The Bright Camp had over 3,000 branches of Starry Sky Pharmacy. Whether in terms of tangible or intangible assets, its scale was astonishing. Starry Sky Pharmacy had become a golden brand—as long as this name remained, money would continuously pour in.
Nie Yan passed through corridor after corridor and entered an internal elevator. It was very crude, powered by several magic crystals. Its speed and other aspects couldn’t compare to elevators in the real world, but it was the best elevator that could be found in the entire Glireland Empire.
Taking the elevator to the sixteenth floor, the top floor, he entered a vast hall. Inside were rows of tables, all covered with experimental equipment. A total of 33 people were busily working at their respective tables.
These 33 individuals were the core of the Starry Sky Pharmacy—13 Grandmaster-level alchemists and 20 Master-level alchemists!
The Light Faction had only 33 alchemists at the Master level or above in total, and all of them were gathered here at the Starry Sky Pharmacy. This was precisely why other pharmacies could never compete and were eventually acquired by the Starry Sky Pharmacy.
Top-tier alchemists represented the core competitiveness of a pharmacy. Don’t underestimate these 33 individuals; they contributed 30% of the Starry Sky Pharmacy’s total profits!
These 33 people were so focused on their work that not a single one noticed Nie Yan’s entrance.
As Nie Yan walked past them, observing their deeply concentrated expressions, he smiled slightly. Many people thought that all alchemists worked roughly the same number of hours daily, so no one was really more diligent than another. Advancing to higher ranks was simply a matter of luck—higher potion success rates or obtaining good recipes, etc. But if those players could see these people, they would understand that their success was not just due to luck; it was well-earned.
Wu Bushengdan finished making a potion and looked up to see Nie Yan. He was momentarily stunned, then overjoyed. As he was about to speak, Nie Yan gestured for him to keep quiet.
Wu Bushengdan smiled and spoke at his normal volume, “Don’t worry, Boss. They won’t even notice a lightning bolt striking them until they finish their current task. Boss, why are you here?”
“I came to check in, replenish some potions, and see if you have any good recommendations for me,” Nie Yan replied. He had long heard that Wu Bushengdan and the others were developing new potions.
“Recently, we’ve indeed created quite a few good potions,” Wu Bushengdan said mysteriously, already eager to show Nie Yan the new concoctions.
One advantage of being a Grandmaster-level alchemist was the ability to develop new potions and record them as recipes. Since the Starry Sky Pharmacy had acquired Grandmaster-level alchemists, they had already updated 60% of the pharmacy’s potions, significantly enhancing their effects. Additionally, they had developed over 60 new potions, which were then mass-produced.
It was easy to imagine how significant the impact of Grandmaster-level alchemists could be on a pharmacy!
As Wu Bushengdan and Nie Yan chatted, the other alchemists also gradually finished their potions and noticed Nie Yan. They all bowed and greeted him.
“Boss.”
“Boss.”
The Starry Sky Pharmacy was a commercial organization. Since Wu Busheng often referred to Nie Yan as “Boss,” the others naturally followed suit, finding it more endearing.
Nie Yan nodded and looked at the group of alchemists, saying, “Everyone, thank you for your hard work. It’s thanks to you that the Starry Sky Pharmacy has achieved its current glory. Recently, the conflict between Ox Tribe and Angel Dominion has intensified, and your workload might have increased. I’m here to personally thank you all.”
“Boss, don’t say that. We are paid by the Starry Sky Pharmacy and it’s our duty to work for it.”
“Yeah, Boss, saying that makes us feel like outsiders.”
“Without the Starry Sky Pharmacy, where would we be today? A little hard work is nothing.”
They all chimed in enthusiastically.
Seeing the passionate expressions on these alchemists’ faces, Nie Yan realized that his emotional investment in them had not been in vain.
To retain talent, the Starry Sky Pharmacy couldn’t rely solely on high welfare; it also needed to invest emotionally.
Nie Yan chatted with these alchemists for a while, asking about their work, appearing very approachable. Those alchemists who were personally addressed by Nie Yan felt honored. Being able to chat with Nie Yan was a great privilege for them. In Faith, there was only one Rogue named Nie Yan, and he was also their direct superior. In their hearts, Nie Yan held a very high status.
“Guys, bring out your best stuff and show it to Boss. Boss said that if you create potions that interest him, there will be extra rewards—up to 50,000 gold coins for each potion,” Wu Bushengdan announced loudly.
They were all wealthy individuals, but 50,000 gold coins was still a significant bonus.
“You got it, Manager. Just watch us impress Boss!” a quiet individual named Nandiao Nannan said nearby. He was the top alchemist at the Starry Sky Pharmacy, even surpassing Wu Bushengdan in potion-making skills.
“This is on you. If Boss isn’t satisfied later, I’ll hold you accountable,” Wu Bushengdan joked.
Nandiao Nannan chuckled with confidence. In potion development, if he claimed second place, no one dared to claim first.
Soon, an empty table was brought in front of Nie Yan. Nie Yan was quite eager to see what kind of creations these geniuses, who had almost reshaped the entire Faith world, would present to him.
They surely had some spectacular items to showcase. Today promised to be an exciting day.
“Who’s first? First potion,” Wu Bushengdan looked around.
Everyone glanced at each other, none eager to step forward.
The atmosphere became awkward.
“Come on, not even one volunteer? You’re really making me look bad,” Wu Bushengdan rolled his eyes.
“The first to go is usually the guinea pig!”
“Usually, the best stuff comes later.”
No one seemed keen to go first. Nie Yan smiled wryly. What kind of thinking did these eccentrics have?
“Stop messing around. Boss doesn’t have all day. I’ll pick someone. You, bring out your potions. Show me everything you’ve got—this might be your only chance,” Wu Bushengdan pointed at an alchemist. The alchemist looked to be in his early twenties, with a pale, clean-cut face and a slightly sickly complexion—clearly a typical shut-in.
“Okay,” the alchemist approached, pulling out two potions from his bag—one blue and one green. He placed both on the table and said, “This blue one is Invisibility Potion.”
“Who doesn’t have an Invisibility Potion,” the other alchemists chimed in.
“Yeah.”
The alchemist’s face turned red as he shouted, “Just let me finish!”
The surrounding alchemists fell silent.
“Under normal circumstances, you can’t turn invisible underwater, which I’m sure Boss already knows,” the alchemist looked at Nie Yan.
Nie Yan nodded.
“This Invisibility Potion, once consumed, will turn your body the color of water, making you completely transparent. Its effect is similar to land-based stealth, lasting for three minutes. It has no negative effects on movement speed, allowing you to swim at your normal speed,” the alchemist explained.
Wu Bushengdan looked at Nie Yan, who nodded in approval.
“Underwater Stealth Potion, accepted. Reward: 10,000 gold coins,” Wu Bushengdan declared.
Money was secondary; Nie Yan accepting the potion was a form of recognition. The alchemist’s face flushed with excitement as he introduced the other potion, “This one is a Transformation Potion, but it’s a specific type. After consuming it, you can only transform into a seal. While transformed into a seal, your swimming speed increases by 300%. During the transformation, you cannot attack enemies, and the transformation will automatically end if you are attacked. It lasts for twenty minutes, with a potion cooldown of five hours.”
Upon hearing this, Nie Yan’s eyes lit up. This was exactly the kind of potion he had been lacking—an enhancement to swimming speed. With this potion, he could handle certain special situations more effectively. It seemed this alchemist was particularly skilled in developing underwater-use potions.
“Transformation Potion, accepted. Reward: 20,000 gold coins,” Nie Yan said, feeling quite pleased with the acquisition of two entirely new and highly practical potions.
Seeing that both of this alchemist’s potions were accepted by Nie Yan and that he received a total reward of 30,000 gold coins, the others became eager. They began to bring out their own potions, each of which was unique and unlike anything Nie Yan had ever seen or heard of before.
“Powerful Hallucination Potion. Anyone or any monster that consumes even a drop of this potion will experience intense hallucinations—dizziness and disorientation, leaving them vulnerable to attack. It’s a must-have for any journey. A virtuous lady can become a wanton vixen. Truly a household essential,” said an elderly man, about sixty or seventy years old, with a pair of drooping mustaches and a lewd grin as he held up a red potion.
Several female alchemists spat in disgust, their faces flushed red: “You old pervert!”
“What a talent! Even in the game, he can create love potions!”
“Such perversion is astounding!”
“But how would you even use it? You can’t just hand someone a potion and expect them to drink it!”
“You could slip it into their tea!”
“A real treasure indeed!”
Everyone laughed and teased, though of course it was all in good fun. If someone actually used this potion to incapacitate and assault a female player, they would likely be struck down by divine lightning before they could even attempt it.
They all turned to Nie Yan, curious whether he would accept such an extraordinary potion. They assumed he wouldn’t.
Looking at the potion, Nie Yan fell into thought. The application of this Hallucination Potion was indeed difficult, but there might be situations where it could prove useful. He decided, “Powerful Hallucination Potion, accepted. Reward: 10,000 gold coins.”
Everyone looked at Nie Yan in surprise. They hadn’t expected him to accept such a seemingly useless potion, yet he had awarded 10,000 gold coins for it. This left them feeling quite astonished.
Tai Sui Yellow Amulet Paper FuLu Taoist Love Talisman Traditional Chinese Spiritual Charm Attracting Love Protecting Marriage