(Arin's POV)
The stinging smell of ammonia salts assaulted my nose, forcibly jerking consciousness back to the surface.
"Cough!"
I coughed, eyes snapping open. The first sight visible was Doctor Edna's tired yet relieved face, holding a small sharp-smelling bottle under my nose. Behind her, the night sky of the Northern Sector Forest was still dark, but now illuminated by the glow of magic light from Elena's staff.
"Do not die yet, Mr. CEO," whispered Edna sarcastically, helping me sit up. "Your main investor is waiting for the presentation."
My head still throbbed with dizziness due to blood loss, but the adrenaline from the situation forced consciousness to stay awake. I looked to the side.
Selena Rhyms stood there. She had lowered the hood of her disguise cloak, exposing her silver hair and noble face amidst this humid forest. Her golden eyes, identical to Elena's, were sweeping around our biopunk factory with a gaze hard to interpret.
There was disgust there. Naturally, this place was muddy, smelled of acidic fermentation, and was filled with piles of monster carcasses as fertilizer. For a Headmistress accustomed to marble floors and lavender perfume, this place was a pigsty.
However, her gaze stopped on one figure.
Ghislain Bassil was hanging from a low tree branch, caressing the pulsating Titan Pitcher Plant leaf as if it were a lover's cheek. The eye tentacle on his back writhed, staring back at Selena fearlessly.
"Ghislain..." mumbled Selena, her voice containing a mixture of dislike and reluctant acknowledgment.
"Selena," replied Ghislain casually, without honorifics. "You have aged, Witch Granny. The wrinkles around your eyes have added two lines since the last time you kicked me out of your boring tower."
Elena gasped in shock at that insolence, but Selena only snorted coldly. The two Sixth Circle mages stared at each other; there was a long history and complex academic rivalry between them.
"Enough with the silly reunion," I cut in, forcing myself to stand though my legs wobbled. Elena reflexively held my arm for support, her face full of worry.
"Arin, you are so pale..." whispered Elena. "Sit down first."
"I am fine, Lady," I said softly, releasing her grip gently but firmly. In front of Selena, weakness must not be shown. I had to appear as an equal business partner, not a patient needing pity.
I spread my arms toward the rows of dimly glowing plants and overflowing holding barrels.
"Welcome to your money factory, Madam Headmistress."
Selena shifted her gaze to me. Her noble mask was perfectly back in place.
"Money factory?" Selena stepped forward, the hem of her expensive robe sweeping the mud without care. She stared at the large wooden barrel full of liquid. "What I see is an illegal installation, violation of environmental ethics codes, and a bunch of lunatics playing with carnivorous plants. Explain to me, Arin. Why should I not burn this place down right now and send you all to isolation cells?"
I dragged my feet toward the rough workbench guarded by Edna. There, sample bottles were lined up ready.
"Because this place produces two things humans desire most: Health and Wealth," I answered confidently.
I took two glass bottles. One containing clear golden liquid shimmering beautifully, the other containing cloudy yellow liquid looking ordinary.
"Let's talk business," I began, placing both bottles under the magic light so Selena could see them clearly.
"First product: Type A - Premium."
I pointed to the bottle containing clear golden liquid.
"This is extracted directly from the Alpha Plant, the mother plant that has mutated perfectly with my blood. The quantity is very limited. In two weeks of non-stop hard work, we could only produce a hundred bottles."
Selena raised an eyebrow, unimpressed by the number. "A hundred bottles? That is not much."
"We prioritize quality, not quantity, Ma'am," I interrupted. "This liquid has the highest concentration of pure Penicillium reinforced with Grizzly Serum residue from my blood. Its effect is not only killing bacterial infections in hours but also triggering mild cellular regeneration. It is equivalent to the Alchemist Guild's Low Recovery Elixir, but without the side effect of mana dependency."
I looked straight into Selena's eyes.
"The target market is Nobles, Elite Knights, and High Officials who fear death. Selling price per bottle? One Gold Coin."
Selena's eyes blinked. One gold coin was an ordinary soldier's salary for months.
"Then this," I pointed to the second cloudy bottle. "Type B - Standard."
"This is the result of grafted plants. The regenerative properties of my blood are thinner here, so this liquid does not heal external wounds. However, its antibiotic ability remains intact. It is purely an internal disease killer. Fever, lung infection, blood poisoning post-childbirth... this is the cure."
My index finger pointed to the pile of barrels behind.
"The quantity is abundant. Two hundred bottles already packaged. And inside those barrels... there are an estimated four thousand more doses we haven't had time to bottle. Grafted plants grow wild and fast like weeds."
"Four thousand?" muttered Elena in shock.
"The price?" asked Selena sharply.
"Five to ten Silver Coins," I answered. "Cheap and affordable for low-ranking soldiers, market traders, even farmers who save a little. Our target is volume. The common people."
Selena fell silent. Her face was expressionless, but her eyes moved fast, left to right, as if reading an invisible financial balance sheet in the air. She was a great mage, but before that, she was the head of a noble family managing thousands of hectares of land and mines.
I let her be. Let the math speak.
"A hundred gold bottles... that is a hundred Gold Coins," mumbled Selena softly, her voice barely a whisper. "Four thousand silver bottles times five... that is twenty thousand silver. Equivalent to two hundred Gold Coins."
Her breath hitched for a moment.
"Three hundred Gold Coins... in two weeks? Without mining costs?"
Selena turned to me with a different gaze. The disparaging look from earlier vanished, replaced by the predator's gaze that had just smelled enticing fresh blood.
"The capital?" she asked quickly.
"Just trash," I answered while spreading my arms. "Free monster carcasses from the forest, river water, and a little scrap glass. The biggest operational cost is just the unpaid labor of the four of us."
Selena took a step back, as if struck by that fact. She stared around the forest again. This time, she did not see mud and stench. She saw a gold mine that didn't need digging.
"The crystal mine in the South..." Selena spoke to herself, calculations running fast in her head. "Needs a thousand workers. Needs heavy equipment, security costs, royal taxes, and landslide risks. The profit margin is only thirty percent after deducting operations. And most annoyingly, that resource could run out in ten years."
She pointed to the wooden barrels containing cloudy liquid.
"Then this? The profit margin is almost ninety-five percent."
"And Your Excellency can continue cultivating the main ingredient without worrying about running out of resources," I continued teasing. "As long as this forest exists, money will flow."
Selena's body trembled. Not from cold, but from suppressed excitement. Pure greed of a noble seeing a market monopoly opportunity.
"And remember, Ma'am," I whispered, delivering the final blow. "This is just a quarter of the Academy Forest territory which is narrow and limited by rules. Imagine... imagine if we move this method to the Northern Forest in Duke Rhyms' territory. Thousands of hectares of unused monster forest. Millions of plants that can be turned into incubators. We can supply medicine for the entire continent. We will dominate the continent in pharmaceuticals."
Silence.
The night wind blew, swaying the dimly glowing Titan Pitcher leaves.
Selena took a deep breath, trying to calm her heartbeat. She looked at me, then at Ghislain, then at the gold bottle on the table.
"Beautiful business theory, Arin," said Selena, her voice controlled again though there was a tremor of enthusiasm there. "But I am not a market trader easily fooled by sweet talk. How do I know this 'cloudy water' is truly effective? Alchemist Guild potions work instantly. If your medicine takes a week to work, no one will want to buy it for five silver."
That doubt was natural. She needed empirical proof.
"Professor Ghislain," I called.
Ghislain jumped down from the tree with movements too agile for a hunched old man. He landed silently next to the table, grinning widely.
"I have been waiting for you to ask that, Old Hag," chuckled Ghislain. "You are always skeptical."
He took out a small iron cage from under his dirty robe. Inside, there were two large rats looking pathetic. Their fur was falling out, their skin full of pus-filled boils, and their breathing was ragged.
"I injected these two rats with Rot-Blight yesterday afternoon. Flesh-eating bacteria commonly found on Zombie teeth," explained Ghislain casually, as if discussing the weather. "Without treatment, they will die in an hour from now, their internal organs melting into mush."
Elena covered her mouth, horrified seeing the condition of the rats. "That is cruel, Professor."
"Science needs sacrifices, Little Lady," answered Ghislain indifferently.
"Rat A," Ghislain pointed to the rat on the left which was no longer moving, "I let it be natural. It will die shortly."
"Rat B," he pointed to the right rat still squeaking weakly.
Ghislain took a pipette, sucked a little Type B (Standard) liquid from Arin's bottle, then dripped it into the rat's mouth.
"Witness the miracle of biology, Selena. Not magic, but microscopic war."
We all moved closer, observing the cage intently.
Minutes passed.
Rat A convulsed once, then stiffened and ended up dead. Black pus began to ooze from its eyes.
But Rat B...
Initially, its breathing was still heavy. But ten minutes later, its breathing began to regulate. Fifteen minutes later, the rat began to move, scratching its nose. The inflamed red color on its skin began to fade noticeably.
Ghislain took out a magic magnifying glass projecting the condition of the rat's blood into the air in a simple hologram form.
"Look," pointed Ghislain at the black spots in the hologram being attacked by white spots. "This antibiotic does not regenerate cells like a Potion. It does something crueler: It slaughters the cause of the disease. It destroys bacterial cell walls, making them explode from the inside."
Ghislain turned to Selena, grinning crazily.
"You are a great mage, Selena. You know how difficult it is to cure Rot-Blight with holy magic. Needs a high-level priest to purify it. But this yellow liquid costing five silver? It does it without prayer, without mana, only with pure chemical reaction."
Selena was transfixed staring at the rat now starting to drink water in its cage. The rat was alive and returning to health.
The visual impact was undeniable.
"Amazing..." whispered Elena, her eyes sparkling with admiration. "This will change everything. People no longer need to go to temples and pay expensive donations just to recover from infection."
Selena lifted her face. This time, there was no more doubt. Her golden eyes flashed sharply, full of future vision. She saw the glory of the Rhyms Family soaring high, surpassing the Benzzi family, maybe even rivaling the Kingdom's wealth itself.
"Arin," called Selena. Her voice was firm, professional, and authoritative.
"Yes, Ma'am?"
"Prepare the contract. We will move this project to the North as soon as possible. I want a full monopoly."
I smiled in relief. The big fish had taken the bait.
"Certainly. But..." I pointed to the chaos behind me. Piles of large barrels containing thousands of liters of raw antibiotics. "We have a short-term problem, Ma'am."
"What else?"
"Look at this," I said, patting one of the barrels. "We have a stock of four thousand doses ready to sell. But look at us."
My index finger pointed to Karim sleeping while standing leaning against a tree, snoring loudly. Then to Edna whose hands were trembling from exhaustion sealing bottles. And myself, pale as a walking corpse.
"We are only four people. We do not have hands to bottle all this. If left in open barrels until tomorrow morning, oxidation will ruin the quality. We will lose thousands of gold overnight due to labor shortage."
A serious gaze was directed at Selena.
"We need laborers, Ma'am. But this is a secret project. I cannot hire random students. If this secret leaks to the Alchemist Guild before our product hits the market, they will burn this place and kill us all."
Selena nodded understandingly. She looked around, realizing how overwhelmed our small team was. This was no longer a school experiment. This was a strategic industry in critical condition.
"You are right. This cannot be handled by amateurs," muttered Selena. She raised her right hand, revealing the Rhyms family seal ring on her finger.
"Do not worry about labor. Starting tonight, this is no longer your own project. It is a Rhyms Family project."
Selena rubbed her ring.
"I will summon the Shadow Servants."
Elena gasped. "Grandmother? Shadow Servants? That mute special force? To bottle medicine? That is an assassination squad!"
"To secure assets," corrected Selena. "They are loyal to death, cannot speak, and work faster than machines."
Selena whispered a spell to her ring.
In seconds, shadows around the trees in the forest began to writhe. From the darkness, dozens of figures in tight black clothes with faces covered by masks emerged. They made no sound, had no presence aura.
"Pack all this," ordered Selena coldly to the shadows. "Prepare for transport to the main Rhyms warehouse before sunrise. Do not spill a single drop."
The Shadow Servants bowed in unison, then moved with terrifying speed and efficiency. They began working, bottling, sealing, and packing the medicines in silence. Our logistical problem was solved in the blink of an eye thanks to the power of money and authority.
I sighed a long breath, leaning limply against a wooden barrel.
"We did it, Partner," I whispered to myself. "We are rich."
The atmosphere in the forest changed to bright optimism. Elena smiled at me, Karim woke up due to the sound of activity and looked relieved seeing help arrive.
We won. My business plan was a huge success. A bright future awaited.
However, fate had a bad sense of humor.
Just as I was about to celebrate this victory by asking Edna to treat me to coffee...
BZZZT... BZZZT... BZZZT...
A strange vibrating sound broke the silence of the night. Not from one source, but from three directions at once.
Selena, Karim, and Edna jolted simultaneously.
They reached into their respective robe pockets. They took out the same object: A thin metal plate with a communication crystal blinking bright red.
The same object Karim took out back then when going to court. An emergency communication device specifically for senior Academy staff.
"This..." Selena's face, previously full of business victory, suddenly turned deathly pale. Her hand trembled holding the device.
"Red Signal?" whispered Karim in horror. "Emergency call for all medical and combat staff? Is there a dragon attack?"
They lifted the devices to their ears simultaneously. I could not hear the voice on the other end, but I saw Edna's expression change from confused to horrified.
"What?!" shrieked Edna. "Quarantine?! How many victims?!"
Selena lowered her hand slowly. Her eyes were empty, staring toward the Student Dormitory in the distance which looked peaceful yet held terror.
"Grandmother?" called Elena anxiously. "What is it? Who attacked? Monsters?"
Selena shook her head slowly. Her voice trembled, losing its authority.
"Not monsters, Elena. There are students infected by a plague."
"Plague?" I asked, feeling a bad premonition piercing my stomach.
Edna stepped forward, her face horrified. "Report from boys' and girls' dormitories. Five students found in critical condition. Their skin..." Edna swallowed hard. "...their skin and flesh turned into rusted metal."
"Flesh turning into rust?" I repeated.
"It is the Blood Rust Plague," cut Selena, her eyes flashing with anger and fear. "A biological poison typical of the Iron Blood Sect. Victims will feel their blood boil, then their flesh harden and rust until they become rotting iron statues."
Iron Blood Sect.
The kingdom's sworn enemy. Terrorists who used human bodies as experimental material.
"They infiltrated the Academy..." whispered Karim, his hand gripping his sword hilt until it turned white. "This is not a physical attack, but bioterrorism."
Selena looked at us all.
"Pack your things. Evacuate this area. This plague spreads via blood and air contact. If we do not isolate it tonight, Lion Academy will become an iron graveyard tomorrow morning."
I stared at the antibiotic bottle in my hand. Then looked at Ghislain who was actually smiling widely hearing the word "plague."
"Sect-made plague..." I mumbled.
"That means it is not pure curse magic. It is engineered bacteria," replied Ghislain casually.
Amidst that panic, I realized one thing.
The real test for my medicine factory was not the market, but the death creeping in the student dormitory.