Chapter 703 - Hoarding!

Competition in the potion market was fierce. Everyone was undercutting their competitors in order to seize more market share, so profit margins were low. Even the Starry Night Potion Shop had no choice but to keep their prices low to attract customers. Major guilds were the largest consumer group. They often bought in bulk to save on expenditures. Even if they made insultingly low offers, the ordinary potion shops would still gladly oblige, for fear of losing out on a big order; it didn’t matter how meager the profits were. Some shops wouldn’t even mind losing money on one order if it meant securing a long time customer. From this, one could imagine how intense the competition was.

The small potions shops couldn’t compare to the Starry Night Potion Shop. They sold inferior goods and only survived by offering the lowest prices. This left their Alchemists in sore straits, often working 10+ hours a day for a meagre pay. 

Most large guilds also had their own inhouse Alchemists. However, the production output was far from enough to meet the...