"A new plant?"
Jasper was momentarily stunned. He instinctively glanced around and, sure enough, noticed five orange-red, spherical flowers on the display shelf near the door.
Then he looked at the price list on the wall. Besides the Nether Orchid, there was indeed a new plant listed.
"Crimson-Gold Chrysanthemum, 30 gold coins…" Jasper read silently.
The name sounded pretty ordinary.
But… it was expensive.
"The Radiant Mercenary Group has far more warriors than mages, so I believe the Crimson-Gold Chrysanthemum might suit you better," Ron said with a smile. "Its fragrance helps stimulate the circulation of Battle Aura. Its petals and leaves can be brewed into tea that, when consumed, invigorates the aura within the body—like a milder version of berserk mode—and significantly aids aura cultivation."
"More importantly, the petals can also be eaten directly. They have a powerful effect in helping condense a Battle Aura Vortex and produce the same enhancements—only much stronger."
"What do you think, Jasper?" After the brief explanation, Ron turned to him. "You can buy one and test it out first. If it works, we can discuss a partnership."
Jasper sat there, still processing everything.
Stimulates Battle Aura…
Helps with condensing a Battle Aura Vortex…
Sure, potions with such effects did exist.
But unlike meditation potions, which were widely developed, potions that enhanced Battle Aura were far less common. Magic pharmacists rarely studied aura-related effects.
As a result, most aura-enhancing potions had a limited impact.
That was largely due to the magic world's lack of materials effective for Battle Aura. Most potions that worked for warriors simply enhanced the body, not the aura directly.
Even those said to help condense a Battle Aura Vortex did so indirectly—by strengthening the body and fortifying the foundation, they improved the chances of success, rather than helping the process itself.
So when Ron introduced the Crimson-Gold Chrysanthemum, Jasper was instantly floored.
Not only had the Chaos City Magic Academy developed the Nether Orchid, a plant with amazing effects for mages—they now had a plant targeted at warriors, too?
That was two devastating trump cards!
The Nether Orchid, while impressive, only benefited a limited population.
But the Crimson-Gold Chrysanthemum? That was a game-changer—its potential impact was on a whole different level.
Still, Jasper had his doubts about the actual effectiveness.
Maybe it works… but probably not as well as the Nether Orchid? he thought.
Out loud, he said, carefully, "Then as Your Highness suggests, I'll take one back to test."
Ron nodded with a smile and got up to fetch a trimmed Crimson-Gold Chrysanthemum, accepting 30 gold coins in return.
Jasper took the flower, then suddenly seemed to remember something. He turned to Ron and said, "Your Highness, I was negligent before in allowing those thugs to sneak in. Starting tomorrow, I'll send someone to ensure your personal safety. Would that be acceptable?"
Back when Commander Webster first arranged for Ron to come to Chaos City, he had intended to provide a villa, along with professional maids, butlers, and guards.
But once Ron insisted on opening a flower shop, and with the limited space, all those arrangements were scrapped.
Jasper had originally assumed that Ron would give up on the shop soon due to poor business. But now that he had the Magic Academy's backing, it was obvious the shop wasn't going anywhere.
So Jasper wanted to place a guard nearby—not just for Ron's safety, but to help the mercenary group gather intelligence as well.
Ron, however, felt his shop was plenty safe—especially now that he'd received the Academy's official supplier emblem.
Aikley Street was already a tightly monitored area. Any high-level individual who entered Chaos City would be noticed by the patrol squads almost immediately—unless they deliberately concealed their aura for some special mission.
So barring unusual circumstances, Ron's area shouldn't be in any real danger.
Besides, he was aware that his flower shop had many suspicious elements. If anyone spent too long observing, they might start to notice something wrong.
So Ron didn't want Jasper's people hanging around inside the shop for too long.
But turning him down outright would raise suspicion.
So Ron said, "I'm not really comfortable with having someone follow me around. If possible, just have your people patrol the nearby streets occasionally. That should be enough."
Jasper understood instantly. He had expected this.
With the Magic Academy backing this shop, it'd be crazy if I could just plant someone inside.
So Jasper nodded obediently. "As you wish, Your Highness. I'll also speak to the city patrol to make sure they give this area extra attention. Does that work for you?"
"Yes, let's go with that." Ron nodded. "Thanks."
Jasper smiled and shook his head. "This is my duty."
With that, the meeting came to an end. Jasper had achieved his goals for the visit, so he stood, took his leave, and rode off in the carriage.
[Mission Progress: 1 / 500]
Ron opened his system panel and saw the prompt.
The Crimson-Gold Chrysanthemum had only just launched today, and he'd already sold the first one. A good start.
Compared to the slightly rougher process of selling Nether Orchids, things were much smoother now that the shop had a growing reputation.
And through selling the Nether Orchid, Ron had already learned that the fastest way to complete mainline missions was bulk sales through powerful organizations.
Just like yesterday's deal with the Magic Academy, and today's with the Radiant Mercenary Group—two simple transactions that moved 300 Nether Orchids, netting 6,000 gold coins' worth of business.
Once Jasper confirmed the effectiveness of the Crimson-Gold Chrysanthemum, the 500-plant goal might be completed in no time.
As for walk-in customers during store hours… Ron was starting to feel they were more trouble than they were worth.
Sure, the gold added up over time, but he had to spend four hours a day keeping the shop open. It just didn't feel like a good deal anymore.
He was more eager than ever to hire a clerk so he could focus on his studies at the Magic Academy.
Asking the Academy or the Radiant Mercenary Group for help would be the easiest.
But people from those groups all had hidden agendas. If they stayed in the shop too long, they might start noticing things.
Before anyone grew too suspicious of the shop's supply chain, Ron had to unlock the Miracle of the Goddess of Harvest.
Once that was done, any weird things in the shop could be pinned on the goddess.
Everything would just be divine will and fate.
None of it would be Ron's fault, obviously.
With that thought, Ron closed the shop and headed next door to the barbecue restaurant to grab dinner.