Two days later, the Circle's herbal market was rocked by strange events. Stocks of Origin Herbs, critical for making medicines and pills, were completely depleted. Demand was outstripping supply, and the alchemy industry was in danger.

Origin Herb was an anti-toxin and emollient used to remove toxins from medicinal herbs. It was perilous for humans to consume herbs that were overflowing with energy in nature directly. The pure nature energy in the herbs was not soft and organized like Mana and Qi, but extremely toxic and disordered, just like Demonic Energy.

Consuming it directly could lead to various problems such as energy overload or poisoning.

This is why the Origin Herb was an essential herb for alchemy. It was easy to find because it grew everywhere, but for a region like the Circle, which was made up entirely of martial artists and mages, it was barely enough.

Now, to keep up with the new academic era, all the Origin Herbs had been used up, and the alchemical guilds that were mobilizing to collect new ones realized something. The southern forest, the home of the Origin Herb, had been completely emptied.

The small quantities of Origin Herb in other forests and mountains could only sustain the market for a day. In addition, the Origin Herb in the herb gardens of companies and guilds would only last for three days at most.

After that, the alchemy and pharmaceutical industries would take a serious hit.

Meanwhile, in a small office in the center of South City, a young man with black hair and blue eyes was waiting with his arms crossed. His clothes were completely black and his face was covered with a mask of the same color. No part of his body was visible except his hair and eyes.

Next to him was a bag filled to the brim. What it was filled with was a mystery.

After a while, the silence was broken when the door opened. A tall man with blond hair smiled and looked at the masked man.

"Mr. Noah, sorry to keep you waiting, please come in."

...

The man called Noah walked in with his briefcase and looked around. It was a simple office. There was nothing but three chairs and a desk.

After welcoming Noah, the blond-haired man sat down and leaned back in his chair.

"Call me Church. How can I help you?"

"I've come with an offer that might interest you."

Church's eyes narrowed.

"Hoo... I'm listening."

Mr. Noah unlocked the briefcase he had brought with him and placed it on Church's desk. Church's eyes widened as he looked at the bag. He was about to say something when Mr. Noah interrupted him.

"There are twenty-five pounds in there. That's only a fraction of what I have. I want you to exhibit it at the Heartman Auction."

"Or do you..."

Church straightened his back and solemnly examined the bag. The small packets of Origin Herbs stared back at him, fresh and fresh.

"I want 0.2 credits per pound, and everything else is up to you. I don't care who you sell to or who you deal with."

"Did you collect all the Origin Herbs in the Southern Forest?"

The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

"That's not the point. Right now there is a shortage of Origin Herbs on the market and supply is not keeping up with demand. The alchemical guilds and pharmaceutical companies can only last a few days. Considering that there are only a few herbs that can replace the Origin Herbs, they will make a huge loss before they solve this problem. Don't you want to be the one to save them?"

There were at least ten thousand pounds of Origin Herb in the Southern Forest. Most of the herbs in the forest had been harvested, and the parts that couldn't be harvested had been destroyed. The reason Church asked this question was completely different.

Right now, everyone was looking for who was responsible.

Although ordinary people didn't know it, it was forbidden to exploit the Southern Forest. There was even an agreement between the guilds and corporations that formalized it. That's why no one had touched the Origin Herbs until now.

"Deal. How much do you have? I want to buy it all."

"About three thousand pounds."

After a slight puzzlement, Church said.

"Good, we can sign the deal as soon as you bring the goods."

Mr. Noah looked at Church and sighed deeply.

"That's not going to happen. A deal will be signed now, and the credit will be in my account in ten minutes. I'll give you the key to the warehouse where I keep the Origin Herbs, and we'll have everything done in fifteen minutes and we'll be done."

"Hahaha, you're putting me on the spot, Mr. Noah. 3,000 pounds is 1,500 credits. That's a lot of money, considering that each credit is worth a hundred gold coins. Remember that when we take your herbs, we will be everyone's enemy. So let's do this."

Church stood up smiling and walked over to Mr. Noah and tapped him on the shoulder.

"0.1 credit per pound. You give us one day to collect the amount. You will also give us the person behind it. How's that sound? Isn't that a good deal?"

He leaned over and whispered in his ear.

"And shouldn't you be in class right now?"

Church pursed his lips and sat up. He smiled as he looked at Mr. Noah's black mask. He was practicing a special technique that allowed him to see the bone structure of the person in front of him. It was a technique that every Auctioneer had to learn.

They could get information from the person's gender to their bone age. Unfortunately, they could not see through the masks. Otherwise, he had already gained the upper hand by threatening the other person.

"The most basic building block of any alchemical process, the Origin Herbs, is now in my monopoly. Although they are trying to buy it from outside and close the gap, this will not last long. I offer you the opportunity to control the alchemical industry."

Mr. Noah pushed the hand off his shoulder and wiped it clean.

"I know the difficulties of holding stocks of the Origin Herbs, but they are trivial compared to the benefits. Every day is crucial in the war between corporations and guilds. In the process, the one with the most stocks will be able to control the market. You make the amount of credit when you can increase the share of any company you want. Do you take me for a fool?"

Church was stunned by Mr. Noah's sudden outburst. He knew he was telling the truth. The point here was not to buy the Origin Herb. The real goal was to take control of the alchemical industry, if only temporarily.

It would take at least a week to replenish stocks, and a week was enough for some companies to take off. Three thousand pounds was enough to make about 300,000 drugs. 300,000 medicines would be worth the unthinkable price of 150,000 credits.

This amount could completely change the fate of a company, making the poor rich.

Moreover, the party with the stock of herbs would be the one who decided who would rise in the market. So they could get not just money, but power.

"The deal is done. I know tons of companies that will line up to buy my herbs. I will make a deal with them."

His voice was not very loud, but every word was like a thunderbolt in Church's mind. Church knew these things, so he was trying to make the most profit with the most minor loss. But he could see that he had failed.

"Okay, I'm sorry. We'll take the full three thousand pounds now, at 0.2 a pound."

"No, no, no. That was the deal a little while ago. Before you threatened me. Two credits per pound. You take it or I leave. Non-negotiable."

"Don't exaggerate. Twenty pounds of Origin Herb normally costs 0.5 Credits. You are asking us four times as much for one pound. The price you are asking is eighty pounds."

"Different terms, different prices. For the last time, are you buying?"

Church gritted his teeth.

A pharmaceutical company that had lost its herbs had lost its roots. A tree that had lost its roots could not stand against the wind. Mr. Noah now had the power to decide the fate of many companies.

"How can I trust you?"

"That's what I wanted to hear."

Five minutes later Church and a tall bodyguard came out. They went to the truck parked across the street from the office building and Church pulled a key out of his pocket.

Click!

The safe was unlocked and sacks started piling out of it.

"If we had known you were here..."

Church angrily clenched his fists but quickly managed to calm down. The past was behind him and he had already done what he had to do.

"Now that we have the herbs, we don't need him. Make sure you finish him off this evening."

"Yes, sir!"