Chapter 25: The Poison Powder Is Complete
Cloud Spirit, Linley sought this Cloud Spirit precisely to refine the Hemolytic Poison Powder, and the refinement of the Hemolytic Poison Powder was exactly for dealing with Clayde.
Yet this Cloud Spirit ultimately ended up being given to him by Clayde himself.
"Could it be that in this unseen world, there truly is a cycle of cause and effect?" Linley couldn't help but think of the doctrines of the Radiant Church at this moment. The Radiant Church's teachings included talk about fate. In the past, Linley had never believed in religion, but now the development of events was quite bizarre.
But since the Cloud Spirit had been delivered into his hands, would he refuse it?
"Thank you, Your Majesty." Linley said with a smile, bowing slightly in gratitude as he accepted the Cloud Spirit.
Yet in his heart, Linley sneered coldly: "Since you're giving it to me, it means the heavens want you dead too. Then don't blame me."
In Linley's memories, there was almost no impression of his mother, but that didn't hinder his longing for maternal love. Growing up without a mother had also made Linley somewhat lonely as a child. Whenever he saw others' mothers and felt pained, he would silently think of his own mother, alone in his solitude.
Capture this Clayde and force him to reveal his mother's whereabouts!
"Linley, I'm hosting the Right Prime Minister for lunch today. Why don't you stay and join me?" Clayde said, smiling at Linley.
"Yes, Your Majesty." Linley's attitude was very humble.
The graceful queen beside them nodded to Linley and then said softly to Clayde, "Your Majesty, since you and Master Linley are here, I'll take my leave first." Clayde nodded indifferently. In the Finlay Kingdom, the king's power far exceeded that of the queen.
November, and the weather had turned cold.
Yet Linley and Clayde were both still dressed lightly, unafraid of the chill. Linley was now a seventh-rank warrior, and Clayde was even a ninth-rank expert.
"Your Majesty, why are you hosting Merritt for lunch today?" Linley chatted casually with Clayde.
Hearing this, Clayde revealed a meaningful smile on his face. He glanced at the nearby maids and attendants, who immediately and obediently withdrew one by one. Only then did Clayde lower his voice and say quietly, "Linley, did you know that Merritt recently married his thirteenth wife?"
"Thirteenth?" Linley was stunned.
He had no idea that the stern Right Prime Minister from the tribunal was so promiscuous.
"His new wife is quite something, you know." Clayde gave Linley a knowing smile that any man would understand.
Seeing Clayde's expression, Linley couldn't help but be surprised.
"Haha..." Clayde patted Linley on the shoulder. "Linley, by the New Year, you'll be eighteen, right? Don't tell me you've never tasted a woman before."
Linley felt a bit embarrassed.
Clayde sighed with emotion, "That Merritt fellow actually managed to find such a captivating enchantress. It's really enviable. But since I've set my sights on her, that charming little enchantress is mine. Merritt wouldn't dare touch her."
Clayde spoke of such matters openly with Linley.
"Your Majesty, is this... is this appropriate?" Linley asked, somewhat shocked.
After all, she was the Right Prime Minister's wife, and from Clayde's words, he was simply taking her by force.
"What's inappropriate? Merritt got his current position by relying on women. He should know his place very well. But Linley, you didn't seem to attend the wedding banquet that day, did you?" Clayde asked curiously.
During this time, Linley had been constantly thinking about the prescription and the medicinal ingredients. He hadn't paid any attention to banquets. He had declined all aristocratic gatherings.
The Right Prime Minister's wedding banquet?
Declined as well!
"Linley, how about this—during lunch today, you can also take a look at Merritt's new wife, Windsor. If you like her, I wouldn't mind giving her to you. I can guarantee that Merritt, no matter how bold, wouldn't dare touch Windsor." Clayde said confidently.
Clayde held absolute authority in the Finlay Kingdom.
On the day of Merritt's wedding, Clayde had taken a liking to Windsor. That very night, Clayde had someone bring Windsor to a mansion outside, where he enjoyed her thoroughly.
And Merritt didn't dare show any anger.
Moreover, from that day on, Merritt didn't dare touch Windsor even once.
Some ministers in the Finlay Kingdom had earned their positions through their own abilities—those were true capable officials. But others had climbed up through shady means, and those were merely mediocre sycophants.
Linley was inwardly shocked by Clayde's domineering nature.
But the man known as the Golden Lion, Clayde, naturally possessed a lion-like domineering aura. His tyrannical behavior was to be expected.
"Your Majesty, Duke Merritt and the Duchess have arrived." A palace attendant ran over and reported respectfully.
"Haha, Linley, let's go." Clayde immediately stood up.
Linley could only carry the box containing the Cloud Spirit and follow Clayde. In no time, they arrived at an elegant, light-red courtyard within the palace.
Merritt and Lady Windsor were already waiting at the courtyard's entrance.
Linley couldn't help but look at this Lady Windsor who had captivated Clayde.
Lady Windsor had an incredibly alluring figure. Although her clothes were relatively modest, the tight pants perfectly outlined the graceful curves of her long legs. Her waist was slightly cinched, accentuating her full chest.
Her dark red hair was so seductive.
Especially her eyes—they seemed capable of stealing one's soul. Looking at her, one couldn't help but let their imagination run wild.
"Your Majesty, Master Linley." Together with Merritt, the woman Windsor spoke in a soft, gentle voice.
"Truly an enchantress," Linley thought to himself.
Clayde glanced at Linley triumphantly and whispered in his ear, "Well? Feeling a little tempted?"
"Your Majesty, let's go in for lunch." Linley said in a deep voice.
"Haha..." Clayde burst into loud laughter.
Lady Windsor couldn't help but cast her soul-stealing eyes at Linley a few more times, as if she found him quite interesting. If Merritt and Clayde weren't present, she might have directly latched onto Linley.
"Wow, what a beautiful woman!" Bebe, who had been on Linley's shoulder, suddenly widened his eyes.
"Whoosh."
Bebe leaped directly onto Windsor's... chest area.
"So big," Bebe's voice sounded in Linley's mind.
Linley was dumbfounded.
"What an adorable little mouse!" Windsor exclaimed excitedly, hugging Bebe tightly. Bebe even enjoyed rubbing his little head against that plump area.
That day in the palace, constantly being noticed by Windsor's soul-stealing gaze made Linley feel somewhat uneasy.
Entering the carriage.
"Let's go home." Linley directly ordered the guards, and the carriage started moving. "Boss, why are you in such a hurry to leave? Oh, right, wasn't Clayde going to give you Windsor? Why not just accept her?" Bebe's small, jet-black eyes stared at Linley.
Linley couldn't help but tap Bebe's head. "You little lecherous mouse."
"Hmph, I'm almost an adult, you know!" Bebe said discontentedly.
Linley didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
But thinking about his gains at the palace today, a smile still appeared on Linley's face. He took out the box beside him.
Inside the box was the Cloud Spirit.
"With the Cloud Spirit in hand, all eight ingredients are now sufficient. I can start making the Hemolytic Poison Powder." Linley had already decided that as soon as he returned, he would immediately begin refining the Hemolytic Poison Powder.
"Boss, I feel like Clayde is still pretty loyal to you. Are you really going to kill him?" Bebe asked in a low voice.
Linley frowned and glanced at Bebe.
"Bebe, Clayde is the king of a kingdom. As long as he has any brains, he naturally wants to befriend me. His loyalty and friendliness toward me are only because of my status and potential. If I had no potential, Clayde probably wouldn't even bother to acknowledge me. Or even worse, if I had a beautiful wife, he might just take her by force. Just like with Merritt."
Linley saw Clayde very clearly.
Clayde was, in essence, a very ruthless man. But he could also be considered a relatively successful king. At least he could distinguish between capable officials and mediocre ones.
"I even suspect that back then, Clayde might have taken my mother by force because she was beautiful." Seeing Windsor today had made Linley think of this possibility.
Given Clayde's personality, this possibility indeed existed.
"Bebe, do you think I can let Clayde off?" Linley looked at Bebe. Thinking of that possibility, an endless surge of killing intent welled up in Linley's heart.
Sensing the killing intent toward Clayde in Linley's heart, Bebe immediately said, "He deserves to die, he deserves to die! I, Bebe, will strike first!" Bebe stood upright, waving his front paws and baring his teeth, showing Linley his deep hatred for Clayde.
"You don't need to act. Once I find out my mother's situation, I'll be the first to strike." Linley said coldly.
In the secret chamber of Linley's mansion, illuminated by eighteen candles, the entire room was bright. Linley was carefully going through the process of refining the Hemolytic Poison Powder.
The refinement of the Hemolytic Poison Powder was truly complex. Every step had to be careful, careful, and even more careful.
If there was even a slight mistake, the materials would be wasted.
At this moment, various alchemical instruments were laid out on the table in the secret chamber. The eight ingredients, including the Cloud Spirit, had been chopped up and divided into many portions.
"Gurgle, gurgle..."
Linley filtered the liquid from the medicine pot and poured it into another clean pot. He continued to simmer it over the fire while carefully adding three other pre-weighed ingredients.
"The order must not be messed up. Now I should add Blueheart Grass, Yellow Ginger, and Cardamom Kernels."
Linley stared at the pot, his mental energy highly concentrated as he carefully observed the reactions inside. Every step had to be extremely precise.
A whole night passed.
"Finally, one batch of liquid is complete." Linley carefully filtered the small amount of clear liquid from the pot and poured it onto a white plate.
"This clear liquid looks no different from plain water," Linley marveled inwardly.
According to the instructions for refining the Hemolytic Poison Powder, the final clear liquid was already considered the hemolytic poison. However, letting it dry completely to obtain the Hemolytic Poison Powder was the purest form of the toxin.
In fact, the liquid had already been boiled, and most of the water was gone. It was estimated that within ten days, it would be completely dry and turn into the Hemolytic Poison Powder.
"First batch successful. I'll make the second batch tomorrow night." Linley was very cautious.
He didn't dare to process all the materials at once, because if he made a mistake, everything would be ruined. By splitting it into multiple batches, even if one failed, he wouldn't lose everything.
One batch of poison powder was probably enough. But just in case, Linley planned to make several more batches.
At the end of November, Year 9999 of the Yulan Calendar.
The six batches of Hemolytic Poison Powder that Linley had refined were finally completely dry. The white, crystalline, transparent powder was hard to believe could weaken a ninth-rank expert's strength to the extreme.
"Whew, although there are still some materials left, six batches of Hemolytic Poison Powder are more than enough." Linley looked at the six small packets of powder on the table and let out a long sigh of relief.
To obtain the Hemolytic Poison Powder, Linley had truly expended a great deal of effort. And now, he had finally succeeded.
"What I lack now is an opportunity to poison Clayde." Linley fell into deep thought, wondering how he could poison Clayde and capture him without anyone suspecting him.