Chapter 54

The so-called second-level authorization allows the buyer and the pharmacists they employ to refine the medicinal pills, as well as granting the buyer permission to sell the pills.

The difference between second-level and first-level authorization lies in the payment method. First-level authorization is a one-time payment, essentially a buyout with a single transaction.

On the other hand, second-level authorization operates on a commission basis. The buyer must pay the patent holder a corresponding patent fee for each pill sold.

Apart from first and second-level authorizations, there is also a third-level authorization.

Third-level authorization permits refining the pill but does not allow selling it.

The Federation’s patent law is strictly enforced, and regulatory measures are stringent. While not everyone abides by the patent law rigorously, most people still follow the rules.

Therefore, pill formulas, especially those of high value, are incredibly valuable.

“Now that the store’s traffic problem has been resolved, the next issue is pill production,” Chu Ning said.

“Mm, Li Huan will start livestreaming the day after tomorrow. Our schedule is a bit tight,” Xia Ye added.

“Should I ask Zheng Yuan to send over some pharmacists to help?” Qin Zheng wanted to contribute.

“Forget it. The military is busy refining Jade Dew Pills right now—they don’t even have enough people for themselves,” Chu Ning dismissed the idea.

“We can’t use intermediate pharmacists, but junior pharmacists should be available,” Qin Zheng insisted.

Xia Ye glanced at Qin Zheng.

“We have to purchase the medicinal ingredients ourselves, and borrowing pharmacists also comes with costs. The profit margins for first- and second-tier pills are already low, so there’s not much point in borrowing personnel.”

“Then—”

“Let’s check with Zheng Yuan and see if the military has any excess pill stock. Our own inventory isn’t sufficient, so we can source from them. Let’s negotiate for a lower wholesale price.”

“If the military’s stock isn’t enough, we’ll turn to the Gu family.”

Qin Zheng thought for a moment and agreed.

“For now, the main focus of our online store’s sales should still be the Jade Dew Pill. It’s both the store’s profit core and a key traffic driver.”

“Since Wife has agreed to take two-tenths of the Jade Dew Pill’s earnings as compensation, I’ll contact the palace again. We should be able to borrow more manpower.”

“And the Gu family—before we secure a patent authorization from them, Aunt Gu should be willing to lend us some of her people to train in advance.”

Chu Ning’s thoughts became clearer upon hearing Gu Ming’s arrangements.

She suddenly thought of something and said, “Since we’re giving others two-tenths, we should give Third Princess the same amount too.”

There was no reason to give outsiders more while giving their own people less.

Xia Ye looked at Chu Ning, his eyes filled with emotion.

“Mm.” He nodded.

“Now that we have a plan for manpower, the next issue is medicinal ingredients.” Xia Ye turned to Qin Zheng.

“I checked with Zheng Yuan earlier, and our current stock of the required ingredients is sufficient,” Qin Zheng responded immediately.

“Being sufficient now doesn’t mean they’ll remain sufficient after the patent is licensed out.”

Once the Jade Dew Pill enters large-scale production, it will inevitably become a daily consumable for many pharmacists.

For example, intermediate pharmacists in the military have already adopted Jade Dew Pills as a routine consumption item.

By taking Jade Dew Pills, intermediate pharmacists can replenish their energy and refine pills continuously.

Their output surpasses their input, making it worthwhile to use Jade Dew Pills as a consumable.

As a result, the market demand for Jade Dew Pills will be enormous.

Furthermore, its widespread production will likely impact the pricing of many third- and fourth-tier pills.

After all, for pharmacists refining third- and fourth-tier pills, using Jade Dew Pills as a supplement yields the highest returns.

“If Wife has ample funds, it’s best to stock up on medicinal ingredients in advance.”

“The same applies to the military. Although it is one of the largest suppliers of medicinal ingredients, several of the key herbs used in Jade Dew Pills are not widely produced on the front lines.”

“Before the Jade Dew Pill formula becomes widely known, the military should also stockpile ingredients.”

Once the patent is officially licensed on a large scale, all factions will scramble to refine Jade Dew Pills, and ingredient prices will fluctuate dramatically.

After a period of market adjustments, the price of Jade Dew Pills will drop, and the cost of ingredients will eventually stabilize. But this transition won’t be quick.

Stocking up on ingredients in advance will save a significant amount of money.

“How much do we need to stockpile?” Chu Ning asked.

Without waiting for Xia Ye to respond, she pulled up her virtual terminal.

“Never mind. I’ll transfer the money to you, and you handle it.” With that, Chu Ning sent Xia Ye a sum of money.

Xia Ye opened the transaction and was stunned to see that Chu Ning had transferred 3.4 billion star coins.

“From now on, all matters regarding the sect’s establishment, recruitment, employee salaries, and ingredient procurement are up to you.”

“Use the money as needed. Once the Gu family and the Pharmacists’ Association remit the patent fees, I’ll send you more.”

She wasn’t sure exactly how much the sect’s establishment would cost or how much it would take to procure ingredients and train personnel.

But keeping money in her own account did nothing except look nice—giving it to Xia Ye would be more practical.

“We probably won’t need this much, at least not for now,” Xia Ye said, feeling both surprised and touched.

“If you don’t need it now, you’ll need it later.”

“Take it and handle the arrangements. I trust you.”

“Thank you, Wife,” Xia Ye said, his eyes filled with gratitude.

Qin Zheng watched the exchange without any objections.

Xia Ye was smart and better at managing finances than he was.

The three of them continued discussing matters before contacting Zheng Yuan.

Xia Ye shared his predictions and suggestions with Zheng Yuan.

After listening, Zheng Yuan had a pained expression.

He had already spent 5 billion to purchase the patent authorization for the Jade Dew Pill from the Marshal’s wife.

For the past few days, he had been overseeing the military’s intermediate pharmacists as they refined Jade Dew Pills for external sales.

Since there was little competition in the current market and the intermediate pharmacists were working overtime—at least 12 hours a day—military sales of Jade Dew Pills were bringing in over 10 billion daily.

He had estimated that he would recoup his investment in just a few more days.

But now, there was yet another expense.

He really didn’t want to shell out more money—but he had no choice.

Because what the Fifth Prince said made sense: spending money now meant earning more later.

“Alright, I’ll contact medicinal suppliers and make purchases within the next two days. I’ll include your share in the order,” Zheng Yuan agreed, though it pained him.

“Also, Wife has already promised Li Huan a second-level authorization for the Jade Dew Pill patent. Contact her later to finalize the contract,” Xia Ye instructed.

Zheng Yuan frowned slightly but still agreed.

The patent belonged to the Marshal’s wife—if she had already approved it, he had nothing to say.

“One more thing. Send us a wholesale price list of the military’s surplus pills. We might purchase stock from you.”

Zheng Yuan’s eyes immediately brightened.

“I’ll arrange for someone to compile it right away!”

The military primarily dealt in medicinal ingredients rather than finished pills, and the Jade Dew Pill was an exception.

As the largest consumer of medicinal pills, the military often couldn’t even meet its own demand and had to source externally.

However, some medicinal ingredients ended up in excess supply, so pharmacists were assigned to refine them into pills to avoid waste.

Since these surplus pills weren’t very popular or had been overproduced, they became stockpiled inventory.

Now that the Fifth Prince had offered to help clear some of this inventory, Zheng Yuan was naturally thrilled!