"Lord Han, what is this Nine-Life Healing Elixir?" Sebastian asked, frowning. He'd never heard of it.
The elderly official was Hanson Han, Chengyu's First Count. In the Xinghan Empire's noble hierarchy—ranked from Duke (highest) down to Viscount (lowest)—a Count stood below a Prince. But in Chengyu's royal hall, Count Han's status far exceeded that of local princes. Sebastian himself, as a Lord-Regent, ranked below a Duke in the imperial court—but within Chengyu, his power dwarfed that of most imperial nobles. He controlled his own army and held final say over all affairs in his fiefdom.
Hanson Han stepped forward, bowing deeply. "Your Lordship, a few months ago, Danhan Alchemy launched a massive advertising campaign for a new healing potion in Raozhou, our capital. They called it the Nine-Life Healing Elixir."
Sebastian nodded slowly. He *had* heard about that—though he'd paid it no mind. Danhan Alchemy had done some good for Chengyu, and while the elixir's name sounded boastful, it hadn't violated any laws.
" Their ads were bold," Hanson Han continued. "They claimed that as long as a wounded person still had a breath left, the Nine-Life Elixir could save them. It caused quite a stir at the time, and rumors said the elixir sold like hotcakes. I even had someone buy a few bottles for me, but I never followed up—like everyone else, I thought the claims were just hype. But if General Flying Tiger is telling the truth… then those rumors about the elixir's power must be real."
"General Flying Tiger," Sebastian said, his eyes glowing with greed. "Is what Lord Han and you say true?"
As a Lord-Regent, his intuition for power was far sharper than Ethan's. He'd immediately realized: this elixir was a military weapon. He had to seize control of it before the imperial court found out—and lock up the apothecary who'd created it, too. That way, Chengyu could hoard the elixir and reap all the benefits.
"Every word is true, Your Lordship," Tiger Zhao confirmed. "The Iron Battalion's report is based on firsthand facts."
"Guards!" Sebastian shouted, no hesitation in his voice. "Seize everyone associated with Danhan Alchemy immediately! Bring the apothecary who developed the Nine-Life Elixir to me—now!"
"Your Lordship, wait a moment!" A portly man stumbled forward, bowing so low his forehead nearly touched the ground.
Sebastian froze, his hand still raised. He glared at the man, barely containing his anger. "Minister Ji, what could you possibly have to say at a time like this?"
The portly man—Minister Ji—fumbled with his sleeve, his hands shaking as he pulled out a crumpled sheet of paper covered in writing. He held it out tremblingly. "Your Lordship… when I came to court this morning, people were handing out these papers everywhere. It says… it says this is the formula for the Nine-Life Healing Elixir. The creator—Ethan Moore—claims he's giving it away for free to honor his parents and accumulate merit to help the poor."
"What?!" Sebastian snatched the paper, his eyes scanning the密密麻麻 characters. Sure enough, it detailed every step of making the Nine-Life Elixir—even explaining the *principles* behind it. It was so clear that even someone with no apothecary training could follow it.
The paper also revealed another name for the elixir: penicillin.
*Slap!* Sebastian slammed the paper onto the arm of his throne, his face turning red with rage. "Guards! Find Ethan Moore and bring him here at once! And investigate how long these formulas have been circulating—who has them! If we can contain this, round up everyone who got a copy!"
He didn't say the rest out loud—but everyone in the hall knew. Once those people were captured, the ones who could be silenced would be killed. The rest would be thrown into a state-run apothecary workshop, forced to produce the Nine-Life Elixir day and night.
The hall fell deathly silent. No one dared speak. Only a fool would think Sebastian's plan would work.
Morning court started before dawn. It was now nearly noon—half a day had passed. There was no way to recall every single paper that had been handed out.
Sure enough, less than a quarter of an hour later, the Captain of the Royal Guards burst into the hall, his face ashen. "Your Lordship… Ethan Moore hired several printing workshops to run through the night. They printed over a hundred thousand copies of the formula. At dawn today, he paid over a hundred people to hand them out inside and outside Raozhou's four city gates. He also sent dozens more to distribute them along major roads leading out of the city. By now… nearly everyone in the city, the countryside, and even the merchants passing through has a copy."
Sebastian's arms dropped limply to his sides. How many merchants and travelers passed through Raozhou every day? He couldn't arrest them all. Even if he could… what would be the point?
Raozhou was full of spies from other fiefdoms. The Nine-Life Elixir was groundbreaking—those spies must have already sent word (and possibly a formula) back to their own lords. And with Ethan sending people to distribute formulas outside the city… not even a god could undo this.
"Your Lordship," a pale-faced minister ventured, "could Ethan Moore have done this because he realized the danger he was in?"
Sebastian frowned. It was possible—but why wait until today? If he'd been that sharp, he would have spread the formula as soon as the elixir became popular. Or he would have never revealed the elixir at all.
"I don't think so," Hanson Han disagreed. "If Ethan Moore had been that cautious, he wouldn't have waited until now. He would have acted the moment the elixir started selling well."
Sebastian took a deep breath, forcing his rage to subside. His voice was cold and calm when he spoke. "Call off the arrest of Danhan Alchemy's people. But find out everything about Ethan Moore—the apothecary who made the elixir. Most apothecaries in Chengyu have connections… who is he?"
The Captain of the Guards stepped forward. "Ethan Moore's real name is Xavier Moore. His father was Gabriel Moore, and his grandfather was Theodore Moore."
"Theodore Moore?" Sebastian's eyes widened. "The Northern Qin Prince?" He knew that name—Theodore Moore had been a powerful prince decades ago.
"Yes, Your Lordship," the captain confirmed. "Twenty years ago, Theodore Moore came to Raozhou and vanished. Later, Gabriel Moore brought his wife and son to Raozhou too. A few years ago, Gabriel and his wife died, leaving Xavier Moore alone. Xavier went mad after obsessing over reclaiming the Northern Qin princedom. A few months ago, he seemed to recover—he even went to the Raozhou Guild looking for work. He changed his name to Ethan Moore, joined Danhan Alchemy as an apothecary, and developed the Nine-Life Elixir."
The captain's explanation was brief, but most officials in the hall understood the unspoken details. Gabriel Moore had bribed countless people to get his son's claim to the princedom recognized—hardly anyone in the hall hadn't taken a bribe from him. They'd all heard about Xavier Moore's madness, too. No one had expected the man to recover… let alone create something as extraordinary as the Nine-Life Elixir.
Sebastian said nothing. He knew the Moore family's story—and he knew he'd played a small role in their downfall. The Moores had lost their princedom partly because of his own political moves. He'd also heard about Xavier Moore's madness… but he'd never thought the man would survive this long.
Just then, a voice called from outside the hall: "Ethan Moore has been brought in!"
" No need to bring him up," Sebastian said, his voice icy. "Take him outside and execute him on the spot."
…