"I will be sure to personally relay your good intentions and gifts to the Pill Emperor." Izroth said as he ordered Opal to collect all of the items that were offered. It was obvious that everyone had come to this place well-prepared. After all, what were the chances of every individual casually carrying around rare materials used in pill crafting?
After Opal gathered the items, they all immediately disappeared into thin air. This was due to Opal depositing them inside of the shop's storage area. After all, not only was the space within Izroth's inventory not unlimited, but he also did not want to take up unnecessary space if possible.
As for going over everything, it was something Izroth was in no rush to do. He was sure the total value of the rare materials added up to thousands over gold coins, however, he had no intentions of selling any of it.
There were certain things gold coins were unable to buy and he was not exactly stretched for gold now that his shop was up and running. With the new addition of rare materials gifted to him, Izroth now had his own personal treasure trove!
"I wonder if it would be possible to put in a private order. My Sage Falls guild is prepared to make it worth your while. Just name your price." Slayer said.
"Hah, are you sure Sage Falls can afford to let someone name their own price after suffering such huge losses during the last event, Slayer?" Seeking Fangs said in a mocking tone of voice. He did not forget that Sage Falls had launched an aggressive assault on his guild during the Protectors of Amaharpe event.
That was not all, but Seeking Fangs even ended up dying and missing out on the seventh wave and all the waves that came after that! To suffer such humiliation and huge losses, how could he not take this chance to embarrass Slayer and Sage Falls?
Slayer's facial expression darkened as he responded, "Watch your mouth! My Sage Falls may have suffered a few losses, but don't think for a second that we're vulnerable enough for some weakling nobody like you to insult!"
"You!" Seeking Fangs immediately became infuriated after hearing Slayer. However, before he could respond to Slayer's insult, he was interrupted by Ewan.
"If the two of you wish to fight, then do so after this is over. Not all of us have time to listen to your constant bickering. Do you truly believe that you'll make any decent impression while arguing like two children?" Ewan said calmly.
Slayer and Seeking Fangs both glared at Ewan, however, neither of them lashed out at him. It was not because they were afraid of him, but rather because his words were correct.
If they started an argument now, there was a chance that Izroth would lose his patience and toss both of them out of the Mystical Realm Palace. If that happened right after they already gifted away some of their rare materials, then they would only be able to regret it at that point.
'He's the one from the auction house.'
Izroth's first impression of Slayer was far from good. Back when he put the Nameless Blade up for auction, Slayer tried to use his power and intimidation against those in the auction house to purchase it at a set price. In the end, a player from Cross Haven named Wess tricked Slayer into paying much more than the Nameless Blade was worth, therefore, Izroth decided that he had already been taught a lesson.
Some of the other players sitting at the table felt slightly regretful for not being the first to bring up a private order. If Izroth really did agree to it, then that would give Sage Falls the edge they needed to jump back to their previous level power. There was even a good possibility that Sage Falls would become even stronger than they were before the Protectors of Amaharpe event!
"I am afraid that's simply not possible." Izroth replied. If he started taking private orders, it would only take up more of his time spent leveling up and becoming stronger. Plus, he already had his hands full with providing a sizable inventory for the Mystical Realm Palace alone. Not to even mention his arrangement with Sleeping Gardenia.
Wang Ping, Seeking Fangs, and a few others at the table looked at Slayer with a grin or smirk on their face. It was as if they were saying, "Hah, serves you right!" with their facial expression.
"May I ask why? I'm willing to pay whatever price you name!" Slayer said as he grit his teeth and held back his anger. If there was one thing he hated, it was being denied something that he wanted. Usually, at this point in the conversation, he would have made a threat. However, Sage Falls already had too many enemies who wished a disaster upon them.
Slayer knew that threatening Izroth was the same as threatening the Pill Emperor since he was the one who ultimately provided the pills. If he did that, the other top guilds would not hesitate to team up and completely destroy Sage Falls just to get on Izroth, as well as, the Pill Emperor's good side.
While he was not afraid of a fight, Sage Falls was currently too weak to antagonize others the way it used to. However, once Sage Falls regained its previous strength, Slayer already had a plan in mind to take care of those who had wronged him.
"You must be aware of how time-consuming crafting grade one and grade two pills can be, however, neither can come close to grade three pills. If I started taking private orders, how could I possibly keep up with the supply-demand for my Mystical Realm Palace?" Izroth said.
Of course, crafting grade three pills was just as easy as the previous grades for Izroth, however, the same could not be said about others.
"Sir Izroth, if I may?" One of the players located towards the far end of the table away from Izroth stood up and spoke.
Izroth gave a slight nod and held out his hand as a gesture to allow the player to speak freely.
Everyone at the table set their sights onto the player who just stood up. In truth, no one knew that identity of that player. Due to him being an unfamiliar face, it was obvious that he had no true status in the gaming community.
"Thank you for your kindness. First off, I would like to introduce myself. My name is Xing Bai, however, I am known as Hand In Fire within RML." Xing Bai said in a polite manner as he gave a slight bow with cuffed fists as a sign of respect.
Xing Bai? Indeed, that name did not ring any bells at all. It was the same thing with his character name, Hand In Fire.
"I am the spokesperson for the Fireheart Apothecary Society. I have something beneficial for both of us that I would like to discuss with you, Izroth." Xing Bai said as he stood up straight and spoke in a steady manner.
'Oh? There's an unfamiliar name.'
Even with the knowledge of his previous memories, Izroth had never heard of the name Fireheart Apothecary Society, let alone Xing Bai or Hand In Fire. However, from the robe he was wearing, Izroth could see that Xing Bai was, in fact, a second rank Apothecary!
One had to know that not even all the top guilds had a second rank Apothecary under their wings. This was due to how difficult it was compared to other professions within RML to rank up one's Apothecary skill. But, one thing was for sure, Xing Bai was a part of the top 1% of apothecaries within RML!
When everyone heard the name "Fireheart Apothecary Society" there was no reaction whatsoever, except, there was a look of curiosity present on their face. Just like Izroth, they could see that Xing Bai was a second rank Apothecary. However, how was it possible that no one here had ever heard of him before today? Truly, there were many hidden talents scattered throughout this world.
"The head of the Fireheart Apothecary Society would like liked to be here today, however, they are currently in the middle of some important research. Though, before we go any further, I am interested to know if the Pill Emperor would be willing to meet with the head of my Fireheart Apothecary Society? After all, the only two third rank apothecaries within RML should get to know one another." Xing Bai said in a humbled manner.
Everyone's eyes widened in shock. What did he just say? Did they just hear correctly? Two third rank apothecaries?! The head of this unknown Fireheart Apothecary Society was a third rank Apothecary just like that mysterious Pill Emperor?! Could this possibly mean that yet another Pill Emperor had appeared in RML?
Even Izroth was a bit surprised by Xing Bai's words. While it was not that challenging for him to become a third rank Apothecary, given the obvious advantage of his lifetime worth of experience, he still understood how difficult it was to become one for even the most skilled of players in the Apothecary profession.
Izroth originally predicted that it would take, at the very least, another week or two before another third rank Apothecary appeared. After all, as the average player level increased and players began to gather higher quality materials to craft with, it would become easier to naturally increase one's Apothecary rank.
However, it would appear that he did not account for someone like the head Xing Bai mentioned. It was definitely interesting, to say the least, and he was actually quite curious to meet this person. After thinking about it for a bit, Izroth decided to accept Xing Bai's offer.
"Since it is a fellow Apothecary, I am sure the Pill Emperor can spare some time to meet with this head of yours. I would not mind arranging a meeting." Izroth responded.
"Excellent, we can discuss the proper arrangements at a later date. At the moment, I have something more important I would run by you." Xing Bai said with a content smile on his face.
Almost instantly after Xing Pai mentioned another third rank Apothecary, the players sitting at the table sent out private messages to their respective guild/organization to gather as much information as possible on the Fireheart Apothecary Society and its head. How could they lack such important information?!
Everyone had countless thoughts running through their mind as they stared at Xing Bai with eyes full of hunger! They were not hungry for food, but rather to quickly make friends with Xing Bai, as well as, this unheard of Fireheart Apothecary Society and, of course, the head who was a third rank Apothecary. However, they needed to make sure Xing Bai was not just talking a bunch of nonsense.
If things did not work out with the Pill Emperor, then just maybe this head person would be willing to form a close connection with one of them. Nothing needed to be said about the potential advantages of having a third rank Apothecary within one's guild.
"I'm sure that you're well aware of the auction house fee of 20% and the conversion fee of 10%. While there is nothing that can be done about the 10% conversion fee, the same cannot be sad for the 20% auction house fee. Therefore, I was wondering if it is possible to discuss selling a few select pills made by the Fireheart Apothecary Society inside of your Mystical Realm Palace." Xing Bai said.
He then continued, "Of course, we would have to consider various details. But, I'm positive we can benefit each other greatly from this partnership. You won't have to lift a single finger or spend anything in the whole process."
Xing Bai figured since Izroth was willing to cooperate with the Pill Emperor and sell his pills, then maybe there was a chance that he would do the same for the Fireheart Apothecary Society. Before entering inside, he had already checked the pills available on both the first and second floors.
Although every pill could be considered a work of art, there were still too few of them. In total, there were only seven different pills! Nothing needed to be said about the three grade three pills, however, there was still a lot of room for additional grade one and grade two pills.
