Danmachi: Strongest Familia

Upon receiving Renata's invitation, Naaza accepted it enthusiastically. To win her trust, Renata had put in substantial effort, even going so far as to share the life potion formula with her in advance.

Being a skilled pharmacist, Naaza quickly crafted the life potion from the recipe, and the quality of her potion surpassed even that of those sold by the Janna family. The Janna family's potions were mass-produced and made by non-specialist alchemists, resulting in lower quality compared to Naaza's hand-crafted versions. However, given her limited production capacity, her potions didn't threaten the Janna family's market share—most adventurers couldn't tell the difference anyway.

Even so, the Miach family had managed to profit considerably during this time, which only improved Janna's view of Renata. 

In addition to Naaza's help, Renata borrowed a large number of Morgana's people, including her prized assistant, Cassandra. Initially, Morgana resisted, as her own affairs would struggle with so many family members on loan. But Renata's offer was too enticing to refuse. Even though Morgana's finances were stable, the amount Renata offered was significant.

As part of their prior agreement, Renata had also committed to providing Morgana's family with potions. When Morgana saw the array of mixtures Singed had prepared, she ultimately agreed to Renata's arrangement. With Morgana's team added to the workforce, production ramped up significantly.

Naaza's skills, in particular, stood out; her experience meant she could accomplish the work of dozens of novices. More surprising to Renata was Naaza's ability to train others effectively, likely from her past experience as a team leader. Under Naaza's guidance, the potion-makers improved rapidly, a pleasant surprise for Renata. However, Naaza's loyalty to her god made her difficult to recruit permanently—a frustrating obstacle.

Despite the increased production, the daily supply of life potions still sold out, further eroding the Dian Cecht family's market. Where once adventurers might have turned to Dian Cecht's potions when Janna's stock ran out, now even that customer base was slipping away. The God Dian Cecht was reportedly cursing the Janna family with increasing frequency, but the other gods, absorbed in their own affairs, showed little interest in coming to his aid.

One morning, Naaza rushed to Renata, anxious. "It's bad news! The Dian Cecht family has lowered the price of their potions!"

Since the start of this business rivalry, Naaza had closely monitored the Dian Cecht family's moves, so the price drop hadn't escaped her notice. The old man was truly desperate. For years, his family had monopolized Orario's life potion market and had stockpiled a considerable inventory of potions and raw materials for emergencies or to capitalize on expeditions. Now, with sales declining, these reserves had become a burden. While the potions had a long shelf life, they wouldn't last forever, and selling them at a discount was his only option to avoid complete losses.

Encouraged by Airmid, and seeing the Janna family's production capacity stretched, Dian Cecht decided to sell his inventory at a discount. Despite his reluctance, he slashed prices even below the Janna family's rates to attract adventurers.

"What are we going to do?" Naaza asked, worried. "The Dian Cecht family's business is picking up again."

Renata, however, remained calm. "There's no need to worry. Their potion costs are still high, and this is clearly just a temporary spike in sales." She knew adventurers wouldn't be swayed to buy other goods just because they came for healing potions. And with the Miach family's prescriptions, she understood Dian Cecht's production costs precisely. As soon as the price cut went into effect, Renata had dispatched people to investigate.

"It's obvious they're clearing out inventory," Renata mused. Dian Cecht's reserves were larger than she'd anticipated, but she wasn't deterred.

Seeing Naaza's worry, Renata chuckled softly. "Overtaking the Dian Cecht family isn't something that'll happen overnight. But I certainly won't cut our prices. Their reduced prices are just a temporary tactic to unload excess stock, and once that's gone, they'll stop production. Our life potions, on the other hand, are here to stay, at least until we bring newer medicines to market."

With Renata's connivance, Airmid's plan proceeded smoothly, even if it left the old Dian Cecht feeling helpless. In a short time, most of Dian Cecht's stock had been sold off at a loss. Though it temporarily impacted the Janna family's sales, the market was becoming saturated. With Dian Cecht's supplies originally intended for expeditions now available at cut-rate prices, even casual buyers began stockpiling, further slowing down sales.

With the market now awash in Dian Cecht's discounted potions, Orario's demand for healing medicines was beginning to reach its peak.