Thinking back on why Austin didn’t want to trust anyone with his family recipe, Rowena had no complaint regarding that, because it was entirely normal for wealthy families, aristocrats, and nobles to have family secrets which were primarily the source of their status and wealth.

So if any family were to ever think of letting go of it, it would only ever be when they were in a state of desperation and vulnerability.

And right now, it certainly looked like Austin was in a similar state, but his state wasn’t really too severe for him to resort to giving up his family secret recipe.

Acknowledging this, Rowena spoke lightly. "I understand why you would want to keep hold of the recipe, but don’t you think the two of you working alone in potion brewing might be a little too much to handle by yourselves? Having a hand or two might really go a long way in making production a lot faster."

"I agree, Lady Rowena, but if I am to bring anyone else in, they would only be restricted to doing general tasks like vial preparations and ingredient fetching. Aside from that, I won’t want them anywhere near where my wife and I will be working together."

"I see. So you really do not want anyone else getting involved in brewing the potions. Very well then. How many vials are to be expected per month?"

"One hundred."

"That means each of my stores will be selling around twenty vials each."

"Yes, since my potion isn’t common unlike other low-grade potions, I believe that number sounds reasonable enough."

"I agree, and what would be the cost of each potion?"

"I believe 15 silvers sounds fair, unlike the current market potions that are 5% and 8% impurity-free."

"Hmm...." Rowena remained silent as she pondered over everything they had discussed so far.

After about five minutes, Rowena softly asked. "Why now?"

"Huh?"

"I mean, if you’ve had this potion recipe all this time, then why hadn’t you used it until now?"

"That’s because the recipe hadn’t been perfected until now."

"So, you thought to make a deal with me now that it has been perfected. But why me? Why did you decide to come to me instead of anyone else?"

"To be honest, my initial intention was to buy a small shop and start from scratch on my own, along with my wife, but I realised how hard and long it would take to achieve my goals, so I decided it would be better to work with you instead."

Austin paused before continuing. "And as for why I hadn’t gone to anyone else? That’s because I had no intention of doing so. You and I both know what we humans are capable of, and how desperate and greedy we can be sometimes, so I would rather place my trust with someone who deserves it."

"And you believe I won’t backstab you?"

"I believe you wouldn’t want to be remembered as the Countess who did something like that." Austin replied calmly, because one thing he knew for sure, thanks to his newly acquired memories, was that elves in this world were a noble and prideful race.

So if Rowena were to do something that would diminish the respect her people had for her, it would destroy her reputation for years to come, and that was something even Rowena wouldn’t want.

Rowena gently straightened her glasses as she said in a serious tone. "You speak of goals. How do I know you won’t be the one betraying me for said goals?"

"Oh, yes, I understand that anyone can be ambitious for selfish reasons, but those are people who simply want wealth for their own personal gains."

"Then why do you seek wealth?"

"To have enough funds to marry my wife, of course. That’s all I care about. I want us to live comfortably and have hundreds of children together." Austin replied without a hint of shame in his voice, and this caused Rowena to instantly glance over at Nora, who had now buried her face in her palms.

Her cheeks were completely red and she really wanted to bury her head in the ground like an ostrich, because she couldn’t believe how shameless her future husband had been to say something like that without even feeling embarrassed about it.

Of course, she was genuinely happy to see Austin loving her so much and aligning his goals toward their happiness together, but it still felt so strange to hear Austin say it out loud.

Meanwhile, Cedric gently cleared his throat in disbelief at what he had just heard.

He had had several experiences with humans in the past, but never once had he met a human like Austin before.

Even Rowena was taken aback by Austin’s directness and unusual goals, but she swiftly composed herself so as not to let her surprised expression be revealed to Austin and Nora.

"Very well. I will agree to your terms if you’re willing to agree to mine."

"..." Austin remained silent as he waited to hear what Rowena’s terms were.

"I’ll agree to give you everything you need, but in return, I expect you to produce 200 potions per month. Failure to meet this requirement for two consecutive months without valid reason gives me the right to terminate our agreement, with you forfeiting that month’s earnings as well. Oh, but don’t worry, I’ll have two of my people working for you so as to make things a bit less stressful."

This meant that the two workers wouldn’t be involved in brewing the potions, but would handle other tasks as Austin had previously stated.

Realising this, Austin nodded in response.

"Great. But that’s not all."

Rowena continued. "Since you’ll be working in my store, any damage caused during production of potions will be immediately deducted from your earnings for that month, and if you’re somehow involved in any acts that might bring embarrassment or legal trouble to my household, then our agreement will be terminated as well."