As Lilith immersed herself in the vision of building a multi-racial empire, the silence on the balcony was broken by the delicate sound of footsteps. One of the rabbit maids entered the terrace, then gracefully knelt, casting her eyes downward.
"My Lady, Master Graaz has arrived requesting an audience," she announced in a melodic voice. "He says the herb fields are ready for harvest."
"Hooo?" Lilith raised an eyebrow, her eyes flashing with interest. "Sooner than I expected. Where is Graaz now?"
"He waits patiently before the castle gate, Great Queen."
"Good job. You may return to your duties; I will handle the rest," Lilith remarked.
She stood up, and her human skin began to emanate dark energy. In a fraction of a second, her body stretched, powerful leathery wings sprouted from her back, and curved horns appeared on her head. In her full demonic form, she headed toward the exit, feeling a surge of new energy.
Some time ago, Lilith had invested in several batches of medicinal herb seeds, establishing a special garden on the outskirts of the goblin farms. Although she had planted them at the same time as the first batches of potatoes, the herbs required much more time to mature.
She had already harvested potatoes several times, but this was the moment - the first time the medicinal herbs were ready for picking.
As soon as she stepped in front of the castle, Graaz immediately fell to his knees, starting his usual tirade: "O, Most Radiant Lady, whose wisdom surpasses..."
"Lead the way to the farms, Graaz. Spare me the rest," she cut him off shortly.
The goblin immediately ceased his flattery and nodded. Before they set off, however, Lilith noticed Graaz glancing out of the corner of his eye at the rabbit girls closing the heavy castle gates. In his empty eye sockets, she sensed a primitive desire.
Lilith ignored it with cold distance. She knew she would never give any of her maids to a common goblin, and the girls themselves would rather throw themselves into an abyss than look kindly upon a green-skinned minion.
After a moment, they reached the farms. Lilith stood on a hill, sweeping her gaze across her domain. Though the sight of thousands of bushes was impressive, the Monarch sighed heavily. She saw that a huge part of the territory intended for cultivation still lay fallow, overgrown with wild grass.
"A waste," she muttered under her breath.
She had the land, she had the seeds, and she had the gold, but she lacked hands for the work. A few hundred goblins were not enough to fully exploit the potential of this valley. This emptiness in the field only confirmed her conviction that the plan to bring other races to her future city was not just a dream, but an absolute necessity.
Lilith stood before rows of plants that glistened in the sun quite differently from the potatoes. These two herbs were the key to a new branch of her power: Life Herb, with intensely green, fleshy leaves, and Lunar Ginseng, whose roots pulsed with a delicate, silvery light.
The properties of both plants were simple but incredibly valuable:
Life Herb: Can be consumed directly. Regenerates 20 Health Points.
Lunar Ginseng: Can be consumed directly. Regenerates 30 Mana Points (MP).
From this first, modest harvest, Lilith obtained as many as 2,000 units of Life Herb and 1,000 units of Lunar Ginseng. Although they were considered common herbs in the wild, their mass cultivation was something unprecedented.
"There is one problem, Mistress," Graaz rasped, stroking a Life Herb leaf with his dry hand. "Without alchemical processing, the regeneration effect appears slowly. It takes time for the power of the herbs to spread through the body. During a bloody battle... they might not save a life in time."
Lilith nodded. She knew this was a raw material, not finished instant potions. Nevertheless, their value on the market, where everyone fought for survival, was obvious.
"How many herbs are still growing in the fields?" she asked, looking at the yet undeveloped tracts of land.
"About 20,000 Life Herbs and 10,000 Lunar Ginsengs remain in the ground," Graaz replied proudly.
That was a massive supply. Though they grew longer than food, their profit margin promised to be phenomenal. Lilith, not waiting a moment longer, opened the world chat menu and sent a short, concise message:
[Selling Life Herb and Lunar Ginseng. Interested parties, please DM.]
In that same second, the chat window exploded with dozens of notifications.
"Isn't this the legendary Potato King?"
"Why did Potato suddenly switch to herbs? Have tubers ceased to be enough for him?"
"Wow! This guy intends to run the agricultural train until the very end of the world!"
"I'll buy everything! Name your price!"
Lilith smiled predatorily. The market was thirstier for medicaments than even for food. The first batch she listed had prohibitive but fair prices:
500 Life Herbs - 30 gold pieces per herb.
200 Lunar Ginsengs - 40 gold pieces per herb.
If everything sold, her account would be enriched by another 23,000 gold coins in just a few minutes.
Lilith carefully followed the trade menu, which resembled a dynamic stock exchange. She knew that in this world, trade was a zero-sum game - one error in pricing and you either lose potential profit or stay with goods that no one wants to touch. After a short analysis of the trends, she set the prices at a level she called the "golden mean." The result was instantaneous.
[Successful trade. You gained 30 gold!]
[Successful trade. You gained 30 gold!]
[Successful trade. You gained 40 gold!]
[...]
Notifications flowed in one after another, creating a rhythm pleasant to the ear. Lilith smiled to herself, playing with a strand of hair. Her decision to diversify her income had just begun to bear fruit. While potatoes were still her main commodity, the herbs constituted an insurance policy. Food could get cheaper once other players sorted out their farms, but magical healing plants would always be in demand in a world where everyone wants to survive another day.
Suddenly, among the system notifications, a private message window popped up. The sender was Morana.
Morana:"Colleague, I see you've dominated the market with more than just tubers. I'd like to buy a larger batch of both herbs. Can I count on some discount for a large order?"
Lilith narrowed her eyes. She hides her race too...
Lilith:"Depends on what you mean by a 'large quantity.' How many exactly are you planning to buy?"
Morana:"200 units of each. Life Herb and Lunar Ginseng. 400 pieces in total."
Lilith froze for a moment. This was not a small amount - it was an expenditure in the range of several thousand gold pieces. Why was this woman ready to spend such a fortune on raw herbs that, without processing, worked slowly and weakly? There could be only one answer.
Lilith:"Buying so many at once... Do you happen to have someone in your nest who can brew potions? Or perhaps you know alchemy yourself?"
Morana didn't make her wait long for an answer. Her message appeared almost immediately.
Morana:"Bullseye. Alchemy is my domain. I have an innate talent for brewing elixirs, and my production units can also manufacture potions on a large scale. Therefore, I need huge, constant supplies of herbs as raw material. Without that, my business stands still and the cauldron grows cold!"
Lilith smiled to herself.
Interesting...
This was exactly what she had dreamed of while analyzing the deficiencies of her territory. The herbs themselves were good, but processed into elixirs with an instant effect, they would become priceless. Instead of trading with thousands of small players, she could have one powerful wholesale recipient.
Lilith:"Alright. Since we're playing in the same league, I'll give you a 15% discount. It will come to a flat 11,900 gold."
Morana:"The price is more than good, friend. Your offer is a real bargain, but... I have a small problem."
Lilith:"A small problem? Logistics, perhaps?"
Morana:"No. I simply don't have the money."