"Brother, do you have any idea how hard it is to get a letter of recommendation?" Torbj?rn ranted. "In our civilian camp, there are no more than ten apprentices, who are eligible for letters of recommendation, and they are all true geniuses!"

Steve now realized how valuable a letter of recommendation really was. Although a certified pharmacist would be qualified to write a letter of recommendation for others, not every pharmacist would want to do so.

To get a letter of recommendation, a certified pharmacist had to attest that a student truly excelled in the areas of strength and talent. As such, getting a letter of recommendation was akin to being under the tutelage of that pharmacist, thus sharing a relationship similar to that of a mentor and a disciple.

If that mentor had his own laboratory, the disciple would have to work and learn in the laboratory for a period of time after he assumed the role as a certified pharmacist. A pharmacist must be impressed with the person's talent before he would issue him a letter of recommendation. Otherwise, bringing in someone inexperienced would only damage his laboratory.

At the same time, whether a student accepted a letter of recommendation was also a choice. Accepting a letter of recommendation was tantamount to working in the mentor's laboratory. But, the positives that brought included the convenience of following a famous pharmacist, learning from his knowledge and resources.

Of course, this whole process was aimed at civilian apprentices. As for the apprentices with the privileges of a noble, they had their own family pharmacists and research laboratories.

However, for a civilian apprentice, a letter of recommendation was a necessary stepping stone, allowing him to directly participate in the pharmacist certification examination. Once he became a pharmacist, he could also learn from the renowned pharmacist, access the required resources, and be nurtured.

Even though this would mean being an employee for a period of time, it was all worthwhile. After all, there was a huge difference between being taught by a renowned mentor and having to learn on your own.

"Brother, which certified pharmacist did you get your letter of recommendation from? Let me tell you, it's important to choose a renowned mentor," Torbj?rn said with a serious look.

Steve smiled and said, "It's a secret."

They were not surprised and did not continue to probe further. Usually, before an apprentice becomes a pharmacist, a mentor does not wish their apprentice to reveal to others that their letter of recommendation came from them. The reasoning for this was, if the apprentice received a letter of recommendation but failed to become certified, the mentor himself would also be disgraced and ridiculed by his peers.

A group of people were chatting warmly with Steve. As the civilian camp in the Pharmacists Guild was relatively weak in power, it made them feel more united. Through listening to their conversations, Steve found that a total of eight people had received letters of recommendation in this certification examination, including Earl and himself.

"Earl and Catherine have the best chances of passing this certification examination, as they are the most gifted among the civilian population," Clinton said with a sigh.

Clinton was more than 40 years old. He had failed to pass the certification examination, even after countless attempts.

"Earl is such a great talent." Steve was surprised, when he had found out that Earl was shorter than him by a head's length.

"What is it? Don't I look like a genius?" Earl touched his nose and gave him a proud look.

"Just 16 years old! If he can really become a pharmacist at this age, it would break Stanlos' record as the youngest certified pharmacist," said Tobian enviously.

Earl had his hands crossed and a smug look on his face. Steve smiled, as he knew the heart of a young man was often filled with tendencies to show off. However, it could be seen that Earl's character was not bad, just a little proud.

"Who is Catherine, then?" Steve asked.

"She's the one over there. Catherine doesn't like to talk to anyone. She's always got her head buried in her books, just like a nerd," Earl said, while pointing. His words, however, had a tinge of envy.

In the corner of the crowd, a bespectacled girl was looking through an old handwritten book. She was wearing a long white dress and her long black hair was pulled behind her ear. Her aura was serene and quiet, which kept other people from bothering her.

She looked a little older than Earl, had a pretty face, and looked gentle. When Steve saw her, he suddenly had an image of his previous life flash in his mind. It was a picture of a quiet afternoon, with a dark-haired girl quietly reading a book on the lawn of the house next door.

It was an oriental girl, who had moved next door to become Steve's neighbor during his teenage days. Steve had never seen such a quiet temperament as hers. Though she had moved away after living there for only a few months, her appearance in his life was deeply engraved in his mind.

"Catherine was ill last year, so she did not take part in the certification examination. Otherwise, she would have been the one to break the record as the youngest pharmacist. This was the reason why Earl was unhappy," Clinton said, then laughed.

When Lance glanced at Steve and noticed the infatuated look in his eyes, he laughed and said, "Brother, do you fancy her?"

Torbj?rn shook his head and said, "I advise you to give up on this thought. Daniel, from the Haus family, has been pursuing Catherine. The Haus family is affiliated to the Haus family in the Wander City State. Daniel's father, Baron Paul, is a noble in the Stanlos Base Camp. Daniel is also the most promising genius in the noble camp to become a certified pharmacist. He's richer than us in every way."

Clinton added, "There were other people who tried to pursue Catherine in the past. These people were taught a lesson by Daniel and were afraid to approach Catherine again."

After hearing these things, Steve smiled and was not bothered by them.

"I just thought that she looked like my old friend," Steve calmly said.

It was then that Steve saw a well-dressed man with brown hair walking towards Catherine.

"Here's Daniel!" Earl looked at Daniel awkwardly. It seemed that the two of them might have some bad blood between them.

Daniel was also aware of the stares, especially when his eyes met Steve's. He seemed to be aware of the affections Steve had in his eyes.

"Another guy wanting to pursue Catherine..." Daniel stared at them with a cold look.

"Daniel, what are you doing here again? Please don't interrupt my learning." Katherine looked up at Daniel indifferently, as if she was looking at a stranger.

At this point, Steve noticed that Daniel had walked away with a sullen face. No one could hear clearly what their conversation had been about.

"Hehe, I knew that Daniel would suffer a setback again," Earl laughed and said, "Honestly, I wonder if Catherine has any feelings left at all. Apart from pharmaceutics, she never looked interested in anything else."