YM778.TV Chapter 107: Chapter 107: Medicine or Poison
The Fenton family Pharmaceuticals:60%
The Smith family Group:25%
The Blackwood family Pharmaceuticals:10%
Others:5%
In Charles\'s memory, the miracle drug industry in Lsengard had always been monopolized by the Taylor family, holding over 70% of the sales.
After his maneuvers against Sly and Kevin, the previously unknown Fenton family Pharmaceuticals suddenly surged, and combining this with the information Raj and the others discussed, Charles had reasons to suspect that Sly and Kevin were making a comeback.
He had less than 20 days left before leaving Lsengard, and he initially didn\'t want to meddle in these business affairs.
However, considering his conflicts with Sly and Kevin\'s families, if he didn\'t completely crush them now, they could potentially harm David and Raj in the future.
"I really didn\'t want to interfere, but since you\'ve crossed me and even harbored intentions to kill me..."
"If I just leave Lsengard quietly, wouldn\'t that be letting you off too easily?"
With a cold smile, Charles\'s figure disappeared into the shadows.
...
As the evening darkened, Lsengard\'s nightlife was just beginning, and the city glowed with dazzling neon lights.
Countless citizens reveled in the dazzling nightlife, celebrating their fortune of surviving yet another day under the constant threat of ferocious beasts.
At the heart of the city, on the rooftop of an impressive 30-story building, the clinking of a few wine glasses echoed through the air, creating a crisp and pleasant sound.
"Mr. Axel, I owe it all to you for taking me in. If not, I, Sly, would have ended up on the streets," said a middle-aged man with a sullen expression, gulping down a glass of red wine. His gaze wandered to the bustling streets below, a flicker of hatred crossing his eyes.
His shipment, worth 15 gold coins, had been stolen from the vault of Lsengard Bank, causing the entire Taylor family Group to come to a halt. If not for Axel remembering their past friendship, Sly would likely have been left homeless.
Although there was no direct evidence that Charles was behind it, Sly was certain that he had some involvement! The very thought of that little brat destroying his family and fortune made his body tremble with suppressed rage.
Beside him, Kevin remained silent, his mood visibly grim, still reeling from the blow of the missing weapons from his arsenal.
"Heh, no need for such words, Mr. Sly. If it weren\'t for the alchemist you brought from the Taylor family, how could the Miller family have achieved its current success?" Axel couldn\'t help but smile as he recalled the company\'s recent financial reports over the past fortnight. With one hand, he groped the chest of the voluptuous hostess beside him, while raising his glass with the other.
"Come, come, let\'s drink! Tonight\'s expenses are on me."
As they exchanged drinks and laughter, none of them noticed a shadow quietly slipping by in the darkness nearby.
"So, it is Sly and Kevin behind it after all."
Charles whispered to himself as he arrived at a nearby pharmacy owned by the Fenton family\'s pharmaceutical company. Emerging from the shadows, he was taken aback by the overwhelming business the shop was doing.
A few ferocious beast hunters, covered in blood and bandages, had grown impatient and even started fighting each other, all in an attempt to cut in line and get their hands on the miracle drug more quickly.
Charles noticed one hunter applying the coveted "miracle drug" to his wounds. The man unwrapped his bandages and applied the dark green liquid to his injury. Instantly, a faint wood-element energy enveloped the wound.
However... the wood energy was so subtle that it could easily be overlooked if not carefully observed. Curiosity piqued, Charles approached the hunter and asked, "Brother, how does that healing salve work for you?"
The man had an expression of pure bliss, his eyes drifting toward Charles as he said casually, "It works like a charm. Just a little bit, and the pain\'s gone immediately!"
Noticing the strange look on the man\'s face, Charles glanced at the system screen.
[Name]: Paul
[Age]: 42
[Beast Master Level]: Level 1
[Health]: External Injuries [Ferocious beast laceration, inflamed...]
Poisoning [Drug poisoning, neurotoxin...]
"This…"
Charles gasped in surprise. He pinched a bit of the dark green liquid from the medicine, brought it to his nose, and took a cautious sniff.
As a seasoned alchemist, just one sniff was enough for Charles to roughly identify the ingredients in the liquid: poppy husks, morphine, ephedrine...
After carefully smelling it for a while, he faintly detected a trace of wood-element beast core mixed within.
"No wonder it\'s selling so well. This isn\'t just a painkiller; this is basically a drug!" Charles couldn\'t help but exclaim, finally understanding why this obscure Fenton family pharmaceutical company had shot to the top of the Lsengard pharmaceutical sales charts in just two weeks.
They weren\'t selling medicine at all; they were trafficking drugs!
Now that he knew the secret behind this "healing salve," Charles found himself in a dilemma.
The Beast Mastery World was quite different from the world he originally came from. Here, substances like poppy, morphine, and similar drugs were perfectly legal as painkillers under Lsengard law.
Competing with narcotics using regular painkillers? That was hardly realistic.
"Poppy and morphine aren\'t cheap. If they\'re able to sell at low prices, they must be cutting corners on other ingredients. These so-called \'healing salves\' only relieve pain but offer no real treatment."
Without proper healing, wounds would fester, itch, and become unbearably painful. And to suppress that pain, people would be forced to buy larger doses of these \'painkillers\'… A vicious cycle. It was no wonder the Fenton family\'s pharmaceutical business was driving Lily\'s family\'s pharmacy toward bankruptcy.
"If I can refine a cheaper, more effective healing potion that also breaks their addiction, the entire Fenton family business, along with Sly and Kevin behind them, will be ruined. They\'ll be nothing but rats, hated by everyone!"
With this thought in mind, Charles left the pharmacy and pulled a business card from his storage space.
Following the address on the card, Charles made his way to the Smith family tower once again. MVLeMpYr-the-story-platform
Upon hearing the secretary\'s report, David, who was in the middle of a high-level meeting, immediately adjourned it and rushed to the entrance of the building to personally greet the guest.
"I\'m here on behalf of my uncle, Charlie, to discuss a deal regarding the miracle drug," Charles said directly as soon as they reached a private conference room.
David, grinning broadly, personally poured Charles a cup of tea. "It\'s an honor for the Smith family group to work with you. Ever since the miracle drug sold like hotcakes at the last expo, we\'ve had clients asking about it every day!"
After tasting success at the previous exhibition, David had been eagerly waiting for this golden opportunity, and to his surprise, it had now presented itself.
"Yes, Mr. David, I\'ll get straight to the point. The Fenton family group, whose business has been booming recently, is selling drugs disguised as healing salves. To compete with them, we need a partnership between you, Raj, and myself," Charles said calmly, taking a sip of his tea and then revealing his plan.
"Wait… drugs instead of healing salves?" David was stunned by this shocking revelation. He hadn\'t expected anyone to stoop to such a level.
However, upon learning that the Fenton family was backed by Sly and Kevin, David\'s expression darkened.
In this world, laws didn\'t mean much.
Power was the most effective law.
With Sly, Kevin, and Axel—three Level 4 Beast Masters—working together, they could blatantly sell drugs, and no one would dare to touch them.
Curiously studying Charles, David noted that he indeed bore some resemblance to his relative Charlie from the imperial capital. Concerned, David voiced his hesitation, "Even if they\'re selling drugs, how could we possibly compete with them? Dealing in something like that… it just doesn\'t sit right with me."
Before David could finish, Charles interrupted him. "Mr. David, you\'ve misunderstood. My uncle Charlie wouldn\'t stoop to making money that way. All you need to do is gather the ingredients listed here."
Taking the list from Charles, David\'s eyelids twitched slightly:
10 tons of ten-year-old spirit root,
1,000 wild anesthetic plants from the ferocious beast mountains,
1,000 budding sarsaparillas,
1,000 revival flowers…
These were all top-tier ingredients for crafting elite healing salves, with a value of at least 40 gold coins. How was he supposed to come up with that much money?
But… if they pulled this off, the Smith family could secure at least 70% of Lsengard\'s miracle drug market…
"Let\'s go for it!" David thought, deciding to take the plunge.
David gritted his teeth and said firmly, "Rest assured, sir. I will have all the ingredients on your list procured within three days!"
"Thank you for your efforts." Charles smiled calmly, then stood up and made his way out of the private room.
David personally escorted Charles out, watching him until he left the Smith family tower and disappeared around the corner of the street.
In David\'s memory, Charles was just that quiet student who always sat in the back of his son\'s class, the one whose parents never showed up for parent-teacher meetings.
Because his son Daniel was friendly with him, David often reminded him not to look down on people just because they came from poor families. Who could have imagined that Charles would one day rise to such heights? Not only had he helped the Smith family group through the jade mine crisis, successfully guiding them through a business transformation, but now, he\'d brought in a huge business deal!
David thought to himself, "I must find time to visit him and properly express my gratitude."
...
Walking along the riverside avenue, Charles enjoyed the cool evening breeze on his skin, feeling a sense of contentment.
"Very soon, I\'ll have a steady source of gold flowing in," he mused with a light smile.
His decision to help David wasn\'t solely out of old school ties. As a seasoned player in the business world, Charles always prioritized his own interests.
"Charles!" A familiar voice called out from a street corner ahead. It was Lily, waving at him.
A faint scent of perfume lingered in the air. Lily wore delicate makeup, her bold red lipstick standing out against her porcelain skin.
Charles half-joked, "Miss Lily, all dressed up so beautifully at this hour, are you going on a date or heading to a matchmaking event?"
"Miss Lily—" she corrected him with a playful pout, "And why would you think I need to go to a matchmaking event?"
Hearing his teasing, Lily stomped her foot lightly in mock annoyance, her expression showing both frustration and amusement.
Noticing something unusual in her demeanor, with a hint of coyness in her voice, Charles paused for a moment before asking softly, "Miss Lily, is there something on your mind?"
The evening breeze tousled her bangs, and a blush spread across Lily\'s lovely face. She seemed both nervous and determined, as if trying to gather her courage. Suddenly, she looked up and asked, "Do you… have a girlfriend?"