A Black Market LitRPG

“To negotiate, of course.”

“I don’t think one needs seven gang members to perform a rudimentary negotiation.”

“Negotiations require an even playing field.” Kyle nodded his head at the guards.

A small smirk appeared on Haui’s face. “I doubt your members are as prepared as my private guards. Are you sure these are the only guards I have prepared?”

“Then you would just have to account for me as well.”

The two stared at each other for a brief moment, before Haui finally broke out laughing. “Very good. Come in.”

Only the two of them entered the store, with the gang members and the guards staring each other down outside.

“I must say, I did not expect you to be the leader of the Seven Snakes gang. I merely thought Damian was paid a few rakels to escort a foreign individual of note around, seeing as how he had to explain everything to you.” Haui sat behind the counter, arranging his robes.

“I also did not expect you to have paid for observers around the district as well.” Kyle paced around the store slowly, looking at some of the potions he had not examined the last time he came.

“The Seven Snakes can’t be the only ones having members patrolling, can they? My business depends on who runs the district. But let’s cut the crap.” Haui’s demeanour suddenly changed, his eyes glaring at Kyle with ferocity. “You’ve been undercutting my potions through the brothel and now flooding the market with knockoffs via the Red Lions. Even if Wrent is from another district, the fluctuations in market price would directly affect me.”

Haui stood up and paced around, picking up a chisel and twirling it in his hands. “There was a myriad of ways I could have gone about this. The moment I heard about the brothel providing half-priced Stamina potions through a … ‘loyalty’ program, I contemplated an assassination or a kidnapping.”

“Except you didn’t.”

“Indeed. I understand that in order for you to reverse engineer my potions that fast, you either must have an extremely impressive skill or ability able to decipher the closely guarded recipes of the Alchemist Guild without external help. Maybe even a device that can do it for you. And the mass production scale is on the level of factories. As such, you are extremely valuable. If I sent anyone to kill you, it would be a loss for me. I don’t believe any organization I hire would be willing to kill you if they found out the true reason behind the contract.” Haui sighed.

“And I can’t kill you myself because you are extremely well protected. I doubt this is the full extent of your security forces as well. I would not want to anger the Alchemist Guild either.” Kyle replied. This was why he didn’t simply just run over and kill Haui – it was far too costly, and he did not know the full extent of Haui’s backing.

Haui was a bit surprised before a wide smile appeared on his face. “It appears that we are quite alike, you and me. Neither party can truly eliminate the other, and even if we try to, the consequences are far too brutal. So here we are.”

“What is your proposal?”

“From my observations, you can’t create new potion recipes, seeing as you don’t have any formal alchemist training or connections. However, your competence with reverse engineering and mass production gives me great insight into how to target a wider audience and potentially profit off the common people, not just the upper middle class or leaders of gangs. How about this? For every potion you reverse engineer from me, you must provide me with half of the profits indefinitely.”

Kyle’s eyebrow twitched slightly. Asking for half was daylight robbery. “A tenth. And you must tell me the recipe of the potions.”

Both of them smirked, knowing they had entered the negotiation phase.

“The recipe of the potions is strictly off-limits. I am bound by code through the Alchemist Guild never to reveal such information to non-members. It spoils the market for many of the other alchemists, you see. However, the reason why I ask for half is that I am willing to shelter you from the Guild as well, by claiming you are my ‘associate’. The recipes will still be off-limits, but you will not suffer repercussions.”

Kyle pondered. Even if he rejected Haui now and went to another alchemist shop to purchase potions, eventually, the Guild would catch onto him as well, seeing how good Haui’s informant network is.

“Fine. Two-tenths, but only for a year after for each potion type.”

“Ridiculous. Four-tenths, for three years.” Haui countered.

“Two-tenths, two years.”

“Three-tenths, four years.”

“Two-tenths, two years.” Kyle was not budging any more.

“Fine. Deal.” Haui wrote down a simple contract on a parchment, passing it to Kyle to sign. A non-aggression clause was in there as well, just to ensure neither party tried to backstab each other. They still could, just that it would be in breach of the contract.

Contracts between criminals are less of a legal requirement and more of a justification for retaliation. Kyle also did not want to earn a bad reputation for breaking a contract or pact he signed – Ulon had already done enough damage. Similarly, Haui too, had a reputation to protect.

There was another clause as well where Haui had the right to determine what potion recipes to give to Kyle. “You must understand that the more exquisite potions are heavily guarded recipes by the Guild. Under no circumstances can we mass produce this without having a strong enough power base.”

“You make it sound like we are already partners.”

“Of course. Your profit is mine as well.” Haui smiled. He had obtained Kyle as a future distribution network – a free flow of money.

Kyle did not lose as much as well. In exchange for money he had gained a direct source of basic potion recipes and a slight protection from the Alchemist Guild.

“Well then, with the Red Lions now well aware of your mass production capabilities and you imprisoning their members, no doubt there will be a fight to come. May I suggest this potion? Again, I cannot provide you with the recipe.” Haui handed over two potions: the first being a glossy indigo potion flask, a tinge of red swirling in the liquid within.

The second potion was a green potion infused with what seemed to be Poair Leaves that was not dissolved yet.

Kyle nodded, taking a few potions. He did not need to pay Haui, seeing as he was already providing 20% of the profits.

The two walked to the entrance of the store before Haui stopped Kyle. “A fair warning. The Ardent Cretins already have an observer watching this district. They are always watching. If you want to remain under the radar, do not act too overtly. I’ll prefer it if another gang did not steal you away just yet. If you are going to sell potions, do not oversupply like how you did for the Red Lions. Already the Guild is asking questions. Keep any contracts below a hundred at maximum.”

Haui and Kyle returned outside, only to see the gang members and the private guards already about to come to blows. They were throwing insults at each other with abandon. Haui sighed, before calling the private guards back.

The gang members were astonished. Today was a day of surprises, seeing Kyle having negotiated with two separate individuals successfully.

“Hey, I thought Alv… Kyle was all about simply beating people up?”

“Yea, not sure what has gotten into him.”

Kyle ordered the gang members to return with him. As he walked, he noticed a lone local enforcer of the Sanctum eyeing him carefully. The enforcers seemed to be on to me as well. This is getting exhausting.

With so many major powers ‘watching’ him, every action he took from now on had to be measured. Haui was right in that he was indeed planning to sell more potions, but he now had to limit the supply.

This also meant that the pricing point would then be forced to be closer in line with the potions market now. With this, Haui’s profit margin for the basic potions would still be fairly secured. A crafty alchemist, I must find a way to either get rid of him or integrate him into the gang. If every alchemist is like this, the Alchemist Guild must be extremely dangerous.

Returning to the Seven Snakes’ base with the other gang members, Kyle began his potion discovery process again, attempting to find the recipe for the strength potion. There were more ingredients involved in it, so Kyle attempted everything he could think of.

With a simple distillation process, he managed to separate the liquid from the dissolved Greis powder, though another material sludge was mixed into the residue. He grabbed the flask of residue, examining it.

He then picked up the condensed liquid that had been distilled.

The upgraded title allowed him to see now the full ingredients of the strength potion and health potion.

“One step completed.”