Ch.155The Secret Purchase

Alchemy is invincible, and the Paracelsus Grand Workshop is divine.

That was the conclusion I reached after taking a full tour of the exhibition sales room in the research wing.

I can confidently say that the potion makers and alchemists holed up in this research wing must truly understand what “romance” means.

“I almost ended up completely emptying my wallet with impulse purchases…”

“I understand. I truly understand, comrade.”

“Since we agreed to use personal budgets, I won’t comment on what you buy… but be careful not to spend too extravagantly and regret it later, okay? Especially with potions—they might not suit your constitution or could have unexpected side effects.”

Jessica, having successfully prevented Phillis from overspending, glanced at Mina’s and my order forms and wore a worried expression.

Many items displayed here are fragile, so customers who wish to make purchases must write the product name and quantity on an order form and submit it to staff. Once payment is completed, the items are retrieved for them.

This method seems very reasonable but is also dangerous, as it’s difficult to know when to stop impulse buying when you can’t feel the increasing weight of your shopping basket.

That’s why many people submit order forms filled with product names, pay large sums of money, and only realize their mistake when they see the volume of products loaded onto their cart.

But I, William J. Kim, can guarantee that I have zero regrets about the approximately 1,000 gold worth of shopping done here today.

‘Underwater breathing, flame breath, x-ray vision eye drops… how could anyone resist these?’

Who was it that said a man’s toys just get more expensive as he ages?

Of course, I didn’t spend five times my initial settlement funds on potions for pranks.

I didn’t forget to purchase the slime mucus that was my original objective, and I also bought some basilisk venom in preparation for potential fights with wanted criminals.

I even added a few secret items to make nights with lovers more passionate… though I couldn’t buy the potion that claimed to double a man’s manhood due to Seti’s vehement opposition as she happened to pass by.

‘You’re… you’re plenty satisfying without that… and if it doubled in size, I might die…’

How could I ignore Seti when she said that with such an embarrassed face?

If the need ever arises, I can always visit the Paracelsus Grand Workshop again.

“I understand my case, but Mina seems to have bought quite a lot too. What are those items for?”

“Most are synthetic materials made through alchemy. There are many things useful for carriage modifications or magical tool crafting.”

“If they’re for carriage modifications, shouldn’t that come from the party funds? Don’t you think so, Jessica?”

“That’s right. If the improvements Mina wants to make will benefit everyone, I’ll cover the costs from our party budget.”

“Hohoho~ By the way, installing whiskey barrels in the cargo area…”

“That should come from your personal funds.”

“I figured as much~”

Mina finished her payment with an awkward smile and began carefully examining the mountain of materials loaded onto her cart, comparing them with her order form.

That’s what makes Mina impressive—you can glimpse her experience as both a technician and merchant in moments like these. Hmm-hmm.

Unlike the two of us who fell into the trap of impulse buying, Jessica only purchased a few types of medicinal supplies needed for the team, while Seti and Phillis limited themselves to buying just one or two items each.

Seti bought a monster material processing knife—a tool that allows one to obtain monster materials without specialized hunting equipment.

However, it rapidly degrades the magic stones remaining in the prey’s heart, forcing a choice between materials or magic stones.

Phillis, on the other hand, purchased rare tea leaves and honey from plant-type monsters rather than fascinating potions or tools.

These items are widely loved as luxury goods among elves, but apparently unavailable around the Willow Sanctuary, so she had been waiting for a chance to acquire them.

Purchased items can be loaded onto a borrowed cart and taken to lodgings in the residential wing.

The borrowed carts are collected by lodging staff and returned to the research wing, and if necessary, they can be borrowed free of charge until departure from the Paracelsus Grand Workshop.

“We still have quite some time until dinner. What should we do in the meantime?”

“How about having a tea time with the tea leaves and honey I bought? There was also a place selling cookies in the shopping district.”

“I’m fine with that, but didn’t you say those were precious items?”

“What meaning would even the most precious food have if not eaten? I bought them to enjoy with everyone, so don’t worry about it.”

“Then on our way back, let’s stop by a pastry shop…”

“Ah! I forgot to buy the abrasive!”

Mina exclaimed, stopping in her tracks just as we were about to visit the shopping district for snacks.

“Sorry, but I need to go back to the research wing once more. You all go ahead to the lodgings with the snacks.”

“Should we wait here if you’ll be back soon?”

“No, no. I need to ask the creator about the composition, so it might take a while. Which room are we having tea in?”

“Let’s use Phillis and Seti’s room. I’ll bring chairs from the other rooms.”

“Got it. See you later then~”

As Mina ran back to the research wing to purchase what she’d forgotten, we headed to the pastry shop to buy cookies for our tea time.

Though I don’t know much about black or green tea, I’m looking forward to trying the high-quality tea enjoyed by elves.

~ ~ ~ Paracelsus Grand Workshop, Research Wing Exhibition Sales Room ~ ~ ~

“Welcome… Ah, it’s the customer from earlier. How may I help you?”

“Hehehe~ I forgot to buy something earlier.”

“I see. Here’s an order form. Please take your time looking around.”

The exhibition sales room staff greeted Mina with a friendly smile, bowing at a 90-degree angle as if welcoming a VIP customer.

Indeed, having purchased nearly 2,000 gold worth of items in one visit, Mina could certainly be considered a VIP customer.

The items displayed by alchemists and potion makers are, charitably speaking, rare limited editions, but most are experimental works or test models that haven’t yet proven their universal appeal.

Among these, synthetic materials, unlike potions or finished products, are typically only purchased by craftsmen from other fields with strong experimental spirits.

The staff must be ecstatic that a dwarf craftsman bought so many of these “difficult to sell” items in bulk.

“Here it is! 1kg of abrasive made from Jewel Scorpion materials and…”

After writing down the abrasive displayed in the monster extract section on her order form, Mina discreetly checked if the staff was watching, then moved to the potion corner and added another item to her form.

This item was the true purpose behind Mina’s return to the research wing under the pretext of buying abrasive.

“Excuse me, I’d like to speak with the alchemist who made this item.”

“Which product? Hmm… Ah, I can call the creator of that item right away. Please come to this consultation room.”

“Um, could you keep it a secret from my companions that I bought this…”

“Hahaha, of course. Many customers wish to purchase certain items discreetly.”

Guided by the staff to a separate consultation room, Mina took deep breaths to calm her pounding heart while waiting for the product’s creator to arrive.

After about three minutes of waiting, the door opened to reveal a human woman in her late thirties wearing a deep blue robe.

“Hello. Are you the dwarf woman who wants to purchase my invention?”

“Y-yes! I have some questions about this product’s effectiveness. You’re the one who made this, right?”

“Yes. I’m Linda May, an alchemist affiliated with the Paracelsus Grand Workshop. What would you like to know?”

Alchemist Linda, who smiled calmly at Mina, could be described as a mature woman with both sophistication and a hint of decadence.

Having devoted herself to research at the expense of her health, her skin appeared dry and her hair split at the ends, but her slightly drooping eyes, plump lower lip, and above all, her enormous breasts—comparable to or even larger than Jessica’s—commanded an overwhelming presence even through her loose robe.

Of course, no matter how violently large Linda’s breasts might be, this would normally be meaningless to Mina as a woman, but coincidentally, for this particular consultation, that wasn’t the case.

“First of all, this product… this Breast Enhancement Cream, does it really make your breasts bigger when applied?”

Breast Enhancement Cream. That was the identity of the item that had instantly captured Mina’s attention while browsing the exhibition sales room.

The fact that its creator possessed breasts of tremendous size seemed like the most reliable evidence proving the product’s effectiveness.

Noticing Mina’s gaze fixed on her chest, Linda gave a confident smile before beginning her explanation.

“Of course. The main ingredient of this Breast Enhancement Cream comes from a formula passed down among Whiteskin women in a certain village—”

With a more serious expression than ever before, Mina listened intently to Linda’s explanation, diligently taking notes in her notebook.