Chapter 130: Visiting Alchemy Team (Part 4)
[Nick's POV]
After listening to almost 100 product pitches, I was greatly disappointed. Nothing I had seen so far was remotely as exciting as what I envisioned when I first heard about the Duchy having an alchemy team.
I was thinking of something as amazing as turning water into wine or rocks into gold, but instead I got things like 5% more stamina when running or 10% hotter fire for one spell.
As the number of alchemists waiting to present dwindled, I was dreading the fact that I soon would have to pick a potion to start mass producing. I couldn't spend all this time listening to these people's hard work and end up choosing nothing…
I was trying to narrow down the 5 best potions presented so far in my head when I saw Becca returning from the corner of my eye.
Her excited smile and quick thumbs up made it clear to me that her talk with the alchemist in the corner went well. The fact that the same alchemist took a spot at the back of the line to present also got me excited. After all the boring potions I had seen so far, I just needed a mid-tier invention to salvage this trip.
After twenty more minutes and 2 more unspectacular potions, the woman alchemist took center stage.
She wore a large grin and was the first presenter today who did not bow to me before starting. "I heard my Lord likes potions that can change people's lives. Then I have something that will be right down your alley! I have been lobbying for this potion to be mass produced for months now, but these battle hungry jerks don't see the value in learning. I hope the Duke of this great Duchy will be more discerning."
The rest of the alchemists were grumbling in anger at the provocation. I, on the other hand, did not mind. I called out enthusiasticly, "of course I will, don't keep me waiting any longer!"
The woman revealed, "the potion I created will give someone photographic memory for one hour after drinking it!"
It don't take long for me to turn and look at the alchemists around me in shock. "Really?! That is an amazing ability to gain from a potion! How could the rest of you not agree to mass produce this?!"
One of the alchemists replied softly, "but if you take it in the heat of battle, it will be useless. It won't save you from a powerful enemy mage right on your tail…"
I put my palm to my forehead. "…have none of you learned the importance of preparation on the battlefield? If you can memorize the terrain and the enemies battle formations, you will have a huge advantage!"
Another alchemist responded, "but having a good memory will not increase your physical strength. You need in-battle experience, not theoretical knowledge of battle."
I pinched my nose and took a deep breath. "Even if photographic memory doesn't perfectly translate to firepower, it is so unbelievably valuable to other aspects of society that I can't believe you all would relegate it to obscurity like this…"
Many of them said, "we were doing our best to strengthen our army like you told us to!"
I shook my head in disgust, "then maybe I have to rethink who I should task with working for my alchemy team research."
The rest of the alchemist quickly quieted down. They must have not believed I would threaten their jobs like that. I probably said a little too much in the heat of the moment because I was absolutely frustrated that they would neglect such an amazing superpower as photographic memory.
It was like having a cheat in a regression webnovel! I could use it to gain many new difficult to learn skills and also memorize all the nobility that I needed to know for our upcoming wedding banquet!
Soon after my outburst, Becca grabbed my arm and pulled me aside. I didn't resist and let her take me out of earshot of the group of alchemists.
She whispered to me, "Nick! You can't fire these people! Having the talent for alchemy is very rare and the people here are the best in the Duchy!"
I smiled awkwardly, "I know Becca, I was just annoyed at their lack of vision. We need to get them to actively innovate and research on all aspects of life, not just battle. What do you think I should do to reform them?"
Becca smiled, "I already had an idea to tell you, let's make Jennifer the leader of the alchemy team and let her vision navigate the rest of the team."
"Jennifer is the woman who created the photographic memory potion? I am interested in her talent, but this one invention might just be a once in a lifetime lucky thing…"
Becca shook her head, "no, she has ideas to better people's lives and she is able to turn that into real, tangible potions. She is also the inventor of the paternity test potion!"
My eyes widen, "what?! What about the guy making the potion right now in the back?"
"Long story short, he tried to steal her achievement and we were in the wrong for trusting that he really created it without any scrutiny."
I suddenly felt a wave of guilt. "So are you sure she is the true creator?"
Becca shrugged her shoulders, "actually I can't be sure about her either. She said she could make it without any recipe, but I haven't seen it with my own eyes yet…"
I nodded my head with an idea forming.
"Okay, I know what to do."
I grabbed Becca's hand and walked back towards the group of alchemists. Once in front of Jennifer, I announced, "Jennifer, if you can prove you are the creator of the paternity test potion by making it without the recipe, I will promote you to the strategy leader of the alchemist team, so you can approve of every potion that will be researched here."
Jennifer laughed, "that's too easy! It will only take me a few minutes."
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Andrew_3058
Andrew_3058 We recently hit 600 collections for this novel. I’m glad people are still reading and enjoying even though my uploads have been a lot slower recently.
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