Chapter 52: Selling High, Buying Low! Becoming an Infinite Arsenal with Potions!

"I have some materials and equipment I'd like to sell," Wang Chen said.

With a flick of his finger, a mountain of items appeared on the table. Among them were bone materials dropped by the Dark Tide Priest, as well as a variety of materials from the Bone Rats. There were also pieces of equipment, which Xu Yong had insisted on giving him as his share. After inspecting them, Wang Chen found nothing particularly worth keeping, so he decided to sell them all together.

Naturally, these items had all undergone system reversal, granting them additional skills, which should fetch a good price.

Manager Liu eyed the heap of goods, pulled out a handkerchief to wipe the sweat from his brow, and said, "Mr. Wang, your generosity is impressive. Such bounty from this journey! Please allow us a moment to inventory everything."

Wang Chen had no objections.

Manager Liu turned to the attendant, "Fetch two—no, three people to help with the inventory."

The attendant nodded and left, returning with three middle-aged men in tow. Their attire was uniform: black vests paired with slacks, and each wore a monocle capable of switching lenses to magnify and examine the goods.

At Manager Liu's instruction, the trio immediately set to work, assisted by the attendant. Meanwhile, Wang Chen sat with Manager Liu, engaging in casual conversation.

"Did the magic scrolls you purchased prove powerful enough? Our shop does guarantee a certain quality, you know," Manager Liu inquired with a genial smile.

Wang Chen sipped the fragrant tea on the table. "Yes, they helped me greatly this time."

"Would you like to purchase more? We've just received a batch of new magic scrolls, some with tremendous lightning and firepower. I believe you'd appreciate them," Manager Liu said, helping himself to a cream puff from the dessert tower.

"No need," Wang Chen replied. "Magic scrolls are ultimately external aids. Relying too much on them may harm one's own strength."

"My last bulk purchase was out of necessity for my class-change quest."

That was true. Among all external aids—equipment, potions, and the like—magic scrolls were the least advisable for overreliance.

This was because, unlike equipment, which could be honed through use and attuned to one's will, thereby strengthening the user without hollow gains, magic scrolls were consumables. Developing proficiency with a particular scroll required pouring in vast sums of money, something only scions of wealthy families could afford.

Potions, by contrast, had strict manufacturing standards and stable effects, and required little attention to timing, making them less dependent on skill than scrolls.

Of course, scrolls had their advantages: they were virtually free of side effects and level restrictions, unmatched by potions or equipment.

"I see," Manager Liu feigned sudden understanding. "That's a pity, then. I won't have the chance to serve you in that regard."

Enough with that—you're just hoping to earn a bigger commission, you sly fox, Wang Chen thought silently.

But aloud, he said, "I do need to purchase a batch of potions and some equipment."

Manager Liu's eyes sparkled. "I'll have someone bring the potion catalogue and equipment list at once."

When two hefty tomes were handed to Wang Chen, he took them with a hint of confusion. "Manager Liu, why don't you use electronic devices to store your catalogues? Isn't it cumbersome to carry these back and forth?"

Manager Liu chuckled, "Mr. Wang, that's part of the consumer experience."

He picked up another catalogue that Wang Chen hadn't yet used. "Look at this one: its cover is handcrafted from the skin of a Shallow Bay Crocodile, the edges sewn with gold-plated silver, and the spine is stitched for easy browsing."

Manager Liu opened it and showed Wang Chen, "These three hundred-plus pages are all printed on copperplate paper, giving them a refined texture. We've enlisted renowned potion masters and alchemists to provide objective assessments, all thoroughly detailed beside each product description."

"The subtle watermark on the paper changes every ten pages, each drawn by a professional artist, and the layout was designed by a specialist," Manager Liu explained with pride. "To produce a single catalogue like this, countless people worked on it. If other books followed our standards, each would be a collector's edition worth hundreds or thousands."

He smiled, "But as long as you experience even a touch of delight during your shopping, that's enough for us."

Wang Chen blinked, surprised that so much effort had gone into a simple shopping catalogue. Attention to detail determines success—they deserved their prosperity, making their shop the largest trading house in Luzhou.

Lost in admiration, Wang Chen picked out the items he needed, scribbled them onto a folder, and handed it to Manager Liu.

Manager Liu took it and immediately frowned.

Wang Chen noticed and asked, "Is there a problem? Out of stock?"

Manager Liu explained, "Not at all. We have the equipment you've selected, and the potions are also in stock. I must remind you, though, the potions you've chosen have significant side effects. We do offer alternatives with lesser side effects for similar efficacy, though they are pricier. I assure you, it's worth paying a bit more. Would you like to reconsider?"

"So that's your concern," Wang Chen waved his hand grandly. "Thank you for worrying, but I know what I'm doing. Just bring me these."

Seeing Wang Chen's determination, Manager Liu said nothing more and ordered the attendant to fetch them.

Wang Chen lounged with his tea, savoring the moment—he was well aware of the intricacies involved.

Potions with the same effect often varied widely in price, due to the materials used. Identical effects could be achieved with different ingredients, but some had fewer side effects.

For example, the focus-enhancing stimulant Wang Chen purchased in bulk was designed to refresh skill cooldowns for mages and shamans, allowing them to unleash a torrent of output in a short time. However, the side effects were obvious—after a ten-minute battle, one might have to sleep for a day to recover. The more one used it, the worse the aftereffects, since the potion essentially overdraws one's mental strength.

If the stimulant wore off before the battle ended, the outcome was self-evident.

But Wang Chen had the reversal system!

Why should he fear side effects? The system could reverse them at will, perhaps even turn them into a boost, making each potion serve double duty.

Next time he joined a team to hunt monsters, he'd become a force of endless firepower, his buffs flowing nonstop from start to finish, his enemies bombarded without respite.

The only issue was occasionally feigning weakness; otherwise, if he kept performing so consistently, others might grow suspicious and try to dissect him for research.

Of course, some skills were restricted and couldn't be refreshed by ordinary potions.

But Wang Chen hadn't learned any such skills—yet!