He did have a need for the botanists. Solving cases with legal botany sounded simple, but just searching for spores under the microscope could blind a person. But getting botanists to join him in solving cases wasn't easy without Qi Changye's influence—relying solely on Jiang Yuan himself was problematic.
As with the botanists from Baijiang Province, they'd come together mainly out of respect for Pang Jidong.
Otherwise, why would these scholars, either university professors or senior researchers from research institutions, averaging above their forties and fifties, spend days, or even longer, helping Jiang Yuan?
Not to mention everyone had their own career paths, academic goals, and work schedules. Even Jiang Yuan's status and age made it difficult for him to unite such a group of people.