Kapitel 20: Chapter20-Madame Butterfly

The merchant named Make took the reagent without hesitation, trusting Pierre enough not to fear any harm from him; after all, Pierre wasn't the type to dare such a thing.

The moment he ingested the reagent, Make felt an inexhaustible energy coursing through him.

He immediately summoned several maids from within the villa, tearing their clothes off with brutish force, his corpulent body gyrating wildly as he indulged his desires.

Minutes later, Make dismissed the utterly exhausted maids.

Laughing heartily, he said, "Pierre, you've truly introduced me to a fine business. However, I'd like you to do me a favor; I want to meet this Mr. Ranch."

"Make, that was not our agreement!" Pierre protested angrily.

They had previously agreed that Make would assist in selling the product, but now Make wanted to meet Ranch, clearly intending to intercept the Energy Reagents for himself.

Seeing Pierre's anger, Make was dismissive, "Pierre, the past is the past, and now is now. I'm very interested in the business of Energy Reagents. If you don't agree, do you think you can walk out of this villa?"

"You—" Pierre was seething with rage.

However, he had no choice but to comply with Make's suggestion.

He pulled out a piece of paper, a magical parchment specially treated to convey messages.

Writing on it sends the message directly to the paper's recipient.

This was something Ranch had given him when they parted ways.

So, Pierre wrote on the parchment: "Butterfly Tavern, Pierre."

…

In the inn, Ranch was enjoying a massage from Sophia.

It was undeniable that after advancing to an intermediate knight, the elf miss's strength had significantly improved, making the massage exceptionally soothing.

At that moment, he received the message from Pierre.

"Pierre is contacting me so soon?" Ranch was slightly surprised, standing up to say to Sophia, "I need to step out for a bit."

"Be careful, and come back soon," Sophia nodded, knowing she needed to familiarize herself with the powers of an intermediate knight, as well as the Holy Light Blessing she had comprehended during the blessing.

She also needed to meditate.

Being one of his own, Ranch naturally wouldn't be stingy.

After reviewing the Light Meditation Technique, he had passed the meditation method to Sophia.

Now, Sophia could also practice magic.

Although her magical talent was poor, it was, after all, a start of hope.

Ten minutes later, Ranch arrived at the Butterfly Tavern.

It was a tavern with a unique design, its owner clearly having a taste for style, as everything was arranged with a distinct flair.

Moreover, the drinks served here were of the expensive sort, not affordable for the average adventurer.

"Mr. Ranch," Pierre called out from inside the tavern.

Ranch looked over to see a large table where, besides Pierre, a corpulent middle-aged man was seated, who was nonchalantly fondling the chest of one of the two scantily clad maids by his side, unfazed by Ranch's gaze.

"You, go attend to Mr. Ranch!" Make, noticing Ranch sitting down, instructed the other maid, then put on an ingratiating smile and said, "Mr. Ranch, my name is Make Veiss, and I conduct some business here in Mapleleaf. I've heard you have a batch of Energy Reagent. If you're willing to let me handle it, I assure you that you'll make a fortune."

The maid sat beside Ranch, rubbing her soft bosom against his arm while her hand stealthily slid towards his thigh.

Ranch stopped the maid and turned to Pierre.

Pierre, with a strained expression, explained, "Mr. Ranch, Make is my business partner."

"Understood," Ranch nodded, then asked, "So, Mr. Make, what's your offer? Producing the Energy Reagent is no simple task."

Make smiled, pushing the head of the maid beside him downward and tapping his plump fingers on the table,

"You offered Pierre five hundred gold coins per bottle, but that's too high. The Energy Reagent isn't worth that much. I can offer you two hundred gold coins per bottle, and you'll still make a profit. If you don't agree, there's no one in Mapleleaf who will buy your Energy Reagent."

"Am I to take that as a threat?" Ranch countered.

Make burst into laughter, asserting, "That's right, Mr. Ranch, it is a threat!"

Ranch smiled too.

He inquired, "Make, when you were threatening Pierre earlier, did he tell you who I am?"

"What do you mean?" Make Veiss sensed something was amiss.

In the next moment, panic filled his eyes.

Three fireballs floated in front of Ranch, their searing heat causing sweat to bead on Make's forehead.

He cried out in horror, "You're a magus!"

To ordinary folks, magi hold a revered status.

Of course, if Make had his guards around, he surely wouldn't fear a magus.

But Pierre hadn't informed Make of Ranch's true identity, leading Make to mistakenly assume Ranch was just a regular merchant.

"Stop!" Make was terrified.

Ranch snapped his fingers, and the fireballs vanished.

He looked at Make again, smiling, "Mr. Make, perhaps we should now discuss compensation."

"How much do you want?" Make gritted his teeth and asked.

Ranch pondered for a moment, then named a price he found reasonable: "One hundred thousand gold coins."

"That's impossible!" Make roared, "I can compensate you at most ten thousand gold coins!"

Hearing this, Pierre interjected from the side, "Mr. Ranch, thirty thousand gold coins should suffice. If it's any more than that, Make would rather die."

"Pierre!!!" Make glared at Pierre, wishing he could kill his former friend on the spot.

But Pierre's eyes turned fierce as he retorted, "Make, you started this lack of decency. You deserve this."

Ranch had no interest in their quarrel.

He stated, "Then it's thirty thousand gold coins, Mr. Make, pay up."

Naturally, Make didn't carry that much gold coin on him, so he had to send the maid back to inform his steward to bring the gold coins.

After handing over thirty thousand gold coins to Ranch, Make left with a gloomy expression, while Pierre, looking apologetic, said, "Mr. Ranch, I was coerced by that guy Make."

Ranch was well aware of the situation, but selling the Energy Reagents on his own would undoubtedly take a lot of time, and Pierre didn't have the influence to sell them efficiently.

It was indeed a headache.

Just then, a unique floral fragrance wafted through the air as a stunningly dressed, extraordinary woman descended the stairs from the second floor of the tavern.

She approached Ranch with her graceful stride, her bright eyes captivating.

She smiled and said, "Mr. Ranch, if you are looking to sell potions, perhaps you could consider working with me."

Ranch was curious about this elegant lady when he saw Pierre stand up, bowing respectfully and greeting her, "Are you Madame Butterfly?"

Madame Butterfly?

The name sounded unusual, perhaps a special title of some sort.

Seeing the curiosity in Ranch's eyes, she explained, "You can just call me Daisy, Mr. Ranch. Madame Butterfly is just a casual moniker some people use. Of course, I'm sincerely interested in collaborating with you, Mr. Ranch. As for my capability, I believe Mr. Pierre is well aware."

Ranch seemed to grasp something.

He didn't decline, stating, "Two thousand bottles, five hundred gold coins each. I wonder if Miss Daisy can handle that?"

"Certainly, no problem, but I would like to see the goods first," Daisy responded.

Ranch nodded and spent a thousand gold coins to reset the permanent goods back to Energy Reagents, then directly purchased two thousand bottles, which once again reduced his remaining gold coins to just over ten thousand.

After Daisy drank a bottle and felt the effects of the potion, her eyes brightened even more, showing an eager desire.

She retrieved one hundred purple crystalline coins from her storage ring.

This currency, also universally accepted across the continent, is typically only used by nobility, primarily circulating among advanced magi, hence known as magic amethyst coins.

"Can this currency be recognized by the system?" Ranch wondered, when suddenly a notification message appeared.

[Congratulations, host, for encountering amethyst coins!]

[Achievement unlocked — The First Amethyst Coin!]

[Achievement]

[The First Amethyst Coin: You can exchange gold coins for amethyst coins, or decompose amethyst coins into gold coins. The exchange ratio of gold coins to amethyst coins is 10,000:1.]

"It can be exchanged!" Ranch felt reassured, converting all one hundred amethyst coins into gold coins to top up his system, extending his hand towards Daisy, saying, "Pleasure doing business with you."

"The pleasure is all mine, Mr. Ranch." Daisy too extended her hand, a charming smile playing on her lips, her eyes flashing with a purple aura.