Chapter 278: Chapter 278

No wonder they set the examination site in a little garden—it’s to test the perfumer’s ability to discern scents. If a perfumer is skilled enough, they won’t be disturbed by anything and will successfully identify the scent in their hand.

This test examines focus and sense of smell.

"How’s the whisper chat going for the last two candidates in the middle?"

Just as Windsor Yao was about to continue grumbling, the assessing teacher’s voice suddenly rang out in a warning tone from the front. She immediately straightened up and raised her hand, saying, "No, teacher, you continue."

Tang Qie looked past Windsor Yao with a blank expression and turned his gaze to the young man behind her, narrowing his eyes slightly. He said indifferently, "There shall be no repeat of this. Pay attention when the examination rules are announced. Once the exam starts, I will not answer any questions."

Windsor Yao nodded repeatedly, "Understood, teacher."

Tang Qie acknowledged with a hum and continued to announce the contents of the second exam.

After testing the sense of smell, the next was to test hands-on skills. The second part was fragrance-making, where candidates had to create perfume on-site. The association provided raw materials, and the finished perfume would be handed over to other examiners for evaluation.

The final score would be the median of the combined scores from the two exams for each candidate.

After listening, Rong Zhi understood. She thought the exam that could eliminate Ying Zhao Yuan would be very difficult, but now it seemed to be quite simple?

After Tang Qie finished explaining the content, he briefly outlined the examination requirements. Next, as the second bell tolled, he said calmly, "The examination begins."

In this examination, including Rong Zhi, there were only eighteen participants. Next to each candidate’s table was a tablet computer loaded with the names of each bottle of perfume. By searching for a name, they could write down the scent they identified next to it.

Rong Zhi first picked up the closest bottle, brought it to her nose, and took a light whiff. The strong and explosive scent instantly filled her respiratory pathways, and she put it down with a blank expression.

Starting with such intensity, the Perfumer Association indeed knew how to stir things up.

Although they caused a stir, the subsequent few bottles were relatively milder in scent. Rong Zhi sniffed them one by one, spending more time recording the names on the tablet than identifying the scents.

Almost by the time she recorded the tenth scent, other candidates were still struggling with the fifth, and some were even on the third.

Rong Zhihuai suspected that he, like her, had been overwhelmed by the two highly intense scents at the beginning.

Until the bell tolled again, Rong Zhi had already finished writing down the scents of all twenty bottles, completing the test ahead of schedule.

As soon as the examination ended, Windsor Yao pinched her nose and leaned towards Rong Zhi, complaining with a tearful look, "I know I am not cut out to be a perfumer, but this was too difficult. That Midnight God almost knocked me out."

What Windsor Yao mentioned was the perfume set at the forefront of everyone’s table, the same one Rong Zhi had started with.

Rong Zhi’s lips moved slightly but ultimately didn’t say anything, instead replying in a calm voice, "It’s fine, as long as you’re done."

The exams were graded by a program modification, and the results would be available quickly. Tang Qie instructed the eighteen candidates to wait temporarily in the main hall, and everyone hurried over, eager to distance themselves from the floral-scented garden.

Noses had been put through enough.

In the hall, acquainted candidates gathered to discuss the scents they had just written down. Windsor Yao took the opportunity to ask Rong Zhi: "Ying Jiu, what did you capture from that Midnight God?"

"The top note is honey, camphor, and citrus."

She seemed quite familiar with Midnight God, speaking without the usual self-doubt of other candidates.

The young man continued with a calm and steady voice: "The middle note is crabapple and amber, with an addition of a herb called Wind Coin Fruit."

The perfumer of Midnight God might have aimed to create a deity image that was both feared and desired, hence starting with a medicinal scent as the base note. This scent is niche and initially not easily approachable.

The chilling, spooky wood-herb aroma makes one feel as if floating in the clouds, surrounded by the dark and deep night sky. Only after a while does a faint warmth emerge.

Such perfumes are hard to carry and are considered meditation scents with a certain wellness effect. It’s clear that the perfumer who created this scent never intended it for general use; it was merely an expression of her inner scent perception, for whoever dares pick it up.

Someone nearby happened to hear everything, and as Rong Zhi finished speaking, they asked, "How do you know Midnight God is specifically a meditation scent? And while we’re all still discussing, you’ve already listed all the scents. Who can tell if it’s true or false? Don’t mislead people here."

"Exactly, just earlier, Chen Tian mentioned the main scent of Midnight God is aquatic, not wood."

The mentioned Chen Tian is a hot topic candidate in this examination. She missed the exam last month due to family issues but arrived in O State just the day before. Moreover, she is the apprentice of a senior member in the Perfumer Association.

Given her decent talent and small fame in the fragrance industry, coupled with her twofold prominent identity, she stood in the limelight now surrounded by crowds.

Only Windsor Yao was around Rong Zhi, whereas fifteen other candidates surrounded Chen Tian.

They had also just discussed the nose-prickling Midnight God.

Windsor Yao followed the gaze and saw a tall girl standing among them, with a high ponytail and somewhat bland features. Yet the aura she exuded was extraordinary, perfectly blending with her blandness, giving off a unique vibe.

Chen Tian happened to look over too.

She bypassed Windsor Yao with her gaze, focusing instead on the stunningly beautiful young man beside her. Then, she offered a faint smile, although her eyes showed no amusement: "The results aren’t out yet, disputes are normal. But why do you think the main scent of Midnight God is wood?"

Rong Zhi didn’t want to argue with her. She responded unemotionally, "Oh, I formulated that scent."

A brief silence fell in the hall, followed by resounding laughter.

"Did I hear right? She claims the perfume used for the association’s examination was formulated by her? Why doesn’t she claim to be the examiner?"

"Oh, my sides, a lady who only works at the Ying Family and loves racing can already make perfume—that’s a gift from heaven. Now she thinks an exam fragrance was her creation?"

"Ying Jiu, are you sure you didn’t inhale something affecting your brain? It’s impossible, everyone’s fine, how come you’re daydreaming?" Thɪs chapter is updatᴇd by novelꞁire.net

Rong Zhi paused, experiencing a subtle peculiarity in her heart. She always knew that speaking the truth was never believed. Even though Midnight God was indeed something she formulated a few years ago.

She also wanted to know how it became the examination perfume for the Perfumer Association.

Chen Tian’s eyes rolled slightly, and she gave a slight laugh, "Miss, judging by your appearance, are you from Hua Country?"

"There’s a saying in Hua Country: ’You can eat food, but you can’t talk nonsense.’ I didn’t grow up in Hua Country, but I understand such principles. Your behavior now is quite like that saying."

As Chen Tian spoke, she could barely suppress the disdain in her tone.

Rong Zhi’s words seemed so false; if she had just claimed to identify the scent, perhaps Chen Tian would regard her a bit higher. But the scent was created by her? It’s possible?

If she had such skill, she would have entered the Perfumer Association long ago. Why would she still participate in the examination here?