mountain range in the surroundings. Even the process of refining them took just ten or so days. However, he had exchanged them for twenty thousand black crystal coins just like that. Twenty thousand black crystal coins were more than enough for Han Shuo to purchase a decent gymnasium in the City of Shadows!
After collecting the heavy twenty thousand black crystal coins, Han Shuo suddenly realized that it was indeed very profitable to rake in money by producing and selling medicinal pellets. If this trend continued, it wouldn’t take too many years before he would accumulate wealth that only a small family clan could possess. The sudden riches that fell into his pockets caused his imagination to roam. Even his heart started to fly.
“Oi, rascal!” Carmelita gently patted on Han Shuo’s shoulder, startling Han Shuo out of his daydream, and continued, “It’s just twenty thousand black crystal coins! How could you be so awed by that amount?! You need to think bigger if you’re gonna get big!”
Han Shuo put on a bright smile and replied, “Haha, I know just how important it is to have crystal coins. I only had around three hundred black crystal coins before this. To gain twenty thousand black crystal coins all so suddenly and so soon after I set foot on Elysium, it is only natural that I would be absent-minded!”
“Bryan, this medicine of yours is magnificent! All the family clans in the City of Shadows would dispatch their members to various places be steeled and tempered. Not only is it inevitable that they sustain injuries, but they also repeatedly get injured. Therefore, there will always be a demand for your medicinal pills. As long as you continue to supply it, it is only a matter of time before you become a very wealthy man here. There’s no need to be too startled about this. In the future, we the House of Sainte will be here every day to order medicinal pellets for use during emergencies. You are going to get very busy!” Andre said as he chuckled.
“Well, I’m most willing to accept crystal coins!” Han Shuo said jokingly. Then, after thinking for a moment, he took out three brilliant red pills from his space ring which immediately filled the air with sweet fragrances.
“They smell so good! What pills are those? What do they do?” Carmelita cried out in surprise.
“They are for you!” Han Shuo handed them to Carmelita and explained in a serious manner, “This is a type of medicine I have specially refined to expel toxins. The strange disease you caught when you were young has left a small amount of toxins in your body. After you successfully cultivated in the edict of destruction, naturally, those toxins could no longer do anything to your divine body. However, as they still remain inside your body, your skin has become coarse and… erm… not so good in appearance. I think these medicines will help improve your condition. Give it a try.”
“Wha- What?!” Carmelita was absent-minded while holding to those medicinal pills emanating fragrant scents. She murmured, “It’s been so many years. Is, is it still going to work?” Although Carmelita had been acting as though she did not mind her own appearance, she was still a woman. No woman would truly be unconcerned about this aspect of themselves.
“If Carmelita’s condition improves, your shop will become the biggest shop in the City of Shadows. I will assure you of that!” Their House of Sainte had made many efforts to resolve this problem that had plagued Carmelita for many years. They had invited countless pharmacists and tried every medicine. However, everyone told her that the divine energy in her body was just too powerful and therefore no medicine would produce any result. Unless she was willing to give up all the terrifying energy she had, they were powerless to do anything.
Carmelita knew well the importance of being powerful, so why would she abandon all her strength? Therefore, she never was able to get rid of this sore point. With time, even she herself had completely given up on it. She had long accepted her fate and no longer carried any hope.
“Bry- Bryan, is it really going to work?” Carmelita said, her voice quivering. She couldn’t douse the hope rekindling in her heart.
“I can’t promise that it will cure you but I’m sure that it will have some effect! Just give it a shot!” Han Shuo replied. The medicine could certainly not turn Carmelita into a beauty overnight. However, if the toxins in her body were removed, at the very least, Carmelita wouldn’t appear as hideous as she was.
“Huh? What’s this new shop over here? Celestial Pearl Pharmacy? What a funny name! Teng Fei, do you think we should check it out?” a familiar voice sounded from outside. Not a moment later, Teng Fei, Cage, and his sister Eve walked into the shop.
Andre’s and Carmelita’s backs were facing the trio. As soon as they saw Han Shuo standing in the middle, they took large strides and coldly groaned, “Indeed, enemies are bound to cross paths!”
