While Raine and Leonora were engaged in crafting and chatting, Erika returned to the room.

"I'm back!" she announced as she took a seat.

"Welcome back, Erika," they greeted her.

"How was it?" Leonora asked.

Erika seemed hesitant. "Well, it's an urgent request."

"Urgent? Again?" Raine inquired, surprised.

"This time it seems really urgent," Erika explained. "They need 50 mana potions."

Mana potions were known to restore magical power and were more expensive than regular potions.

"But why would a government office need mana potions?" Raine wondered aloud. "I'd understand if it were the military or the mage guild."

Erika clarified, "It seems there’s going to be a joint exercise between the magic academy in this town and the one in the neighboring town. They need mana potions for it. However, due to a mix-up or communication error, the order was never placed, so they’re urgently requesting it now."

Raine thought to himself, "What a blunder."

"It does sound urgent. What's the deadline?" he asked.

"If possible, within 10 days. At the latest, 20 days," Erika responded.

"And the payment?" Leonora inquired.

Erika replied, "They’ll pay 2 million El for 50 potions if delivered in 20 days. If we can do it in 10 days, they'll increase the payment to 3 million El. Also, the quality only needs to be E-rank."

Raine considered the numbers. "That's a high price... The market rate for an E-rank mana potion is around 20,000 El each, so 50 potions would typically be about 1 million El. They're offering double that for 20 days, and even more if the deadline is shorter."

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He pondered the situation. "Considering the current state of our branch, accepting might be a good idea. What do you think, Leonora?"

Leonora, who was skilled in potion-making, nodded. "I think it's a good idea. We can make mana potions."

Erika then hesitated before adding, "There's one more thing… a caveat."

Raine asked, "What is it?"

Erika explained, "The order was initially placed with a private company. They were supposed to deliver 300 mana potions, but they could only provide 250."

"Why?" Raine asked, surprised.

"It seems the market ran out of magical herbs, one of the key ingredients for mana potions," Erika explained.

"So, even if we went to the market now, the essential ingredients wouldn't be available," Raine thought.

He realized, "The private sector operates for profit. Even if they issued a collection request to adventurers, it would be costlier due to the urgency, and they deemed it not worth it. That’s why they turned to us."

While Raine considered the implications, Leonora voiced her thoughts, "We're not obligated to take a loss for this; we could either refuse or ask for a higher fee to cover the cost of an urgent collection request to adventurers."

Raine knew she was right. "The Adventurers' Guild will likely charge a high price," he said, understanding the situation.

Leonora agreed, "Probably. That's likely why the government office turned to us. I think we could refuse."

Raine also felt they could refuse, but he saw an opportunity here. "If we take this job, it could improve our branch's tarnished reputation," he thought.

Leonora, considering the financials, added, "But we really can’t afford a loss."

Raine contemplated his options. "Then, the only way is to ensure we don't incur a loss with the current payment," he concluded.

Leonora and Erika looked at him, puzzled. "How?" they asked in unison.

Raine smiled, "We could gather the ingredients ourselves."

Surprised, Leonora asked, "Go into the forest? There are monsters there, you know?"

Raine reassured them, "If it’s just for magical herbs, we shouldn’t have to go too deep. Don’t worry. I’m a Level 5 Mage."

They both seemed reassured. "That’s right! You can handle it," they said.

Raine felt a sense of determination. "If the quality only needs to be E-rank, we don’t have to be too precise. Let’s do this."

"Yes!" they agreed.

As they prepared to set off, Erika turned to Raine, "I’ll go home to prepare a bit."

"Alright. Take your time," Raine replied.

And with that, they set their plan into motion, hopeful that this endeavor would not only meet the urgent request but also restore some honor to their branch.