Chapter 138 - 111: Dr. Etoli
Chapter 138: Chapter 111: Dr. Etoli
Ning He was completely stunned. She quickly extended a hand in greeting. "So you’re Dr. Etoli! I’ve heard so much about you."
The middle-aged man gave Ning He’s hand a brief, light shake before saying expressionlessly, "My apologies. I only came here out of respect for the old professor. To be honest, I’ve already received an offer from a top agricultural company in Giant Elephant City. Barring any unforeseen circumstances, I plan to start next month."
Before Ning He could speak, the skinny old man jumped in. "It’s fine! As long as we make a good enough offer, he might stay. After all, this is his hometown! Right?"
The middle-aged man fell silent for a moment before nodding under the old man’s eager gaze. "If a suitable opportunity presents itself, I could indeed consider it. However, the old professor told me you’ve only just entered the agricultural industry and have no foundation in this field. Therefore, I don’t believe you possess the conditions that would entice me to stay."
’This is off to a bad start!’
Ning He scratched her head and asked, "May I ask what conditions would be enough to attract you to stay, Doctor?"
’If it’s a matter of money, I can probably manage that.’
"Top-tier research conditions," the middle-aged man said bluntly. "Frankly, I left my last company because they rejected my application to participate in a secret research project. To me, no salary, no matter how high, is as meaningful as developing a crop that can truly change the current food shortage."
"Research conditions? Do you mean a laboratory?"
"Correct. And not just any ordinary laboratory. One with the most precise, high-end equipment in the entire Alliance. Every single piece of equipment costs a fortune."
’This is definitely beyond my capabilities.’
"Then I probably can’t do that," Ning He said honestly.
"But Ning’s cooking is delicious! What a killjoy," the skinny old man pursed his lips and muttered under his breath.
The middle-aged man adjusted his glasses, as if he hadn’t heard.
"In that case, let’s not waste any more of each other’s time. I wish you luck in finding a suitable candidate soon."
"Wait!" Ning He suddenly remembered something and quickly called out to him. "I know a way to get plantable soil. Does that count?"
The middle-aged man paused, but his expression didn’t change.
"Plantable soil is rare out in the world, but the Beiluo City government has quite a lot of it. My former employer also had a dedicated soil-cultivation production line for growing potatoes. But this kind of soil is of no help to my research. Besides, soil cultivation techniques are gradually being replaced by substrate cultivation and will likely disappear completely in the future."
Ning He froze. Before she could react, the middle-aged man continued, "I know there’s fake plantable soil circulating out there. It’s made by incompletely purifying contaminated soil and is sold specifically to people who don’t know any better. I suggest you be careful. It would be best to have a professional test it."
The skinny old man now also looked concerned. "That’s right, Ning. Plantable soil isn’t that easy to come by. Don’t get swindled."
Of course, Ning He knew she hadn’t been swindled. But for one, she was curious about the quality of the plantable soil provided by her system. And for another, she hadn’t given up hope. She wanted to see if there was still a chance to keep this big shot around, so she said:
"To be honest, I have a small sample with me. I was wondering if you two could take a look at it for me?"
"Of course. I have a portable testing device in my bag," the middle-aged man said.
"Then what are you waiting for? Go get it!" The skinny old man didn’t find it at all strange that she had some soil on her and quickly urged her to go fetch it.
Ning He scurried downstairs in a flash. She pretended to rummage through her bag for a bit, but she was secretly taking a small handful of soil from her system and putting it in a sealed bag. After stuffing it into her pocket, she dashed back up, taking the stairs two at a time.
"This is it." She handed the item to the middle-aged man.
The middle-aged man took it and placed it on the table. He then took out a palm-sized detector from his bag, put on a pair of latex gloves, and used a long, sterilized spoon to take a little soil from the bag. He placed the soil in a test tube, then inserted it into a small hole in the center of the detector.
About three seconds later, a number appeared on the detector’s display.
"0.00000%"
The middle-aged man frowned. He took another test tube, filled it with a fresh sample of soil, and tested it again.
"0.00000%"
He tried again.
"0.00000%"
"This is impossible!"
The middle-aged man’s expression finally changed.
The skinny old man’s eyes were also wide with disbelief, a rare look of serious gravity on his face.
"Plantable soil with 100% purity? How is that possible?"
"No, it must be that the instrument isn’t precise enough," the middle-aged man said, his expression grave and his brow furrowed with a hint of urgency. "I need to take this soil back to the lab to test it again."