Chapter 130: Encountering the Potion Again

Tizian smiled with an air of breezy indifference. Shaking his head, he said, "An hour ago, I raised the price to two million gold coins! Whoever helps me secure them, I am willing to pay two million. Not only that, I can make further promises."

"Julian, your family currently holds the rank of Baron, correct? Raising you to a Viscount and granting your family members a few official government posts is merely a matter of a single word from me."

Julian’s eyes brightened instantly as he looked toward Lin Qi.

Lin Qi’s eyes were even brighter than Julian’s. That golden luster, so familiar to Julian, flickered within them—a greed so intense, so reminiscent of the hellish flames that would consume all the gold in the world, that even Tizian couldn't help but shrink back. Despite his high status and influential imperial family background, Tizian still found the present Lin Qi truly dangerous.

Lin Qi took a deep breath. "Two million gold coins, making Julian’s family a hereditary Viscount house, and securing government posts for his kin. Hmm, these terms are fair and reasonable. Ya and Ling are worth that price!"

Tizian looked at Lin Qi in shock. He suddenly opened the carriage door and laughed, "This is quite unexpected. I only learned the names of those two beauties after bribing their servants with ten thousand gold coins. To think that you, Mr. Lin Qi, already knew of them. Well, please, come in and sit!"

Lin Qi stepped into Tizian’s carriage without ceremony. Because of his relationship with Lin Qi, Tizian generously allowed Julian to enter as well.

Feeling the soft, comfortable seats, Lin Qi pointed at the young man riding a silver-white magic tiger, who was currently showing off and provoking the crowd. "First, we must solve a problem. Lord Tizian, you have a very formidable rival."

It was easy to imagine—this was the Imperial Capital. For a high-level magical beast to appear so brazenly on the main street, the young man’s family background had to be extraordinary. Furthermore, his audacity to provoke all the young nobles present was further proof of his immense influence.

Tizian’s face darkened. He shot a look of disdain at the youth on the magic tiger and cursed under his breath.

The young man was Baya, the direct grandson of Marshal Beian—one of the empire's three great Marshals—who had long commanded the Northern Sea Border Defense Force from the Norman Fortress and held the title of "Duke of the North Wind." Marshal Beian had three sons, all of whom served in the military; even the youngest, who held the lowest rank, was a Lieutenant General in the empire and currently commanded the Imperial Capital Garrison.

Although he had three sons, Marshal Beian had only one grandson, Baya, while having seventeen or eighteen granddaughters. Naturally, Baya became the Marshal's most spoiled descendant, with the family’s entire financial and material resources poured into him. Though only a year or two older than Lin Qi and Julian, Baya already possessed Earth-rank strength, making him peerless in martial prowess among the young nobles of the capital.

What infuriated Tizian even more was that while a wealthy scion like himself held the title of Count, he held no official post—meaning he was a noble in name, but lacked any real power.

Baya, however, was already of Earth-rank strength at such a young age and had won the Emperor's favor. A year ago, he had been granted the position of commander of the Dragon Cavalry unit within the Imperial Capital Police Department, with 1,500 elite Dragon Cavalry at his beck and call.

Tizian and other young nobles like him had clashed with Baya many times, but Baya had the audacity to mobilize his Dragon Cavalry to join the fray. While Tizian and his peers usually had only a dozen family guards, Baya often led hundreds of Dragon Cavalry into their conflicts. A single charge from the clustered cavalry was usually enough to scatter Tizian’s guards. Thus, Baya had a fearsome reputation among the capital’s playboys, possessing a swagger and dominance not unlike Lin Qi’s own in Dunkirk.

"I see," Lin Qi said, looking at Baya thoughtfully.

Tizian picked up a small teapot and personally poured a cup for Lin Qi. He complained, "Exactly. I am willing to spend two million gold coins to spend a night with those two lovely, delicate ladies, but that brute Baya—he actually wants to use force!"

With a cold snort, Tizian gritted his teeth. "Use force? That muscle-bound fool with no brains is a disgrace to our imperial nobility. But you must understand, if he were to succeed... Oh, I cannot imagine what a terrifying sight it would be for such delicate young ladies to be enjoyed by him, pinned under his weight!"

Lin Qi sipped the tea. It was clear and sweet—a top-tier variety from the East. True to being the nephew of the Minister of Finance and the son of the Deputy Prime Minister, the tea leaves in this pot alone would be worth hundreds of gold coins at some of the capital's auctions.

After a moment of contemplation, Lin Qi smiled at Tizian. "Lord Tizian, if I can help you achieve your wish, then the conditions you mentioned..."

Tizian’s face flushed with excitement. He laughed loudly, "Oh, naturally, I shall fulfill what I promised. A bit of gold, a few government posts—what are those, really? If you want more, I can give you more!"

Lin Qi looked at Baya, who was still showing off on his magic tiger, and sighed softly. "Then, how about we use him as our target?"

Tizian looked at Lin Qi with curiosity. Baya was an Earth-rank knight with immense personal strength, and with that magic tiger, no young noble in the capital could deal with him. Furthermore, Baya was followed by dozens of Dragon Cavalry in black outfits with short capes; the man never went anywhere without his loyal subordinates.

Lin Qi smiled. He pulled out a thumb-sized vial—it was the Beast Berserk Potion refined by Master Kecha.

Lin Qi lowered his voice and spoke a few words to Tizian. Tizian’s eyes lit up. He immediately leaned out the window and summoned a family guard. Lin Qi handed the small vial to the guard and whispered instructions. The guard nodded and immediately melted into the crowd of young nobles who were loudly trading insults with Baya.

Before the cup of tea was finished, an angry roar from the beast sent the young nobles scrambling for their lives.

Caught off guard while sitting on the magic tiger's back, Baya was thrown to the ground as the tiger leaped. As the person closest to it, the beast, its eyes burning red, launched a storm of attacks. Claws, teeth, and tail—in a split second, the tiger struck Baya dozens of times.

The pale golden glow of Baya’s armor blocked the attacks, but the tiger did not yield. It suddenly opened its mouth and spat out a silver orb of light, the size of a human head, which slammed heavily into Baya’s chest.

The light from his armor shattered with a bang, and Baya let out a miserable howl, his chest plate already cracked with a dozen jagged fissures.