"Is this the place?"
Fangzheng looked up at the building in front of him and muttered to himself.
It was a two-storey building located in the southern part of the town. From its appearance, it looked like a tavern. However, the shabby exterior and the signboard covered in cobwebs already revealed its identity.
It was an alchemy workshop.
To be precise, it was an alchemy workshop that was on the verge of closing down.
"Yes, Master."
Standing beside Fangzheng, the little angel nodded as well.
"According to the information I've gathered, this alchemy workshop has no income at all. Nobody in the vicinity comes here anymore …. I heard that the original owner of the workshop went missing during an adventure, leaving her daughter to manage it alone …."
And this was the result?
Fangzheng glanced at the broken glass and shook his head. He pushed open the door and walked in.
The entire workshop was unusually spacious, but unexpectedly clean. Whether it was the reception desk placed by the door or the surrounding furniture, everything seemed to have been meticulously cleaned. Even the brick floor was spotless. But there was no one in the workshop, as if it had been abandoned.
However, it was clear that this place wasn't completely empty.
"Ding ding ding!!"
Fangzheng reached out and pressed a few times on the bell on the reception desk. Soon, a panicked voice came from inside.
"Ah, please wait! I'm busy right now …. Please wait a moment …!! "
Along with the panicked voice, Fangzheng and Nimf saw the door on the other side of the hall suddenly open. A girl with long brown hair rushed out while panting. She was wearing a slightly shabby robe, and her hair was a little fluffy and curly because she had just woken up. The girl hurriedly tidied herself up, then looked at Fangzheng and Nimf with an uneasy smile.
"Welcome to Nunnally's alchemy workshop …. How may I help you?"
"…."
Girl, your name is really unlucky. Are you going to become a blind person in a wheelchair in the future?
"Ahem... Hello, Miss Nunnally."
Fangzheng coughed and smiled at the girl in front of him.
"I'm Ezio, a businessman … I have a business to discuss with you."
"Business?"
Upon hearing Fangzheng's words, Na Nali tilted her head in bewilderment.
"Yes."
Fangzheng nodded and went straight to the point.
"Maybe it's not the right thing to say, but … I hope to buy this alchemy workshop."
"Acquisition … Acquisition … Eh? Eh eh!!? "
In the face of Fangzheng's response, Lina was initially rather perplexed, but after a long while, she seemed to have returned to her senses, and she let loose an involuntary shriek.
"Sir, sir, are you saying that you want to buy this alchemy workshop?"
"That's right."
"B-But … I-I don't intend to sell it. This is my home …."
Perhaps Lina had never thought that someone would come to her door to discuss buying her shop, so she couldn't form any effective words to express her intentions.
"But the income and expenditure of this alchemy workshop aren't very good, right?"
Gazing at the young lady, Fangzheng didn't have the intention to force her.
Instead, he said casually, "I've asked around. If you can't pay enough fees this month, the qualification of this alchemy workshop will be revoked, right?"
"Ugh … This … This …"
Upon hearing this, Na Nali's expression became even more distressed.
According to the law, any alchemy workshop must pay a fee to the Alchemist Association every year to maintain its qualification. The fee wasn't much, but it wasn't meaningless. Firstly, paying the fee meant that the alchemy workshop was self-reliant and could make a profit. Secondly, after paying the fee, the validity of the alchemy workshop qualification certificate could be extended. Only with this qualification certificate could the alchemists have the right to purchase all kinds of raw materials. After all, the Country of Saints had very strict control over resources. Without a legal "business license", one couldn't even buy a cart of iron ore.
But judging from the state of this alchemy workshop, the young lady obviously couldn't afford the "property management fee".
"It's like this, Miss Lina. I have a suggestion."
Seeing that the young lady was getting more and more embarrassed, Fangzheng hurriedly continued to explain. If she continued to wait like this, this deal might go down the drain.
"I can purchase this alchemy workshop, but I'm not asking for a change in the owner. In other words, you can continue to live here, and I don't intend to change your alchemist qualification certificate."
"I-Is that so?"
Upon hearing this, the young lady finally heaved a sigh of relief. She just thought that she might have to wander the world, but now it seemed that things weren't that serious. But …
"Sir, what's in it for you to do this?"
Lina wasn't a fool. Since Fangzheng explained it so clearly, she quickly understood what he meant. But it was also because of this that Lina had some doubts. It was like a company that was about to close down, and then someone came along who was willing to pay the debt, but didn't intend to buy over the company or take over the position of the chairman. This was very strange. Of course, if Fangzheng came alone, the young lady would probably be worried about her. But …
Looking at the harmless little angel beside Fangzheng, the young lady felt that the possibility of this wasn't high.
"It's like this."
Fangzheng didn't intend to hide it from the young lady because what he was about to do next couldn't be hidden even if he wanted to.
"I hope to buy some spirit crystals, but because of the government's restrictions, I can't do it on my own. Although I've done some research in magic and alchemy, I don't have a qualification certificate. For now, it will take a long time to get these certificates, and it's also very troublesome. That's why I hope to achieve my goal by purchasing this alchemy workshop. "
"I see …"
Hearing Fangzheng's answer, Nunnally heaved a sigh of relief. Spirit crystals were to alchemists what diamonds and gold were to laboratories. They were valuable and useful, but they weren't dangerous at all.
But these things were indeed difficult to purchase without a legal qualification certificate.
"So, Miss Lina, what do you think?"
"Hmm …"
Upon hearing Fangzheng's question, the young lady hesitated for a moment. To be honest, she wasn't very willing to agree. But Lina was also very clear that if she couldn't raise the funds, the alchemy workshop that her mother had left for her would be completely taken away. When that happened, she would no longer be able to achieve her dream.
"I understand."
At this thought, the young lady made up her mind and nodded at Fangzheng.
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