There were about five mice in each of the fourteen different cages. May recorded the following day's count. They were infected with various diseases, as May had demanded. She tried many different diseases at the same time to see what penicillin works on. In addition, each disease had to be checked several times.

  The mouse infected with Scarlet Crown Hemorrhage died... Could it be that it was not a bacterial disease? Make sense I suppose...

  Antibiotics only worked on bacteria. May had to learn by trial and error because she was unfamiliar with the foreign diseases of this world. However, the effects were so outstanding that they baffled even Hua Tang himself.

  Penicillin production was currently only possible on a small scale. However, she had no doubt that she would be forced to increase the scale in the near future.

  But Hua Tang is rich, so maybe I can convince him to invest in my company for a share of the profits? What I have from chess is not enough for mass production.

  Although she managed to earn over five thousand, and chess became quite a success, and her company's boards and knockoffs began to appear in stores, it was far from what she needed.

  And if he doesn't agree, I could possibly ask Ze Yun… Or, in the worst case I can ask for money Izzy's father and this Mage Support Group… But I'd rather avoid that. I would prefer not to get involved in such suspicious matters, as long as possible.

  Although she thought she had everything ready, she couldn't have been more wrong. During the consultation, Hua Tang was giving her more and more suggestions on how to improve her invention. On a personal level, she didn't think there was any point in improving it further, but she had no choice.

  “Ugh!” She growled loudly as she tried with great force to cut through the tough root of the Spirit Willow. Hua Tang recommended softening the effects with a substance that would reinforce the body. So May was currently testing various substances rich in Qi energy. The main negative effect of penicillin is that it disrupts the natural bacterial flora.

  Normally, May would simply decide that it made sense to use a probiotic, but since she was in a magical world, why not use magical solutions? Not to mention that creating penicillin itself was quite a hassle, and a probiotic seemed even more complicated to create.

  May's hands were already red from rubbing. Although her body was strengthened by being a cultivator, many hours of solitary work took its toll on her. Fatigue didn't help either. She had to combine regular training, cultivation, and learning with her own business, as well as completing this test...

  The work of an alchemist was not easy and often required considerable physical effort.

  “Do you need help?” she unexpectedly heard someone.

  Turning around, she saw Sung Haoyu standing in the doorway. She remembered Nadine’s words that she could expect him to make her an offer.

  “I don't need any help,” May replied, continuing her work without paying attention to his appearance. “Why did you come here? You're not here to spy on my progress, are you?”

  He smiled at her words.

  He'll be surprised when he finds out what I've done. She thought with satisfaction.

  “I don't feel a particularly strong need to spy on you,” he replied. “However, I think I would be able to help you...”

  “Oh?” She replied with pretended curiosity. “Sorry, but I’m not interested.”

  She didn't trust Nadine completely, but she distrusted Haoyu even more. Regardless of what he wanted from her, it was most likely a trap. Just listening to what he had to say was something she preferred to avoid. His offer would certainly seem to be ideal, but such offers were the worst because they were difficult to refuse.

  “Oh?” He was surprised. “You're not even going to listen to me?”

  “Not really,” May replied indifferently. “Nothing you can offer me would convince me.”

  “Even if it would allow you to become Hua Tang's disciple?” He asked with a smirk on his face.

  May turned her head toward him in surprise. Surely he didn't believe that May would fall for that?

  “Only one person can become his disciple. That would mean your failure, so I don't particularly want to believe it,” she replied without a second thought.

  May's success meant his failure and vice versa. His words were therefore hollow and illogical. May had been distrustful of him from the start and had no intention of being fooled by his words.

  “You can believe me or not, but I don't care if he's my master,” he replied seriously.

  “Then what do you care about?” May asked, slightly surprised by his words. However, she still didn't rule out the possibility that it was just an act.

  “I only want one thing. Nadine Albrecht's defeat,” he replied with a smile. “She really wants Hua Tang to be her master... You know that I only took part in this test to prevent that from happening, right?”

  “But... Why?”

  “The reason is irrelevant. What matters is that with my help, you can win. Unfortunately, it seems that Senior Tang is not particularly fond of me... However, you are different. If I help you with the project, you will surely win.”

  May thought for a moment.

  So he thinks he has little chance because Hua Tang doesn't like him...? So he's abandoning his project and focusing on helping me succeed?

  “Where's your confidence gone? I haven't forgotten how proud you were of how we didn't stand a chance against you,” May replied, still hearing his idiotic laughter in her head.

  “Because you didn't. If Senior Tang hadn't figured out that becoming his disciple wasn't my goal, I would have won.”

  Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

  “Oh, so he saw through you? You're not as smart as you make yourself out to be.”

  Despite her insulting words, the boy didn't seem bothered.

  “It was only a matter of time. Besides, I don't plan on becoming an alchemist anyway,” he said. "If I give you a helping hand, you'll definitely win. Right now, your chances are slim.

  May snorted quietly. He didn't know the results of her project, so he probably thought the results couldn't be that good. After all, she was only ten years old. What could she possibly achieve? However, May was quite confident of her victory even without his help. So she could only laugh at him in her own thoughts.

  “It was certainly an interesting offer, but I decline,” she replied confidently.

  The boy didn't even respond and left. Surely his offer wasn't as good as Nadine claimed. Perhaps if she hadn't achieved any results and knew she would fail the test anyway...

  “What an arrogant boy!” Minnie appeared suddenly. “Without his help, we don't stand a chance?! He'd only get in our way!”

  “Yeah, yeah...”

  ───── ??☆?? ─────

  May sighed quietly to herself. She felt a stinging sensation of anxiety in her chest.

  Human experiments, how terrifying. I find it hard to believe. She said to herself in her mind.

  On Earth, in order to be able to clinically test drugs, it would take years of experiments, approvals, confirmations, and research. Here, however, all it took was the word of a famous alchemist to find volunteers for the experimental drug.

  When Hua Tang confirmed the results and decided they were good enough, seeing May's notes and report, he quickly managed to find people on whom she could test her newly created drug.

  “Calm down...” she reassured herself quietly. “You have confirmation that it works...”

  Once she had managed to create the drug, the system showed no problems with it.

  I still don't understand how the system determines prices... The total production cost was much higher... At the same time, when I can mass-produce it, I plan to lower the price even further... I want to make money, but I also want it to be accessible to ordinary people.

  Apart from the price, the system did not show any problems with the medicine she had created, so she should not have any doubts. Nevertheless, the very fact that she would have to test it on living people was terrifying to her.

  As soon as she finished her last class of the day, she left the building and, after obtaining permission from the Cloud Academy gatekeeper, went to the city hospital. Despite its name, it was a vile place.

  Its purpose was to isolate the sick and prevent the spread of disease rather than to actually treat them. It was a place of death for the poor.

  She entered the building and was greeted sternly by an elderly woman, seemingly a nurse. Without a word, she led her to the basement of the hospital, where the most severe patients were settled. It was so dark there that she could barely see her own silhouette.

  May looked up, where there was some kind of light source. Nevertheless, it was still dark, as it barely shone, so it might as well not have been there. There was an unpleasant smell of mustiness in the air. The woman who was showing her around covered her nose and face with a handkerchief. May hadn't thought to bring something like that.

  After walking like this for over a minute, lower and lower, May's mind became clearer about what was happening.

  “What a crappy place. How is anyone supposed to get healthy here?” Minnie whispered with disgust, which was unlike her. “I bet even someone who was healthy would get sick just from being here! Damn it! I don’t have a body, and I feel sick myself!”

  May didn't answer.

  Finally, they reached the lowest floor. May heard occasional aggressive coughing fits and the sound of numerous footsteps. Many people dressed in strange, thick, snow-white outfits were walking through the corridors. The hospital was bigger than she had expected.

  After a moment, however, she quickly understood the reason. It was the only hospital in a capital city with a population of nearly a million. It was overcrowded. A city of this size should have at least ten times more hospitals. Although impressive in size, it was not nearly sufficient for the city's enormous demands.

  “It's behind that door,” said the woman who had shown her in. “I have a lot of work to do. If you need anything, just call out.”

  With that, she opened the door. It was a small, isolated room. She easily spotted the man lying on the straw bed. She approached him. He was in really bad shape. He was about thirty years old, but looked much older. There was a huge black scab on his face near his left eye.

  According to Hua Tang, he had been suffering from fever, chills, and shortness of breath for a long time. The disease he suffered from was common among the poor. People called it Hellish Coal Fever. It was somewhat similar to anthrax, but May was unable to determine whether it was the same disease. Many of the symptoms did not match.

  However, she confirmed the effectiveness of penicillin against Hellish Coal Fever on mice.

  “Who... is there?” said the man with a dry throat. He had vision problems, the final stage of the disease.

  I don't know if penicillin will work, he's really dying. He could die at any moment.

  Plasma was oozing from the abscesses on his skin, and she could see dried saliva mixed with blood on the floor. May realized that even if she gave him the medicine, there was still a good chance it was too late for him.

  “I brought the medicine,” May replied quietly, not wanting to speak too loudly in front of a man in such poor condition. “It will help you.”

  “Thank you...” She heard a weak voice. She had to listen very carefully to understand what he was saying. “My babies...”

  May shook her head. Hellish Coal Fever was a disease that only affected the poor. There was already a remedy for it. However, it required the use of an alchemical potion made from the rare Yellow Sun Snowdrop flower. The price of one dose of the elixir ranged from a thousand to as much as five thousand, depending on its availability in a given year. In addition, a complete cure required a couple of doses.

  This was not possible for poor people, so they had no choice but to die, even though a cure existed.

  The Yellow Sun Snowdrop cannot be cultivated, it only grows naturally. I heard that more than twenty years ago there was a winter without sun, which caused a significant shortage of this plant... The price of this elixir then jumped to tens of thousands!

  Her penicillin, on the other hand, was not dependent on anything. Therefore, if she succeeds, she will be able to save the lives of thousands of people. And make a good profit in the process.

  May gave him the medicine. She didn't expect immediate results. She also couldn't spend the rest of the day here.

  She left the room and approached the woman who had brought her here.

  “Here's the medicine, you have to give it to him regularly, every twelve hours. I'll come here every day to check on him. Keep me informed of any changes,” she said to the woman, who bowed with slight irritation. She didn't like having to listen to some kid, but that kid was a cultivator, so she had no choice.