Above the mage

Chapter 36 The Tale of the Herb Garden

The small herb garden for eight people needs to calculate the expenses first.

In this world, the minimum living expenses for a normal family of five is 57 gold per year.

The situation is better for those who own medicinal herbs, because they own the land and the property, so they can avoid paying rent, a major expense.

However, the costs of food, fuel, and clothing are unavoidable.

Based on this calculation, the minimum fixed living expenses for the herb garden per year would be 72 gold, or 1440 silver, which would average out to 4 silver coins per day.

In other words, you need to earn at least 4 silver coins a day to ensure the herb garden doesn't go bankrupt.

This is just the minimum expenditure.

Now that Gao De has become the owner of the plantation, he can no longer eat rye bread and pea soup every day like the black slaves used to. He must improve his diet.

This is yet another significant additional expense.

Currently, the only fixed output from the herb garden is one set of basic spider venom potion that Gaode mixes every day.

Phil's Potions Shop offers a buy-in price of 2 gold for a set of basic spider venom potions, with raw materials costing around 30 silver, resulting in a profit of approximately 10 silver.

However, since some of the medicinal herbs can be produced by the herb garden itself, there is no need to purchase them from pharmacies, so the cost can be reduced to between 20 and 25 silver, and the profit can be increased to 15 and 20 silver.

Each set of basic spider venom potion from Gaode can also produce an additional half ounce of potion.

In other words, for every twelve sets of basic spider venom potions he makes, he can produce one more set.

"Buy 12 get 1 free", 360 sets per year, 30 sets free.

Gaode couldn't help but let out a sigh of relief after calculating this.

Fortunately, Master Seda had worked hard in his early years and managed to build a fairly large herb garden, where he trained some apprentices who knew how to cultivate herbs; otherwise, he would have really wanted to run away.

15-20银的利润，支出就是算5银，这样一天也还有10-15银的结余。

It costs 300-450 silver per month.

The annual income is 3600-5400 silver.

Taking the middle value, the annual surplus is 4500 silver, which is equivalent to 225 gold coins.

"Two hundred and twenty thousand a year." The purchasing power of one Sinon gold coin is roughly equivalent to one thousand yuan in Gao De's previous life. He calculated it in his mind and got a preliminary estimate of his annual income.

"We definitely need to share some with the others too. Each person will receive 10 gold coins as a bonus per year, and they will also have an income of 150 Sean gold coins."

With dividends, everyone is truly bound to the same boat, and will work harder and see themselves as part of the herb garden. Gao De understands this principle.

As for the thirty sets of basic spider venom potions that were "gifted," that was pure profit, a benefit of his ability, and he didn't need to share any of it.

Based on a set of 2 gold, that's another 60 gold in my account.

"One hundred and fifty plus sixty, that's two hundred and ten Sean gold coins."

"If we can open the spell box left by the mage Seda, and find potion recipes inside, our income might increase even further."

"Furthermore, those two apprentices who can concoct sedative potions might be able to improve their success rate with practice."

"Some of the herbs produced in the herb garden are raw materials for basic stamina potions. I don't have the expertise to make this potion, so these herbs can also be sold."

"This is also a source of extra income; it won't be much, but it's stable."

"Well, isn't this just a simulation management game?" Gao De couldn't help but chuckle after a moment of contemplation.

There's a feeling of a sudden change in style.

"I feel like something's missing."

Gao De pondered for a moment, then, as if struck by an idea, immediately got up, grabbed paper and pen, and began to write furiously.

A moment later:

Name: Saida Medicinal Garden

Number of people: 8

Fixed assets: One medicinal herb garden and four medicinal herb fields (producing snake tooth grass, mountain wormwood, alpine ironwood root, and blazing sun fruit respectively).

Cash holdings: 8 copper

Fixed expenses: 4-5 silver dollars/day (living expenses)

Income: 15-20 silver/day (fixed output of basic spider venom potion), unpredictable and variable income is not included.

Variable expenses: herb seedlings, fertilizer, and materials needed to prepare "nutrient soil".

Looking at his self-made panel on the paper, Gaode nodded in satisfaction.

That's just right.

Considering all this, this medicinal herb garden still has great potential.

Gaode immediately became very motivated.

You can't do it without being full of enthusiasm.

The entire medicinal herb garden is now counting on his output!

As the hope of the entire park, Gao De immediately got up, went to his workshop, and prepared a set of basic spider venom potions on the spot.

……

Spring Bud Month, the sixth day, early morning.

Gao De, whose injuries had not yet fully recovered, left the herb garden with a set of basic spider venom potions that he had just concocted the day before, and headed to the commercial district in the city.

It wasn't that he was that proactive; it was just that his family was starving.

It's unclear whether the sorcerer Seda had stored all his savings in the spell box, or whether he simply had no savings at all.

In short, the apprentices did not find a single copper coin while clearing the ruins.

However, the herb garden requires at least 4 silver coins in expenses every day.

Fortunately, the food purchased from the herb garden was enough for several days at a time, and Gaode also had a "savings" of 10 silver and 8 copper coins, which allowed them to barely make ends meet for several days.

But today, it's truly impossible to continue.

After these few days of expenses, Gaode's savings were almost depleted, with only 8 copper coins left. If there was no income, everyone would go hungry.

This wasn't Gao De's first trip to Hogan City's commercial district, but it was certainly the first time he had left the herb garden in the early morning.

When the sorcerer Seda was still alive, he had to "work" in the mornings, and only in the afternoons could he have some time to himself after mixing potions.

The crisp morning air carried a lingering, foul odor.

This is because Gaode has arrived in the slums of Hogan City.

Given the suburban location of the herb garden, it would be almost impossible to avoid the slums once you headed to the city center.

"Once I have money, I must hire a horse-drawn carriage to commute." The dignified owner of the herb garden, whose means of transportation was still his own two legs, set a small goal, then held his breath and quickened his pace.

By the time we reached the commercial district after passing through slums and residential areas, the sun was already high in the sky.

Although it's not the busiest time yet, there are already people on the streets.

Paid but unable to pay, Gao De ignored the tempting aromas wafting from the food stalls lining the street and headed straight for Pierre's grocery store.

He currently only has one set of basic spider venom potion.

Phil's Potion Shop won't accept this small amount.

Therefore, even though Pierre's General Store offers 7 silver coins less than Phil's Potion Shop, God has no choice but to choose the former.

When God arrived at Pierre's general store, Pierre had just opened the store's door.

He had always come in the afternoon, and he never expected Pierre's opening hours to be so late.

In his mind, small shops like this should all be open from 8 am to 10 pm, earning a meager living through hard work.

Compared to Gao De's surprise, Pierre was extremely astonished to see Gao De arrive.

"Hey kid, long time no see. I thought something had happened to you," Pierre greeted first.

Since the fourteenth day of the month of awakening, Gao De has been confined to his home by Master Sai Da, and now it is the sixth day of the month of spring buds.

By this reckoning, it has been about twenty days, so it's no wonder that Pierre's first reaction upon seeing God was surprise.

(End of this chapter)