To counteract the pharmaceutical venture founded by Sly, Kevin, and Axel—the Fenton the Miller family business—David, Raj, and Henry formed a business alliance.
David’s conglomerate, the Smith family group, was in charge of fundraising and procuring materials; Raj, who started in the miracle drug industry, had already begun production continuously after acquiring Charles’s miracle drug formula and alchemy equipment; and Henry, who originated from the department store business, took on the promotion and distribution of what would later be known as ‘Coca-Cola.’
Everything unfolded amidst high tension, with everyone eagerly anticipating the new ‘Coca-Cola’ beverage to dominate the entire Lsengard market!
Over the past week, the Miller family’s pharmaceuticals had increased their market share from 75% to 95%.
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It was clear to discerning eyes that this gain was achieved through the addition of ‘excessive cocaine’—a controversial tactic, but one had to admit that the Miller family had effectively monopolized the Lsengard pharmaceutical industry.
With three level-four Beast Masters united, who could challenge them?
…
At seven in the evening, as the city lights began to glow.
Ferocious beast hunters returned to Lsengard after a day’s toil, their bodies sweaty and scarred, eagerly lining up to purchase the Miller family’s miracle drug.
Many of these hunters chose to spend their hard-earned money in pleasure districts as well.
Near the Miller family’s drugstore, at the Pink Rose bar, strippers energetically performed on stage, flirtatiously enticing the audience. Their gazes inadvertently drifted towards booth number one.
“Another round, make sure it’s the Spade Ace with obsidian!” shouted a man with a middle-part hairstyle as a spotlight converged on his slightly tipsy face. The DJ’s voice filled the bar with vigor:
“88 silver coins!”
“A set of the great divine dragon with obsidian!”
“Tonight’s expenses at the Pink Rose are on Mr. Benjamin!”
As the DJ spoke, cheers erupted from the young men and women in the dance area, with numerous young women flamboyantly showcasing their dance skills, hoping to catch the attention of the distinguished guest in booth number one.
“Annabelle, I haven’t seen you in two days, and your chest seems even larger. Did you find another man behind my back?” Benjamin joked, his arm around a beautiful woman, playfully teasing another voluptuous lady in the booth.
“Hardly…” The woman’s words were cut off as Benjamin’s hand slipped inside her blouse, nearly eliciting a startled cry from her. She chided with a coquettish tone, “Mr. Benjamin, let’s wait until we’re in the hotel, okay…?”
Benjamin glanced at the dance floor. They were in a semi-open booth, unlikely to be seen by others. Or so he thought… actually, being spotted might even thrill him more!
“Come on, let’s see who has improved their skills? Take good care of me, and I’ll order another set of the great divine dragon!” Benjamin unfastened his belt buckle, leering at the several hostesses surrounding him.
As soon as he finished speaking, the previously demure Annabelle stepped forward, took him in her mouth, and in a burst of celestial pleasure, Benjamin’s gaze drifted outside the window to the Miller family pharmaceutical shop.
There, a long line of Beast Masters queued up, continuously funneling wealth to the Miller family, allowing him finally to live out his extravagant dreams.
Since they started ‘spiking’ their healing drugs, the Miller family’s sales had soared. At this rate, within three months, the Miller family would replace David as one of the top three families in Lsengard.
The air was thick with the scent of alcohol mixed with the perfume of women. Benjamin’s attention returned from the window as Annabelle was ardently ‘at work.’ The woman’s cunning skills brought him a rush of pleasure, and he couldn’t help but release…
Damn, that was less than a minute, 88 silver coins not well spent…
To cover his embarrassment, Benjamin shouted, “Bartender, a Spade Ace with obsidian, and another set of the great divine dragon!”
Bang!
As soon as Benjamin finished speaking, a bottle labeled ‘Spade Ace’ smashed into his head, splattering blood all over the walls.
“Go to hell, Benjamin. Your family’s fake drugs put my dad in the hospital, and you’re here enjoying life?” A man in sunglasses kicked open the booth door, yelling furiously, followed by a dozen burly men.
“Damn, it’s this bastard selling fake drugs, beat him up!”
Hissing in pain, Benjamin touched his head, feeling a cut that was bleeding profusely. The unexpected attack by another Beast Master had seriously wounded him.
“Ah!”
“They’re beating him up!”
Annabelle and the other hostesses scattered in fear, leaving Benjamin fuming. He stretched out his right hand, and three silver hexagrams flashed into existence.
“Roar! Roar!!!!”
A lightning demon ape, a blue lightning tyrannosaurus rex, and a thundering leopard—three silver-grade mystical beasts—appeared, circling him defensively and roaring continuously at the dozen burly men in the booth.
“A third-level Beast Master… you think we’d be scared of you?” The man in sunglasses gestured, and his group of burly men summoned their own mystical beasts.
Benjamin quickly assessed the situation. They were all second-level Beast Masters with mostly Bronze Division beasts. But their numbers were overwhelming; even with extraordinary powers, he couldn’t fend off a group attack from several second-level Beast Masters.
“Damn… when my dad and Uncle Sly, Uncle Kevin get here, I’ll kill you all!” Benjamin cursed inwardly.
With the vilest curses in his heart, Benjamin recalled his mystical beasts and hunched over in a pleading posture, “Big brother, please let me go, there must be some misunderstanding here…”
“Misunderstanding?” The muscular man in sunglasses grabbed Benjamin by the neck, slammed him to the ground, and then threw him out of the bar.
Lightning demon ape!!!
With tremendous force, he smashed through the wall.
Benjamin tumbled several times on the ground and rolled over a dozen times on the asphalt road, struggling to get up.
The Pink Rose bar was in chaos, with countless people rushing out while casting terrified glances at Benjamin. Passersby also looked on in shock at the bloodied Benjamin.
Bang!
Before Benjamin could rise, the man in sunglasses punched him down again and then stepped on his head, “Ladies and gentlemen, in my hand, I have the Miller family pharmaceuticals’ healing medicine priced at 1000 copper coins! Let’s have Mr. Benjamin personally demonstrate its effects!”
Benjamin felt a sharp pain as the muscular man slashed several deep cuts across his chest. He tried to struggle, but a few more burly men came forward to restrain him.
“Look, this is the Miller family’s healing medicine!” Benjamin lifted his head just as the man in sunglasses angrily stepped forward, splashing the medicine all over his wounds.
“AAAAHHHH—”
When the liquid touched his injuries, Benjamin immediately felt a searing pain. The wounds spasmed and twisted in agony, but he was held down, immobilized by the men restraining him.
“See? This isn’t healing medicine, it’s [pepper spray]!” The man in sunglasses kept pouring several bottles of ‘healing medicine’ on Benjamin’s wounds, followed by more screams of agony.
A crowd had gathered around, witnessing Benjamin’s wounds not only failing to heal but actually bleeding profusely after the application of the supposed medicine. The bystanders began to murmur among themselves.
“Isn’t that just too cruel? Selling pepper spray as healing medicine for 1000 copper coins?”
“These crooks deserve to be fed to ferocious beasts!”
“It’s not just pepper spray; the painkillers contain an excessive amount of morphine! Ever since my dad started using the Miller family’s painkillers, he doesn’t even want to eat anymore, just craves that ‘healing medicine.'”
“My God! The Miller family is coming, run!”
Someone in the crowd shouted, and suddenly, the people gathered there, including the burly men who had beaten Benjamin, scattered like a tide pulling back.
“Damn, who did this?”
Leading a fully armed squad, Axel rushed forward, seeing Benjamin on the ground nearly unconscious with pain, his face etched with concern.
“Quick! Get the healing medicine!” As one of his subordinates brought a bottle of their dark red medicine, Axel kicked it away: “Damn, not ours! Get Raj’s.”
Axel then applied a bottle labeled [Miller Family Pharmaceuticals] to Benjamin’s wounds. Ten minutes later, Benjamin slowly opened his eyes.
“Our healing medicine might not be the best, but it shouldn’t be completely ineffective, right?”
Looking puzzled at the dark red medicine in his hand, Axel sniffed it and was immediately shocked: “Pepper spray?”
…
At the Miller family pharmaceutical’s top floor, the atmosphere was tense and oppressive.
Dozens of bottles of dark red liquid were piled on the conference room table, and the pungent smell of pepper spray filled the air.
“The investigation results are in. Across all 54 pharmacies under the Miller family pharmaceuticals, all the healing medicines have been swapped with pepper spray!” Axel opened a projection of a statistical report and, in anger, slammed his fist down, denting the table.
Kevin, after reviewing the report, picked up a bottle from the table and sniffed it, his face filled with shock.
Who had the capability to swap the healing medicine with pepper spray in all 54 of the Miller family’s pharmacies in such a short time?
“I find it impossible that someone tampered with 54 pharmacies simultaneously. More likely, the batch was meddled with before it even hit the market,” Kevin said grimly, quickly making his judgment.
“Are you suggesting there’s a mole?” Sly picked up a vial of medicine, his expression equally grim.
Ever since their family’s stock had been emptied, the Taylor family owed a huge debt of 50 gold coins due to high-interest loans. Adding excessive morphine to the painkillers had been his idea.
Joining forces with the Miller family pharmaceuticals was the Taylor family’s last chance to turn things around. If they failed, the entire Taylor family would plummet into an abyss.
“I don’t think this was just a staff error. It must be the work of a competitor, definitely someone bribed our people to swap the raw materials on the alchemy production line!” Sly, having been roughed up in the business world for years, quickly offered his analysis.
Everyone knew now that the Miller family pharmaceuticals had allied with him and Kevin.
Damn it, which bastard dared to oppose them?
Clenching his fist tightly, Sly hurled the vial of medicine out the window, shattering the glass with a loud crack as it fell to the ground below.
Just as the window glass broke, Sly suddenly noticed on the facade of Lsengard’s tallest building across from them, a bright advertising slogan lit up:
“Hurt, tired, exhausted, drink Coca-Cola!”
At the same moment, Kevin and Axel looked up and saw the same advertisement, feeling utterly perplexed.
…