Chapter 560 - 345: Gentleman’s Race
After reading the email from Xu Qinghe, Lin Qi instantly understood what these people were thinking.
On the surface, they seemed polite, but they were actually dismissive of his title as the "youngest S-Class Pharmaceutical Researcher."
"Lin, we're extremely curious about your potion-crafting technique. I heard that you completed your S-Class certification by making an S-Class Potion with only 150 ingredients. Before now, I always believed that 150 was merely a theoretical limit—a miracle we S-Class Pharmaceutical Researchers could never hope to achieve in our lifetimes."
The blonde researcher's tone grew more and more exaggerated. By the end, he even spread his arms wide, as if embracing an invisible God.
"Yes, I never thought I would live to see the 150-ingredient limit of S-Class Pharmacy actually be achieved. Young man, you've performed a miracle."
"God is watching over you, Lin. If the addition of the 150th ingredient had failed, the 151st would have ruined the entire potion. God Himself must have kissed your right hand."
"If that potion is real, its value as a collector's item would far exceed its practical worth. Lin, I would like to buy that potion from you for ten times its value."
The other researchers also crowded around, chiming in to echo the blonde man's words.
Lin Qi could clearly detect the undercurrent of arrogance in their voices.
Some of them seemed to have already concluded that creating an S-Class Potion with only 150 ingredients was utterly impossible.
Lin Qi scanned the crowd, his gaze finally landing on Xu Qinghe.
He saw Xu Qinghe's eyes shining, so full of delight it was practically overflowing.
"Lin Qi, let me introduce you. This is Kavenel, an S-Class Pharmaceutical Researcher from the McCarthy Science Company in the European Administrative Region. You can just call him Kaven."
"He's been buzzing in my ear about you for the past two days. He wants to have a pharmaceutical exchange with you—a 'gentleman's race' using the same type of 140 Base Potion."
Xu Qinghe finally spoke up. After introducing the blonde researcher to Lin Qi, she brought up the bet she had mentioned in her email.
The email hadn't gone into detail, but the gist was that she had acted as the house for a betting pool within the S-Class Pharmaceutical Society, taking wagers on the outcome of Lin Qi's first competition against another S-Class Alchemist.
With the "luck theory" and "cheating theory" floating around, it was only natural that almost everyone was betting against Lin Qi.
Xu Qinghe had stated in the email that if she lost, she would bear the consequences alone.
If she won, she would give Lin Qi thirty percent of the profits!
Lin Qi was very interested in this potential payout.
After all, Lin Qi was indeed a bit short on Credit Points at the moment.
Lin Qi decided to play along, asking, "What's a '140 Base Potion'? And what's a 'gentleman's race'?"
'I've never heard of those two terms,' Lin Qi thought. 'They must be internal jargon from the S-Class Pharmaceutical Society, or maybe something unique to the European Administrative Region.'
Hearing Lin Qi's question, the blonde researcher, Kaven, let out a soft chuckle. It was so faint that if you weren't listening closely, you would have missed it.
Kaven began to explain, "Lin, you've only just become an S-Class Pharmaceutical Researcher, after all. It's perfectly normal for you to be unfamiliar with the S-Class Potion industry. Allow me to explain it to you."
Kaven took a potion from his pocket.
The glass vial was engraved with the words "McCarthy Science-140."
As he took out the potion, Kaven said, "The 140 Base Potion is produced by 'well-established,' 'highly experienced' pharmaceutical companies. They're made to help 'us,' the 'excellent' S-Class Pharmaceutical Researchers, produce potions more efficiently."
"These potions are made with the same ingredients, the same processing methods, and in the same sequence, maintaining a standardized quality of over eighty percent."
𝒻𝑟𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝑛𝘰𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝘤𝘰𝘮
"The creators are mostly newly-promoted, 'mediocre' S-Class Pharmaceutical Researchers, with a few being exceptionally experienced, top-tier A-Class Pharmaceutical Researchers."
"You're from a pharmaceutically backward place like the Asian Administrative Region, so it's only natural you wouldn't know about this. If you were in the European Administrative Region, your main job right now would probably be making Base Potions for 'veteran' researchers like us."
As he explained all this, Kaven's voice was filled with a sense of superiority, constantly stressing words like "well-established," "highly experienced," and "excellent."
In his eyes, not only Lin Qi but even newcomers to the world of S-Class Pharmacy like Xu Qinghe were completely unworthy of standing in their presence!
Such newcomers were only fit to produce Base Potions for the company and serve the veteran Pharmaceutical Researchers!
As a seasoned "corporate drone" himself, how could Lin Qi possibly miss the subtext?
But Lin Qi didn't show the slightest hint of impatience. He simply said, "I see. I've really never heard of Base Potions in the Asian Administrative Region. I suppose the S-Class Pharmaceutical Researchers in our region just have more solid fundamentals. Preparing the first 140 ingredients doesn't take us much time."
Kaven's eyebrow twitched, but he didn't openly refute Lin Qi. "Is that so? It seems some of us have misjudged you, Lin. People were suggesting you must have used an S-minus-grade Base Potion during your certification. Looks like everyone was just overthinking it."
Off to the side, several of the watching S-Class Pharmaceutical Researchers chuckled aloud.
Only Xu Qinghe had a strange expression on her face.
Lin Qi's expression remained unchanged. "And what's this S-minus-grade Base Potion? Ah, never mind, it's not important. Kaven, you still haven't told me what a 'gentleman's race' is."