As part of his winding down from almost being kidnapped in the dungeon Richard decided to splurge a little. There was a park in the city that was considered to be secure. Of course that meant that visiting came with a price. Like pretty much everything nowadays.

  Standing at the entrance Richard could see large expanses of grass bordered by trees. He sighed at how picturesque the scenery was. The bright sun beaming down brought with it a refreshing feeling and made it warm enough for a fall day. It wasn’t a large park. And it was possible to see the walls and buildings that surrounded all sides. But there was enough nature for it to be a nice place to pretend to get away.

  Inside the small wooded areas the sunlight filtered in, painting a scene that one would find in a fantasy book. The light wind blew the tree limbs to and fro, causing the beams of light to sway across the ground. It was a rare scene after the dungeon breaks. As who knew where monsters might be hiding or nesting.

  The group of heavily armed and armored Protectors walked the park. Eyeing each and every person, tree, and rock with suspicion. Grunting when greeted by the people walking the paths. They gave extra attention to anyone running or jogging the trails. Hands going to their weapons just in case. A scene that would have been at home in a dystopia right smack dab in the city park.

  Drones flew about the skies as if they were birds. Blitzing by when something of notice was found. Or hovering in place as silent protectors, watching and recording, looking for any signs of danger. The undersides were painted the same cerulean blue as the skies. To at least try to have them blend into the sky.

  There was never a way to be sure that a place was free of monsters. Mistakes had been made on that assumption in the past. People had paid for it. Richard plopped onto a bench in some shade and just people watched. The Protectors could be a little more friendly. The park fees that were stabbed into the wallets of anyone visiting went to them after all.

  He wasn’t rich enough to go out to the old nature reserves. Rumors had it that monsters that had avoided humans had gone deep inside and somehow started to become part of the local fauna of the land. Before the breaks wolves and bears could be encountered if one went to the right locations. Now who knows when one might run into a cabbit, or worse. The government claimed that it wiped out the goblins… but there is always a chance they missed one.

  His phone beeped while he was still sitting. 15 minutes were left of the time that Richard had already paid for. A whopping $4,500 for two hours. Sure it cost a lot to patrol the park. But having such an entry price would have put it out of reach for a lot of lower income people. Anyone on UBI wouldn’t be able to afford it. Maybe they were living in a dystopia after all.

  Richard stood and lightly jogged towards the gates. He needed to confirm his exit before he got dinged again from the park auto payments.

  ***

  At the end of their last play session Richard had asked Enigma to look into the Crafter’s Union for him. And there was an answer waiting for him when he returned home. The information on the deeper web was about what he had expected. Or really hoped would be the correct term to use. Since he had already joined the guild Richard didn't want to have to figure out a way to leave it safely.

  Enigma had found out who the founders were, what their goals were at the start, and how the current state of the guild portrayed them.

  The founders were a group of 50 crafters who wanted protection from the guilds. Which was common knowledge. What he didn’t know was that a number of the founding crafters had split off and tried to create a second guild, one that disappeared at one point in time or another. Speculation was that they either had a falling out and broke up, or were taken out by one of the red guilds.

  As for the goals, it really was just to provide a safe place. Only as time went on they became more focused on making connections for protection, as well as making money off of the crafters who joined them. They started out with the means of production, and then became the capitalists that exploited the works or others. But in a nice way, though not as nice as Swords were rumored to be. 4 day work weeks, benefits at start date, regular raises, after work socials, unlimited sick and vacation time.

  Richard found himself at a crossroads. Given he was already almost kidnapped once there was the choice to quit exploring. Shelve Alchemy. And to find a more traditional job. He didn’t like it of course. But it was the safe choice. While he would need a new career, it was the choice that would make sure that he would make it to a ripe old age before passing away.

  The other option was to dive deep in to the explorer world. Create or join a party who could be trusted to be there at his back. It didn't have to be at the Crafter’s Union, and if anything he would even consider going to another guild. As long as they gave him enough time off. But he also didn’t want to be stuck underground anywhere. Protected from the outside world like that would be almost as bad as becoming a slave for a red guild.

  Richard already knew that he wasn’t going to bother with the traditional job. Exploring was exciting to a point. Crafting with Alchemy gave him a sense of fulfillment. More so when he found and created new items. It wouldn't be as stable as a 9 to 5, but it would sure be a lot more lucrative. He stood, raised his arms at high as they would go and leaned back stretching. It was time to try and make a proper plan.

  ***

  “So what am I looking at?” Nora asked as she looked at the tray that Chuck had set down in front of her. “These… are potions.” She picked up each one for a moment and then placed them back. “System seems happy with them. What’s the issue?” They were in one of the meeting rooms on the Sales and Acquisitions floor of the Crafter’s Union. Every Week they would meet and discuss direction and anything blocking progress.

  “Oh there’s no issue,” Chuck said. “Except we don’t know how the vials were made. They have the same shape as the potions that drop in the dungeon. Which is new. But they also all appear to be made out of different materials.”

  Jarl took that moment to step forward. “From what we can tell they are comprised of Black Beetle Carapace, Blue Slime Core, and Cabbit Bones. Though we haven’t been able to figure out how they are made at all. Or even why the crafter used dungeon drops when glass bottles are so cheap.”

  “I see,” Nora said and tapped a finger against her lips. “I have an idea on why they were brought forward. Someone found a new way to create potion vials. Which isn’t too unusual. But they also appear to be made from drops.” She took each of the potions in hand again. “They also have different effects and qualities based on the vials and contents. Lasting and Burst are somewhat rare drops. But they are also awkward to use. What is the difference between the Vitality Potions? One is in a bone vial while the other is in a blue one.”

  A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

  “As far as the System is telling us, both through standard identification and Appraisal, all the potions are legit and there is no difference between the two Vitality ones. Moreover if someone has figured out how to make potions with new keywords it will push Alchemy forward by years,” Jarl said. “We need to see if the crafter will sell us the recipe. ”

  “And for that you need some budget eh?” Nora asked.

  “That, but also to see if we can’t bring him deeper into the guild. As he had just joined there is always a chance that he might find a better offer somewhere else. And that isn’t something that we can risk.”

  Nora turned to Chuck. “What do you think?”

  “I think that if there is a way to create rare potions then there might be a market for it. We would need to test and see if the guilds would be willing to buy them from us. There is also the problem with the poor and weak quality. If we can get our more experienced alchemists crafting the potions then we should be able to bump up to at least normal.”

  “So we don’t want to risk scaring him off. But also want the information he possesses. Let's send a little test first. Put in an order with the crafter for more of these potions and anything else he might be able to craft.”

  Chuck coughed into his hand. “A certain report has stated that a mana potion has also appeared using similar vials.”

  “Oh?” Nora raised one eyebrow. Probably from the Dungeon Center. All the guilds had planted people inside. But it was faux pas to ever admit it or do anything other than look. Guilds had been smashed in the past for trying to affect the government agency.

  “Yes. I got them to run a check on the crafter in question. He’s sold both a Healing and Mana Potion before.” So that was where Chuck’s nose was pointing to. Mana potions had only been drops so far. At times some would hit the market, but all poor quality. Someone somewhere had figured out how to make them. Someone outside of the Union. And they weren’t sharing the how.

  “Add mana potions to the test, otherwise keep distant so as not to spook him.”

  “Alright,” Chuck said with a nod.

  “What about the recipes? We need that knowledge as well,” Jarl was wringing his hands together and bouncing from foot to foot.

  “Leave it for now. We’ll see about buying the information off of him after the test lot. See what you can do with these potions for now,” Nora said and slid the tray across the table. With such a golden egg before them it wasn’t a wonder at Jarl’s haste and worry. They were in a position to gain more market share from their competitors. But that was only if the crafter had something for them to use.

  ***

  Richard had stepped out to get some supper. While cooking was rewarding enough, sometimes he just felt like having someone made by someone else. Also a new burrito place opened up the street over and he just had to try them. Reviews had been sketchy so far. But he was sure that it would be a banger.

  Just as he was unwrapping the burrito his phone buzzed. Only it wasn’t a notification sound that he remembered. The burrito was pretty good. While the chicken was a little bland the zesty salsa made up for a lot of shortcomings. The black beans were on point, as well the veggies, and the hot sauce. All in all a solid 4 out of 5. He’d go back next week to try a different one.

  After he finished cleaning up Richard picked up his phone and found that the noise was from the Crafter’s Union’s app. At first he thought that he might have done something to get into trouble. He didn’t feel like a proper alchemist in the slightest, maybe he was doing something wrong with the potions that he had sold? Only in the end it turned out to be an order for even more potions.

  Which was wild. Since he had only sold the 5 so far, the 3 Vitality potions, and the 2 healing potions. As he looked over the request it had 5 each of the potions he had sold so far. But also a request, if possible, for mana potions of the same types. The prices were around 10% better than what he was getting from the Dungeon Centers.

  It was all well and good to have something to keep him busy. But Richard wouldn't be able to make the Mana Potions without the Black Beetle Stomachs. And he sure as hell wasn't going back to that dungeon to farm them any time soon.

  Richard was reminded that he still had a bunch of material from the Beetle Dungeon. Some carapaces as well as a couple stomachs… Did he remember to pay the taxes on the items… He didn’t did he. They also didn’t ask him for them either… ugh. Everything had been crazy after he got away from the red guild. It must have slipped everyone’s mind.

  Richard worried about smuggling the items for a moment and then shrugged. Nothing doing about it. But thinking about how the Dungeon Centers worked, it was also possible to place a buy order right? He had heard that the other day.

  After a few minutes searching the DC website Richard found himself looking at the request form for drops. The price for the stomachs were more than what the DC bought them for. So $1,250 instead of $1,000. Was it just a 25% handling fee? Or was it a straight $250 extra?

  All he needed was the stomachs, the carapaces were something that he had enough of… no. He didn’t. He could however get them from the market for cheaper than ordering them from the DC.

  With a plan taking form Richard placed an order for the… wait. How many did he need? 15? Hrm, was that enough? If he needed more than he was either going to have to place another order, or go and get one himself. As last time neither the market nor the Crafter’s Union had any. Might as well make it 17 Black Beetle Stomachs.

  Next, did he have enough money for it all? After paying $21,250 for the stomachs Richard still would have around $190k left in the bank. That amount of money should be enough, it included his emergency fund and he would tap into it if needed. The total sale amount for the potions was too good to pass up and would put him in the black for years.

  Before he started anything though he needed to agree to the request first. He typed a quick reply and sent it off. Then he placed the order for the stomachs and took a look at what he had on hand. He should be able to create another couple of potions right?

  With his satchel in his lap Richard opened up the recipes list. First he created a Blue Core Vial and Cabbit Bone Vial. And then he created the yet to be created Weak Mana Potion+ and Poor Lasting Mana Potion. That should put him at 14 right?

  As if it were listening to his thoughts the window appeared with the requirements to level up Alchemy.

  Milestone Reached.

  Enough different items have been created. To unlock the requirements for the next level of Alchemy (Rank S). Craft additional items until you reach the goal.

  14/15

  Richard was so close. If only he had one more thing to make… He smacked his face when he saw it. There, right in front of him was the missing piece that he needed.

  Large Black Carapace Vial

  A large vial, required for some recipes.

  What those recipes were Richard wasn’t sure. It would suck if there wasn’t another recipe unlocked when he made the vial. As that he wasn’t keen on having such a thing just sitting around taking up space. But he also didn’t care about that at the moment. He was so close to leveling up. And he mashed his finger against the yes prompt as soon as it appeared to create the vial.