Chapter 186: Three Divine Instruments (3)

Atorvastatin

When this drug first appeared, the market's reaction was lukewarm.

It was because it was not a drug that produced an immediate miracle like the cure for the Demon Disease or the antibiotic.

Even after Yulian's demonstration, the market remained apathetic.

They thought it would only be a brief fad among a few nobles.

Compared to the miracles Yulian had presented so far, they considered it to be a severely lacking drug.

However, the disclosed performance completely overturned the predictions of all the experts and guild masters.

The people in power who enjoyed greasy food and luxurious lifestyles.

Those powerful people's fear of sudden death was far beyond what the experts had imagined.

No one had predicted that they would go crazy over this quiet miracle.

As a result, a single item achieved enough sales to single-handedly drive a pharmaceutical trading company.

Numerous nobles and guild masters had no choice but to pay attention to this miracle.

— "A drug... makes that much money?"

— "The risk is high, but it's well worth the value."

The results of new medicine development were extreme.

It was close to either a huge success or a bust.

Furthermore, for taking on that risk, even the expected return was low.

Because the stronghold known as healing magic stood firm, it was difficult to even break even with a mediocre success.

Therefore, the existing pharmaceutical industry could be described with the phrase high risk low return.

However, the consecutive successes of Penicillin and Statin were enough to overturn this prejudice.

— "Compared to Viagra..."

— "If it's on the level of Statin or Penicillin, isn't it worth a try?"

The drugs Yulian had introduced so far were ones that other trading companies wouldn't even dare to challenge.

Drugs like Quinine and Insulin might have seemed easy to develop at first glance.

But from a researcher's perspective, there was no way to explain this other than calling it a miracle.

It was because they were drugs that suddenly popped out of nowhere, without any foundational technology or concepts!

Who would have imagined that a cure for Southern fever could be made from the Tirun Tree among the countless trees in the wild?

How on earth did he find out that a pig's pancreas was the method to treat the wasting disease (diabetes)?

They couldn't even guess how Viagra came to be.

But Statin and Penicillin were different.

— "If we research mold too...?"

— "Mold is an endless domain. If it's here..."

The new medicines that had appeared consecutively recently were all substances extracted from mold.

From the perspective of other trading companies, this was a quite reasonable domain.

— "Yeah right~ If we can't develop it, we just go bankrupt~"

— "Pharmaceutical stocks are truly the domain of heroes and great men!"

The realization instantly spread throughout the entire industry.

The stock market's evaluation of the pharmaceutical industry was also overturned.

From high risk low return,

To high risk high return.

If they couldn't develop anything, it was still a bust all the same.

But if they only discovered a new substance in mold, their life would practically bloom.

At this fact, countless nobles and mid-sized trading companies began to jump into the pharmaceutical industry.

Even large trading companies that had absolutely no relation to pharmaceuticals started creating subsidiaries, hoping to get lucky.

The demand for black magic, no, life magic, was also explosive.

Because their help was essential in order to research mold.

It was truly the Era of Great Pharmaceutical Stocks.

The world plunged into an unprecedented pharmaceutical competition.

"...In that sense, I invested in pharmaceutical stocks too, Charlotte."

"And you uncannily lost it all."

"I never imagined that stocks wouldn't have a bottom."

And the Academy was not free from this atmosphere either.

Rather, the students' interest in pharmaceutical stocks was higher than ever before.

The reason was none other than the great success of a third-year student in the Hero Department.

At the time when others predicted the failure of Statin.

That student resolutely invested in the Merkur Trading Company all alone.

In that very stock which was evaluated to have already reached its upper limit right after Yulian's identity was revealed.

The result was a skyrocket.

It was the birth of a capitalist who had now become too massive to be called a mere student.

Seeing this success, the students jumped into pharmaceutical stocks one after another.

Jenny was no exception either.

"Why pharmaceutical stocks of all things? There are other stocks too."

"The growth rate of other stocks is too gradual. You can't pull a profit out of an allowance within a single semester."

Half of the allowance is taken away as tax every semester.

That was why stocks with a mediocre growth rate didn't even stand a chance.

Only pharmaceutical stocks, which were the very definition of high risk high return, could satisfy that demand.

One morning at the Academy, when such a stock craze was in full swing.

Jenny, who was biting her lower lip while looking at the stock chart, looked at Charlotte as if she suddenly remembered something.

"Ah, right, Charlotte."

"?"

"Do you not invest in stocks?"

"Why would I?"

"Well, the more money you have, the less bad it is... Ah."

Jenny realized her slip of the tongue.

Because she realized who the fiancée of the most skyrocketed pharmaceutical stock was.

Charlotte was in a position where she had no need to invest in stocks.

"...I want to marry into a good family too."

"I don't know what you're suddenly talking about, but I'll cheer you on. If it's you, Jenny, you'll be able to find a good husband. As long as you do something about that gambling habit."

Charlotte absentmindedly sipped her coffee.

"By the way, why do people pay attention to other pharmaceutical stocks? They could have just invested in the Merkur Trading Company."

"Oh my, the madam must have no interest in the circumstances of lowly commoners like us. That's too safe. I feel like it has really hit the ceiling now."

Interestingly enough, the Merkur Trading Company was no longer an attractive pharmaceutical stock.

Statin.

Because it was unimaginable that they could produce a result greater than that.

That was how stocks were in the first place.

It was scary to jump into a stock that was already famous among others.

Because they had no confidence to endure the drop that would come after getting bitten at the high point.

Therefore, Jenny paid attention to other pharmaceutical stocks.

"Lohengrin was the best in this industry before the Merkur Trading Company appeared. I heard that trading company hired a large number of black sorcerers this time."

"So that's why you invested in their stock?"

"Yeah."

Jenny had absolutely no regrets about her judgment.

"They say even a ruined count's family lasts for three generations. Still, since it was once the number 1 place, I thought they would achieve something with the black sorcerers."

"I understand the reason. But..."

Charlotte looked at the stock graph of the Lohengrin Trading Company.

"...Then am I looking at the graph upside down? Or from what I know, blue means a drop, so was I mistaken?"

"No, Charlotte. You are looking at it correctly, and blue does mean a drop."

"Then it's strange. Why did it drop like this instead when they hired black sorcerers?"

"...It's because of the trial result."

"Trial?"

Jenny let out a deep sigh.

"I didn't know that Lohengrin filed a patent lawsuit against the Merkur Trading Company 8 years ago. And of all times, that verdict came out a few days ago."

"What do you mean, a lawsuit?"

"Well, I suppose you wouldn't be interested."

Charlotte nodded.

The circumstances of the pharmaceutical industry were outside of Charlotte's interests.

Because it wasn't knowledge necessary for solving murder cases anyway.

If someone holding those stocks died, she would investigate separately to distinguish whether it was a suicide or a homicide, but

if that wasn't the case, there was no need to go out of her way to investigate or study it.

However, since the topic was brought up, there was no reason not to listen.

"You're going to forget it anyway even if I tell you, right?"

"If it's not necessary knowledge, I probably won't bother to remember it."

"Well, I'll still explain it to you."

It wasn't the first time Charlotte forgot after listening to such talks about current affairs anyway.

Even if someone told her what kind of medicine her fiancé was making, Charlotte would often forget it a week later.

Having hung out with this roommate for several years, Jenny had already adapted to Charlotte's selective amnesia.

"8 years ago, at the time Professor Yulian made the vaccine, Lohengrin sued the Merkur Trading Company."

"Why?"

"It was to keep a newly-emerging powerhouse in check."

At the time, the standing of the Merkur Trading Company was mediocre.

Although they achieved a huge success with Quinine and Insulin, it wasn't at the level of being number 1 in the industry.

"The reason for the lawsuit was patent right infringement. In the past, the Merkur Trading Company was a subcontractor for the Lohengrin Trading Company. So Lohengrin sued, claiming that Merkur's sudden rise was the result of stealing their technologies back when they were a subcontractor."

"Did the Judicial Court accept that?"

"They did."

Charlotte frowned.

"Even knowing that they were medicines made by my Yulian?"

"Charlotte. The truth isn't what's important in the world. And not everyone in the world is as honest as you."

The lawsuit at the time wasn't that big of a deal.

Because it was a part of daily life for sizable trading companies to have one or two lawsuits hanging over them anyway.

Most people also treated it as the usual scripted charade.

However, an incident that changed the board occurred.

"Originally, Lohengrin must have planned to bleed Merkur dry with the lawsuit."

"But I didn't know about it."

"Right. I didn't know either."

Jenny spoke as if she found it absurd.

"To the extent that we didn't know, the Merkur Trading Company had overwhelmingly grown thanks to Professor Yulian's new medicines."

Usually, a lawsuit is bound to delay the growth of the opposing trading company.

The lawsuit against the Merkur Trading Company was exactly that kind of lawsuit.

If it had been a normal trading company, they might have withered and died while struggling in the legal battle.

But the Merkur Trading Company was different.

Their growth speed was too overwhelming.

To the point where one wouldn't even know they had a pending lawsuit.

The reason this was possible was because of the existence of an irregular named Yulian.

"Usually, when a lawsuit like this is filed, the company can't focus on research, so their growth stagnates. But Professor Yulian researches mostly alone anyway, right?"

"That is true."

"So the lawsuit was meaningless."

Charlotte also finally understood and nodded her head.

"I didn't know there was such a thing either."

"I also only found out recently when the result of losing a case came out. The fact that such a lawsuit existed."

"Then, was Yulian keeping such a lawsuit a secret because he was worried I'd be concerned?"

"No? Looking at the interview, it seemed the professor didn't even know such a lawsuit existed either?"

This was the guild master's consideration.

Anyway, the Merkur Trading Company revolves around Yulian.

The roles of the director and the guild master were merely handling marketing, trivial legal issues, and tax problems.

So the trading company kept the lawsuit itself a secret from Yulian.

In the first place, considering their growth speed, there was no reason to pay attention to the lawsuit.

"According to the interview, they said the professor also found out for the first time today that they won the case."

It was the same for the shareholders of the Merkur Trading Company.

It was a part that most either didn't know or didn't care about.

Seeing the growth speed anyway, there was no need to worry about the lawsuit.

Even in the unlikely event they lost the case, it didn't seem like the brakes would be put on their growth.

So it was passing by as if it had never happened.

"I understand."

Charlotte, having heard the explanation, nodded.

"Then a new doubt arises..."

And she looked at Jenny.

"Knowing this much so well, why did you invest in Lohengrin?"

At this, Jenny replied with an awkward smile.

"I also found out after I put my money in, but..."

According to Jenny.

The future of the Lohengrin Pharmaceutical Trading Company was not very bright.

"I invested in the stock thinking of the old Lohengrin Pharmaceutical Trading Company."

The reason the Lohengrin Trading Company could maintain the number 1 spot in the pharmaceutical industry for a hundred years.

That secret was the best potion crafted from the herbal knowledge of Elves and the handiwork of Dwarves.

Jenny learned through lectures about the glory of the days when they monopolized that potion.

"Seniors also generally acknowledged them when it came to Lohengrin."

But not anymore.

"I heard they started changing 20 years ago after they got a taste of the money."

The trading company drove out the stubborn demi-human artisans and filled their places with accountants good with numbers.

Chasing 'more profit' rather than 'better medicine'.

"I heard the current situation is that they are still milking the medicines they made 20 years ago. I only found out about that after I invested."

"In other words, you went in and found it was ruined?"

"To be exact, while people outside were half-in-half-out about it, the market became certain due to losing a case this time."

Previously, Lohengrin's slump was merely a rumor.

It was because they thought a trading company that was once number 1 wouldn't fall so easily.

However, when the trial result came out, the world's view of Lohengrin flipped drastically.

And Jenny just happened to invest her stock right before that timing.

"Horse racing too, and gambling too. It seems you really have no talent for these kinds of things, Jenny."

"Tsk. I thought stocks would be different from horse racing."

Jenny clicked her tongue.

Charlotte looked at her roommate with a coldly cooled gaze.

"...Jenny. Do not put your stocks into the Merkur Trading Company."

"Huh? Why?"

"If I say don't put it in, don't put it in."

Charlotte made a vow.

Although it wouldn't happen.

If by any chance she were to trade stocks, she would have to invest in the exact opposite of Jenny.

*

In an atmosphere where everyone was enthusiastic about pharmaceutical stocks and mold like this.

The traditional pharmaceutical trading companies were no exception to this atmosphere.

In order not to be left behind, one had no choice but to follow the fad.

Even without a vision, the pharmaceutical trading companies also started researching mold one after another.

And in this competition, there was one trading company that particularly couldn't hide its nervousness.

"President! You lost the patent lawsuit today. How do you feel!"

The Lohengrin Trading Company.

The trading company that held the position of the traditional number 1 in the pharmaceutical industry before the Merkur Trading Company emerged as the top of the industry.

That trading company was uncomfortable with the current situation.

"The gist of the lawsuit was that Merkur stole Lohengrin's herbology knowledge during their subcontractor days, but the court did not acknowledge this! Will you appeal?"

"The court ruled that 'Merkur's medicine has a fundamentally different principle from Lohengrin's herbology'!"

The chairman of the Lohengrin Trading Company, Beidel.

Whenever he headed to the research lab, the journalists would throw these kinds of questions at him.

The reason was none other than the result of the recent lawsuit.

8 years ago, the Lohengrin Trading Company sued the Merkur Trading Company.

And after an 8-year battle, the Lohengrin Trading Company lost the case.

For the chairman, it was a situation that made him boil with anger.

"From some quarters, there are also those pointing out that Lohengrin is shifting the blame for its downfall onto Merkur!"

One question dug into the chairman's chest.

The chairman of Lohengrin painstakingly suppressed his insides that were boiling over.

Humiliation and nervousness surged to the tip of his throat.

Even though he had offered bribes to the judges and the people in power.

In the end, they ended up losing the case to the Merkur Trading Company.

And to a perfect degree at that.

However, the chairman showed a relaxed smile.

Even if it was a falling empire, he had to protect his pride.

"The law has merely gone blind for a moment."

Within the line of causing as little problem as possible, he spoke to protect his pride as much as he could.

"Lohengrin has been the peak of this industry for a hundred years. Those who achieved sudden success, where else could they have possibly gained such knowledge?"

Of course, the chairman himself didn't think Merkur had stolen their technology during the time they were Lohengrin's subcontractor either.

That Saint who fell right out of the sky.

He knew that the current situation had unfolded because of that Saint.

But if he admitted it here, the aftermath of losing a case this time would be even greater.

Because of that, the chairman tapped the floor once with his cane and made a firm declaration.

"Soon, we will show Lohengrin's underlying strength to the world once again."

Leaving those words behind, the chairman pushed through the journalists and headed to the research lab.

On the way to the research lab.

Anger began to seep into his footsteps little by little.

Having tasted defeat, the arrow of the chairman's anger soon headed towards the researchers of his own company.

With a fiercely contorted face, the chairman roughly pushed open the door to the research lab and entered.