In the private room of Brews and Charm Alchemy store, Hilton, the store manager, asked, "May I see the potion you want to sell?"
Maximus pulled out a sample of a mystic potion, a tier 5 soul-mending potion, and a tier 5 blood rejuvenation potion.
Hilton calmly inspected the potions seriously, when he saw that it was a high-quality potion he only raise a brow.
After all Brews and Charms was a big establishment, albeit not on the same level as the EGCC.
They have several branches across the continent so a high-quality potion was not that of a big deal to them.
After inspecting, Hilton said calmly, "We recycle potions here at 80 percent of the price,"
While the offer was lower than that of the previous Elva potion shop, Maximus understood that being a big establishment, they received significant discounts when buying supplies from the EGCC.
Therefore, the price of potions bought from a private individual would naturally be lower.
"Alright, I want to sell 1000 mystic potions, 400 tier 5 soul-mending potions, and 400 tier 5 blood rejuvenation potions," Maximus said calmly, hoping to see a shocked expression on Hilton's face.
After all, these potions had cost him 340 million gold points, which was nearly all of his profits from his time at Elva's potion shop.
Hilton was momentarily stunned and asked Maximus to repeat the numbers. "Can you repeat that again?"
"I want to sell 1000 mystic potions, 400 tier 5 soul-mending potions, and 400 tier 5 blood rejuvenation potions," Maximus repeated, a satisfied tone in his voice as he observed Hilton's shocked expression.
Although Hilton was shocked, he was also excited.
Purchasing potions from the EGCC usually yielded only them 10 percent profit, even with the VIP discount due to their shop's level.
Taking a moment to calm down, Hilton requested to inspect the potions from Maximus.
Maximus retrieved the crates of potions from his storage ring, which he had just exchanged in the system mall.
Hilton spent half an hour meticulously examining each and every potion to ensure their quality, considering the substantial amount of money involved.
"I have inspected all of the potions, and they are all of high quality," Hilton declared slowly.
"You must be an alchemist to possess such a large quantity of potions," Hilton inquired.
"Yes, I am a tier 5 alchemist specializing in potions," Maximus introduced himself.
"In that case, I would like to extend an invitation to recruit you to our workshop. I'm confident that the benefits we offer will definitely satisfy you."
"Moreover, if you join us, we will purchase your potions at 85 percent of the price," Hilton said confidently.
After all, their faction was also a significant force, having a tier 7 transcendent mage as their leader.
"No, I don't want to join any faction for now," Maximus replied without hesitation.
What a joke. If he wanted to join a faction, why not join the EGCC workshop directly?
Although he might earn fewer magic crystals, at least his safety would be guaranteed, and there would be more resources available.
"Would you like to think about it some more, sir?" Hilton asked, not angry at Maximus' refusal.
After all, their alchemy store already had tier 5 and even tier 6 potioneering alchemists.
They were not lacking a tier 5 potioneering alchemist at the moment.
What intrigued Hilton about Maximus was how all his potions were of consistently high quality, almost like factory-produced items.
However, that was the extent of it. Other potioneering alchemists could achieve similar accuracy and quality if they focused solely on producing that type of potion.
But few alchemists dared to do so because, although it could bring in a significant amount of money, it would hinder their future progress.
Potioneering alchemists studied the combination of various plants and materials, and specializing in only a few potions could impede their advancement to higher ranks of alchemy.
Spending too much time on one specific area could create a mental block or slight misconceptions when studying other aspects in the future.
Therefore, most potioneering alchemists would study potions until they could produce high-quality ones and then move on unless they were geniuses who could master the potion-making process in a short amount of time.
...
"No, I'm used to being free and don't want to be tied to any faction," Maximus clarified firmly.
"That's unfortunate, sir. Then let's settle our business without any further delay," Hilton replied, smiling like a gentleman.
"The total amount for your potions comes to 3,040,000 low-magic crystals. Do you have a bank account so I can transfer the money?" Hilton asked.
"No, I just arrived here from the cursed continent. Can't we settle it in cash?" Maximus questioned, feeling puzzled.
Although there was a bank on the boat, Maximus, engrossed in his studies of mechanics, had forgotten to create a bank account.
Moreover, he was currently disguised as a different person, so even if he created a bank account it is useless.
"No, all our transactions must be done through a bank account. This rule is set by the EGCC," Hilton explained apologetically.
Hilton further elaborated on why bank transactions were mandatory.
It turned out that the EGCC used bank transactions to track taxes and their share of profits received annually.
For small shops, there was no need for bank transactions, as it was deemed cumbersome, especially considering that many businesses often went bankrupt, wasting precious resources.
The resources in question here were manpower, which the EGCC utilized to monitor shops.
If transactions were conducted in cash, shop owners could conveniently evade paying taxes.
Therefore, the EGCC decided to rank their affiliates based on the size of their business, similar to a VIP level for customers.
Those ranked from VIP 9 to VIP 7 did not require direct supervision but were obligated to pay a fixed amount of magic crystals annually based on their VIP level.
However, for higher-ranking affiliates, supervision was necessary, and bank transactions made the process more streamlined and manageable.
However, no establishment dared to complain, either they were powerless or didn't mind it much
Since they joined the EGCC, they were aware of the strict financial regulations.
Nevertheless, many chose to join because it was easier to accumulate wealth with the backing of such an organization.
While the EGCC collected their money, they also protected the shop owners' interests and provided unparalleled convenience.
...
"Ah, I see," Maximus nodded, now understanding the situation after Hilton's explanation.
"So, how do I go about registering a bank account?" Maximus inquired.
"It's quite simple. You just need to visit a bank and provide them with your identity token, and they will handle the registration process for you," Hilton explained.
"But since you are already here at our establishment, we will take care of your registration process free of charge."
"Well then, thank you for your assistance," Maximus replied, a smile forming on his face as he handed his identity token to Hilton.
He didn't have the slightest concern about them doing anything suspicious with his token.
The token, if not deliberately tampered with, can record anything in its surroundings unless it's in a special container or storage space.
And if he noticed that something was off, he could retrieve the recording history to find out what happened.
Moreover, in terms of privacy, only he had the ability to access his own identity token, unless someone with authority over the tokens was involved.
But even then, individuals had the freedom to lock their identity tokens, preventing anyone from accessing their history.
However, engaging in such behavior would likely result in prosecution, even without concrete evidence.
Maximus had to admit that the security measures in the central continent were impressive, surpassing those of his previous world.
After handing over his token, Hilton had some of the store staff process Maximus' bank registration.
...
After a while, the staff returned the token to Maximus.
Maximus inputted his mana into the token to check if there were any additions. The token displayed:
[Edward Williams:
Personal Information
Location log's
Bank Account
Options]
The identification token was becoming increasingly advanced, resembling a smartphone without many apps.
Previously, only personal information and location log's which tracked which city he had been, were in the token, along with options for customization.
But now, there was even a bank account section.
Maximus sensed that there was more to this token than met the eye.
After all, it was connected to the continental array, utilizing countless resources. It would be a waste if its functions were limited.
"Congratulations, sir. Your registration is complete," Hilton congratulated Maximus.
"Shall we proceed with the transaction?" Hilton asked.
"Sure," Maximus replied, presenting his identification token.
Hilton also took out a special token, likely the store token, and entered some numbers before tapping his token against Maximus'. The token vibrated, displaying:
[+3,040,000]
Looking at the number, he was filled with excitement, as 3 million magic crystals were worth 3 billion gold points when converted in the system.
You see, before he left the Sunburnt Plateau, he only had 10 million gold points, which he had earned from four months of income in the kingdom.
So, it was no wonder he couldn't contain his excitement when his wealth had multiplied three hundred times over.