Wizards: Starting with Synthetic Gems

Chapter 156 Low Income from Cheap Products
Terri confidently stated, "After testing, this large-scale production line can now produce 10 kilograms of high-grade fast-acting vitamin gel per day with just one hour of your time and the assistance of a second-class wizard apprentice."

"Similarly, we need to purchase about 50 kilograms of fluorescent moss every day as raw material."

Locke frowned slightly. 10 kilograms a day means that 100 kilograms can be produced every ten days, and the market price is about 90 magic stones.

Even if you remove the incredibly cheap fluorescent moss raw material, you can still earn around 80 magic stones.

In other words, if this production line were opened to the public, it could earn around 240 magic stones per month.

But you also have to factor in the one hour you consume each day, which adds up to more than thirty hours a month.

And that also includes the cost of hiring a second-class wizard apprentice.

Although a second-class wizard apprentice who is outstanding can earn about 90 magic stones a month, it is more normal for this kind of job to earn around 50 magic stones a month.

However, if the production line is to be expanded, more of one's own time will be required, and more second-class wizard apprentices will be needed to assist in the production line manufacturing.

Therefore, it seems that producing this kind of large-scale fast-acting vitamin gel is really not profitable.

Unless it's a pharmaceutical lab that's completely dedicated to this industry, constantly expanding production, saving costs, and deepening its technology, other pharmaceutical labs doing this aren't unable to make money, but rather the money-making process is too slow and too arduous.

Compared to the money-making speed of the three magical plants in his own plantation, and the treatment fees earned from producing Emerald Potion in his own workshop and using it for treatment at the clinic, the money earned from producing Advanced Fast-Growing Gel is far too little.

"It seems my pharmaceutical lab will have to avoid relying on products with low technological barriers—like advanced fast-acting vitamin gel, shadowing agents, high-grade nutrient soil, and medicinal nutrient solutions—as its main source of income," Locke pondered. "Making money that way is just too arduous. It's not much better than selling my time to work as a therapist."

'It's all about volume, a complete waste of our time.'

'The high-grade fast-acting vitamin gel produced on this production line is enough for our own needs.'

'This can save a lot of money, especially as my plantation grows larger in the future.'

Locke felt a pang of regret. He said in a low voice, "Actually, it doesn't save much money and it wastes my time. I can only produce this high-grade fast-acting vitamin gel myself when I have some free time. When I'm busy with research, I should just buy it directly from Lijin Secret Language."

All things considered, although producing my own high-end fast-acting vitamin gel is not bad, if you factor in the time cost, especially for someone as busy as me, it would be a losing proposition.

However, Locke's regret quickly vanished.

This kind of misguided investment is necessary!

After all, there are some things you can't know the pitfalls of unless you experience them yourself.

For a first-class wizard apprentice like himself, who is used to cultivating high-value magical plants, producing advanced fast-growing hormone gel is not only unnecessary, but also a bit of a waste of time, making it a rather pointless endeavor.

But for some very poor first-class wizarding apprentices who have relatively cheap time and few ways to make money, it's a different story.

Therefore, the benefit ratio of the same thing is completely different for different people.

I made a small, misguided investment when I was setting up my personal pharmaceutical lab.

However, this is hardly a loss. Having a production line for large-scale production of advanced fast-acting vitamin gel in the pharmaceutical room is beneficial and harmless, and it also allows him and his pharmaceutical room employees to experience large-scale production technology in advance.

This in itself is a form of learning.

Assistant Terri, holding the documents in her hands, looked up at Locke with a puzzled expression. "Boss, you seem a little unhappy."

Locke shook his head slightly. "It's nothing. Terri, you did a great job."

Terri smiled proudly.

As a second-class wizard apprentice, Terri had limited vision and naturally wouldn't understand what she had just calculated, nor did she need to tell her assistant about it.

Locke looked at Terri and asked the really important question: the production line for the first product the pharmaceutical lab was preparing to sell. "How's the production line for the memory ointment?" Terri immediately replied seriously, "It's been tested and is ready to go at any time."

Locke then revealed his true appreciation for her.

According to his own design, his own memory ointment production line can produce twelve tubes a day, but he must personally refine them as a first-class wizard apprentice.

After all, this thing is just too difficult.

If you make it yourself, it takes about half an hour to make three, but it will consume a certain amount of energy and mana.

However, if you use an assistant, you can prepare six in about half an hour, and you can prepare twelve by spending an hour a day, while also saving your energy and mana.

After all, Locke also had to oversee three plantations, including the cultivation of the magical plant Emerald Iris Lichen and the Crystal Palm Fire Lotus, which required a certain amount of energy and mana.

He also needs to set aside some energy each day for meditation, so the time spent concocting potions must be kept within a reasonable range.

Locke initially set aside one hour a day, because he also needed to devote some energy to the treatment center and refining secondary emerald potions.

Meanwhile, a Concentration Ointment costs about 15 Magic Stones, and your own Memory Ointment can also be sold for 15 Magic Stones.

If we exclude the cost of materials, each item can earn approximately 10 magic stones.

My personal medicine lab can produce about 375 tubes of memory ointment per month, earning me 3750 magic stones.

The income from this memory ointment will be greater than that from the combined income of Super Mandragora and Iron Wire Grass.

Moreover, as long as one invests more time, this potion can continue to grow, because its market is so large that even a wizard apprentice would need it.

There will be some troubles in the early stages, before opening up the market.

Locke knew that the logic of selling potions and selling magical plants was completely different; magical plants were external objects, while potions were meant to be consumed.

The needs and concerns of the customers they face are different.

Therefore, he is still a novice when it comes to selling medicine.

Overall, however, he had to help his mentor work at the clinic, refine minor emerald potions, continue developing magical plants, fulfill orders, pass exams, participate in competitions organized by the White Wizard Association, and at the same time conserve his energy and time for meditation.

Therefore, I can only allocate one hour a day to making memory ointment.

At most, once the sales channels are established, and you invest two hours a day, the income from the memory ointment will double again.

There's no shortage of market demand for this stuff; all you need to do is open up the market and gain trust in it in the early stages.

'I'm beginning to understand why so many workshops need so many assistants. It seems that my pharmaceutical lab and plantation, sooner or later, will have to recruit even more assistants as they expand.'

'Now I'm a First-Class Wizard Apprentice with a fairly large plantation and a pharmacy, and quite a few projects under my control—a significant promotion indeed. Many veteran First-Class Wizard Apprentices are stuck working in different workshops.'

"Others lack money-making skills, but I have too many ways to make money." Locke rubbed his nose. "This way, my income and expenses will soon be balanced, and my deficit crisis is temporarily resolved."

'Although my fixed monthly expenses on meditation are 8000 magic stones, my monthly income is around 8500.'

"I've barely managed to make ends meet, but I'm still a long way from financial freedom. Becoming a full-fledged wizard requires a lot of resources; otherwise, I'll just have to grind through the years like the other first-class wizard apprentices in the school."

The key is that others have talent and can also put in the time to work hard. As for my talent... if it really depends on hard work, the chance of becoming a formal wizard is too low.

(End of this chapter)