Chapter 368 - 240: Drink! Would I Harm You?
"What a pity. If this were the First Epoch, that apprentice potion you just took would have been at least twice as effective—I’m talking about its ability to boost your Spiritual Power."
The Jester’s Skull’s eye sockets flashed red, and its jawbone clacked open and shut:
"As for now... if it were just a tiny bit weaker, you could just dilute it and give it to those lowly peasants to drink. That way, they’d have a little more energy when reclaiming wasteland or digging for ore, and wouldn’t work themselves to death so quickly."
Hearing this, Li Wei’s eyes snapped open, and he sat up in the bathtub.
"Give it to peasants?" Li Wei immediately asked. "Dilute it? What’s the exact ratio?"
He had recently been planning to follow the example of famous sports stars like Kobe and develop his own side business in sports drinks.
His initial plan was to create a decent-tasting sugary drink, then cash in on his influence and physical prowess. He’d rake in tens, maybe hundreds of millions, and become the youngest billionaire.
But now, it sounded like the Jester’s Skull was hinting at something.
’Could this ancient Magic Potion actually be used by ordinary people?’
"Heh heh heh! You’re actually interested in such a low-class application?"
The skull seemed a little surprised by Li Wei’s reaction, but it quickly gave an answer:
"About ten thousand to one. One drop of the Magic Potion, added to ten thousand parts of pure snowmelt or mountain spring water."
"A mortal’s constitution is different from those who have embarked on the path of power. Even a slightly higher concentration could trigger a rejection reaction in their bodies and kill them outright... Wait, does that mean this could be used as a poison?"
Reading the Jester’s Skull’s explanation, Li Wei nodded. It made perfect sense.
’It was a system item, after all. The stat boosts only work on me.’
"However, while this diluted wastewater can’t grant mortals any increase in Power, the residual Power within it can perhaps alleviate some of their fatigue."
The dialogue box that appeared next was silent, but Li Wei could sense a hint of schadenfreude in its tone:
"However, I must remind you, my master. Magic Potions—even the lowest-grade ones, and even when diluted—were the exclusive privilege of Knights, nobles, and Mages in that era."
"And while giving the diluted version to those mud-caked peasants to drink can indeed greatly increase a fief’s productivity and tax revenue, those arrogant Mages in their high towers might not like this practice. They consider it a desecration of Extraordinary Power, like casting pearls before swine."
"Heh."
Li Wei scoffed, ignoring the skull’s warning. With a mental command, he sent it back to his inventory.
’The Mages wouldn’t like it? So what?’
’Unfortunately for them, this is the 21st-century United States of America. This is the real world.’
’And I don’t see any Mages around here.’
’Here, the only real magic is called capital.’
"A one-to-ten-thousand dilution ratio, relieves fatigue... doesn’t that just sound like Gatorade or Red Bull?" Li Wei leaned against the edge of the bathtub, water droplets sliding down his well-defined muscles.
If the diluted version was really effective, it could absolutely be marketed as a sports drink, replacing his old "sugary drink" plan.
The advantage of this approach was that he wouldn’t need to invest a fortune in R&D for a core formula. As long as it could pass human trials and the FDA’s quality inspections, it could go into production and hit the market.
The Coca-Cola production lines and the Super Bowl ad slots were already in place.
Li Wei stood up in the tub, grabbing a towel to dry off. He glanced out the window as the pre-dawn darkness began to fade. The steel jungle of New York was beginning to take shape, its massive silhouette etched against the nascent light.
「The next morning」
Li Wei personally contacted the New Jersey lab he’d used the night before.
"I need to run an additional animal trial," he said. "Take the stock solution we synthesized yesterday and dilute it at a one-to-ten-thousand ratio with a standard purified water and electrolyte solution. Then, find a few physically exhausted rats and begin feeding tests."
"Right. And I’ll need to see the specific curve for the diluted solution’s effect on the rats’ blood lactate clearance rate, as well as data on the changes in their EEG synaptic activity. I want the most detailed clinical analysis report."
Compared to preparing, mixing, and testing from scratch, simple dilution was much easier than synthesizing a formula.
Before Friday, Li Wei had the complete clinical analysis report in his hands.
The data was straightforward and incredibly persuasive.
At a 1:10,000 dilution ratio, the rats’ post-exhaustion blood lactate clearance rate was a significant order of magnitude higher than that of mainstream products on the market like Gatorade, Red Bull, or even Powerade.
While still falling short of banned substances like stimulants by more than an order of magnitude, it could still be called the most effective sports drink in the world.
Although the lab director was amazed by the miraculous data, he spoke with the typical rigor of a researcher when he warned Li Wei over the phone:
"Mr. Li Wei, first of all, congratulations. You may have a sports drink on your hands that could revolutionize the current sports medicine and consumer packaged goods markets," he said, pausing for a moment. "However, you still have a lot of prep work to do."
"If you really plan on this being for human consumption," he advised, "you’ll need a toxicology report from a hospital and multiple rounds of human trials. Otherwise, you’ll find the FDA’s review process is no joke."