Now, they had managed to amass a hoard of precious items that could probably fill an entire warehouse.

They hadn't come without strings attached, of course. By showering her with such Lavish gifts, the members of the Jenkins family were laying out the foundation for a tacit understanding that in the future, Vivian would set aside some of the pills she produced especially for her relatives. This also entailed a special, negotiable price.

“Isn't it great to be an alchemist?" Vivian Laughed heartily.

Bill was nowhere in sight. After receiving the first of the envelopes full of cash, he wasted no time and left for his usual gambling haunt.

In his stead, Patricia accompanied Vivian and assisted her in greeting all the guests that wandered over.

Once the last of them had left, Patricia stayed behind to have a chat with Vivian.

She took the latter's hand and spoke with a smile.

“You know what? There are two people in the Jenkins family that no one seems to stop talking about these days—you and Maria."

Vivian's mood instantly soured.

“Of course, they would talk about me, I'm the first alchemist to pop up in the family in recent generations. But why would they talk about Maria as much? She can‘t even compare to me in terms of skill."

Patricia's smile widened. "It's exactly because she couldn't hold a candle to you that people talk about her. She has become notorious for her extremely low talent. In a word, she has become everyone's laughingstock. The old lady issued an order to release all the detailed reports of the last assessment. Maria is the only one whose aptitude leans toward physical combat."

Maria was already looked down upon due to her below first-level ranking.

Now, even her affinity turned out to be the Least important of all. For one brief moment, Vivian felt sorry for her. But then something else occurred to her. Her brows furrowed. "Physical combat? Does that mean that she's going to become a bodyguard Like Cyril and the others?"

Patricia shook her head emphatically.

“With her current level, I don't think she would even qualify to be a bodyguard. At most, she might be able to secure a post guarding the main entrance."

Vivian felt immensely gratified by this. It looked Maria's future was completely doomed.

Still, Vivian struggled to believe it. How could Maria's skill be so deplorable?

"Well, it's too easy to win and I almost feel it unreal," Vivian said in a mock sad tone.

Patricia chuckled.

“If you want to feel something real, then you can take your Luxury car for a ride. It may be second-hand, but it is still relatively new. If I'm not mistaken, its original asking price was over a million!"

“Humph! I‘m not going out in a second-hand car. I'll just give it to Dad." A sinister glint entered Vivian's eyes as she added, “Once I become a full-fledged alchemist, the clan will have to give me everything I want!"

Patricia nodded, thinking that this was only a matter of course.

The next morning, everyone gathered in the alchemy laboratory within the Jenkins compound.

The laboratory was just a small facility affixed to the building, though. The building itself was a luxurious two-story villa that had been specifically constructed.