Charlie questioned, "What kind of flower is that? Isn't the crying grass supposed to bloom differently?"
Carl had a wry expression, patiently explaining, "All crying grass does not bloom. These two are different species.
The grimace flower is a very precious plant, a rare herb that can replenish spiritual energy. It is an essential ingredient for the 'focus elixir', which has been designated as a strategic reserve material by the Millennium Empire and is monopolized by the royal family. So you can imagine the value of the grimace flower.
Currently, there is no organization that has announced the ability to artificially cultivate the grimace flower. It only grows wild, with the Lancang Mountains being the famous production area. It has been designated as a forbidden zone by the royal family, so the quantity of grimace flowers that make it to the civilian market is quite limited. In the major trading houses, the market price of a single grimace flower is 120 gold coins - extremely valuable but scarce."
Evan asked, "Where did you get the grimace flower seeds? Do you know the cultivation method?"
The three masters stared at Charlie, who in turn looked at Martin.
Charlie shook his head, "I don't know. Director Martin just provided me with 20 seedlings of crying grass, he never mentioned anything about the grimace flower."
At this, the three herbalists turned their questioning gaze to Martin.
Martin's expression was inscrutable, but after a moment it brightened, and he said with a smile, "In that case, the competition result should be quite clear! This young man is the newly hired blue-badge gardener at the botanical garden. Now, he has proven himself, his skills surpassing Maka's.
I declare Ethan the winner of this round! Well then, you three masters, if you're busy, you can head back first."
The three masters were now reluctant to leave.
Evan said solemnly, "Director, if the grimace flower can truly be cultivated artificially, this matter should be reported to..."
"Hey!" Martin quickly raised his hand to interrupt him, bluntly retorting, "I understand this better than you! It's my responsibility, so don't worry. I'll handle it properly."
This was the division of duties in the botanical garden - the herbalists could not overstep their bounds unless they found clear evidence of dereliction of duty by the director. For now, no matter how unwilling they were, they could only watch helplessly as a discovery that could shake Master Roen was falling into Martin's pocket.
How frustrating!
Maka was undoubtedly the biggest loser in this competition, especially with such harsh evaluations from the three masters - it felt like they were slapping him in the face repeatedly. Even more frustrating was that, because he lost the competition, Martin's promised reward would not be fulfilled, and it was all because of this d*mn kid. Maka glared hatefully at Charlie.
Martin chuckled at Bryce, "Mr. Bryce, are you satisfied with this result? Your nephew won decisively."
Bryce smiled, "Satisfied, of course satisfied. Then I can rest easy." He then turned to leave.
"Safe travels, no need to see you off."
Charlie and Bryce exchanged a glance, and the latter turned and left.
Once everyone had departed, the room was left with only the two of them.
"You won! A true hero has emerged from the young! Daring to think and act!" Martin looked at Charlie with great solemnity, as if seeing him for the first time. After a pause, he said, "Congratulations, you've been hired! You are now a blue-badge gardener of the first rank in Master Roen's botanical garden. Shortly, someone will bring you a labor contract, uniform, and equipment - these are what you deserve.
However, I have one question that you must answer truthfully! This is an order, since I am now your superior!"
"Ask."
Martin interrogated, "Did you secretly sneak in grimace flower seeds?"
Charlie smiled, "The things were all checked by you and then brought in. Why ask such a redundant question?"
Martin's expression grew stern. "We didn't thoroughly inspect that dirty stuff. Sneaking them in wouldn't have been difficult! If you did do that, I have to say I'm very disappointed. That would be cheating! Think carefully about how you'll work in my botanical garden in the future!"
Despite his words, Martin still held onto a glimmer of hope, hoping to get a denial from Charlie. If this was cheating, it would be too coincidental - how could he have predicted the competition content in advance? And how could he have found a substitute that fit the test in just a dozen minutes? After all, grimace flower seeds are quite hard to come by on the open market.
As for this man, Charlie was also disappointed. When faced with a problem, his first instinct was to interrogate others and seek answers through power plays, rather than carefully observing the phenomena and uncovering the answers from there. This was not the qualities of a good superior.
Charlie gestured to the plants on the cart, saying, "Director, take another close look at these plants. Due to the inconsistent stage of development, they perfectly demonstrate the transformation from crying grass to grimace flower. Doesn't that explain it? I originally wanted to explain my experimental process in detail to help the judges understand, but you stopped me."
As for Martin's mindset at the time, Charlie understood it quite well. It was simply that he wanted to keep this secret from the herbalists in front of him. Because if Charlie had stated it openly, he could guarantee that those purple-badge herbalists would immediately submit a report to Master Roen's desk, and the fruit would no longer be for him to pluck. Later, when Martin stopped Evan, it was for the same purpose.
Martin glanced at the plants, exclaiming in delight, "Could it really be true? The truth that the world has yet to discover is actually presented here in my botanical garden? Quickly, tell me how you managed to do this!"
Charlie sighed inwardly again. Flighty and eager for success - another major flaw.
Charlie pulled a thick handwritten journal from the shelf and said, "This contains detailed insights on cultivating crying grass. If the director doesn't believe it, you can have someone try my method."
Martin's face lit up with unbridled joy, his eyes glued to the journal, unable to look away. Of course, he knew the value of this information. If handled properly, it could potentially trigger a storm in the Empire, allowing the acquisition of vast wealth, not to mention changing the current strategic reserve status, and even gaining the friendship of certain royal family members.
Thinking this way, Martin felt a burning heat in his heart, as if a direct path to the upper echelons of the Empire had opened up before him, and the key to it was right in front of him.
Martin reached out and grabbed the journal, pulling it into his chest, careful not to damage it, tightly gripping it without letting go.
He gave Charlie a questioning look.
Charlie smiled, "Director, you probably don't think a blue-badge gardener's position would be enough to trade for this, right?"
The young man's smile was so sunny, it made Martin curse inwardly.
"Name your price!"
He said it with great arrogance, but after seeing Charlie's even brighter smile, he added, "I advise you not to ask for too much. Although this method has value, it touches on the interests of the royal family. Think about it, this was originally a monopolized business of the royal family, and now ordinary people can get involved - it's messing with their cheese.
I'm just afraid that if you make too much money, you might end up dead! It would be a case of the gain not being worth the loss.
For this kind of game, only those with deep connections can play it. You'd better think it through carefully. As a common person, you can't afford to play this kind of game."
Martin's biggest fear was that Charlie would request to meet with Master Roen directly. If he could establish direct contact with the great wizard, then Martin would be out of the picture. The ideal outcome for him would be to act as Charlie's agent and interface with the great master.
Charlie smiled, "The director needn't worry. After all, I'm just a small soldier under your command. I won't be so presumptuous. In fact, my request is not very high.
I hope the director won't arrange too many tasks for me on a daily basis, and I need a separate laboratory with full equipment. I also hope to be able to read the professional books in the botanical garden, so I can improve my own skills and maybe come up with another new discovery next time."
Martin's eyes shone with delight, and he quickly responded, "Yes, yes, yes! It's great to see a young person with such ambition!
I agree to all these conditions. I'll also grant you the privileges of a third-rank blue-badge gardener, which is the highest rank I can provide. You can utilize some of the botanical garden's magical reserves, just let me know beforehand.
Additionally, I'll personally give you a 200 gold coin bonus as a reward for this experimental discovery. In the future, if you have any new discoveries, I'll provide even higher rewards. How does that sound?"
This man had clearly decided to treat Charlie as a high-quality cash cow to nurture, waiting to reap the rewards.
When people are faced with opportunities that can change their destiny, they are often blinded by self-interest, and fail to see whether they truly have the ability to possess it.
Charlie smiled, "Then thank you for the director's generosity!"
He loosened his grip, and the journal fell into Martin's arms. Martin laughed heartily, "Good, good! Ethan, do well! I won't let you down!"
With that, Martin clutched the journal, filled with ambition and excitement, and hurriedly left the scene.
Back in his quarters, he immediately summoned Maka. At this crucial juncture, he still needed to rely on his own people.
Martin raised the journal and said to Maka, "Maka, there is an opportunity that can change our fate. Are you willing to work with me on this?"
Maka had been in a depressed and resentful state. After being ignored by the director, he felt deeply wronged, thinking he had made many sacrifices for Martin, only to be abandoned in the end. He had even contemplated reporting the whole affair to Master Roen's assistant, wondering what the consequences would be.
But now, being summoned by Martin and seeing the journal in his hand, Maka immediately understood the situation. A surge of exhilaration filled his heart, and he asked, "Director, have you obtained the cultivation method?"
"That's right!" Martin's expression was grave as he spoke solemnly, "You help me verify it. If it's correct, we'll have a great fortune. Maybe in the future, your position could even be above mine."
A flicker of surprise crossed Maka's face, but beneath the joy, his expression was contorted, unable to hide his true feelings. After a few seconds, he managed to compose himself, smiling shyly.
"Director, I don't dare to hope for that. You know me, as long as it can change our current situation, that's enough."
Martin slammed the journal down on the desk, chuckling, "Not only will it change our lives, it will change our status. In the future, we can eat the most expensive food, ride the best carriages, and sleep with the most beautiful women."
The two men looked at each other and burst out laughing.