None of them realized they'd been completely led by Jing Shu's rhythm. What she suspected wasn't necessarily what they thought, but the way she put things made them sound so reasonable that they unknowingly fell right into her trap.
The second reason was that the results were about to come out. Since the doctor seemed so confident, it couldn't be fake, right? Otherwise, he'd just be slapping himself in the face. With Jing Shu testifying inside, the others watching outside, and knowing Dr. B's reputation, everyone was already seventy, eighty percent convinced.
"Guys, we should start talking about how much we're paying the doctor to split food and crops for us."
"I heard this 'Water of Life' is really hard to produce, and there's not much of it. We'd better move fast and secure our share."
The group of old-timers was already discussing future plans with calm enthusiasm, while Dr. B and his team were still shaken. What kind of miracle did they expect him to pull off this time? He shot a glance at Jing Shu, wondering how she planned to cover this.
When the lab door finally closed and shut off all outside sound, Dr. B put on a kindly smile and directed Jing Shu, who looked all "amazed," to work. But under his breath, he whispered, "So what's your plan? We didn't prepare any video or data."
Jing Shu gestured toward the old men already dividing the imaginary cake and said, "Look, they're not even recording anymore. You've still got that footage of the salt separation, right? Just play that. It's close enough."
"Got it."
"As for the sugar trick, that's easy. Same old method. Expand the crystal size every twenty minutes. After two or three hours, it'll look like it's grown naturally. Tis has everything set up, I'll handle the timing, and you swap it in."
As an improvised plan, it was the best they could do. Thankfully, Jing Shu still had a spare bag of sugar. They'd waste a little to make the illusion work, but it was worth it.
Without Jing Shu running interference, that small pile of sugar suddenly doubling in size would've been as obvious as lice on a bald head. But with her big mess of loose hair conveniently blocking the view several times, everyone's attention got muddled enough.
After each round of "cell division," Dr. B would call everyone over to watch this "miracle." The microscope showed countless new cells, but the farmers were standing ten meters away, so they couldn't really see much. Still, with their preconceived belief and Jing Shu working hard in there, they subconsciously followed the direction she led them.
Until finally, the last "division" succeeded. The 10 grams of sugar had turned crystal clear, each grain twice the size.
"Look, 21 grams," Dr. B announced, showing the data.
Jing Shu picked up one of the enlarged sugar crystals, popped it into her mouth, and nodded as she tasted it. The farmers carefully took turns sampling the sugar too.
"Oh my god, it tastes even purer! So much better than before! And after it's grown this much, it still kept its original flavor. This is truly zero loss!"
"Products from the Cube Space are always premium," Jing Shu muttered, rolling her eyes. That sugar had been filtered through diluted Spirit Spring water after all.
"Alright, I admit I lost the bet. From now on, I'll send all my herbs to you. But seriously, I stared at that thing for two hours straight and watched it grow bit by bit. It was magical. I suggest everyone come see it for themselves."
Jing Shu the Lucky Shill was officially online.
Mrs. C took a step forward, looking like she was about to strangle Jing Shu. The farmers, realizing Dr. B looked slightly displeased, quickly did a 180 in attitude and flattered, "We won't disturb you anymore. It's already been a long day, and you must be tired. We've got to look after your health!"
"Yeah, yeah, this really is a miracle! But how much does it consume? How much material can it expand? Each of us still has tens of thousands of pounds of grain and other goods. As for your fee, Doctor, just name it, we won't argue."
Dr. B gave a benevolent smile that could've passed for god himself. "Right now, the daily output of Water of Life can only let about a thousand pounds (450 kg) of materials absorb it. I take thirty percent as my fee."
Even after that cut, they'd still keep seventy percent profit. That was practically free money.
Still, some of them looked disappointed. "Only a thousand pounds a day? That's not enough for us to share. Is there any way to increase production?"
"Of course. If it's done at the material's place of origin, you can expand tens of thousands of pounds (4,500+ kg) daily. But that area's too dangerous. I don't plan to risk it. A thousand pounds a day's profit is enough for me to continue my research." Dr. B waved his hand like he couldn't care less about the money.
"And I'm really tired. If you're all decided, you can start transporting materials tomorrow, but I'll only take one thousand pounds a day."
The farmers exchanged glances, their eyes gleaming with excitement, then left one by one. In their minds, they were already walking on a road paved with gold.
The first, most crucial step was done. The initial trust was in place.
After everyone left, Jing Shu and Dr. B high-fived.
"Next step, give them a little taste of sweetness," Jing Shu said with a sly smile. "Once they're hooked, we'll yank it away. They'll go crazy for it."
And so began Jing Shu's second phase as a professional shill.
Those farmers wouldn't go to any authority for verification now. This was a secret, a goldmine. If they spread it, everyone would know, and then how would they profit? Who cared what methods were used, as long as they'd seen it with their own eyes—one turns into two, that's all that mattered. They were already weaving dreams of fortune.
If anyone dared question Dr. B now, these "witnesses" would be the first to jump out and defend him. That's the terrifying power of brainwashing.
Overnight, Jing Shu's herbs underwent explosive growth. When she brought them to the inspection center the next day, Austin's higher-ups were shaken. Everyone was shocked and thrilled by the herbs' vitality, and whispers about Dr. B's Water of Life spread like wildfire.
People were still skeptical, of course.
But when those farmers started hauling food to Dr. B's facility and returning days later with twice the amount, others finally began to realize something big was happening.