Boom!
A potion-bomb-induced detonation resounded in the commoner's district. And the entire audience fell silent.
A detonation had occurred over Alto's head on the 3D spectral rendering. He had projected the results of someone using the RDX on a bunch of monsters in a random region inside Badlands.
Alto's presentation of the RDX's impact was impeccable. He had used special array disk recordings to record the impact of the potion bomb. Due to the integration of the sound-element runes in the array disk he used, even the booming acoustics heard by his audience had a surround-sound effect.
The sound was not the only reason the audience became silent. The adventurers and hunters saw the effects of the potion bomb with their own eyes and were too stunned to speak about it.
RDX was a total banger. It took care of all the monsters in one go, not sparing a single one. The test was designed for Novice rankers. As such, the potion bomb used to belong to the F-Rank and the monsters from the test sample belonged to the Monster Solider tier. It meant that the examination was as fair as it could be. The effects of the potion bomb would increase with rank.
Alto enjoyed the stunning looks his viewers had on their faces. He chuckled before commenting further.
"My friends, RDX delivers a class-defying explosive performance. It is up to four times more powerful than the potion bombs of similar price tags you'd find using… cough… various means. Plus, it is safer to use because the volatile compound inside it won't react unless you channel your mana into it."
People started talking to each other in murmurs when they processed the visuals and the information regarding RDX provided by Alto. A random shout hit the merchant's ears.
"How can you sell such a product openly, uncle Alto?"
There was another ranker in the audience who seemed to have figured something out. He asked the same question differently.
"Is Edinburgh changing its policies in the light of the recent tussle with the kingdom of Layos, uncle Alto?"
Eren already received a green light to sell these products under strict control in limited quantities. The clearance for RDX was the hardest to get. But Dan Karren handled this task very well.
The B-Rank elf used his bureaucratic connections as well as the current war-like situation to his advantage and allowed Eren to make things official for all three of his revolutionary products.
Eren, Levine, and Alto were expecting questions like these to arise in their presentations. They had standardized their responses in advance.
Alt rubbed his hands together before speaking up in a confident tone.
"Buyers don't have to worry about a thing. Unlike the explosives you used to… let's say… inadvertently find randomly, you can get this potion bomb legally from any of my shops. A legal way to acquire such a potent alchemy product is nothing short of a miracle.
Of course, the kingdom of Edinburgh has still imposed a few restrictions on its use. But we'd act as mediators and sort those legal matters for you as long as you are ready to ensure the products can only be used in the Badlands.
We only have limited quantities we can sell each month. Thus, only the first few in line can get their hands on these potion bombs."
Alto skipped the fact that Edinburgh received a huge cut from these sales. The merchant had been asked by Eren not to paint the kingdom in a bad light even if the truth would be obvious to most buyers. The butcher liked to play by the unwritten rules of the game when it suited him.
More whispers ensued. However, Alto didn't let that fester for longer.
"Look. I heard that the diplomatic channels between the two kingdoms are still open. So I don't like to comment on the so-called war-like situation. But I'll say this. With or without the war, buying a bunch of RDX is going to serve you well in the long run.
You will find a way out during your missions in the Monster Canyon. The monster ambushes in the Badlands won't have to turn into a party wipeout just because you were overwhelmed by a horde.
In the unlikely event that war does happen, prices of everything will shoot through the roof. The cost you'd have to bear for products like these will break even more records. So hoarding these potion bombs is also not a terrible idea. Especially if you are about to actively participate in the war."
The audience witnessed the scenes of RDX blasts at various sites while Alto spoke. He knew that he had most of the audience convinced by his speech after seeing their faces.
Levine looked at Eren and smiled before pointing a finger at him playfully.
"This speech reeks of your blend of fear-mongering, Eren. That merchant is just your proxy."
Eren smiled subtly but didn't say anything at first. He didn't have to.
RDX and Ice Fairy's Kiss were going to be his cash cows shortly. But he didn't want to wait for the war to break out between the two kingdoms. Instead, he chose to create a psychological need for these products.
Eren took out his Sativa Stick and watched the crowd below him. The number of viewers had increased as Alto kept on answering the audience's questions regarding RDX. He released the smoke through his nostrils and narrowed his eyes at the adventurers before speaking up.
"Fear is temporary. A person learns to get over it sooner or later if they really put their heart into doing exactly that. But regret… There's no cure for regret for most of them.
The regret of missing out on something so revolutionary will eventually be a deciding factor for people to buy my products. My marketing campaigns will make sure of that. After all, no matter what kind of product you make, it would not sell well if the marketing done for it was lousy.
The so-called famous houses, who are used to doing things using mundane means, had taken things for granted all this time. They had taken their customers for granted.
The White Raven guild will not repeat that error. One of the things I'm doing differently from them is the fact that I didn't wait for the opportunities to come my way.
I just got up and made them."
