Potent Berserk Potion

Ralph is a formidable alchemist capable of performing multiple potion-making steps simultaneously, which significantly saves time during production.

After waiting for about an hour, Ralph retrieved a bottle of sky-blue potion from the freezer.

He gazed at the blue liquid inside the glass vessel and asked Luke, "Detective Chief, judging by the color and clarity, this is a successful brew. I just don't know how effective it is. Could it... be better than the Aphrodisiac I usually make?"

Luke smiled and said, "Why don't you taste it and find out?"

"Taste it? Here? A small sip shouldn't be a problem."

Ralph mentally reviewed the ingredients and the refining process, concluding that a small sip wouldn't be enough to overwhelm him.

With the spirit of "if I don't sacrifice myself, who will," Ralph took a small sip of the blue potion.

"The taste is much smoother... the effects are hitting quickly... I can feel a ball of fire burning in my lower abdomen..." Ralph carefully observed the changes in his body. "This feeling... it's a little better than the Aphrodisiac I make, only a little... but it seems different somehow..."

Realizing the potion's effects were distinct, Ralph gulped down the entire bottle.

His skin rapidly flushed a deep red.

"Ah... ah..." Ralph shouted, "This feels too good! It's as if I've returned to my prime; this sense of power isn't an illusion!"

Ralph grabbed the freezer used for his experiments and lifted it with ease, despite the fact that he had struggled just to open its door before drinking the potion.

"This is definitely not an Aphrodisiac!" Ralph set the freezer down and asked Luke.

His eyes were bloodshot, veins bulged on his forehead, and the muscles in his neck were taut with excited spasms.

"I never said it was an Aphrodisiac. You had better suppress the effects as soon as possible; given your age and constitution, you cannot withstand this kind of Berserk Potion."

Upon hearing Luke's words, Ralph immediately scrambled to find a neutralizing agent in the reagent cabinet, his hands shaking so violently that he knocked over several other bottles.

After finding the neutralizer, he quickly drank it down.

It took about two minutes for his condition to slowly stabilize.

The physical exertion left Ralph slumped in his chair, gasping for air, yet his eyes were filled with excitement.

Luke asked him, "How do you feel?"

"I, I..." Ralph took a deep breath before he could speak. "I never imagined that my Aphrodisiac could be turned into such a potent Berserk Potion with just such minor modifications.

It acts quickly and reaches its peak rapidly. Most importantly, one can maintain a certain level of rationality while in the berserk state. Although it consumes a lot of physical energy, I cannot yet judge the post-effect fatigue due to my age, so I can't fully evaluate the burden it leaves behind.

Based on my experience, a standard potion with similar effects could sell for about twenty thousand Imperial Marks a bottle, while the Aphrodisiac we make only fetches one thousand..."

Luke hadn't expected Ralph to still be thinking about his Aphrodisiac.

"Continue producing your Aphrodisiac. Start a separate production line for the Berserk Potion, and hand over all of it to me for unified distribution. You've been in the Black Magic Potion business long enough to know that this Berserk Potion is enough to get you and your sons fed to the fish in the harbor."

Luke was not threatening Ralph.

According to the timeline of the era, Ralph would have accidentally created this high-efficiency Berserk Potion in a few months. Soon after, his entire family would die in a maritime accident, and his invention would become a money-making machine for someone else.

Ralph was an old fox; he certainly knew that the value of this high-efficiency Berserk Potion was far beyond that of his Aphrodisiac.

Especially here in the Cape District, far too many people had died prematurely because they possessed things they shouldn't have.

"I know what to do, Detective Chief. I will not tell anyone about the existence of this Berserk Potion. I will hand over every bottle produced to you."

"Good, you understand. This young lady is my confidential secretary, Kailina. She will represent me in handling all your accounts, procurement, production, and sales."

"Additionally, I will arrange a safer location for your potion production. Our products cannot be limited to just the Berserk Potion and the Aphrodisiac; you need a larger, more advanced laboratory, standardized management, and brand-new production machinery."

Ralph said gratefully to Luke, "Thank you, Detective Chief. I will never forget the kindness you have shown the Ralph Family."

Luke said, "Now, make me twenty bottles of this high-efficiency Berserk Potion, and by nightfall, deliver 500 bottles to the Secret Intelligence Bureau... is that a problem?"

Ralph considered the capacity of his workshop.

"No problem. The high-efficiency Berserk Potion only requires slight changes to the ingredients and process of the Aphrodisiac. 500 bottles can definitely be delivered to the Secret Intelligence Bureau before nightfall.

I will make the bottles for you to take with you right now."

The laboratory had the necessary ingredients for the Aphrodisiac on hand. Having recovered, Ralph worked skillfully and produced twenty bottles of the high-efficiency Berserk Potion in one go.

The potion was measured into cylindrical bottles that could be gripped in one hand, making them easy to carry and drink.

After obtaining the potions, Luke had Kailina audit the accounts and records of the workshop. She documented all supply and distribution channels, waiting for the Secret Intelligence Bureau to send personnel to investigate them later.

The employees here also needed their identities verified before being invited to the Secret Intelligence Bureau for a "chat."

He intended to bring this entire potion workshop under his complete control.

Even with her professional expertise, Kailina was busy until past noon to finish the primary work. The remaining trivial matters could be coordinated slowly over time.

Luke left Black Medicine Alley with Kailina and returned to the Secret Intelligence Bureau by 2:30 PM.

Some of the sponsors who had received invitations for the meeting had already arrived early.

Luke and Kailina grabbed some ready-made food from the cafeteria to fill their stomachs before hurrying back to their office.

Shelley, who hadn't seen Luke all morning, had been waiting anxiously. Hearing that the Detective Chief had returned, she immediately came to find him.

"Detective Chief..." Shelley pushed the door open and immediately noticed something different about Luke. "You've changed significantly. It's not your appearance, but... you've become stronger."

"Is that so? That's a good thing. Tell me what the situation is with the Mad Axe Gang; can they still hold out?" Luke didn't offer any explanation regarding his own changes.

Since Luke didn't elaborate, Shelley didn't dare to ask further.

She sat down across from his desk and said, "Without a heavyweight fighter like Jumu to anchor them, the Mad Axe Gang is struggling. If the castle wasn't so sturdy and the defensive facilities so complete, they wouldn't have lasted a single night.

Lambert wants us to help them find more mercenaries, but...

Our sponsors have all received warnings from the Security Bureau, and some of them are wavering."