Zhou Jing’s eyes twitched.
Good lord, the King had brought all the suitable women in the family here. This was a blind date on the spot.
The best way to tie up interests was through marriage. From the looks of it, the King wished that he could immediately meet a woman and get engaged on the spot… If possible, it was best to go against the laws of nature, consummating the marriage on the spot and giving birth to a child the next day.
Although the king had the right to specify the marriage partner, he decided to treat a talent like Bill specially. Bill could choose the person he wanted to marry on his own. Otherwise, it would not be good if Bill did not like the target since he could not easily retract the order as the King.
Of course, Becky still wanted to influence the process. He pulled a beautiful young woman out of the crowd as he smiled, “This is my daughter, Shuni·Tarn.”
“H-hello, Master Bill…”
Shuni was young, about fifteen or sixteen years old. She looked shy and did not dare to look at Bill. It was obvious that she knew what her father was planning.
“Beautiful Princess, your appearance is as pure and beautiful as the bright moon.” Zhou Jing spoke in a tone as if he was reciting a poem. He spoke shamelessly for the King to see.
“Th-Thank you for your praise. You’re also very handsome.” Shuni suppressed her shyness and replied in a low voice. They praised each other and lied through their teeth.
Zhou Jing returned a polite smile and did not continue the conversation. Instead, he suddenly turned to look at Becky, who was smiling like a matchmaker aunt and changed the topic.
“Your Majesty, I have an idea about the new potion.”
Becky actually wanted the two of them to continue communicating, but seeing that Bill was still not used to it, he thought it was a pity. He could only think of a way to nurture his daughter’s relationship with Bill later.
He waved his hand to signal the women of the royal family to retreat as he entered the castle with Zhou Jing. He then asked curiously, “What are you thinking of?”
Zhou Jing’s tone was serious,
“The V2 Potion has already proven its effect, but no one has succeeded in using the V3 Potion yet. I need someone who has succeeded in the V3 Potion to be able to observe the effect of the potion. The principle of the V3 Potion is different, and it’s very difficult for ordinary people to withstand it, so I suggest letting the Mutant Blood Warriors take it directly.”
Becky groaned, showing a troubled expression.
Unlike ordinary soldiers, the Mutant Blood Warriors from the Royal Family were even rarer. They were all accumulated over the years.
Even as a King, he could not easily force them to bet their lives on enhancing themselves. He had to respect their wishes.
Moreover, the failure rate of the V3 Potion was so high. If all the Royal Mutant Blood Guards died from it, but there was still no successful case, wouldn’t it be a huge loss? Wouldn’t it weaken the power of the royal family for no reason?
Seeing that the king was silent, Zhou Jing could guess his concerns. His eyes flashed as he suggested,
“There’s no need to force others. We can directly choose from the people who have taken the initiative to apply for enhancement. We can tell them the risks of the V3 Potion and let them decide if they want to take the risk to use it… Someone will agree, right?”
“Not necessarily.” Becky shook his head, not optimistic about this suggestion.
In his opinion, the stronger one was, the more they valued their life. No one would dare to test a new blood potion that had not succeeded and risk their lives.
“There’s no harm in trying… and the range can be opened up. Compared to the Royal Guards, the number of Imperial Hunters is much higher. There might be people inside who dare to test it out. In addition, this is also a way to test loyalty. It’s normal that they’re unwilling to use it, but those who are willing to use it must be reliable people who are loyal to the empire.” Zhou Jing pretended to be fair and advised the King.
Becky pinched his chin, a little convinced at this idea.
Zhou Jing struck while the iron was hot and added more of his thoughts,
“What I need to pay the most attention to are those second and third enhancement hunters. This is because they still have the potential and possibility to continue enhancing. They are the most suitable targets to use the V3 Potions. In my opinion, they are more important than those at the fifth enhancement.
“I’m not belittling the five-time Enhancers like Guard Captain Irene, but from the looks of it, their current strength is already fixed. They don’t have any potential anymore, and there’s basically no possibility of them continuing to enhance themselves. Therefore, they can’t take the V3 Potion… In the future, the strongest combat power of the empire will definitely come from the current batch of second and third-time Enhancers. They still have room for improvement.”
Hearing this, Becky nodded slowly, feeling that what he said made sense.
With the same five enhancements, those with special abilities would naturally be stronger.
After thinking for a while, Becky decided to adopt it. He agreed to the plan, “You have a point. I’ll get someone to see which Imperial Hunters are applying for enhancement now… But we have to choose reliable targets. Make sure they don’t run away after the enhancement.”
At this moment, Irene, who was following them, suddenly spoke.
“Your Majesty, I have a suitable candidate.”
“Who?”
Becky was curious.
“It’s Jace, the one who saved Deep Rock City previously. Last time, Keriber thought very highly of him and mentioned that he still had the determination to continue enhancing. He might be willing to use the V3 Potion.” Irene recommended. It was obvious she had a good impression of Jace.
Becky immediately thought of this “Deep Rock City Savior.”
He had extraordinary potential and had even contributed greatly to the empire… Such a hunter was trustworthy.
His eyes lit up as he nodded in agreement.
“Yes, I even gave him a Miraculous Armament. Jace is a very good candidate… Let the workshop ask him if he’s willing. If he succeeds, we’ll focus on nurturing him. Master Bill, I’ll have to trouble you to make the potion when the time comes.”
“This is naturally my responsibility.”
Zhou Jing grinned, his teeth flashing white.
...
Meanwhile, in a certain room in the Golden Castle.
Roman leaned against the window, overlooking the view of the square at the entrance to the castle keep.
He could not help but frown when he saw Bill and the King chatting happily. His expression was sour.
“The King is going all out. He even wants to tie Bill up by marriage… This is going to be troublesome.”
The new blood potion had not been made public yet, but through the king’s unusual appointment and the bits and pieces of feedback from the intelligence network, Roman could guess what had happened.
He had long formulated a way to rope Bill in, but plans could not keep up with changes. When he saw the price the Royal Family offered, his heart could not help but thump.
In his expectations, it should have taken Bill a few years to produce results. During this period, he could not always stay in the secret workshop and focus on development. There would always be a chance for contact.
However, Roman did not expect Bill to complete the research and development of the potion so quickly. This kind of amazing talent as an apothecary that only appeared once in a hundred years made the royal family go all out to rope him in.
In his analysis, Bill was a profit-seeker. The royal family’s offer was too high. It was difficult for others to exceed this price, and it practically cut off the path for others to rope Bill in.
How could a normal person refuse a good benefit of tying themselves to the royal family? Roman felt that it was unlikely for Bill to rely on others again… There was no reason for him to give up such a huge benefit and risk offending the royal family just to accept a higher price from others.
Moreover, the royal family had also placed Bill under house arrest in the Golden Castle. It was difficult for outsiders to come into contact with him, let alone use forceful methods.
“For the King to give such a price, it seems that he has noticed the movements of the tribe…”
Roman’s eyes flickered.
Even if they valued Bill, the King’s series of roping in was rather urgent. He must have sensed the existence of a competitor. Otherwise, why would he be so anxious?
With that in mind, Roman became even more determined to recruit Bill.
Such a century-old genius could not be controlled by the royal family.
Moreover, the royal family would definitely treat the new blood potion as a strategic resource. Only by breaking the monopoly could they continue to compete with the royal family.
Compared to simply obtaining the formula, having Bill, who could continuously improve the formula, was the best solution.
“It’s impossible for me to bid higher than the royal family… It seems that I have to find Bill’s other desires. I must use something that the royal family doesn’t have to move him…”
Roman’s eyes changed as he looked down at his palm.
A fire snake ignited in the air and wrapped around his fingers. The flames illuminated his unpredictable face.