Lamarck's expression beca slightly uncomfortable as he glanced at Dr. Larsen, who quickly stepped forward and said, "Your Highness, I'll take care of things here from now on. You see, Mr. Lamarck will be leaving soon."
"Leaving?" Joseph asked.
Larsen explained, "Actually, Mr. Lamarck has been granted special funding by the French Academy of dicine to conduct botanical research in South Arica. You know, there are many mysterious plants there that might lead to new dicinal discoveries. Ah, in fact, he has already resigned from his position as a court physician. As for the salicin extraction process, he's already taught everything in detail, so there's not much left for him to do at the workshop."
Lamarck quickly cleared his throat and bowed sincerely, "Your Highness, I truly apologize. To be honest, the reason I was able to obtain this funding is largely due to the paper I wrote on the efficacy of salicin. Oh, you were even listed as the first author. But the opportunity to go to South Arica is incredibly rare, and I hope to..."
Joseph suddenly rembered the letter he had received from the Academy of dicine a few days ago, praising him for his contributions to salicin. He hadn't paid much attention to it at the ti, but now he realized it was because of Lamarck's paper.
In the past, Joseph would have congratulated Lamarck and personally sent him off on his journey to South Arica. But today, after seeing the professional processing and experintal equipnt in the workshop and the many skilled workers, Joseph had other ideas.
One of those ideas was to develop a legendary drug that had been on his mind since arriving in this world—penicillin.
With penicillin, Joseph could not only cure his own pneumonia but also create a powerful military asset. In 18th-century warfare, wound infections often led to death, but penicillin could "resurrect" the wounded. Imagine an army whose injured soldiers continually returned to the battlefield while the enemy's numbers dwindled—how could they not win?
Joseph had long considered making penicillin, but the process and technology were incredibly complex. It required a highly specialized laboratory, experintal and cultivation equipnt, and a professional team to operate it, all of which were previously unavailable. But now, with this pharmaceutical workshop, it seed possible.
However, to achieve this, Lamarck could not be allowed to leave.
Thinking quickly, Joseph shook his head and said, "No, you don't need to apologize. It's my oversight. Your talents shouldn't be confined to this small workshop; the unknown realms of biodicine are where you can truly shine."
Lamarck was moved by Joseph's words. "Thank you for your understanding, Your Highness. Please believe , if there's anything I can do to help here, I'll return imdiately."
Joseph smiled slightly, as if speaking casually, "It's just a pity. I was hoping you'd help develop a new drug, but it looks like that will have to wait until you return from South Arica."
The ntion of a "new drug" imdiately piqued Lamarck's interest. "Oh? What kind of drug are you referring to, Your Highness?"
Joseph initially considered telling him about penicillin directly but then decided to start with a smaller project, sothing to warm up with and help build the experintal team. So he put penicillin on hold and said, "I've heard of a drug that can slow down aging, prevent miscarriages, and even... enhance male virility."
Lamarck quickly searched his ntal database but couldn't find anything that matched this description. Just as he was about to dismiss it, he rembered the miraculous salicin and put aside his doubts. "This sounds incredible. Are you sure such a thing exists?"
"It does," Joseph nodded. "It's called tocopherol."
Tocopherol is what we now know as Vitamin E, a common substance in modern tis, but it hadn't been extracted in the 18th century.
Joseph chose Vitamin E because it was relatively simple to extract and had a high success rate. Additionally, it could be incorporated into costics; nearly all anti-aging and anti-blemish skincare products in the future would include Vitamin E.
This would be the second secret weapon in the "Paris Angel" company's arsenal for extracting money from wealthy noblewon.
Lamarck, hearing such a professional term, beca even more serious. "Your Highness, do you know how to obtain this... tocopherol?"
Joseph confird, "I know a thod to extract tocopherol from corn kernels. It requires so additional equipnt, such as a centrifuge, sedintation tanks, and we'll also need to build a temperature-controlled room."
"A temperature-controlled room? You an a lab that maintains a constant temperature? How would that be possible?" Lamarck asked.
In this era, without air conditioning, maintaining a constant temperature was indeed a challenge.
Joseph thought for a mont and said, "We can lay dense pipes under the floor and inside the walls of the room, connected to a large water tank outside. When we need to raise the temperature, we can heat the water in the tank. To cool it down, we can channel water from the Seine River. The waterwheel here could be very useful for this."
Even in sumr, river water stays below 20 degrees Celsius, which is sufficient for biological experints.
Lamarck was clearly intrigued by the idea of a substance that could slow aging, but on the other hand, he was also passionate about his dream of exploring South Arican plants. He stood there, visibly torn.
Joseph saw his hesitation and threw out an even bigger "bait": "Mr. Lamarck, once we have the temperature-controlled room and other facilities in place, there's another, even more miraculous drug I'd like you to help develop. This drug can treat pneumonia, wound infections, puerperal fever, and even cure seemingly incurable diseases like the Black Death, syphilis, and sepsis."
Lamarck was stunned!
If such a drug existed, it would fulfill his lifelong dream—ensuring that no one would ever suffer or die from disease again.
He was so excited that his breathing beca rapid. "Your Highness, you're not joking, are you?"
Seeing that Lamarck had taken the bait, Joseph smiled. "You'll know once you create it and test it yourself. Oh, and as for your trip to South Arica, I'll fund it in the future, with more money than the Academy of dicine is offering, and with greater freedom."
At this point, Lamarck had no more reservations. He nodded vigorously, saying, "Your Highness, I will dedicate myself fully to developing these miracle drugs with you!"
...
After leaving Lamarck with instructions for extracting Vitamin E, Joseph departed from the workshop. By the ti his carriage arrived at Paris City Hall, it was already past 3 p.m.
Emon stepped out of the City Hall and waved away a chubby man with large ears, who reluctantly turned back toward the building. Emon then approached the carriage across the street and bowed to Joseph. "Your Highness, I've gathered the information. Of the properties currently listed for sale in Paris, fourteen et your criteria."
Joseph didn't hesitate. "I want the best one."
"Your Highness, that would be the Nagelt Jewelry Store on the Champs-Élysées," Emon replied.
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