The Powerless Hero's 101st Regression Diary

Chapter 9 - A Foothold (1)

What kind of person was I before I gained the Trait ?

I could be described in many ways, but if I were to sum it up in one phrase, I would say, ‘a person who does anything for a purpose’.

Whether it was pettiness in human relationships or an obsession with solving problems.

If it didn't weigh on my conscience and I deemed it necessary, I did whatever it took.

And this Coagulant I was making now was also a product of my obsession.

Five years from now.

The world would fall into chaos, and the war against the Mad Dragon and her followers would begin in earnest.

A series of bloody battles where we killed each other.

In such a world, countless human lives were lost.

I created many remedies to increase the survival rate of soldiers heading to the battlefield, or to allow them to continue fighting even when injured.

No, was it only remedies?

For the sake of humanity's victory, I began research in every field I could.

This was all I could do, as I was unable to go into battle directly.

‘Blue Butterfly Grass’, a common grass found anywhere, was also one of my research materials.

I took note of this grass' tough nature.

‘If I process this well, couldn't it increase the durability of a soldier's armor?’

With that thought, I began various experiments using Blue Butterfly Grass.

In the process, I discovered an unexpected result.

That when the extract of Blue Butterfly Grass was hardened, it became a semi-jelly-like ointment, and that soft yet moderately sticky ointment was very effective in stopping human bleeding and preventing secondary infections.

It also had a minor natural healing effect, so in the future, it became an essential item for those heading into battle.

Healing potions that instantly recovered wounds upon use were difficult to make and required too many ingredients.

Naturally, they were also incredibly expensive.

In contrast, this ointment made from Blue Butterfly Grass was simple to make, and its ingredients could be sourced anywhere on the continent.

I immediately added this Blue Butterfly Grass ointment to the basic supplies of the entire army.

The soldiers called this ointment the ‘Blue Ointment’ and praised its effects to no end.

And we achieved the feat of raising the soldiers' survival rate by 10 percent.

‘The one I applied to old man Kevin’s laceration during the last expedition was also this Blue Butterfly Grass.’

At that time, I didn't have any alchemy tools, so I just squeezed out the juice and applied it to the wound, but didn't a scab form in just four days?

The performance of the ointment made from this Blue Butterfly Grass was astonishing.

To say its cost-effectiveness was astonishing would be an understatement.

It was a new discovery for a grass so tough it could barely be used as cattle fodder.

“400 for now, is it.”

I invested a full day and made 400 Blue Ointments.

If I could, I would want to mass-produce them and supply them to a large merchant guild, but let's push that as a guild business later when my clan develops into a guild.

Right now, I not only lack the time, but also the manpower.

“Now, which merchant guild should I visit.”

A merchant who could recognize the value of this item, and who wouldn't try to haggle the price down.

Who was around at this time.

Heh.

A smile bloomed as a welcome face came to mind.

I picked up one of the Blue Ointments I had made and left the warehouse.

The road to meet an old friend was always enjoyable.

***

“Eric Rodwen, wake up.”

The back alleys of the central plaza were a gathering place for the homeless.

Perhaps for that reason, the visit of a neatly dressed young man was a very rare occurrence here.

The homeless who were napping in the back alley tilted their heads.

What reason could a fellow like that have for visiting this place?

“Aigoo, my good sir. You must have the wrong person. I am but a nameless beggar.”

The homeless man pointed out by the young man trembled and bowed his head.

“Is that so? But what to do? I am quite certain you are Eric.”

The black-haired young man, Savior, said.

“Eric Rodwen, the third son of the Rodwen Merchant Guild.

You became a celebrity in the merchant world for your outstanding business acumen.

However, after hitting on the daughter of Baron Dorothy's Household, whom you met at a high-society party, you were put on the wanted list for the crime of insulting a noble and became a fugitive.

You disguised yourself as a homeless man and drifted all the way here to Shupel in the far east.

Do you still think I've come to the wrong person?”

The homeless man's expression hardened.

And after thinking for a moment, he opened his mouth.

“Who are you? Were you sent by Baron Dorothy's Household? To kill me?”

“Didn't I already say so? I didn't come to kill you.”

At the conversation that was going nowhere, Savior finally let out a sigh.

“Eric Rodwen. I have by no means come to harm you. On the contrary, I came to make a deal.”

However, the homeless man called Eric still looked at Savior with wary eyes.

“How can I believe that?”

“The very fact that I'm trying to have a conversation with a wanted criminal in front of me should be believable enough.”

Savior squatted down in front of the seated Eric to meet his eyes.

“Is this not enough? Then I'll give you that too. If you listen to me, I'll introduce you to a woman worthy of being your partner. A very beautiful one.”

Silence fell between the two once more.

“I can hear the gears turning in your head from here.”

As soon as Savior finished speaking, Eric shot up to a sitting position.

“First, tell me about the beautiful lady I am to meet. Although it has only been about three days since I came to this city, I know every lady in this city, so if you just tell me, I'm sure I'll know.”

The youngest son of the Rodwen Merchant Guild, which would later spread across the entire continent, Eric Rodwen.

The public's assessment of this man was ‘a guy crazy for women’.

But in reality, he was a merchant to the bone, more sensitive to profit and loss than anyone else.

Seeing that Savior brought up women, he must be thinking that I haven't fully grasped his identity.

Wasn't it said that a merchant must appear foolish to gain more profit?

The incident where he got into trouble for hitting on the daughter of Baron Dorothy's Household was the result of a rival merchant guild's scheme.

“It would be faster to see once than to hear a hundred tales.”

Savior immediately raised his arm and sliced it with a dagger.

“What is this sudden act!”

Eric shouted in surprise.

“Stop pretending to be faint of heart and watch carefully.”

Savior applied the Blue Ointment to the laceration from which blood was dripping.

The bleeding stopped immediately.

“A coagulant ointment?”

Eric looked at Savior's arm with astonished eyes.

“Yes, with this level of effect, how much can I get for it?”

Eric cautiously touched the laceration.

“Amazing. It doesn't just stop the bleeding, it's also healing, albeit faintly.”

“It has a pain-relieving effect too.”

“With this, you could get 90 silver per piece. No, that's not it. This is Shupel, the city of pleasure and greed. If you sell it to mercenaries leaving for expeditions, you could easily get 1 gold per piece. Since the lowest-grade wound medicine is about 80 silver, this would be the appropriate price.”

One of Savior's lips twisted up.

“Don't get any funny ideas. You can get 1 gold and 20 silver, can't you?”

“That would be the case if I had the help of my father's merchant guild. It's impossible right now, isn't it?”

“Your wanted order was lifted a while ago. So end your homeless life and start working. Wouldn't this Blue Ointment be a perfect gift to bring home to your father?”

“How can I believe that my wanted order has been lifted?”

“Would I lie about something you can find out immediately just by running to the Shupel branch of the Rodwen Merchant Guild right now?”

A week ago from now, the Baron Dorothy who had issued the wanted order on Eric would die suddenly.

According to the investigation revealed later, the cause of death was said to be poisoning.

They say Eric's father, who loved his son dearly, found out the baron who issued the wanted order was a one-generation noble and secretly pulled some strings for Eric.

The baron was probably already dead by now.

It's just that the news hadn't reached Shupel, located in the far east.

“I have 400 of these Blue Ointments. I'll sell them to you for 90 silver each. What do you say, interested in buying?”

Eric's brow furrowed.

“I don't know how or from where you found out, but I am a man who has left the guild to wander the world. I have already left the scene, so such an offer no longer holds any meaning for me. I shall refuse that offer. By the way, I have now heard you out to the end. So isn't it now your turn to introduce me to that beautiful woman you mentioned?”

“Don't pull any useless tricks. 80 silver a piece. No lower.”

Flick.

Savior tossed the Blue Ointment to the seated Eric.

Eric, who had caught the Blue Ointment in a fluster, looked up at Savior.

“Take that Blue Ointment as a sample. Come find me at the warehouse of the northern Hay Merchant. I'll take the payment in Evening Primroses. Remember. Evening Primroses worth 320 gold. Ah! It would be good if you also prepared a high-quality buckler and shortsword.”

With those last words, Savior turned around.

Eric, left behind in the back alley, stared blankly at his retreating figure.

“So are you going to introduce me to a woman or not?”

A sense of futility filled Eric's eyes.

***

Exactly half a day later, Eric came to the warehouse with a cart full of Evening Primroses.

“I used my connections to buy Evening Primroses worth 350 gold. I've also prepared a buckler and a shortsword.”

It was a staggering five carts' worth of Evening Primroses.

“Just as you said, my wanted order has been lifted. Thanks to that, I was able to come quickly by using our guild's branch in Shupel.”

The fellow spoke proudly as if asking for praise.

I looked at him askance.

Eric was a clever fellow.

He had a keen eye for reading market trends and recognizing the value of goods.

In other words, he was smart.

That was synonymous with being difficult to handle.

There was only one way to handle a man like Eric.

‘To show him the value of my product’

The fellow probably spent the last half-day crunching numbers on his abacus.

Just how much profit he could make from this Blue Ointment.

The wholesale price of the Blue Ointment was 80 silver.

Eric would have understood it like this.

‘Ah! The ingredient cost must be around 50 silver.’

An ingredient cost of 50 silver for a medicinal product was absurd.

Because medicinal products are expensive.

Even if you went to an herb shop right now and bought a medicinal herb to apply to a wound, you would have to pay 50 silver for a single root.

A single root of an herb that wasn't even refined and had minimal effect when its juice was applied to a wound cost 50 silver, so the value of an effective coagulant with a production cost of 50 silver was beyond words.

‘The actual raw material is a common weed that doesn't even cost 1 silver, but Eric doesn't know that. He'd probably faint from shock if he found out.’

“By the way, what is your name? We haven't even properly introduced ourselves.”

Eric, who had cleaned up and appeared, was exactly as he was in my past life.

A fellow with strong features and a greasy look.

Eric flashed a greasy smile that matched his appearance and extended his hand to me.

His sleeves were rolled up, revealing brawny, thick arms covered in bushy hair.

His large nose and protruding eyebrows were exceedingly masculine.

“Savior Silverhearts.”

I shook his hand, grasping it firmly.

“I look forward to working with you.”

“Likewise.”

“By the way, how old are you? Why do you keep using informal speech…….”

“Nineteen years old, one year older than you. Don't even think about trying to scam me with that weathered face of yours.”

Something about looking foolish if you're young.

That phrase he always had on his lips was rendered quite meaningless by Eric's appearance, which was like that of a man in his mid-forties.

How surprised was I when I heard his actual age was the tender age of eighteen.

Did he eat up all the years other people were supposed to have?

It was to the point of giving me goosebumps when the guy kept calling me Big Brother.

“Ahem……. Then you're my Big Brother! I'll call you Big Brother Savior.”

Look at this.

He was trying to pull a fast one again, wasn't he?

“Do as you please.”

While we were at it, I signed a contract with the Rodwen Merchant Guild for a regular supply of the Blue Ointment.

“Since this is our first transaction, I will purchase them for the originally suggested price of 90 silver. I'll be counting on you for 400 pieces a month.”

The selling price was fixed at 1 gold and 20 silver.

Eric wanted to receive a slightly larger quantity, but I didn't have the time.

I had to go on expeditions and I also had to train.

At a time when every minute and second was precious, taking even one day out of a month was, frankly, a waste.

And so, Eric went back with the contract, a pleased expression on his face.

Now, all that was left in the warehouse was a pile of Evening Primroses.

In just two days, 10 gold had turned into Evening Primroses worth 350 gold.

‘I'd make a profit even if I just sold these as they are, but…….’

I had to use them for myself.

Now, I have to make an elixir with this.

Something that, when consumed, would create a Mana Core in a jiffy.