CHAPTER 161: CHAPTER161-JUST ONE BOTTLE

When Daniel reappeared before Charles, the latter stared at him in stunned disbelief.

Seeing the expression on Charles’ face, Daniel gave a faint, amused smile.

"Don’t look so surprised. I’m just here to ask for a little help."

At the mention of the word help, Charles’s face immediately grew guarded.

As a seasoned merchant, he had a core principle—never do a deal that loses money. And as for helping someone for free? That wasn’t even in his vocabulary. Not even his own father would receive such a favor.

"I’m sorry, Daniel," Charles replied with a serious tone. "You know I’m a businessman. Since our last transaction has been completed, I won’t be offering any additional assistance. Not for free."

Daniel raised an eyebrow, his smile unfazed.

"What if I pay you?"

The moment the word "pay" left Daniel’s mouth, Charles’s expression transformed like magic. A flirtatious smile spread across his face, his eyes practically glowing.

It was as if the word "money" had a natural magnetism for him—irresistible and intoxicating.

"Well, if you’re looking to purchase something, then that’s a whole different matter entirely! Esteemed customer, please tell me, what do you need?"

Daniel didn’t beat around the bush. He spoke plainly, his voice calm and direct.

"I need a potion capable of putting a level 200 or higher lifeform into a deep sleep."

"Preferably something that takes effect within thirty seconds. If it can be time-delayed, even better."

"Besides that, I also need another type of sleep-inducing agent—something that can affect a wide area and put weaker, low-level creatures into slumber. This one must have a timed-release function."

Charles’s smile faded slightly as he processed the request. He wasn’t a fool—in fact, he was exceptionally perceptive. Hearing those specifications, he already had a good idea of what Daniel was planning.

"Daniel, you really are clever," Charles said thoughtfully. "If you manage to put all the Artists to sleep, that would certainly allow you to move through the city safely and without resistance."

In Charles’ mind, Daniel was probably trying to figure out how to sneak into the City of the Artists.

After all, the place was heavily guarded by god-forged constructs. There was no way to simply walk in unnoticed... unless he possessed a god-level concealment ability.

But that was divine-level magic. How could someone like Daniel possibly possess that?

Still, without overthinking it, Charles gave his response.

"Esteemed customer, I can fulfill both your requests."

"This is a concoction passed down from the Sleeping Goddess herself. It’s called the Sleeping Potion. This potion is potent enough to knock even a level 200+ being into unconsciousness. Best of all, with the right complementary mixture, it can be configured for timed deployment."

"How many bottles would you like to purchase?"

Daniel looked at him, expression steady.

"Just one bottle."

One... bottle?

Charles froze. He stared at Daniel as if he had misheard him.

Surely he was joking, right? There were over a hundred million Artists in the city. What good would one bottle do against such numbers?

"Esteemed customer," Charles began carefully, "I’m afraid a single bottle of sleeping potion might not be sufficient."

"Oh?" Daniel raised an eyebrow, feigning curiosity. "Then how many do you recommend I buy?"

"At the very least, ten thousand bottles. No, scratch that—one million bottles would be ideal!"

Daniel’s brow twitched.

Ally was absolutely right—this Charles was a total swindler. A grade-A conman.

Sure, Daniel wasn’t short on money. In fact, he had so much wealth that he couldn’t spend it fast enough.

But that didn’t mean he enjoyed being taken for a fool.

Especially not when it came to devotees of the Luck Goddess.

Given the way the Luck Goddess treated him, he had developed a particular distaste for her followers.

"I said one bottle. Are you selling it or not?"

Faced with Daniel’s unwavering tone, Charles hesitated.

He seemed genuinely conflicted.

After a brief silence, he finally replied.

"If you insist on buying only one... it’ll cost at least one hundred million gold coins."

"Of course," Charles added quickly, "if you buy in bulk, I can give you a significant discount."

"No need," Daniel responded coolly.

He reached into his inventory and handed Charles a full stack of one hundred million gold coins.

Just like that. No bargaining, no second thought.

Charles was stunned.

Was this guy for real?

One bottle? That’s it?

What on earth was he planning? Did he think he could reverse-engineer the Sleeping Goddess’s formula from a single sample?

Even if Daniel managed to break it down—and that was a massive "if"—he wouldn’t have access to the rare materials needed to recreate it.

Still unwilling to give up, Charles made one last attempt.

"Esteemed customer, if you buy a pack of ten bottles, I can offer a 50% discount."

"Just five hundred million gold coins! A much better deal than paying one hundred million for just one!"

Daniel, however, was already laughing inwardly.

[Gift of the Veiled Goddess] ensured that consumable items wouldn’t be depleted.

In theory, that meant as long as he had a single unit of any item—be it a potion, a scroll, or food—it was as if he had an infinite supply.

So why in the world would he pay an extra four hundred million gold coins just to own nine more useless duplicates?

With a shake of his head, Daniel rejected the offer firmly.

"No. Just one bottle."

Charles sighed, throwing up his hands in mock defeat.

This was the first time he’d encountered such a stubborn buyer.

But even if he only sold one, he still made an outrageous profit—ten times what the potion cost to produce.

"Very well then. Let’s proceed with the transaction. No returns, no exchanges."

Daniel nodded. He took the Sleeping Potion and stored it safely.

At the same time, he quietly stowed away the Dagger of the God of Thieves.

That dagger had turned out to be an incredible asset—doubling, tripling, even multiplying his wealth tenfold with ease.

It was a gift from the God of Thieves, and Daniel couldn’t help but feel a little grateful for it.

On the other side, Charles was practically giddy.

He had hit the jackpot—no question about it.

One single transaction had netted him ninety million gold coins in pure profit.

This Daniel really was something else.

No wonder even the gods had taken interest in him.

Just as Charles was ready to wrap things up and call it a day, Daniel suddenly spoke again.

"By the way, Charles. Aside from the Sleeping Potion, do you have any other rare materials in stock? I’m interested in buying a few."

That single sentence lit up Charles’s face like a sunrise.

The sly, seductive smile returned instantly.

He couldn’t believe his luck.

He’d just run into the biggest sucker in the world!

This man was practically made of gold!

No wonder the gods were keeping an eye on him.

He was the definition of a golden goose.

"Absolutely! Of course I do!" Charles beamed. "I swear to the gods, my inventory is the most comprehensive in existence. Tell me, what are you looking for?"

Daniel paused for a moment, then began listing off the materials he currently lacked.

He even handed Charles a written list, just to be thorough.

Most of these ingredients were so rare, they couldn’t even be found in the human empire’s treasure vaults. In fact, some weren’t available at all—not even one unit.

Still, Daniel figured it was worth a shot. Maybe Charles would surprise him.

However, as Charles scanned through the list, his cheerful expression slowly gave way to one of grim disbelief.

What in the name of the gods were these ingredients?

The living eyeball of a god?

Was Daniel serious?

How was he supposed to get something like that?

That was divine essence—sacred material. Even if such a thing existed, it would’ve been long snatched up by the gods themselves.

Where was Charles supposed to find that?

From the divine black market?

Even the idea was absurd.