Exlor
I don't know why the advisors were so surprised that Ves prioritized making everyone walk away satisfied over maximum profit. He knows the value of returning customers very well! Expecially now that he has a lovely sample set of customers to help him break into the big leagues! (Hexers don't count - they are a fringe society from the losing side of a war in the most backwater Rim of the old Galaxy)
My suggestion would be to break off a few bits and give EVERY one of the Journeyman a "spiritual pet" with Phasewater affinity. Maybe even all the Apprentices with potential as well. Of all the options Ves could make in the future... none would be as useful and flexible as Phasewater + a dash of his "life affinity" to allow growth.
phase king was definitely an expert on phase water, but he was self taught in an isolated environment .. phase king doesn't have the exposure to the rest of the galaxy that the unclean whale has... obv, unclean is a slacker compared to a proper phase whale, and doesn't even know the full capabilities of its own organs, but it is likely exposed to, and knowledgeable of, examples and methods that phase king has never seen or imagined... strip unclean down of all it's phase water knowledge, and feed it to phase king, then portion it's remaining spiritual energy to the rest of the design spirit pantheon... they can definitely use more love.