Although he was well past forty years old, he had only ever been able to grasp the formula for the third grade pills. In fact, his abilities were so lacking that he was barely recognized as a third Level alchemist by most of his peers.

Despite this, he was still respected by everyone, and was given treatment that was second only to the matriarch herself.

No matter how poor Elton's skills were, alchemist were far too precious for them to discard him.

“Think about it, ma'am. Once we have formed a partnership with the Sky Group, the other party will likely order a bulk of our pills. Mr. Acosta won't be able to produce so much by himself. But if Miss Maria and Miss Vivian are assisting him, not only would we have enough supply to cover the Sky Group's order, but we might also have some spare to sell in the market!"

The more she talked about it, the more excited Doris became. She belatedly realized that the matriarch Looked unconvinced by her plan. The old woman peered at Maria's report, disgust written all over her face.

"I'm sure..." the matriarch started slowly. "I'm sure that even with Vivian's help alone, Elton would be able to complete the order."

“What?" Doris blurted out before she could catch herself.

“But what about Miss Maria? She has the aptitude for alchemy. We can't possibly just let her sit idly by.”

The matriarch looked up sharply.

“Who said that Maria is qualified to be an alchemist? The only talent I see in her is in physical combat.” Physical combat?

The least significant aptitude?

Doris was still trying to process this when the matriarch suddenly grabbed Maria's report and tore the pages into shreds.

Doris was stunned into silence.

Old Mrs. Jenkins ripped the report until there was nothing left to tear.

She proceeded to toss the pieces into the trash bin, with a few stray ones scattering on the floor.

Doris could only gape in horror, unable to find the words to say. Maria's aptitude was at the nine level, the highest one ever recorded in recent memory. If the Jenkins family trained her properly, Maria might just become the first ever level nine alchemist in martial arts history.

Doris might only be a servant, but she had been with the clan for years, particularly catering to the matriarch’ needs. She knew her way around the family's affairs.

And as far as she knew, the most powerful alchemists known to the martial world were at level six.

Needless to say, a sixth-level alchemist would be far better than Elton, who, though revered and well-compensated, seemed to have stopped progressing from his current level three.

But if they had Maria...

A shiver raced down Doris’ spine.

Right.

Why would the matriarch bother training Maria?

Maria would Likely never have a firm foothold in the family, let alone a significant position.