Drew immediately made his way back to Neilson's lab.
The assessment took longer than he thought but it was a good thing he got it over with. Upon entering the secret lab, Drew found his workspace overflowing with various hard drives and paper. To prevent research data to be stolen, most medical firms and labs resort to more traditional media.
"Mr. Snow, here is the data from our latest set of trials." Said one of the Alchemists handing Drew a hard drive.
>>>
Now you may ask, wtf DDT this is supposed to be the future shouldn't there be some pretty damn good encryption? Also, doesn't Drew have connections to the Crow Eye, one of the best information gathering and security services in the universe? Well, here's why. Even though security services exist, it's easier to obtain data contained on encrypted servers than on paper and hard drives since they can be easily discarded. However, let's assume that data is left on a 'perfectly secure server', people who use the server still require a backdoor in case something happens which a hacker(s), with enough time and resources, could break into. Additionally, with data like this, it could potentially leave a digital footprint. Plus, with nearly everything virtual in this day and age, sometimes it's refreshing to look at something that is not a holograph nor a screen.
Then why does the Crow Eye store their information on their server when there is a chance of it getting hacked?
Simple answer.
The Crow Eye requires a method to easily obtain the required information for their clients. If it were all paper files and hard drives, it would take days. Of course, the most confidential information in the Crow Eye is stored on paper. In short, the Crow Eye used a combination of digital and analog systems to store their data and this same concept applies to many other businesses in the galaxy.
>>>
Drew inserted the hard drive into a projector. The holographic images of the experiment spinning slowly around in a circle. Drew opened up one of the folders, inside were short clips of the failed and successful trials.
He first played the videos of the successful trials. It took him around an hour or so.
So far nothing glaring...
Then he pulled up the videos of the failed trials.
That's when he noticed something was off.
Drew then pulled up a video of one of the successful trials next to the failed trial.
Pause.
Strange.
Everything in both videos was perfectly fine until that step.
A translucent drop of Galigar extract fell into the viles.
BOOM!
A cloud of smoke erupted from the vile of the failed trial causing the regiment to splatter all over the table with the poor Alchemist ducking under it. On the other hand, the vile in the successful trial vibrated a tiny bit before turning a sunset orange almost red color. Both of the viles used the same kind of Galigar Lotus Extract and the precise amount. It was not even a single milliliter off. All steps beforehand we have done properly. The control from both Alchemists Otrio was also stable.
Perfectly in sync.
"Let's fastback."
Drew looped the clips over and over again.
He couldn't figure it out.
He felt his vision grow blurry. His eyes getting heavier with every blink he took. His blue hair that was gelled neatly was stiff and greasy, the thick strands touching his forehead.
Around an hour later, Gerald came in with a cup of freshly brewed tea and placed it by Drew's arm.
"Pardon the intrusion, Young Master."
"It's fine," Drew said tiredly, pinching his glabella.
"It seems you are in quite the pickle."
"Not seems, I am." Drew scoffed in an exhausted manner. "It's a walk through the dark right now. I can't seem to figure out what exactly we're doing wrong. How have things gone outside?"
"Everything is progressing smoothly," Gerald replied. "Neilson is managing the Alchemists outside splendidly."
"Fantastic," Drew replied sipping the warm tea. The green leaves swirling around in the green liquid. It was mesmerizing. "How's the success rate?"
"After making a few minor adjustments to the proportions of Algres Bark as you suggested, we managed to increase it to 19.85%."
"Damn it," Drew hissed as he scanned Heartman's recipe. "We're still off? Just what the hell are we missing?"
"Young Master, please relax. Though time is of the essence, achieving this success rate in less than two weeks is impressive. The Alchemists know how closely you've been monitoring the project remotely despite being away. You should rest. Even if it's for half an hour."
That was when Drew realized, Gerald was simply being modest.
>>>
If Drew was a normal Alchemist, achieving this sort of success rate for the Otrio Blood Poisoning Regiment with the same amount of resources would take at least two months. Even geniuses took around three weeks. Drew was a complete novice in the Alchemy field but he was a complete natural at it. Since Drew was inexperienced, he wasn't sure how he compared against other Alchemists. Heck, he barely knew the standards of being considered normal in the field. But little did he know that Drew could be classified as a monster in the eyes of these 'professional' C-Rank Alchemists.
His efficiency in crafting detailed experiments that were nearly flawless. The way he allocated resources so that nothing would be wasted. The fact that he was able to almost perfectly recreate Heartman's regiment in less than two weeks.
It was terrifying.
Drew was a natural-born Alchemy genius and it was at this moment when the reality came to him. Yet, he knew it was nothing to brag about. Though Drew would claim that most of his skills originate from the fact that had to live independently for a while, dealing with money management, pinching pences if he had to, and just being overall conservative. He knew what it was like to be limited better than most.
After all, he was an orphan.
>>>
Drew picked up the teacup but he did not take a sip. He saw the leaves that had floated on the top moments ago sink to the bottom of the porcelain cup. Gathering into a small pile. Then, Drew watched as a leaf fragment sunk from the top to the bottom. The weight of the hot tea pushing the leaf down.
Eureka!
With a flash of inspiration, Drew immediately placed the two clips side by side.
Everything was normal but Drew paused the videos. Not before the addition of the Galigar Lotus Extract. Not after it either. Rather, when the Alchemists were prepping it.
The Galigar Lotus Extract that Drew had ordered from Uenkram came from a famous supplier, BioPlant. BioPlant is known for domesticating Otrio plants and creating extracts from them. They are one of the few firms in the universe licensed to do so but what really separates them apart was the method they used to create the extracts.
Typically extracts are formed by squeezing out the liquid from the herbs, filtering the remnants, and then diluting the liquid with a solution made out of distilled water and other ingredients. However, Bioplant uses a different method called infusion. To put it in laymen's terms, think of how tea is brewed except add some other complex steps too it. You first put the tea leaves into a pot. From there, your pour hot water over the tea leaves to allow the tea leaves to infuse their flavor into them without wasting a single bit of the leaves' effects. At first, some of the tea leaves sit at the top of the liquid before falling to the bottom. This also means that the flavor of the tea is stronger towards the bottom than the top. That's why when you order tea from a restaurant, the tea at the bottom at the pot has a stronger or more bitter flavor to it (A/N: I just gave an entire lecture about tea, holy shit! I'm 90% sure I was high on Kit Kats and caffeine while typing this.).
This same concept applies to BioPlant's extracts. Though the process is much more complicated the idea is essentially the same.
However, unlike most firms, BioPlant doesn't remove the sediments from their extract. If one doesn't stir it or shake it properly, the effects of the extract are not evenly distributed. In the failed trial, the Galigar Lotus Extract wasn't shaken properly and the Alchemists ended up drawing the extract from the top where the effects were the weakest. As a result, when he added it in, the stabilizing herbs overpowered the effects of the Galigar Lotus causing the explosion to occur. Unlike in the successful trial, the extract was shaken up properly and the regiment stabilized.
But looking through the data, it seemed like the effects of the extract were still too strong.
The Otrio Blood Poisoning Regiment works by completely burning the foreign blood cells in the host's body using the purification properties of the Galigar Lotus while healing the channels using the other herbs. The regiments created so far have either been too strong that they would completely burn the test subject's channels or too weak to even be formed properly. Just like tea, the tea mustn't be too bland or too bitter, there must be some middle zone...
Then it hit Drew.
"How could've missed something so simple." Drew chuckled cupping his hands over his face. "Gerald, what parts of the Galigar Lotus are used in creating the extract?"
"Why pretty much everything: the petals, the stem, the roots...OH!" Gerald smiled understanding Drew's intention. "Perhaps-"
"Yes, I believe the clue to completely replicating Heartman's regiment lies simply within the Galigar Lotus Extract," Drew said finishing his tea. "We've already changed the proportions of the ingredients as well as the concentration but the things we didn't check were the 'part' of the Galigar Lotus used in creating the extract nor the quality of the lotus itself."
"What an elementary mistake!" Gerald exclaimed.
"We assumed right away that it was only a general extract required but that was a huge mistake. Take this cup of tea. How do we make good tea? For starters, you used the leaves to make tea, not the roots nor the stem. Also, we also have to consider the quality of those leaves. Most common teas use low-grade tea leaves which are older while this exquisite cup was made with high-grade leaves that are much fresher in comparison. For low-grade leaves, the tea grows more bitter the closer you get to finishing it while as for high-grade leaves, the tea still remains a consistent flavor. Gerald," Drew smiled. "You know what to do."
Gerald picked up Drew's teacup and bowed respectfully.
"Of course. I shall tell Neilson to place an order. We have a few in inventory so we'll let the Alchemists use those first."
"Thank you. In the meantime, I'll craft a few more experiments-"
Well it was more like finishing crafting the experiment. Drew already had a draft for one created so he just need to make some final touches before it could be executed.
"Oh, one more thing, Young Master." Gerald interrupted. " I regret to inform you that I have some unfortunate news."
"What is it?"
"Young Jason forwarded the report of Mrs. Crossford's health. It seems the time she has left has been reduced down to three months."
Drew was stunned.
The data Jay sent yesterday said that his mother still had around five months left! What happened over the last twenty-four hours?
Drew picked up his jacket from his seat.
"Gerald, notify Neilson! We're leaving now!"
>>>
With no time to waste, Drew and Gerald made their way over to the hospital Jay's mother was staying at. At the same time, Drew immediately forwarded the next experiments to the Alchemists in the lab. Coincidentally, she was staying at Star Military Academy's Hospital right on campus about a thirty-minute drive away from the lab but due to traffic, it took around an hour.
No wonder why no one ever scolded him for coming back to the dorms late. Drew thought to himself.
Students whose family members are patients at the academy hospital are exempted from the Academy's curfew. Additionally, the family member who is in Academy Hospital receives a discount for the treatment. In all of Kraus, Star is ranked within the top five hospitals on the planet while the best is located in Bauxite, the city of Unicrons.
Upon arriving at the hospital, Jay greeted Drew and Gerald before leading him to the room his mother was in. Room 318.
"Thank you for coming, Young Master," Jay said hurriedly. "I'm so sorry for doing this to you."
"Not at all," Drew replied. "The most important part is to check up on the patient. I already notified your father. How is she doing?"
"The doctors told me they are performing an examination. They should be done right now."
As the door slid open, the first thing Drew saw was a group of three doctors huddled around a frail woman lying inside a glass capsule. Her skin was as pale as snow and even colder than the one outside. Her arms were so skinny and frail one could see wrinkles. Her hair, so brittle to the point that it would crumble upon touch. She was basically a corpse. The only thing that indicated that she was still alive was the twitching of her sharp cat ears. She was Jay's mother.
"DOCTORS!" Jay shouted anxiously. "How is my mother doing?"
All the doctors had a crestfallen expression. They were glancing at one another, communicating with their eyes who should break the news. Everyone knew it was not good.
"Your mother..." The doctor began, his voice remaining steady but there were traces of helplessness within it. "The beast blood has entered her Otrio Core. She's been trying to block it for a long time but it seems that the toxic beast blood has been able to penetrate the protection around her core. From our observations, she only has around two or three months left."
"Is there anything you can do to delay it?" Drew asked firmly, just to grasp on to a sliver of hope. He was even more worried than Jay.
The same doctor shook his head from side to side.
"Mr. Snow. You may be aware of this but unfortunately, there isn't much. We can only contain the remaining beast blood in her Otrio Channels. The amount in her core would be impossible to remove. It would be god's miracle if she could last another two months. Even if we send her to Earth for treatment, I'm afraid not even they could save her. She's too frail. I'm sorry, we've done all we could."
Jay lost his balance. His entire body trembling but he managed to stand his ground.
"It's okay. Thank you for your service."
With that, the doctors left the room leaving Jay, Drew, and Gerald in silence.
Jay collapsed to the ground on his knees. The tears he was holding back rolled down his eyes.
"Hic. Hic. I'm sorry mom!" He wailed placing his hands on the glass capsule where his mother rested as peacefully as Snow White. "I'm so sorry!"
Drew bit the bottom of his lip. Clenching his fist tightly, Drew walked over to the crying Jay. Placing both hands on his shoulder, Drew turned Jay around.
"Jay! Why the hell are you giving up so easily!" Drew shouted in his face.
"Huh?!"
"We still have time! Now, stop your damn crying!"
"But...but," He stuttered. "What can we do in two months?!"
"SHUT UP!" Drew spat picking Jay up by his shirt collar. It was a good thing the walls were soundproof. "If your mom saw you like this what would she say? How would she feel about you doing this, you idiotic pussy!"
Jay swept aside Drew's arms. His canines digging into his lip, still contemplating what Drew had said.
"Are you really just going to let other people dictate what you should do? ARE YOU?! There are still two months remaining! We still have a chance!"
"What can we do?!" Jay shouted. "Do you really think that you could create a regiment that could completely save her in two months?! Heartman took years to craft his regiment! By that time...it'll be too late!"
Suddenly, Drew's wristband started to vibrate. It was a message from one of the Alchemists.
Mr. Snow, we ran a few trials based on the experiment you gave us.
Immediately, Drew responded to the message.
The result?
There was a slight delay before the Alchemist responded.
It was a success. We have achieved 20%. We believe that the key is to utilize the extract from the Galigar Lotus's roots. Though we need to conduct more experiments to fully confirm this. Congratulations, Mr. Snow.
Drew smirked. His theory was indeed correct. It was so simple that even more senior Alchemists could've overlooked it. How laughable.
The main reason Drew could identify this issue so early was the fact that he was a novice. Novices tend to be more cautious about what they are doing as they don't have much experience. As a result, they can sometimes see between the lines better than experts. The other reason for this is that because novices are more willing to explore the rules in order to fully grasp them. Are there loopholes? Can they be interpreted differently? Is there some underlying meaning behind the words? Those are the questions Drew asked himself as he read every ygsingle line of Heartman's recipe. Finally, the last factor playing into this success was Drew's experience working in a soup kitchen. He understood the properties of tea and connected that to how extracts a created. From there, he was able to draw the conclusion that to attain 20%, there need to be some part of the Galigar Lotus that wasn't too strong nor too weak.
"Jay, take a look at these messages."
Jay looked at the messages.
The sense of hopelessness he had felt earlier were not gone. The person in front of him was proof that a miracle could be possible. Cracking Heartman's recipe in less than two weeks. Who could claim that?
With this knowledge, Jay felt the darkness clouding over his heart had blown away. The despair he had felt was just him not believing there was even a slim chance of success. For now, Jay knew that he could place his trust in Drew.
Slap.
A crisp sound rang throughout the room. Drew and Gerald were stunned. Jay had actually slapped himself. His cheeks flushing red from the self-inflicted impact. The tears that had welled in his eyes had disappeared completely.
"Young Jason, if I may inquire-"
"Shut it," Jay, Jason Neilson Crossford, said sternly immediately silencing Gerald before turning to Drew. "Forgive me, Young Master. I had failed you, no my mother by saying such disappointing statements. It is as you said, there is still a chance to save her."
Drew, no, 'Mr. Snow' remained impassive but internally, 'Drew' was smiling.
"Good. We don't have time to spare. Jay, continue monitoring your mother's health and report any changes to us. Gerald, take us back to the lab. We have work to do."
"As you wish, Young Master."
