Lila returned in the early afternoon, just as Justin joined Tamsin and Rita with their chores. They had protested at first, but he insisted he had nothing better to do and genuinely wanted to help.

By the time Lila walked in, the front showroom and the adjoining retail space were spotless.

"Justin!" she called.

Justin stepped out to meet her. "Back already?"

She was practically glowing with excitement. Tamsin and Rita paused their window cleaning to join them.

"I found a seller in the Merchant District almost immediately," Lila continued, her green eyes bright with anticipation. "A Level 15 Alchemist who, guess what? He's closing his shop!"

"Is he, now? Did he say why?"

"He did, but I'll get to that later. The point is, he had an Alchemist core ready to sell, and we struck a deal on the spot." She produced the blue, glowing orb from her pouch. "I haven't absorbed it yet; I was waiting for you. This is our venture together, after all. I wanted to share in all the excitement."

Justin felt a surge of appreciation for her thoughtfulness. "Ready when you are."

Lila nodded, took a deep breath, and closed her eyes. The core dissolved in her hands with a brilliant flash of blue light that began to interact with the yellow radiance of her existing Bard class. Instead of the expected combination of blue, yellow, or even green, the two energies created something entirely transcendent—a shimmering, prismatic luminescence that seemed to contain every color and none at once.

The entire shop was bathed in that brilliant radiance, causing Tamsin and Rita to shield their eyes while staring in wonder. The light pulsed rhythmically, like a heartbeat made visible, and Justin could feel power crackling in the air around them.

Several minutes passed before the light began to fade, leaving only a faint afterglow around Lila's form.

"All done," she said.

"How do you feel?" Justin asked.

Lila opened her eyes with a smile. "Different. Enhanced. It's almost like I can feel the potential in my mind." She paused, a smile spreading across her face. "The Alchemist said I wouldn't start with any alchemical knowledge, but my ability to acquire it would be greatly accelerated. So, I guess that officially makes me a Songbrewer."

"Congratulations," Justin said warmly. "What did you get for your class skill and class boon?"

"My class skill is called 'Song of Elevation,'" Lila explained. "Once per day, I can sing it to ensure my next crafted item will be of one higher quality than it would otherwise be."

Justin's eyes widened. "That sounds good!"

"That's not even the best part. My class boon is 'Harmonic Infusion.' I can infuse my crafted potions with the powers of my Bardic abilities. Any song effect I know—attribute buffs and the qualities of my boons and skills—can be brewed into potions. Imagine a potion that increases the power of ranged attacks from my Rhythmic Barrage skill or resets cooldowns with my Encore Performance skill. It's all possible now."

"Revolutionary," Justin breathed. "How strong are the effects? That means you can make a potion that resets a cooldown?"

"I interpret it to mean there may be some limits, though I'm not certain what they are. Sometimes, particularly powerful potions cannot be stacked back to back. It will require some tinkering and experimentation, and a lot of reading. My new class will allow me to absorb related knowledge easily, as is the case with all crafting classes. I do know that the power of the boon scales with my Charisma and Intellect attributes, so they should be quite powerful initially and will only grow stronger as I advance. I'm definitely going to have to start investing in Intellect to catch up."

Justin ran a hand through his hair, his mind racing with possibilities. "We completely missed this in our planning session. You're going to need an alchemy table and all the necessary equipment. I was so focused on the enchanting angle, but what you have... that's the money maker. At least to start off with."

"Already handled," Lila interrupted with a smile. "That's why this took longer than just buying the core. The Alchemist who sold it to me—Mr. Kilgan—is closing shop and looking to liquidate his supplies. I made him an offer right there, not just for the core but for all his equipment and inventory. I thought, why source everything individually when it's all right there, ready to go? If you approve, we'll start with not only a substantial inventory to sell but also his entire workshop setup: tables, flasks, distillation equipment, and a significant stock of crafting materials and ingredients, plus the potions he hasn't sold yet." Her smile widened. "Oh, and he'll provide some consulting too, so I can avoid a lot of mistakes. He'll be a valuable source of insight."

It all sounded too good to be true. What were the odds that Lila found the Alchemist who was looking to sell? "This is a huge break, Lila."

"I know!" Lila's excitement bubbled over as she explained. "Honestly, I almost walked past his shop because it looked closed—shutters half-drawn, no customers inside. But then I noticed him through the window, frantically packing things into crates. When I went in to ask about purchasing a core, he looked so relieved to see a potential customer that I knew something was up."

She paused, gathering her thoughts. "His hands were shaking slightly during the transactions. Plus, there were empty spaces on his shelves, like he was struggling to stay stocked. He was clearly just trying to stay afloat. The rent in that area is probably a lot higher than ours."

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Justin nodded, the picture becoming clearer. "Desperate seller, motivated to move inventory quickly."

"Exactly. When I mentioned I was starting a new alchemy practice and needed supplies, his eyes lit up like I'd just offered him salvation. He started talking about how much he'd invested in his equipment, how he hated to see it go to waste, and how he needed to settle his debts before..." She trailed off, then shrugged. "Well, before whatever consequences he's facing catch up with him."

"And you think his situation is legitimate? Not some elaborate con?"

"The relief on his face was genuine," Lila replied. "He showed me around and explained a few things once I mentioned I wanted to become a Songbrewer. It looked high-quality, well-maintained, and had extensive ingredient stocks. If it's a con, it's an incredibly elaborate one. I think he's just a skilled Alchemist who's bad with money."

That resonated with Justin. Many talented craftspeople on Earth had failed businesses due to poor financial management or a lack of business savvy. "What's his timeline for liquidation?"

"He needs everything gone within the week. Apparently, his landlord isn't as patient as ours."

"How much stock are we talking about?" Justin asked, though he could already sense where this was heading.

"I negotiated for his full inventory. He was a Level 15 Alchemist, so his stock is quite extensive."

"Shocking that he hasn't found a buyer yet," Justin said. "Normally, other successful businesses would be interested in buying him out."

"He did have another offer," Lila admitted, "but he was clearly unhappy with it. I came in a little higher. Still a great deal for us, and it gives him some dignity."

"And the cost?"

"We settled on forty gold crowns," she said, watching his expression carefully. "I know it sounds like a lot, but it would give us an incredible head start. The offer is contingent on your approval, of course. This is a significant business decision, so we need to make it together, but it was hard not to say yes on the spot."

Justin felt his breath catch. Forty crowns was just under twenty percent of their total capital—a massive expenditure that would greatly impact their financial flexibility.

"I'm guessing it's a small shop?"

She nodded. "Yes, fairly small. But it's a start, and the price is more than fair."

"Walk me through the pros and cons," he said, settling onto a nearby crate to think clearly.

Lila nodded, clearly anticipating this question. "The advantages are substantial. We'd have a complete, professional-grade alchemy setup immediately instead of piecing together equipment over weeks. The ingredient stock alone would likely cost us forty crowns if bought piecemeal from various suppliers, and the alchemy equipment would be another ten or fifteen. So we're already getting it at a significant discount. Plus, Kilgan is including his personal recipe collection—years of refinement and experimentation—along with more standardized ingredient books and his expertise for the next month. Alchemy is a crafting class. That means alomost everything actually needs to be learned, but my new class will help with that. I still need a teacher or at least a book, some time, and equipment to run experiments."

"And the downsides?"

"It's a significant upfront cost that limits our ability to manage unexpected expenses," she admitted. "If something goes wrong, or if our other equipment purchases exceed expectations, we could quickly find ourselves cash-poor when we need a clear path ahead."

Tamsin, who had been listening from across the room, cleared her throat. "If I may, Mr. Talemaker and Ms. Fairwind?"

Justin nodded for her to continue.

"In my experience, when someone is liquidating their entire stock quickly, there's usually a reason," she said pragmatically. "It might be worth understanding why this Alchemist is closing up shop so suddenly."

"Good point," Justin agreed, turning back to Lila. "Did you get a sense of his motivations?"

"He mentioned family obligations requiring him to relocate, in addition to his financial troubles," Lila replied. "He seemed eager to close the deal."

"Family obligations. Will that interfere with him consulting you?"

"He didn't seem to think so. It could be he was trying to mask his financial distress, even if it was obvious."

Justin weighed the decision carefully. The purchase would provide them with a significant advantage in setup time and professional capability. They could be brewing potions within days instead of weeks. On the other hand, it would leave them with limited financial reserves for unexpected challenges.

"What's specifically included in the equipment?" he asked.

"Two professional alchemy tables with built-in heating and ventilation systems, a complete set of glassware, distillation apparatus, grinding equipment, measurement tools, storage containers, and enchanted preservation chambers," Lila recited. "Plus at least two cartloads of ingredients, maybe three, ranging from common healing herbs to some exotic components for specialized formulations."

"And he's willing to deliver all of this by tomorrow?"

"He has a cart and his sons, who work as his assistants, ready to go."

"Let's take a look at the workshop," he said.

He led Lila there, and they stood together. He looked over at her. "Well? Do you see it all fitting here?"

"I do," she said without hesitation. "More than enough space. Rinna even has room for the Aether distillery in the other corner. I can set up near the hearth."

"Forty crowns," he repeated slowly.

"It's a significant investment," Lila acknowledged. "But I believe it positions us for success rather than just survival. It's also a chance to put our money where our mouth is."

After a long moment, Justin nodded decisively. "I'm on board if you are. What's the worst-case scenario? We go out of business and go back to running Vaults, right?"

Lila laughed. "Well, we've had some good luck there, but it's bound to catch up with us someday."

She had a point. Having a real business that paid them was a better long-term plan. However, every business carried risks, and their total capital of around 250 crowns was a significant advantage over someone starting from nothing.

They just had to ensure those resources were used wisely.

At last, Justin nodded. "It's settled, then. Having professional-grade capabilities from day one gives us credibility and quality that we couldn't achieve otherwise. If we're going to compete with established businesses, we need every advantage we can get."

Lila's face broke into a brilliant smile. "I'm glad you agree. So, when do you want to go over and meet him?"

"This is our top priority, along with setting up the aether distillery," Justin said. "But things feel a bit rushed. Maybe you can go back and express our strong interest and intent to close the deal tomorrow morning. I'd like to see if he's willing to use Gentleman's Agreement instead of a traditional contract. Based on his reaction, we can determine if he's dealing fairly. I also want to share the news with the others to get their insights, too."

"That sounds fair. So tomorrow morning, assuming he's amenable?"

"Yes, that works. That way, we have a full day to set things up."

And I don't want to meet him smelling like fish. Justin kept that thought to himself.

"Sounds good," Lila said. "I'll be back in an hour or so."

As Lila hurried off, Justin lingered in the workshop a bit longer. Everything was coming together quickly.

Now he just had to hope that Rinna and Ilsa would return with equally promising news about the enchanting equipment.

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