Chapter 94: Vermouth's Alchemy = Science = Ambiguity...

"I'm not 'your girl,'" Shiho grumbled, her voice trailing off. Even she felt her rebuttal was unconvincing and unnecessary. After all, last night...the two of them didn't get much sleep again. (Playing Kamen Rider card game? Ayumi-chan's innocent face. JPG)

He says "no" but his tone betrays "yes". This is a prime example of being hard on the outside but soft on the inside.

"Oh, isn't it?" Vermouth raised one eyebrow, and the flashlight happened to sweep across her face, and the malicious and mischievous smile at the corner of her mouth was clearly visible.

"So, what are we doing now, Shiho? Just ordinary acquaintances wouldn't be strolling around in a place like this, right?"

The glances exchanged, and the situation was set. The ambiguous logic trap was full marks.

Internet commentator: You call this a walk? I call this an "ambiguous escape room."

The sound of footsteps and the dripping of water in the distance became the only background sound at this moment.

"Tick-tick" is the clock of love and desire, time stands still, and ambiguity flows.

Shiho was speechless for a moment. This kind of unplanned, guided mission was rare for her.

You know, if Conan asks her for cooperation in solving a case, he has to explain the situation clearly first and then bribe her with luxury goods like designer bags. If she hides the potential pitfalls during her explanation, the consequences will be disastrous.

What were they doing? His mind replayed last night's events uncontrollably. How could things have gotten so out of control? Was it body chemistry? Uncontrollable curiosity? Or was it... a tacit understanding between them, unspoken yet pulling each other towards the brink of danger?

But, in love, who is not a lost scientist?

"Last night's clip"? This sentence is as lethal as "Last night you cried and said no."

"You just said APTX-4869." She cleared her throat and abruptly changed the subject, avoiding the overly personal branch. "What's going on?"

When the topic of love came up, she averted her gaze like an embarrassed girl. This was a classic example of "scientist-style avoidance of emotion," but Min-na-san knew she had just finished writing a luxury car fanfic in her head that she couldn't post.

The scientist heroine has just begun to understand love, but her reason is already giving her warning.

0% success rate in switching topics. Do you think that if you skip the romance, the plot won't come knocking? Naive.

Vermouth's lips curled up, understanding the situation. Since she was already feeling a little shy, there was no need to continue and embarrass her. So she walked down the steps she had laid out. "The map shows the molecular structure. While it's not the complete formula, it does indicate the core elements. There's also a Latin note next to it: 'Wine of Immortality.'"

Sister Bei is indeed the heroine who controls the whole situation, aura +1.

But, ah, what about the "wine of immortality"? Could it be that the winery existed thousands or even hundreds of years ago?

Moreover, throughout history, countless emperors and generals have pursued immortality, yet none have succeeded. Modern historians, hearing about immortality, think it's a low-level scam, instantly triggering their own anti-fraud apps.

"Absurd," Shiho snorted. "APTX-4869 is a product of modern biochemistry. How could it possibly appear on a fifteenth-century map manuscript?"

After all, the information involved in Drug A is measured in TB, and even someone with a high IQ like Shiho can't remember it all.

Moreover, biology and cartography are two different disciplines, and even hundreds of years ago, each had its own specializations. The appearance of cutting-edge biology-related technology on a map hundreds of years ago is like a figure from the world of immortal cultivation appearing in a rice flower, making a surprise appearance.

The scientist heroine was stubborn to the end, but her heart was already in turmoil.

"Of course, it doesn't exist in the form we are familiar with. But the idea of ​​pursuing physical immortality, well, that is as old as human history itself." Vermouth became serious and spoke slowly, with a hint of persuasion.

Hollywood Enchantress continued, "The Cartographers' Guild, they mapped more than just geography, Shiho. They also mapped knowledge buried by time, the beginnings of science, alchemical secrets, philosophical speculations, and so on. Everything that was considered heretical at the time, they secretly recorded and preserved in code."

Alchemy = science = a vehicle for ambiguity, and they discuss the typical division of labor between the liberal arts female top and the science female bottom: one is responsible for expanding the historical context, while the other is responsible for questioning and then being kissed shut up. (Bushi, we're still discussing the main plot. Let's kiss again when we get home.)

"So what you're saying is... the prototype of APTX-4869 originated from the delusion of some medieval alchemist?" Shiho was full of doubt.

It ends with a rhetorical question, and the suspicion of the love brain and the science brain is mixed with a bit of unconscious dependence... aka I believe everything you say, but I will also make a few sarcastic remarks.

Reason and ambiguity fly together, career and love burn together. It is really "The Diary of a Scientist in Love", and it is now online.

"What I'm saying is that the roots of the organization are far more complex than we imagined. Perhaps the drug you have isn't original, but simply the latest result of hundreds of years of research."

Oh my, should we issue a high-energy alert? This organization actually has a 500-year-old heritage of advanced technology. Has the science of science been upgraded to a cultivation path? Is the next person to appear going to call themselves "This Lord"?

Shiho: I thought I was the ceiling of the pharmaceutical industry, but I didn't expect that I was just a brick-moving worker in the history of human alchemy.

Note the "hundreds of years" part; this is a long-term foreshadowing. Don't be surprised if they travel back to the Edo period someday. (Spoiler alert)

As soon as these words were spoken, a trifecta of "setting deepening + historical expansion + worldview upgrade" popped up. (Timeline Police style). Has this organization been pursuing immortality since the Kamakura period? Their legacy is even longer than Murasaki Shikibu's.

It's a ton of flags. Whenever "hundreds of years" is mentioned, it's either about a time-travel arc or the unearthing of a forbidden tome from an underground library. (Anything's fine, right? As long as the style isn't the gruesome, childhood-defining style of the library murder incident.)

The deep meaning in these words made Shiho feel a chill.

APTX-4869… She had always considered it a creation unique to the Miyano family, a family responsibility she must shoulder. In a sense, this exemplified the "scientist's self-blame," but it also betrayed her obsession with perpetuating the notion of being the original instigator.

Now Vermouth told her: My little scientist, don’t carry on carrying it with you. You can’t have made that thing by yourself. Maybe you just inherited the recipe for a bottle of cold syrup from your ancestors?

The thought that I might be just a link in a chain stretching back centuries into the long river of history brings a strange feeling to my heart: a mixture of trepidation about the unknown and an uncanny sense of relief, as if a burden has been lifted.

Unbelievabledesu.

Shiho's mental state switches directly from the uneasy "lone scapegoat" to the incredible "historical screw" who laments the accumulation of human history, and the pressure is instantly 50-50.

"Even if... what you said is true." She slowed down as she digested this shocking information, "Why would the map be stored in a place like the Cartographers' Guild, a place with a lot of people coming and going in that circle? Instead of being locked up in the organization's vault?"

She grasped the key point. This kind of private club in London's upper class is actually often a place for members to discuss things safely away from the sight of the public and reporters. Well, it is also quite lively every day.

Predicted comments: Audience OS: How bad is the security of organizations in the Conan world? Is your safe made of paper?

"Because the best hiding places are often the most obvious ones." Vermouth chuckled. "It's not so much 'hiding' as 'integrating'. Besides, the map didn't belong to the organization in the first place. They've been searching for it for generations; it's almost become an obsession."

It's dark under the lamp, and the organization's search for maps has almost become so obsessive-compulsive that everyone is laughing.

I don’t know whether it’s true or not, but one thing is certain, that is, Vermouth: PUA skills are maxed out, and her speaking skills are at the ceiling.

Shiho felt that she could only listen to the words of this Hollywood enchantress who had made her work diligently all night and thought she had moved the progress bar forward a little bit, but she was able to return to her ease mode as soon as she got out of bed. Everything should be based on objective reality and the truth she saw.

After all, she was very cooperative on the ship, even more... cheerful and obedient than in the Tokyo laboratory. But as soon as the sun rose and she got out of bed, she returned to her original queen state, especially when talking about business. This made Miyano Shiho, who was 19 years old and had no experience in love, quite unhappy.

(Shiho OS screams: "This little devil (crossed out) lady, why are you two completely different people on and off the boat?!")

Shiho was just thinking about it when he saw the passage ahead suddenly open up and branch into three roads, leading to deeper darkness.

Another classic three-choice question? Vermouth: People with poor directions don't need a map, they just need to follow their heart, understand?

Without stopping, Vermouth turned straight to the one on the far right and opened a door with electronic equipment on it.

Without hesitation. The confidence of a queen. She always knows where she's going, just as she always knows how to strike Shiho's heart (both physically and psychologically). For example, simple and straightforward, passionate on the boat, queen in bed. A simple, straightforward, old-fashioned, yet effective, tried and tested tactic.

"Now they'll know someone's been here," Shiho reminded. "The door has electronic equipment, and the security breach will definitely be reported."

"Well, I will report it to the police. However, unless the organization has planted an insider in the guild with access to core authority. I think they probably have an insider, but whether the authority is sufficient is another matter. Otherwise, they will not connect the intruder with the map. I am very sure about this." Vermouth's smile deepened, with full confidence.

Here we go, it's time for Ms. Wynyard's Versailles show. "Watertight"? Really? Bayonetta's life is full of leaks, especially around a certain little detective and a certain little scientist. (Washing Machine: Oh hey, hey, I'm the main character in the science world, why don't I have a scene? And when it comes to Vermouth, I basically got all the scenes in the original story!?)

Now, this pair is a tough, arrogant and rational couple, and the other is a crazy, middle-aged and scheming queen.

"You guy... you really have everything calculated, right?" Shiho sighed, her voice becoming softer. This address was no longer an ordinary address, it was the classic opening line of tsundere literature, and the reluctant admiration could not be hidden.

This kind of helpless, whispered complaint is definitely an ambiguous on/off button. It's a typical sign of being hard on the outside but soft on the inside. While complaining, you've already surrendered in your heart.

While complaining about you "this guy", I am thinking in my heart: How can she be so smart, so charming, and how can she always know what I am thinking.

"It's not completely flawless." Vermouth was surprisingly frank, which surprised Shiho. "For example, I didn't expect you to look so... dazzling in this red coat."

Ah, this. Oh my AUV, here comes the famous scene. This sentence is so devastating. I thought they were seriously discussing the mission, but in fact they suddenly turned to flirting mode and complimented Xiao Nianxia's beautiful clothes.

It's clearly a detective novel with a main plot, but suddenly the girl's heart is struck. Is Vermouth's mouth cheating?

He could have investigated the case, but he chose to praise your beauty.

As expected of someone who came from a winery and was a master of rhetoric, every one of her sentences was like a poem sprinkled with sugar and a knife: "I can see everything you wear."

Shiho was stunned. If this wasn't flirting, what was she? She had brought a carefully selected overnight bag to Vermouth's house. She had specially worn this dress this morning just to show her her beauty, but Vermouth had never commented on it. Yet, while escaping in a tunnel, she casually tossed it out.

Wow, what a master! She's worthy of being called Sister Bei.

The rationality of the scientist with an IQ of 200 is already jumping wildly on the edge of high danger.

Heat crept up her cheeks, and Shiho secretly thanked God that the light around her was not enough to expose her embarrassment.

It's not that she didn't blush; she blushed so much she was afraid to be seen. This is the shy and heart-warming literature of a top-notch girl.

My heart was already exploding, but I was still pretending to be calm on the surface.

"Come on, Wynyard. What on earth is on that map that has you making such a fuss?"

Shiho was still stubborn. Could she be more serious? She looked disgusted but shy.

"Be serious"? In the context of love, this phrase equals "Stop flirting with me. I can't handle it anymore."

Shiho was interrogating them, but in her heart she was like a deer running a red light. Besides, the two of them had been acting inappropriately all night, so it was too late to talk about this now.

"Besides that molecular structure? There are also coordinates, marked with the name of the suspected founder of the organization. And... a description of 'consciousness fusion'."

High-energy suspense is on the line, the two female protagonists are extremely intelligent, and the main plot puzzles are also handled. By the way, there are too many words on this map. Forget it, don't worry about the details.

"Consciousness fusion" sounds like something that could be used to write about yuri's whimsical and imaginative writing. (Sudden color change. Jpg)

The connection between two people's consciousness, mental synchronization, emotional resonance... I can already imagine a lingering and sad mental resonance play.

"Consciousness fusion?" Shiho frowned. "That's pure pseudoscientific nonsense."

Shiho is online, in academic quip mode. She's mumbling nonsense, frowning and calmly refuting everything, but she's probably going to start fussing over papers when she gets home.

However, in the professional scientific community, both neuroscience and psychology do scoff at these metaphysical concepts.

On the one hand, scientists who have studied for decades need to maintain their academic style. On the other hand, these concepts cannot be tested, strong experimental data cannot be obtained, and peers cannot reproduce them. In other words, it is impossible to write papers.

Since they cannot write papers, that means they have no KPIs and cannot get academic sponsorship, so no professor will waste their doctoral students' resources to do it, and no doctoral student is willing to do it, because if he has these so-called pseudo-scientific papers that are looked down upon by the academic community, it will be difficult for him to find a teaching position or other research job in the future.

Over time, concepts like these, which appear to be metaphysical at first glance, will be avoided in the academic community, as they will be dismissed as pseudoscience and a waste of time by those around them. Those who waste everyone's time proposing these concepts will be considered unprofessional.

Ultimately it is a business logic. After all, academic research also requires financial support.

However, when it comes to financial support, the winery gave Shiho Miyano a lot of freedom and rarely asked about the specific details of her experiments.

After all, even if they asked, the rest of the brewery wouldn't understand. Or rather, those who only barely understood the basics were easily fooled—no, persuaded—by Shiho's simple concept. (Shiho is the righteous protagonist, how could she be so foolish? Right? Doge!) (The washing machine couldn't help but break the dimensional wall and complain: "How is this horrible woman righteous?! When she first appeared, she fired guns and acted mysteriously, and she nearly scared the hell out of me!"

At this moment, Miyano Shiho, the science heroine, is online, and she is already frantically searching for keywords in her mind: This thing... seems to be related to my recent research?

"It's hard to say. But perhaps this matter is related to your current research."

Vermouth's words are another old fox's trick: giving you a way out, but not revealing everything. She is not here to show off that she knows Shiho's secret, she is here to show her love and love of "I have always been watching you."

Shiho paused, frozen in place. "My research...what do you know?"

She knew Vermouth was no ordinary person, but she hadn't expected her to pinpoint the research direction so accurately. After all, she was so confident that even if the winery management saw her report, they wouldn't understand it.

Or perhaps it's that many people at the distillery are science-illiterate. For example, Gin completely fails to grasp the dangers of using drugs still in the animal testing phase. Or perhaps it's that he's completely antisocial, completely unconcerned with giving such dangerous drugs to his subjects, believing they're going to be killed anyway.

But as a scientist, Shiho Miyano has her ethical boundaries. After animal testing, drugs must undergo Phase I, II, and III clinical trials before they can be marketed. This is a fundamental requirement, universally recognized worldwide. This applies even to common cold medicines, let alone specialized drugs like APTX, which utilize cutting-edge technology.

One of the conflicts between her and Gin was that Gin planned to use the assassination target for clinical trials, because it was actually quite troublesome to convene clinical trials for a drug like APTX.

Conducting clinical trials requires filing with the host country's regulatory agency, the Food and Drug Administration. And when filing, you can't just claim the drug's efficacy as immortality, so you need a bunch of high-sounding academic excuses, ideally with endorsements from respected academic professors in the host country. It's a massive workload, and someone as straightforward and unsophisticated as Gin would absolutely refuse to do it, but his boss asked him to cooperate with Sydney's work.

At the time, Rum, the distillery's second-in-command, remained noncommittal. He wasn't worried, as he was worried about the end of his life for the big boss, Karasuma Renya. If the big boss died for reasons unrelated to him, he would likely become the distillery's boss.

From this perspective, Gin is truly loyal and dedicated, anxious to help his boss. He's willing to skip normal clinical trials in order to get the data he needs as quickly as possible, so that his boss can achieve immortality.

As for Vermouth, she was surprisingly quiet during the argument. I wonder if she was avoiding it because she had a vested interest, or if she just wanted to wait and see who wins, and then side with the winner. (Little Clever Sister. GIF)

But Shiho didn't expect that she had been paying close attention to it, including those obscure scientific details, and actually studied and figured them out.

At that moment, in the London tunnels of the Logos simulation, Vermouth turned around and faced Shiho. The flashlight illuminated her face, a breathtaking beauty, a beauty unearthly, unearthly.

Shiho was captivated by the physics aspect. She talked about science, but her eyes were already captivated by the beauty.

"I know about your antidote research. I also know you've hit a wall. Also, your focus lately has quietly shifted from APTX's physiological effects to its neurological effects, correct?"

"Why do you..." Shiho had barely finished speaking when a sudden realization struck her. A thought, icy and chilling, flashed through her mind. "You sent someone to keep an eye on me."

Did they send a professional to keep an eye on him, or did they bribe their lab colleagues?

"Just protecting my investment." Vermouth said lightly, as if stating something that should be taken for granted.

He talks about investment, but his heart is thinking about his wife. This is a famous scene that connects the literature of domineering CEOs and scientific research.

The word "investment" is a cold and rational word when spoken, but the heart is already full of emotion.

This is a reverse confession from a highly intelligent human. A tsundere type.

"Investment? In your eyes, am I just an investment project?" Shiho asked, but her tone was not angry, but a little... hurt.

This wave of questions is full of sourness. It is a roundabout way of asking "Do you like me at all?"

She wanted to hear an answer... not the cold "project", but the unique "you".

But is Miyano Shiho so easily emotionally broken? Perhaps she's just acting? She wants Vermouth to feel hurt? In short, these two are acting out all sorts of things, and the chain of suspicion is so complex it's mind-boggling.

Vermouth's expression remained calm for a moment, that fleeting, subtle expression vanishing so quickly it might have been an illusion. "Shiho, you are... very special to me. What this specialness means, I still don't understand."

An implicit confession used across the entire Internet.

And if you think about it carefully, the three words "very special" are probably the most heartfelt confession that someone like Vermouth can say seriously.

This sudden bluntness made Shiho's heart choke, and she didn't know how to respond.

This is the physical reaction of hitting the heart point, which is pleasing to the eye.

She was speechless, not because of embarrassment, but because her inner universe was exploding.

The cold and rational girl was suddenly confessed to, and her defenses were completely broken and she stopped talking about literature.

Perhaps it was the exposure of love in a high-IQ showdown. It came suddenly and without warning.

Ding Dong, super deluxe multiple choice question:

When Shiho hears Vermouth say, "You are very special to me...", she will:

A. nodded calmly: "You are mentally manipulating me, I won't fall for it." But his face remained red for a full five minutes.

B. pretended not to hear, but the next day's antidote research notes were filled with her name.

C. Whispered back: "What kind of special... is that special?" (The shy heroine awakens)

D. Reply directly: "Then I really want to...beat you up too." Then the corners of his mouth rise uncontrollably.

E. "Then...would you like to get closer and study it more thoroughly?" (a direct counterattack, a subtle hint of sweetness)

F. "I, I just... my red coat is more conspicuous." (shyly interrupting, blushing and heartbeating)

G. He hugged her directly, still saying "Don't think too much", but his hands were already unruly. (Shiho is the top! And she is a certified action-oriented strong attack! OOC warning!)