Chapter 19

“Then, Your Excellency, if you choose to cooperate with our association, after signing the contract, for each batch of herbs, our association will take twelve pills as a commission. The remaining pills can also be bought back by the association for a payment.”

“Hmm… I don’t need herbs right now, so I’ll think about it later.” She looked at her partner, who was a marshal, and even if they were to cooperate, Qin Zheng would be the first consideration.

Also, she was planning to open a star-net store to sell herbs, and she wasn’t ready to tie herself down to anyone just yet.

The worker’s eyes flashed with disappointment.

“Alright, if you need anything, you can directly go to the task center nearby to sign the contract and collect herbs from there.”

“Mm.” Chu Ning responded.

She submitted the form and then received her junior-level herbalist badge.

The badge was exquisitely crafted, with her name and rank information engraved: Chu Ning, Junior Herbalist.

Great, she was officially a herbalist now and had finally found her footing in this world.

After receiving the badge, Chu Ning met up with Qin Zheng, and they left the herbalist association.

“It’s still early. How about we go shopping at the mall?” Qin Zheng suggested when he saw Chu Ning in a good mood.

“The Baohui Mall nearby has everything—food, entertainment, and there’s a private restaurant there that has really good food.”

Chu Ning was about to refuse but paused for a moment.

“Let’s go to Baohui Mall.” She said immediately.

Qin Zheng raised an eyebrow.

“Alright.”

They went to Baohui Mall and headed straight for the private restaurant.

The food here was indeed delicious, and Chu Ning ate heartily.

Qin Zheng had always thought he wasn’t someone who cared much about food, but seeing Chu Ning enjoy herself, he ended up adding another bowl of rice.

Afterward, Qin Zheng took Chu Ning around the mall to buy clothes, jewelry, and bags.

He thought Chu Ning would be very interested, but in reality, she wasn’t that enthusiastic.

However, she did have a strong preference for certain types of food.

Especially ice cream; Chu Ning even had three servings.

Qin Zheng thought to himself: His wife was really easy to please.

At around three o’clock, they returned to the Marshal’s residence.

Chu Ning didn’t go to the alchemy room but instead went to her room to register her star-net shop.

Now that she was a junior herbalist, after certification and paying 50,000 star coins, the shop was opened.

She chose some free decoration options, set up the store simply, and then began uploading products.

Yesterday, she had refined some herbs in the alchemy room. Since Qin Zheng didn’t want them, she was now going to list them in her store for sale.

Once the products were listed, she set the prices slightly lower than the market rate and then closed the store page.

The three types of herbs she had mastered earlier were already well within her grasp. Continuing to refine them wouldn’t do much for her spiritual power improvement.

She needed to try refining different herbs.

After searching, Chu Ning found a few publicly available formulas.

Some of them she couldn’t refine yet due to her current skill level.

Just as she was feeling troubled, there was a knock at the door.

“Wife, it’s time for dinner.” It was Qin Zheng.

Chu Ning glanced at her stomach; since she had eaten quite a bit earlier, she wasn’t very hungry.

“Mm.” She responded and stood up, walking toward the door.

It didn’t matter if she wasn’t hungry—she could always go to the alchemy room to refine some herbs, and that would definitely work up her appetite.

The food at home tasted great, so she didn’t want to waste it.

When she opened the door, she met Qin Zheng’s concerned gaze.

His eyes were sincere and gentle, making Chu Ning’s heart flutter.

“I want to refine a few batches of herbs first,” she quickly snapped back to her senses and said.

“Mm, I’ll accompany you.” Qin Zheng replied.

“By the way, I’ve asked the military to send over some formulas and corresponding herbs. Would you like to give them a try?”

Formulas?

Chu Ning’s face brightened.

She immediately remembered something.

After a brief hesitation, she looked at Qin Zheng.

“Can we sign an herbalist cooperation contract?” she asked.

In this world, formulas had intellectual property rights, and the protection period for these rights could last for hundreds or even thousands of years.

During the protection period, unless authorized by the rights holder, others were not allowed to use the formulas, let alone use them for commercial purposes.

The few publicly available formulas on the star-net were either those whose protection period had expired or formulas bought out by public institutions that had been made public. The number of such formulas was very limited.

Moreover, these publicly available formulas were mainly for herbs in high demand but with little economic value.

For these reasons, after herbalists obtained their qualifications, they typically signed contracts with large organizations or groups to get access to formulas from them.

This allowed herbalists to enhance their skills quickly without a lack of formulas.

However, signing contracts had its downsides, as it meant becoming heavily tied to the contract’s formulas.

For example, after obtaining a formula, the herbalist had to refine herbs according to that formula and share the finished product with the contracting group. This type of contract had the least amount of restrictions.

Other contracts, however, could restrict a herbalist from working with third parties or require them to share the rights of the formulas they developed with the contracting group.

In short, the more help the herbalist received, the more stringent the contract terms.

When Chu Ning suggested signing a herbalist cooperation contract, she knew this type of contract would be the most restrictive for her.

The terms would require her to refine herbs according to the formulas and give a portion of the finished products to the contracting group.

“Sure.” Qin Zheng smiled gently.

“Our military’s purchase rights for formulas are very high, and it’s common for top herbalists to sign contracts with us for cooperation.”

“Let’s go with what we discussed earlier. The military will provide the herbs, and you will refine them. Afterward, the military will take 50% of the finished products. You can handle the remaining herbs as you wish.”

“By the way, weren’t you planning to open a store online? You can sell any extra herbs in your online store. When you list them, just upload the cooperation contract with the military. The military has already paid for the usage rights of the formulas, so once the contract is uploaded, you’ll be able to sell the herbs.”

The military had indeed opened some herbalist cooperation contracts, but if the herbs weren’t fully recovered, the military’s share could be as high as 70%.

But since this was his wife, of course, it wasn’t the same as working with other herbalists.

Since his wife was planning to sell the herbs online, he would fully support her.

“I’ve already opened the online store.”

“Send me the contract, and let’s go refine the herbs now,” Chu Ning said excitedly.

As a herbalist, she was very interested in the formulas.

Although the formulas in this world didn’t seem very advanced, it didn’t stop her from practicing and experimenting.

“Mm.” Qin Zheng nodded.

While following Chu Ning, he tapped his light brain to make the arrangements.

By the time they reached the alchemy room, Chu Ning had already received the contract.

As they continued toward the alchemy room, Chu Ning opened the contract to check it.

She found that the contract listed the names of over a dozen types of herbs.

“This contract is for first-grade herbs, and the corresponding herbs have already been sent to the alchemy room.”

“Once you’ve mastered these, you’ll be able to exchange them for second-grade herbs,” Qin Zheng explained.