Chapter 35- performance

Exposing such a fraud is very simple. The production of the Blink Potion was his test. As a master-level threshold potion, he had failed countless times in the past two years to concoct it successfully. This was not something like a simple hemostatic ointment that could easily be faked.

Frank scratched his head and moved closer to Joan's cheek. Upon getting closer, he realized something was wrong; the girl's ears were on top of her head. He quickly adjusted and whispered, "That pharmacist keeps glaring at me. Can he give me a fair evaluation?"

Joan's ears seemed very sensitive, twitching slightly at the warm breath. She answered softly, "Don't worry, that's why I invited two other evaluators. Your abilities won't be buried by biased opinions. Trust the Guild's capabilities."

After the box was placed on the table, the pharmacist sneered and said, "You completed the concoction of two bottles of Blink Potion in just forty minutes?"

Frank smiled and nodded. "That's right."

"But I can't even sense much magic power from you."

Most advanced life skills required magic or combat aura as support, which was the fundamental reason why advanced skills could significantly enhance efficiency and quality.

Frank had no magic power. What he used was divine power. Of course, this couldn't be revealed. He smiled and answered calmly, "I focused all my concentration on improving my potion-making skills. As for magic power, having just enough is sufficient, since I don't intend to become a mage."

"As a fraud, to maintain such a facade until now, your psychological resilience is indeed quite impressive." The pharmacist snorted disdainfully. "It seems you have no idea how much effort high-level pharmacists need to put in. Concentration... if concentration were enough, I would have..."

He angrily cut himself off. "Forget it. My purpose here is just to expose you. The Guild will handle your case."

Then he opened the box and took out a small portable bottle. He deftly popped out the top dropper, dabbed a drop on his finger, and tasted it with his tongue.

Frank was recalling how protagonists in novels usually delivered face-slapping comebacks at such moments but hadn't decided on his approach when he heard the pharmacist stammering, "This... how... is... it possible?"

Darn, the golden moment to show off had been missed.

As if worried his tongue was malfunctioning, the pharmacist dabbed another drop and sucked on his finger. However, the other two evaluators had already given their judgments without hesitation.

The merchant guild expert, known for his conservative and steady style, declared, "Without a doubt, this is a top-tier 'superior' Blink Potion, with an additional effect boost of at least three levels. I can't confirm the exact level; it exceeds my expertise."

"It's a five-level additional boost," the trainer said, his face glowing with excitement, every wrinkle radiating joy. "A superior Blink Potion with a five-level additional boost. This deserves a dedicated label. Ah... to witness such a treasure before I die, I have no regrets even if I were to pass away now."

Joan clenched her fists in excitement. "I knew it, you are definitely not a fraud."

"Why?" Frank laughed.

"I don't know," she wiggled her ears. "Maybe I felt the goddess's favor upon you."

"This... this can't be..." The pharmacist still couldn't accept the blow, looking pitiful. His two acquaintances stood up to console him softly. Frank wasn't interested in joining their circle, lest the old man who had been quietly watching him dragged him away. "Well, Tiffany is still waiting for me. I'll head back to the workshop."

"No, please wait a moment. The exam results need to be officially announced," the old man insisted, adhering strictly to the procedure.

"How old are you this year?" The pharmacist stared at Frank, suddenly asking in a sharp tone.

Individuals with great power in this world could maintain prolonged youth, so the other party probably regarded him as one of those long-lived beings.

Frank thought for a moment, then smiled and said, "I am with my goddess, and we have spent more than one lifetime together, so age holds no meaning for me. Whatever you wonder about, just consider it the blessing of the goddess of abundance to her messenger. Please remember the name of the goddess Vicky; she is the source of all my abilities." Although he might not be able to attract followers, he seized this good opportunity to fervently promote his goddess.

Despite not having believed in any religion in his past life, he had seen how religious preaching worked. The goddess's blessings were real, and he could confidently express his reverence.

Joan listened intently, showing no intention of stopping him.

Thus, the final part of the examination turned into a lecture on the deeds of the goddess of abundance.

After Frank finished his long speech, feeling parched and lifting his cup of water, the pharmacist who had been looking shocked the whole time suddenly stood up and exclaimed, "But I have never heard of the goddess you mentioned." Joan glanced at the purple crescent moon pendant swinging on his chest and said softly, "Mr. Frank, he is a follower of the Moonlight Church. Your words may have shaken him."

"A Moonlight Church follower, a fool following the false goddess Mifnamas, believing that the moon is the gate to the underworld, hoping to accumulate faith for happiness in the afterlife."

Frank decisively chose to ignore the strong subjectivity in the divine message. He knew that changing someone's faith was very difficult; it had to be done gently, slowly, and methodically, otherwise, it would backfire.

"But I know the one you worship, the moon goddess Mifnamas. She is fortunate to have been remembered by you for so long. Yet Vicky, who fought alongside her against chaos, has been forgotten by everyone. This outcome is very unjust. I don't expect everyone to start following my goddess immediately; I only hope that from now on, people remember that at the roots of this world, a lonely and forgotten goddess still slumbers. This world's productivity, reproduction, all the bountiful harvests worth celebrating, are Vicky's blessings. I only wish for everyone to be grateful. Now, I will take my leave."

It was getting late, and he planned to find Tiffany, pack up, and return to the Moon's Rest for a break.

Just as he stepped out of the examination room, the divine consciousness echoed in Frank's mind.

"Current faith has reached 21. You can now elevate your faith level through worship at any time." Wow, was the speech really that effective? If so, he should do this more often... hmm, this seems like the work of a missionary. Frank laughed. Unconsciously, he had finally stepped into the role he was meant to play.

Tiffany had just finished packing when Joan, her face beaming, knocked and entered, joyfully holding Frank's hand. She said, "Congratulations! I have two pieces of good news."

"Oh?"

"One is about the commission list. We've updated it to match your capabilities. Additionally, our superiors have approved an extra 10% material budget for losses. With my efforts, as long as you can consistently produce results, we won't question where this extra goes."

This meant that if he made ten bottles of potion without errors, one of them could be taken as an extra reward. However, Frank had already managed to secure a 50% to 60% "rebate" through his skills, so he wasn't very excited about this. "And the other?"

"The narrative you submitted about the goddess Vicky has been given a three-star reliability rating. We believe this will help awaken many people's memories of the goddess, so she won't be so lonely anymore." Oh, this was truly good news. Letting the rumors spread first, even if people didn't believe them right away, would help reduce resistance when he personally went to preach later.

"Thank you. To express my gratitude for your support of the goddess, I will give my best effort. Please trust my professional skills. I will definitely save that 10% loss budget for you," Frank said softly. "When the commission is complete, I hope you can sell me a set of portable mixing equipment."

"No problem. No... I'll personally gift you a set," Joan said excitedly, her ears standing straight up. "With your full support, our branch's year-end evaluation will surely be the best. I will definitely thank you properly!"

So, this world also has performance evaluations? It seems that any organization, in the end, follows similar paths...

Having officially secured the job, the Adventurer's Guild was very generous, immediately paying a 10% deposit.

Seeing Tiffany hurriedly lifting her skirt and pulling her underwear to hide the money inside, Frank smiled, patted her, and placed it in the most secure place—inside Ivanka.

His Ivanka now had a capacity of 150 pounds, far from being full.

At the guild entrance, Frank politely declined the dinner invitations from the three examiners and strolled towards the Moon's Rest with Tiffany, pondering how to hold a matching-level worship to elevate his faith level.

This time, a private worship session for Tiffany alone wouldn't work. Although a micro-worship would suffice, it required at least two participants. Knowing he could gather enough faith so quickly, he should have asked Chris to stay another day.