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Chapter 34: Secret Weapon

Lamarck looked a little unnaturally at Dr. Lasseni beside him. The latter quickly stepped forward and said, "Your Highness, leave the rest to me. Uh, Mr. Lamarck will be leaving in a few days."

"Leaving?"

Lasseni said, "Actually, Mr. Lamarck has received special funding from the French Academy of Medicine and is preparing to go to South America for botanical research. As you know, there are many incredible plants there, and perhaps new medicines can be discovered. Ah, actually, he has already resigned from his position as court physician.

"As for the technique for purifying Salicin, he has already taught me in detail, meaning he has no further duties at the workshop."

Lamarck quickly cleared his throat and bowed sincerely, saying, "Your Highness, I am truly sorry.

"To be honest, a large part of the reason I received this funding is that the Academy of Medicine reviewed my paper on the efficacy of Salicin. Oh, and you are still the first author on that paper. But the opportunity to go to South America is truly rare, and I thought..."

Joseph then recalled that he had indeed received a letter from the Academy of Medicine a couple of days ago, acknowledging his contributions to Salicin. He hadn't paid much attention to it at the time, but now realized it was due to Lamarck's paper.

In the past, he would have undoubtedly congratulated Lamarck and personally seen him off to South America. But after seeing the professional processing and experimental equipment, as well as the numerous skilled technicians in the workshop today, he had a different idea.

That idea was to attempt to produce the legendary drug he had been longing for ever since he arrived in this world: Penicillin.

If Penicillin were available, first, his own pneumonia could be completely cured. Second, this miracle drug had crucial military applications. In 18th-century warfare, injury almost always meant death due to infection, but Penicillin could effectively 'resurrect' the wounded. It was easy to imagine: if one side's wounded continuously returned to the battlefield while the other's forces were constantly depleted, how could the latter possibly continue fighting?

He had long harbored the idea of producing Penicillin, but its manufacturing process and techniques were extremely complex. It required not only a highly specialized laboratory, along with experimental and culture equipment, but also a professional research team to operate it, making successful production a daunting task.

These conditions had never existed before, but now there was a possibility: the pharmaceutical workshop right before his eyes.

With just a few more pieces of experimental equipment, coupled with Lamarck, this biomolecular expert, and the workers here, Penicillin might appear more than a century ahead of schedule!

Therefore, he couldn't let Lamarck leave now.

Thinking this, Joseph shook his head and said, "No, you don't need to apologize. It was my oversight. Your stage shouldn't be limited to this small pharmaceutical factory. The unknown frontiers of biomedicine are where you truly belong."

Lamarck was moved, saying, "Thank you for your understanding. Please believe me, if there's ever a need for my services here, I will return at any time."

Joseph, however, smiled slightly and said casually, "It's just a bit regrettable. I had originally hoped to ask for your help in producing a new medicine, but now it seems I'll have to wait until you return from South America."

Hearing "new medicine," Lamarck immediately became interested. "Oh? What kind of medicine is Your Highness referring to?"

Joseph had initially intended to mention Penicillin directly, but then he considered that the preliminary preparations for its production would take considerable time. It would be better to introduce a 'small project' first to let Lamarck warm up and, incidentally, build a research team.

So he temporarily put aside Penicillin and said, "I've heard of a medicine that can slow aging, treat miscarriages, and even make a man's... *cough*, 'that' more potent."

Lamarck searched the database in his mind but found nothing matching that description. He was about to shake his head in disbelief when he suddenly recalled the miraculous Salicin. He quickly dismissed his skepticism and asked, "That sounds incredible. Are you certain such a thing truly exists?"

"No mistake," Joseph nodded. "It has a special name: Tocopherol."

Tocopherol, also known as Vitamin E, was a substance extremely common in later eras but had not yet been extracted in the 18th century.

He chose Vitamin E primarily because its extraction was relatively simple and had a high success rate. Secondly, it could be incorporated into cosmetics. In later generations, almost all anti-aging and spot-reducing skincare products contained Vitamin E.

This will be Paris Angel Company's second secret weapon for extracting money from noblewomen's purses.

Hearing such a scientific name, Lamarck became even more serious. "Your Highness, do you know how to obtain this... ah, Tocopherol?"

Joseph affirmed, "I know a method for extracting Tocopherol from corn cobs. This will require purchasing additional equipment, such as centrifuges, sedimentation dishes, and so on. Oh, and we'll also need to build a constant-temperature room."

"A constant-temperature room? A laboratory that maintains a fixed temperature? How can that be achieved?"

In this era without air conditioning, maintaining a constant temperature was indeed difficult.

Joseph pondered for a moment and said, "We can lay dense water pipes beneath the floor and within the walls of the room, and build a large water tank outside, connecting it to these pipes. When heating is required, we can warm the water in the tank. For cooling, we can draw water from the Seine River; the waterwheel will be perfectly useful for that."

Even in summer, the river water's temperature could be kept below 20 degrees Celsius, which was sufficient for biological cultivation.

Lamarck was clearly intrigued by this substance capable of slowing aging, but on the other hand, exploring plants in South America was also his long-cherished dream. For a moment, he stood there, torn between two choices.

Joseph noticed his hesitation and immediately dangled an even larger 'bait':

"Mr. Lamarck, once we have facilities like the constant-temperature room, I actually have an even more miraculous medicine I need your help to produce.

"This medicine can treat illnesses like pneumonia, wound infections, and puerperal fever. It can even cure terminal diseases such as the Black Death, syphilis, and sepsis."

Lamarck was utterly stunned!

If such a medicine truly existed, wouldn't it fulfill his lifelong dream—to ensure no one would suffer or die from illness again?

His breathing grew hurried with excitement. "Your Highness, a-are you not joking?"

Seeing that he had 'taken the bait,' Joseph smiled and said, "Once you've produced this medicine, won't you know for yourself after trying it?

"By the way, regarding your trip to South America, I will personally fund you a sum of money in the future, definitely more than what the Academy of Medicine is offering, and with greater freedom."

At this, Lamarck no longer hesitated. He nodded emphatically, declaring, "Your Highness, I will devote all my efforts to produce that miracle medicine alongside you!"

...

After leaving Lamarck with the Vitamin E extraction method, Joseph left the workshop. By the time his carriage arrived at Paris City Hall, it was already past 3 PM.

Eman emerged from the City Hall and waved his hand at the slightly corpulent man with prominent ears behind him. "No need to trouble yourself further, please return."

The man could only turn back to the City Hall with a disgruntled air. Eman, meanwhile, walked over to the carriage across the street and bowed to Joseph, saying, "Your Highness, I've confirmed everything. Among the properties registered for sale in Paris, there are fourteen that meet your requirements."

Joseph said without hesitation, "I want the best one."

"Your Highness, that would be the Nagelt Jewelry Store on the Champs-Élysées."