Adam responded to Hao Jun's question with a question of his own.

"Mr. Hao, the arrangement was for me to teach you the recipe, was it not?"

"True, and you have," responded Hao Jun. "But remember, I cannot give you the lumber until I can craft the recipe you showed to me. And it has to be at least an average grade."

"That applies to all nine recipes."

"Yes, that is correct," confirmed Adam. "And I have no intention of demanding for the lumber until you can craft the potion to your desired grade."

"I still need to teach you 8 more recipes, but you said you wanted to master this first one," continued Adam. "And so I will wait until you are ready for the next recipe."

"Now that I've shown you the full preparation method, I'm sure you will learn to craft them yourself if you dedicate the time to do so."

Nine recipes that Hao Jun can craft at least with an average grade in exchange for twelve thousand lumber. That was the deal.

But there was nothing that indicated that Adam had to stay here until Hao Jun could create the average-grade potions.

Adam is well within his right to leave since Hao Jun decided to focus on the first recipe before learning the other eight.

If the first factor that Hao Jun did not take into account was that the potion recipe Adam is showing is meant for single-bottle production, this is the second factor that he did not take into account.

Adam never intended to watch over Hao Jun while he tried to craft the potions himself.

"HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA!"

Once again, Hao Jun started laughing loudly and uncontrollably.

This time, the guards did not enter the hut; they must've been given instruction beforehand not to disturb them unless he specifically asked for their help.

"I underestimated you, Mr. Mianju," said Hao Jun after he stopped laughing. "You are correct. You can go now if you want to."

"We agreed on a lesson showing how to create nine potions," concluded Hao Jun while nodding to himself. "But our agreement did not require you to guide me every step of the way."

"You certainly have no reason to stay here if you're not showing me a recipe. You are only obligated by our agreement until such time I ask for the rest of the recipes.

Hao Jun assumed that Adam would stay to teach him every step and monitor him until he could craft the average-grade potion.

He thought Adam would want to secure the lumber at the soonest time possible.

In truth, Hao Jun is half right and half wrong, at least in that particular regard.

Adam would certainly want to acquire the lumber as soon as he can. However, it is not so urgent and he can certainly afford to wait until after he also has the means to secure the ore. After all, the ore is the more time-consuming to secure between the two items.

Besides, Adam never imagined guiding Hao Jun with every single step. He would show him the recipe, then he would let Hao Jun work on his own how to do it by himself.

And when Hao Jun can craft all potions into average grades, he will get his lumber.

That was always how he envisioned the transaction would be.

Adam had enough respect for the future Saint Alchemist not to guide him in his baby steps in alchemy.

But to Hao Jun, this is not what it looked like.

To him, Adam appeared as a shrewd businessman who would only do what is the barest minimum required to hold his end of the bargain.

It has been a long time since somebody managed to blindside him like this. And instead of feeling enraged or humiliated, he took this as a learning opportunity.

He assumed that Adam needed the lumber as soon as possible. But now that he thought about it further, Adam never made any such claims.

Adam's tone and gestures seemed to suggest that he was in a rush, but Hao Jun now realized that maybe that was a ploy to make him assume such.

The proof is that Adam is willing to wait.

There is no point in complaining or being mad about it. He gracefully accepted being outwitted in a business deal.

"As you say, Mr. Mianju," said Hao Jun with a tone of defeat. "It is my fault for assuming more than what we agreed upon."

While he is a prideful man, he knows when he is beaten. He wrongfully assumed something so crucial, there is no denying that fact.

"I did say that I would wait until I've mastered this first recipe, but I had a sudden change of heart and would like to see the other recipes now."

Adam remained silent.

"In exchange for the sudden change of plan, I am willing to compensate you in monetary terms. What do you say, Mr. Mianju?"

Adam listened silently. He is very glad that his face is covered for it is taking everything not to burst out laughing.

He had no idea what thought process brought this on the old man, but he had no reason to decline the opportunity to earn extra cash.

He was originally planning to craft his potions to trade with the ore. But demonstrating all nine recipes in one day is no issue to him.

And so, Adam began to show every one of the remaining eight recipes.

Of course, Hao Jun is recording the entire process- it is one of the things both parties agreed upon.

This is why there is no risk of Hao Jun forgetting a crucial step as he can simply reference the recording of the demonstration.

It took a total of 12 hours to demonstrate all of the recipes, but Adam has done it and he has completely fulfilled his end of the bargain.

Now, it is up to Hao Jun to craft the potion to his desired grade.

"Very well, Mr. Hao," said Adam. "I look forward to when you can craft these potions."

To Adam, it is a foregone conclusion that the future Saint Alchemist will be able to craft these basic potions.

But to Hao Jun, he felt like Adam's lack of interest in making sure he could craft it at the soonest time possible was a brilliant move to put the pressure squarely solely on Hao Jun.

If he takes long to craft the potions, Adam won't get his lumber. But Hao Jun would appear incompetent.

If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it's taken without the author's consent. Report it.

On the other hand, if he was able to craft it as soon as possible, the only thing for Adam to gain is the lumber he was already expecting to begin with.

There is now zero burden of performance on Adam after demonstrating all nine recipes. It is now up to Hao Jun to master these recipes.

Hao Jun had long since learned that the true brilliance of a man is determined by how much he can influence with just the fewest actions. Adam's actions impressed him, even if he was on the receiving end of it.

From this point forward, his interaction with Hao Wei will be to trade his crafted potions in exchange for ores.

But for now, it is time for them to conclude their meeting.

Adam and Hao Jun shook hands.

"Until we meet again, Mr. Mianju," said Hao Jun. "I look forward to trading potions with you."

"Thank you, Mr. Hao," replied Adam. "I, too, am looking forward to our trade."

Then, he left the cavern by tearing a teleportation scroll.

***

Adam arrived at the workshop.

He originally planned to craft potions all day, but the entire day was unexpectedly used to craft every single recipe. But it's not so bad as this means he now has one less thing to worry about now.

And so, Adam immediately began preparing his batch of potions.

Since he had been working non-stop for the past several days, he decided to simply prep everything for crafting and just start the process at a later time.

For the next few hours, Adam chopped, sliced, peeled, and plucked every single component of ingredients that he would need.

After that, he logged out and checked the auction house.

Hao Jun said he'll be compensated for his time.

[You have received $10,000.00 from the Hao Wei Guild Store. All transaction fees have been covered by the sender.]

It is clear as day that Hao Jun is generous when he sees value in someone.

He transferred the funds immediately to his bank account and decided to call it a day.

Due to the quests and deals he made with Hao Jun, he had been in-game and in the auction house for far too long for the past several days.

Adam logged out. He wants nothing more than to get some real sleep for a change.

***

"Finally! You're up from that coffin."

The first thing he heard upon exiting his gaming pod was a female voice.

It was Selene. And it appears she's busy setting something up in the kitchen.

"Hey, Sis," greeted Adam as he was stretching. "What's up?"

He put on some pants and a shirt to cover himself while Selene was busy setting something up in the kitchen.

"Well, I've pretty much been crashing here for the past few days," shrugged Selene. "Your place is closer than the apartment I got. It was the best I could get with my money."

Ironically, it was the new doctor who had less budget than an aspiring gamer who was disowned by their father.

The reason for this is simple: student loans. It is the cross that most American college graduates will have to bear for the better part of their adult life. Since Adam did not end up going to med school, the student loan he had to take was canceled.

Of course, a student loan won't matter much for another reason, though only Adam knows that at this point

That is why Selene had to pick a cheaper apartment, though it came at the cost of being three times farther from her workplace than Adam's apartment. She couldn't share an apartment with her twin, Keira, they are just too different to be able to live in the same place.

"I bought some dinner. Want some?"

"Thanks! Yeah, I'm starving," replied Adam enthusiastically.

As usual, the pair ate in silence. No taking of pictures, no shallow talks. They started their meal, and they finished it.

Only then did they resume talking. Adam gestured for Selen to follow him on the balcony; it has become a habit of Adam to light a cigarette after every meal.

"So, what have you been up to?" asked Selene. "You've been in there for far too long."

"Been busy with making and selling stuff," said Adam shortly. "One thing after another. But I earned quite some money from the whole deal."

"How much?"

Selene couldn't help but ask out of curiosity.

In response, Adam showed her his bank account details.

He currently has around $60,000 to his name. On top of the 10 grand that Hao Jun just sent, his potions have also been selling at good prices.

Adam knows he'll earn more once the rest of the potions he scheduled to be auctioned have been released.

"How is that possible?" exclaimed Selene, somewhat enviously. "You earn more than I do!?"

A fresh graduate neurosurgeon would typically earn around $180 to 200 grand a year, or about $16 grand a month. However, the salary that she would earn would mostly go through paying off her student loan. Or at least, that's what it would be for her for the next few years until she pays off her loan. Contrast that to Adam whose earnings all belong to him.

But what Selene meant was that Adam's earnings after a month of playing are close to what their father earns as an experienced neurosurgeon.

"You know what this means, don't you?" said Selene. "If you can keep up that kind of earning, you'll have proven yourself many times over to father."

"Nah," said Adam nonchalantly. "I don't particularly care about that."

Of course, from Selene's perspective, Adam could just have gotten lucky and struck gold early on. His future earnings may not be as high as what he just earned.

But it's not a question of if for Adam. At this point, the monetary gain in-game is just starting to gain momentum.

He can very easily maintain this kind of income with little to no issue even if he focused on nothing but crafting potion for the next three years.

For one thing, his potions will always be in demand. Since the quality of potions he's selling is always above everyone else, he can net a good profit even if he can only produce in limited amounts. And for another, he estimates that he can earn an easy 20 grand, at the bare minimum, from all the class tomes and various rare items he has in his inventory.

On that note, he made a mental note to delay the auction of the superb-grade potions by a few more weeks. This way, he'd earn more long-term if he let the notable grade potion dominate the market.

"I'm just happy that I've made the first step towards independence," continued Adam. "In a few months, I'm planning to leave this apartment and move. But for now, we can be roommates."

"Really?" asked Selene in surprise. "I do like the place- it's close to the hospital. But why would you leave?"

"I want to have my place," responded Adam. "As in my own house."

"Maybe a bigger place, something with a huge warehouse I can stock up on."

"What for?" inquired Selene.

"You'll see," said Adam simply. "I'm just building my foundation, you know?"

Water, non-perishable food, clothes, medical supplies, weapons, and among other things. More importantly, he also needs to secure real-world ingredients that will later become important for alchemical recipes.

That is what Adam meant by building his foundation.

While there are still 2 years and 11 months before the apocalypse, he can never start too early in securing resources.

Although Adam was vague in his answer, Selene knew him enough to realize that he had a specific plan in mind.

"Do you need a real estate agent?" she asked.

"Actually, yes," responded Adam. "Do you know someone?"

"Yeah, I know someone," said Selene. "I'll send you her contact info."

More specifically, Adam needs several properties.

They don't have to be a mansion, but they have to be something that he can customize to be as apocalypse-resistant and ready as possible.

Adam would need several bases that he could operate from and each would need to have sufficient supplies to sustain him as well as anyone else he would bring, for extended periods. He can vividly remember the areas where it remained relatively safe so he has to prioritize those when buying properties.

Some of the areas are affordable. That is, provided he can quadruple his current money.

However, some locations are incredibly expensive. He will have to be a multi-millionaire to even hope to have a chance of securing a property on these sites.

But he has no choice. He has to have a property in each of the confirmed safe locations.

After giving him the real estate's contact details, Selene went back to work.

As for Adam, he immediately started writing an email explaining what type of property he wanted.

Of course, he only mentioned that he wants one property. With his money, no real estate would take him seriously if he said he wanted multiple properties. Especially if some of the locations he wants are areas where the rich own properties.

On the subject of buying property, he has about a year to accumulate enough funds to buy a very specific property he knows will be put up for sale very soon.

Fortunately, the financial aspect is a factor that would naturally sort itself out as time goes on. He has already made plans on how to go about it but he'll have to review and revise as needed.

But for now, there is nothing urgent for him to attend to; the potions can wait for a day or two.

And so he crashed into his couch and went to sleep. He slept for 12 hours.