Chapter 34- scammer

Frank went to the appointment and took the opportunity to escort Chris to the door. Joan was waiting downstairs ten minutes early, looking very sincere. During the meal, she first stated that she hadn't joined any religion, and then respectfully inquired about the goddess of abundance, Vicky.

Frank had already concocted a story. After all, memories of Vicky were readily available in his consciousness. The distant history, measured in millennia, even the immortal species among the higher beings couldn't verify or refute it. He believed that Joan's inquiries were probably part of the exam she mentioned.

The Adventurer's Guild had to be accountable for the information it transmitted, with most intelligence marked with stars indicating various attributes, including credibility. Information about the goddess Vicky was marked either as a one-star rumor or a five-star datum, and the difference between them was enormous.

Considering his own safety, Frank focused mainly on events from the mythological era, skillfully avoiding his own involvement. After all, the world's peace was built on countless small conflicts and the axis of light versus darkness battles. He didn't want to attract the attention of any faction and end up being abducted and tamed in a dungeon.

He had already tasted the beauty of the abilities granted by the goddess and preferred to enjoy it freely. So, he admonished himself to remain as inconspicuous as possible in the future, limiting his identity more to the duties of spreading the faith.

Joan clearly wanted to know about the powers of a divine envoy, but Frank wasn't inclined to satisfy her curiosity, at least not for now. If her attitude remained good, he wouldn't mind letting her experience the blessings of the goddess firsthand after they got closer.

Of course, to properly demonstrate that he wasn't making things up, Frank took out the purchase contract he almost lost because of Ivanka from his luggage, proving his healing abilities to Joan. He didn't specify the effects of the medicine, though.

After this meal, Joan's attitude became even more enthusiastic and proactive. On the way back to Moon's Rest, she couldn't wait to finalize the time for the exam.

Back in his room, Frank glanced at the clock, thinking that Tiffany wouldn't leave anyway. He could wait until evening to rest normally without forcing ejaculation for the blessings. He just held her and lay on the soft bed together, napping for two hours.

All fast-acting medicinal potions would deplete future recovery and physical abilities, hence the reason Tiffany had been feeling tired these days.

So, having been assigned some simple assistant tasks, when Tiffany entered the Adventurer's Guild with Frank, she nervously muttered under her breath, "Master, will the exam be difficult?" while letting out a huge yawn.

The ground floor served as the main hall, primarily dealing with various daily affairs of the Adventurer's Guild, such as basic task assignments, buying and selling of goods, and intelligence dissemination. The second floor was where the staff resided. The backyard housed the training ground, rented out to adventurers for their use.

After passing through the backyard, the row of buildings of various sizes was the workshops available for adventurers to rent, including the blending room Frank was going to use. The workshops were categorized by level, and from the craftsmanship of the sign at the entrance, he could tell that the place he was going to take the exam was the highest-level blending workshop here.

Upon entering, he found all the equipment complete. A small door led to a rear warehouse, where materials shared by all blending rooms were stored, while another small door led to a storage room for materials exclusive to this room's renter.

"The rental fee here is calculated by the hour, starting from several tens of silver coins per hour. I hope it suits your needs," Joan explained briefly, then placed a pale yellow parchment on the table.

"Please take a look. This is your exam content, to be completed within an hour before dinner. It's not a very difficult test, mainly to assess the stability of the quality of your finished products."

Frank nodded and took a seat. The recipe written on the paper was for a standard "Swift Step Potion," which required alchemy skills at the level of a master or above, so it wasn't really without difficulty. And the materials and vessels provided indicated that only an alchemist of at least level 10 extraordinary could have a high probability of successfully blending it.

From this exam content, Frank guessed that the Adventurer's Guild was prepared for the next best thing, even if he wasn't a saint, as long as he could complete this test, he would have at least an extraordinary level of 10, which could be hired at a discounted rate.

Frank was indeed not a saint.

He was one level higher than a saint.

With these materials and vessels at this level, the exam required him to successfully produce two bottles, but he felt he could produce three times that amount.

Truly a divine gift, Vicky, you're amazing.

In this situation, it wouldn't be right not to take advantage of the opportunity to benefit himself.

So, he turned around, wearing a serious expression, and said, "Miss Administrator, I'm ready now. Please forgive me for not liking to be watched. Once the exam is over, I'll bring the results to you." Joan nodded, opened the door, and stepped out. "I'll be waiting outside for your good news. Wish you success." A one-hour time limit must have been quite nerve-wracking for an extraordinary alchemist.

However, Frank finished in less than twenty minutes. He looked at the six bottles labeled "Premium +5" and swept his hand, putting four of them into the specialized storage box—Ivanka's.

He deliberately lingered a bit with the remaining two bottles, taking just over forty minutes, in line with the level of a saint, before walking out with them.

With the exam passed, there shouldn't be any suspense.

Frank was filled with anticipation for this commission.

If the other party prepared the materials according to the abilities of a saint alchemist, it meant that he could take at least half of all the finished products in these five days.

That was worth much more than a mere fifty gold coins...

Frank was slightly surprised that the assessment of the exam results was not conducted by Miss Administrator. After all, with a reward as high as fifty gold coins, it was enough to hire an experienced team to explore dangerous swamps and draw detailed maps. So, the Adventurer's Guild prudently hired external help to evaluate Frank's performance.

To ensure the conclusion was as objective and accurate as possible, they brought in three experts from the city. One was Lorsa's best pharmacist, who reportedly reached the "expert" level at the age of twenty and was currently striving for "master," holding considerable prestige in the city.

The second was a professional appraiser from the Chamber of Commerce, specializing in pharmaceutical goods for over twenty years.

The last was the blending instructor for the Lorsa region, who had been involved in blending education for longer than most present.

Essentially, the combined judgment of these three individuals would guarantee a very small margin of error in the results.

Frank, having worked in the sales department for many years, knew how hard it was to get people to part with their money and wasn't too bothered by this. However, Joan was very anxious, apologizing profusely and seeking comfort from him in return.

For some sense of ceremony, a room was specifically prepared for the inspection. The three examiners sat behind a table, looking stern and serious.

"Do we really need to treat it like an interrogation?" Frank frowned, feeling a hint of displeasure for the first time.

Joan quickly whispered beside him, "This is the request of the three examiners. The appearance of a saint alchemist is significant, and they've signed confidentiality agreements, so they can't publicize it. Hence, they want the process to be as dignified as possible. Um... but one of them might not be very friendly, please don't mind."

"It's okay, I understand. It's natural for colleagues to have their differences, and besides, that gentleman does seem quite talented."

Of course, the one not pleased was the best pharmacist from Lorsa. At thirty-five years old, he still found the comprehension of the master realm to be a fog, and his accumulated experience always seemed to fall short at crucial moments. Yet he remained the best pharmacist in Lorsa, irreplaceable.

So, when he heard the rumors, he thought he could earn a windfall from the Adventurer's Guild and even cleared his schedule for the next week in anticipation. But unexpectedly, a scammer appeared out of nowhere.

In a small place like Lorsa, how could there be a saint alchemist casually strolling in? High-level professionals were always busy. Joan was too young; she was swindled by this scammer who somehow managed to acquire high-quality hemostatic ointments.

Exposing such a scammer was very simple; arranging the exam questions could easily solve the problem.