"Who is your mentor?"
Julian figured that if Claire's teacher was truly that exceptional, he must have heard the name in the medical field.
"My teacher is Hale. You've probably never heard of him."
Hale?
The name drew an absolute blank in Julian's mind.
"Is he a doctor?"
If he was a clinician, it made sense that Julian hadn't heard of him.
Solenia was massive, and there were countless brilliant underground physicians.
"Yes, he was a master of traditional medicine."
A flicker of nostalgia crossed Claire's eyes at the mention of him.
Hale had never been a man who sought the limelight.
"I see. Would it be possible for you to introduce me to him?"
Julian was convinced that the mastermind behind Claire was the true asset Luminate needed.
He just didn't understand why the man was so reluctant to show his face.
"That... would be rather difficult," Claire said, looking helpless.
"Is it inconvenient?" Julian asked, his disappointment palpable.
Why was it always so impossible to meet the true legends?
He had heard that this expert would be providing more formulas in the future, which only fueled his desire to meet him.
Collaborating with a titan like that would be immensely educational.
"Very inconvenient. If you want to see him, you'll probably have to wait a few decades."
Julian obviously didn't take her words literally.
"Why would I have to wait decades?"
Was Dr. Hale simply refusing public appearances for the foreseeable future?
"Because my mentor has passed away."
"Unless you plan on joining him underground right this second."
"Are you in a rush to meet your maker?"
Claire asked the question with absolute deadpan sincerity.
"Uh, right... let's push that meeting back a few decades."
Julian rubbed the back of his neck. He still planned on living a long, healthy life.
Watching his employee choke on his words, Owen stifled a laugh.
"Exactly. Work for me first, and you can go meet him when you're ready to retire," Owen chimed in,
thoroughly enjoying the
Prayer
Senadenfreude.
That was what the guy got for assuming he was using his sister as a prop.
Now that Julian believed Claire's mentor was the source of the formula, he was more than happy to keep chatting with her.
Once he found out she was heading to Cabinda Medical School, his interest skyrocketed.
Before long, Julian was practically interrogating Claire on medical theory.
If Owen hadn't known they were strictly discussing science, he would have thrown a punch.
This guy wasn't actually hitting on his sister, right?
In reality, Julian was purely obsessed with academia. He didn't have a single romantic thought in his head.
To him, Claire could be a supermodel, and she still wouldn't be as alluring as a perfect data set in his lab.
Claire could tell he meant no harm, so she patiently answered his barrage of questions.
Occasionally, Julian would even offer insights that sparked her own inspiration.
He truly lived up to his pedigree as an elite university graduate. The man was brilliant in his own right.
The only reason he hadn't produced massive results before was that his previous environment had stifled him.
Her brother really had struck gold with this hire.
In the future, the lab would easily be able to operate independently of of her developing new products tailored
specifically for Luminate.
Meanwhile, Julian was utterly floored to discover that Claire's medical knowledge
was leaps and bounds beyond his expectations.
He actually felt thoroughly outclassed.
"Mr. Fisher, our focuses are just different."
"I prioritize treating the individual patient, whereas your lab research is about
adapting science for the general public."
"All I can provide is the raw formula.
Figuring out how to synthesize and make it accessible to the
f that exact Th
masses isn't that exactly where
your team comes in?"
Claire remained incredibly humble.