This Life, I Will Be the Protagonist
Chapter 757 - 757: 757: Divine Game – Card Swap 6

Walking through the marketplace, Mistblade clutched her tail protectively, wary of passing shoppers trying to sneak in a pat.

"Shouldn't you go get certified?" she asked.

Rita groaned. "But where? Is there even a place to get certified in this town? Does it cost money?"

Fat Goose chimed in, "I heard only big cities offer that. My… my father's an alchemist. The nearest Alchemy Guild is in Asaein. Three days by carriage. About half a month on foot."

Rita and Mistblade turned to him in unison. "Your father is an alchemist?!"

Back when Rita started brewing potions, both Mistblade and Fat Goose had asked if she could teach them.

Rita's head was full of knowledge and formulas—endless formulas.

A person holding a treasure trove doesn't mind being generous.

But not yet.

She needed to keep her uniqueness in this party. So she said no.

Still, neither Mistblade nor Fat Goose had given up.

In fact, it was probably that shared hunger to learn and improve that brought the three of them together in the first place. Their personalities made it impossible to just let a learning opportunity slip by.

Mistblade even offered to trade. She shared a scentcraft recipe she had just learned—an incense that masked one's scent. Incredibly useful for someone like Rita who slept outdoors. It could keep wild animals away.

Fat Goose offered his own "tuition." Not only did he provide a professional alchemy cauldron, he also handed over a spatial pouch that could store four items—an absolute treasure that no way came from a dumpster.

Even though it couldn't stack items, and only held four things regardless of type, it was still a spatial pouch!

Rita had never even seen one before. She was swayed instantly.

After accepting her payment, she agreed to teach them how to brew Basic Agility Potions.

But Basic Healing Potions? Absolutely not. No matter how high the price, she wouldn't teach that one—not until she'd saved enough to pay for school. It was the most valuable and advanced potion she could make with the ingredients currently available.

Mistblade and Fat Goose were still satisfied.

But… their talent levels were on completely different planets.

Mistblade picked up the process in just three demonstrations.

Fat Goose, on the other hand—Rita brewed thirty bottles of Basic Strength Potion just so she could walk him through it thirty times. Then watched him fail seven batches in a row.

Every single one. Total disaster.

It was like he was cursed when it came to alchemy.

Rita had already argued with him about it more times than she could count.

Of course, refunds were off the table.

And that's exactly why the revelation that Fat Goose's father was an alchemist shocked them both so much.

Hands stuffed in his pockets, Fat Goose stared at the ground as he walked. "Yeah… why?"

Even though Scarlett had told her, "If someone doesn't talk about something, it means they don't want to," Rita always thought Scarlett was full of it.

If that were true, then why did Scarlett always ask about her allowance spending even when Rita didn't bring it up?

So even though Fat Goose clearly didn't want to say more, Rita gave in to her curiosity and asked anyway.

"Is he… your real dad?"

Mistblade: "…"

Fat Goose fell silent. Honestly, he didn't know.

Even though this world's version of his father looked exactly like the one in No-Light—no, it was called Lania Kaia now—he couldn't bring himself to admit that domineering Candlebeast was his dad.

And he definitely didn't want to admit that spineless Candlebeast was his mom.

Mistblade, however, had another concern. "Why didn't you say something earlier? If we knew, we could've used your dad as a cover."

"That won't work," Fat Goose shook his head. "Everyone in Gilane knows he doesn't do alchemy anymore. And he definitely won't teach me."

Rita was about to say something when a strange feeling washed over her.

An animal's instinct—someone was following them.

She turned to Mistblade, who was already frowning at her, clearly sensing the same thing.

And then, a voice behind them:

"Are you still selling potions?"

The three kids exchanged a surprised look and spun around.

It was a treasure hunter—a tall and striking one. But unlike most hunters, who looked grim and intimidating, this one had a soft, gentle smile that made her beautiful features feel less distant and overwhelming.

Rita and the others had tried approaching hunters before. Most gave off a menacing vibe that made them hard to approach.

The rare few who looked approachable just laughed in their faces when they explained what they were selling.

But this one crouched down to their level as they ran over, easing the pressure of her tall frame.

Fat Goose practically jumped in place. "Yes! Do you want to buy some?"

"I heard they're cheaper than market price, right?" the hunter said with a bright grin, not even bothering to hide her financial situation.

Rita nodded but decided to be upfront this time, not wanting another disappointment.

"I don't have a license. If you want more than three bottles, I can let you taste a bit first to verify the quality."

"No problem," the hunter said. "You've got magic food too, right?"

Fat Goose lit up and bounced again, pulling out a pack of little bread buns and handing it over.

"Yes! Try it! It's really amazing!"

Rita felt something was off—but she couldn't say what.

Something about the situation tickled her instincts. Like they'd made a mistake somehow.

But the excitement of finally landing their first customer drowned out any doubts.

The hunter opened the pack of bread in front of them, tore off a piece, and chewed slowly.

Her smile deepened.

"I'll take it. One hundred gold. I want 200 bottles of Basic Healing Potions, 50 bottles of Basic Strength Potions, and 100 portions of magic food. Is that doable?"

All three of them forgot how to breathe for a second.

Their first order. If it worked, they could even offer free samples to this hunter in exchange for spreading the word.

That meant their business plan was viable.

Rita and Fat Goose locked eyes and did the math fast.

One day: 150 gold.

Ten days: 1,500.

One month of 21 workdays: 3,150 gold.

As the creators, they could keep 80% of the earnings. The remaining 20% would be shared with any teammates who helped out—unless their abilities were essential to the job, in which case they wouldn't get paid separately.

Their eyes practically turned into gold coins.

Mistblade had to jump in to keep the negotiation from going off the rails.

"That's too low. A Basic Healing Potion goes for 50 silver at potion shops. Sure, she doesn't have a license, but the effects are the same. Ours go for 40 silver. Basic Strength Potion? 70 silver. Just those two add up to 115 gold. And you want a hundred portions of magic food too. That's at least another 150."

The hunter raised an eyebrow.

"Can you deliver today?"

That… was the question.

Mistblade turned to Rita.

They had enough magic food.

But the potions? Not even close.