Chapter 173: Chapter 172 A good start is half the success
“So that’s how it is….”
Afterwards, under the explanation of the old chairman, Fang Zheng and Miss Nanali finally understood his meaning.
Water birds are elemental creatures from the realm of the Water Element. They can consume all life and then transform it into the most primitive Life Element. Through these Life Elements, one can determine whether the consumed material is good or bad. If the Life Element is abundant, then naturally, it is a health supplement that strengthens the body. Conversely, if the Life Element is extremely low, it may contain dangerous toxins.
However, the Tachibana fruit tree that the water bird had just consumed contained very abundant Life Elements, even exceeding the usual levels. Of course, this was definitely the effect of the “fertilizer” made from slime fluids.
Although Fang Zheng did not understand most of what the old man said, he did understand the conclusion. In short, fruits cultivated with this type of fertilizer are not only harmless but also more nutritious and tastier than before — one could tell just by looking at Kuliya’s ravenous demeanor across from them.
“This is a groundbreaking alchemical invention, whether it’s the greenhouses or the Slime Fertilizer… Mr. Ezio, Miss Nanali, what you have done really exceeds my expectations.”
Sitting at the table, the old man openly expressed his excitement, which caused Miss Nanali to feel somewhat uneasy. She had never imagined that she would discuss matters on equal terms with a president of the Alchemists’ Association.
“You are exaggerating, Master President, we…”
“No, no, no, Miss Nanali,”
the old man waved the hand, interrupting Nanali’s protest.
“We have known about slimes for hundreds, thousands, or even longer years. Among the tens of thousands of alchemists who came before us, only you have discovered these uses for slimes and transformed it from theory to reality…”
“But, but it wasn’t just my effort alone…”
As she spoke, Nanali looked toward the quiet Nymph standing behind Fang Zheng. In fact, it was the Little Angel who first discovered it, but both Fang Zheng and the Nymph seemed uninterested in such empty fame.
“In fact, we just proposed a wild idea. Without Miss Nanali’s help, it wouldn’t have become a reality.” fгee𝑤ebɳoveɭ.cøm
“Yes… your ideas are also quite distinctive, Mr. Ezio. I wonder if you are interested in studying alchemy? I think you might have a talent for it,”
Upon hearing Fang Zheng’s response, the old man nodded and then invited him without hesitation. It wasn’t just out of politeness to Fang Zheng; rather, everything Fang Zheng had done impressed him greatly. Wild imagination is the essence of any alchemist, but there is a difference between mere dreaming and actual improvement based on existing foundations.
Not to mention that Fang Zheng’s ideas were practical and universal, potentially influencing the whole world. In the old man’s view, if he could study alchemy, his future would undoubtedly be bright.
“Thank you for the invitation, but I really have no talent in alchemy.”
Although Fang Zheng would have liked to accept, he knew himself well; he simply had no knack for it. He produced more explosions than Nanali, and while Nanali’s experiments only exploded when working on new products, even following existing procedures led him to fail, showing that some things just cannot be changed, no matter how hard one tries.
Hearing Fang Zheng’s response, the old man didn’t say anything more, since everyone has their own aspirations.
“Then, let’s return to the original question… about the greenhouse and Slime Fertilizer, do you plan to make them public? If you are planning to do so, we can issue a statement…,”
The profit model of an alchemist is conducted through the Alchemists’ Association. An alchemist invents a patent and submits it to the association, which then displays these patents. Take potions as an example; if an alchemist creates a new Healing Potion, he sells the formula to the association. The association then publishes the formula to see if alchemist shops and workshops in various places are willing to “buy” it. If they are willing, they will spend a sum of money to obtain the “patent right to use” for this potion formula and then commence sales.
And for every Healing Potion sold, the inventor extracts a certain commission. Of course, one might only gain a few copper coins per bottle. But if the potion is sold nationwide or even globally, the small amounts could accumulate to thousands or tens of thousands of Gold Coins a day.
As for the possibility of falsified sales reports, the Alchemists’ Association is not worried at all because all alchemical creations must be sold only in the “official stores” designated by the association, so there are detailed records of how many alchemical creations were manufactured and sold.
Of course, you can also secretly open an illegal store, but once discovered… imprisonment and fines are inevitable.
Generally speaking, the Alchemists’ Association does not engage in “advertising campaigns” for all “inventions”; they only compile inventions monthly into a catalog and send it to large alchemical stores since the basic applications of alchemy are still at the commercial level, and alchemists only manufacture when there is a demand from merchants.
As for military supplies, that’s a matter at another level.
What the old man mentioned was akin to a “national quality certification recommendation,” which, obviously, would be great to boost the initial reputation. However… Fang Zheng had other plans.
“Thank you very much for your appreciation, Master Chairman, but we have our own plans… In fact, I think that even if you publicize these formulas now, it wouldn’t make much sense. Because if they don’t know how to use it, they would just be wasting time configuring it,”
Hearing this, the old man furrowed his brows and nodded. He was well aware that these alchemical products are not like potions that show effects upon ingestion. Many ideas for alchemical equipment are good, but ordinary people don’t know how to use them, or they may misunderstand how to use them, resulting in subpar reviews. The Alchemists’ Association isn’t new to such situations.
“So, you already have some ideas?”
Fang Zheng was full of confidence. He wasn’t good at causing chemical explosions, but planning and marketing were his strengths. After all, to attract top-ups, the first thing to do was to present the idea enticingly.
As for the method, Fang Zheng had already figured it out. Since the Chairman had already confirmed that these Tachibana Fruits were fine, and seeing Kuliya enjoying them, he would start from there. Coincidentally, the experimental field was about to be harvested soon, and selling it in the City of Korhal will certainly cause a sensation. By then, Fang Zheng would seize the opportunity to buy a few acres of land and establish a specialized greenhouse and experimental base. This would not only increase production but also let others witness the benefits of the greenhouse and Slime Fertilizer firsthand. By doing so, Fang Zheng didn’t believe anyone could remain indifferent.
Considering the City of Korhal is located in the north of the Kingdom of the Holy Church, where winters are exceptionally long, and with two more months until spring, following the previous trends, it would be at least another half-year before Tachibana Fruits would be available.
These fresh and delicious Tachibana Fruits appearing in the snowy winter cityscape of Korhal would present an intriguing scene.
Thinking of this made Fang Zheng incredibly excited.