Rising from the Ashes (Andrew) novel Chapter 2480

Inside Sovereign's Apothecary, Titus and Theon had a restless night.

Theon grumbled, "Damn it! They actually managed to open Medicine God's Covenant. We sent several groups to interfere, even the head of the Murphy family showed up, but it was useless."

"It seems we need a different strategy. That bastard thinks he can compete directly with Sovereign's Apothecary? Who does he think he is?"

"Mr. Sterling, please, calm down. Our priority now is securing the key negotiations scheduled for tomorrow," Theon advised, trying to be the voice of reason.

"You're right. Sovereign's Apothecary's most crucial clients are the major elite families of Chetvine, several royal lines, and a few important martial sects. We cannot afford any missteps here."

"I've already sent Mikayla to handle it," Theon informed him. "She's from the Owens family here and is now the new public representative for Sovereign's Apothecary. I trust she won't disappoint us."

"I suppose we have to let the girl try," Titus grumbled. "In the past, Brielle would have handled this personally. But since she's refusing to show her face now, I won't stoop to begging her."

…

The next day, Andrew was still busy with matters related to Medicine God's Covenant's grand opening.

The doors were officially open, but he knew the road ahead was long. His most immediate problems were a lack of skilled alchemists and finding distribution channels for the pills they produced.

While the Reyes family's auction house provided a reliable sales outlet, Andrew was wary of becoming too dependent on them. After all, Medicine God's Covenant was his venture; the Reyes family was merely a partner.

He was willing to offer them profit shares and internal discounts, but he refused to let them control the distribution network or the valuable connections it would create.

Andrew laughed. "Is it a lack of interest, or are you just scared? In Gabo Creek, you might pass for a genius. But here in Chetvine, you'd be less than a bug on the sidewalk."

Eric was furious at the insult. "Looking down on me? Just wait, I'm booking a flight right now!"

"I'll be expecting you," Andrew replied with a triumphant chuckle before hanging up.

Beyond Eric, he thought of his other close allies. However, as noted before, Lauren, Francesca, and Chantelle were all tied up with their own serious commitments. It was not feasible for them to come to Chetvine to assist him at the moment.

"It looks like I need more capable people to join my side," Andrew mused to himself, contemplating his next move.