Hemolytic Poison

Paterson's death was like a stone thrown into a tranquil lake, stirring up a tremendous uproar in Fenlai City.

Clayde, the king of Fenlai, flew into a rage and ordered a thorough investigation.

The investigation uncovered quite a few things.

Duke Paterson's years of corruption, abuse of the law, and profiteering through smuggling were exposed one by one, implicating a great many people. The Debs Clan, which had long worked with Paterson in smuggling, was uprooted as well.

Bernard Debs-Kalan's father and the current head of the Debs Clan-was thrown straight into prison.

Kalan was not spared either. Although he had only recently gotten engaged, he too was arrested.

The once-glorious Debs Clan fell overnight, and its followers scattered.

All of this happened in just the half month following Paterson's death.

One day, Linley was training at his residence when the gatekeeper came to report that a young lady named Alice had come to see him.

"Alice?"

Linley frowned.

He and Alice no longer had anything to do with each other. What had she come for at a time like this?

"Let her in," Linley said after a moment's thought.

Whatever else had happened, they had known each other once. There was no harm in seeing her.

Before long, Alice came in.

She looked much more haggard, and her eyes were red, as though she had just been crying. Her former liveliness and pride were gone, replaced by panic and helplessness.

"Linley..." Alice looked at him, her lips trembling. "Please... please help me..."

"What happened?" Linley asked calmly.

"My father... my father has been arrested." Tears suddenly streamed down Alice's face. "And Kalan too... They all say the Debs Clan was smuggling, but... but it has nothing to do with us..."

Linley remained silent.

He knew the Debs Clan was definitely not innocent, but he had no interest in getting involved.

"Linley, I know you're close to young master Yale. He's with the Dawson Chamber of Commerce, so he must have a way to help, right?" Alice stepped forward and grabbed Linley's arm. "Please, just help me this once, all right? I... I'll do anything for you..."

Linley frowned and quietly pulled his arm free.

"Alice," he said seriously, looking at her, "I can't help with the Debs Clan's affairs. Smuggling is a serious crime. No one can save them."

"No... that's not true..." Alice shook her head desperately. "It's the right chancellor! Lord Merritt said he could help, but... but he wants me to... wants me to..."

At that point, Alice could say no more and simply kept crying.

Linley's frown deepened.

The right chancellor, Merritt?

What was he trying to do?

"What does he want you to do?" Linley asked.

"He... he told me to go to his residence tonight..." Alice's voice was barely audible, and her face was full of shame and anger. "If I don't go, he... he won't help save my father and Kalan..."

Linley's expression darkened.

Was Merritt actually taking advantage of her plight?

"I... I had no choice..." Alice said through her tears. "I had to invoke your name and say I was your friend before he... he let me go for the time being, so I could come ask what you thought..."

Linley fell silent.

He had not expected Alice to use his name to get away.

Although he and Alice had broken up, they had known each other once. Besides, what Merritt was doing really was despicable.

"I understand." Linley sighed. "Go home for now. I'll find a way to deal with this."

"Really?" Alice looked up in delighted surprise. "Linley, you're really willing to help me?"

"I'll do my best." Linley made no promises. "But don't get your hopes too high. The Debs Clan did smuggle goods; that's a fact. I can't have them released without charges. But I can at least make Merritt stop bothering you."

"Thank you, Linley! Thank you!" Alice thanked him again and again in her excitement.

After Alice left, Haoyue came out from the back.

"Well?" Haoyue looked at Linley with the hint of a smile. "Feeling sorry for her?"

"What do you mean, feeling sorry for her?" Linley gave a rueful smile. "I just think she's pitiful. And that Merritt is a real piece of work. What kind of man takes advantage of someone's plight?"

"Pitiful people have their hateful sides too," Haoyue said mildly. "The Debs Clan has been smuggling for so many years. Who knows how many people they've harmed? What's happened to them now is retribution."

"But-" Haoyue changed tack. "You can help Alice with this. After all, you still have to make a trip to the royal palace. You can meet this right chancellor while you're there."

"The royal palace?" Linley was taken aback. "What am I going there for?"

"Hasn't Clayde been investigating the cause of Paterson's death?" Haoyue smiled. "He'll definitely suspect you. Rather than wait for him to come looking for you, you might as well go to the palace yourself and see what he's really up to."

"Oh, right. On your way back, you'll most likely meet an expert who has the Hemolytic Poison we need for our plan..."

The next day, Linley entered the palace for an audience with King Clayde.

In the palace study, Clayde sat behind his desk, gazing intently at Linley.

"Linley, do you know your crime?" Clayde suddenly asked, his voice low.

Linley's heart tightened, but he showed nothing on his face.

"Your Majesty, I do not know what crime I have committed."

"Hmph." Clayde snorted coldly. "Duke Paterson died at the Debs Clan's engagement banquet, and you were there at the time. Can you say this had nothing to do with you?"

"Your Majesty must be joking," Linley said calmly. "Duke Paterson was a mighty Level Seven Warrior, while I am only a Level Seven Mage. How could I have killed him so easily and without causing a disturbance?"

"Besides, I left as soon as the banquet ended. I even went to a crystal shop in the city and bought a crystal pendant as a gift for one of my elders."

Clayde stared at Linley for a long time, seemingly trying to read something from his face.

But Linley's expression remained perfectly calm, without the slightest flaw.

"Is that so?" Clayde said slowly. "Good. I also believe you are not the sort of person to act so recklessly."

He paused, then changed the subject. "However, I summoned you today for another matter."

"Please, Your Majesty."

"I hear your stone carving has already reached the level of a master?" Clayde's tone softened. "Director Maia of the Proulx Gallery speaks very highly of you."

Linley's heart stirred.

Sure enough, it was about stone carving after all.

"I merely know a little," Linley said modestly.

"No need to be modest." Clayde waved a hand. "I would like to commission a stone sculpture from you. Name your price. What do you say?"

"As Your Majesty commands, I shall obey," Linley said respectfully.

"Good." Clayde nodded in satisfaction. "The steward will explain the details to you shortly."

After speaking about the right chancellor and Alice, Linley took a carriage back. He first went to Haoyue's residence and told him about the questions he had been asked in the palace, then went to his own residence.

Just then, the steward of Linley's residence came to him and said that an important guest was waiting for him in the sitting room.

The man also had a Cardinal's token, so Linley hurried inside.

The so-called guest inside was none other than Cesar, known as the "King of Killers." Having reached Peak Saint-level, he was even somewhat stronger than the pontiff.

And that very night, Linley obtained the key to killing Clayde with his own hands: Hemolytic Poison.

Linley hurried back to the residence and found Haoyue.

"Big brother Haoyue, you were right! Lord Cesar really did have the formula for Hemolytic Poison!" Linley said excitedly. "He even gave it to me!"

"Oh?" Haoyue raised an eyebrow. "Cesar was quite generous about it."

"With Hemolytic Poison, we can deal with Clayde!" A flash of excitement passed through Linley's eyes. "As long as we poison him, even if he's a Level Nine Warrior, he'll be at our mercy!"

Haoyue nodded and said thoughtfully, "Hemolytic Poison really is useful. But Clayde is a king, after all, and has quite a few experts around him. Poisoning him won't be that easy."

"We need a foolproof plan."

"Big brother Haoyue, do you have an idea?" Linley asked.

Rather than answer directly, Haoyue asked, "Clayde asked you to carve a stone sculpture, didn't he?"

"Yes." Linley nodded.

"Then isn't that your opportunity?" A cold smile curled Haoyue's lips. "When it's time to deliver the sculpture, tell him you've run into some trouble with your training and need him to come to your residence to collect it. When the time comes, find an opportunity to put the poison in his wine..."

Linley's eyes lit up.

"Good idea!"

"But having a plan alone isn't enough," Haoyue continued. "It will take time to gather the ingredients for Hemolytic Poison, and you'll need time to prepare too. Besides-"

He paused and looked at Linley. "You need to improve your own strength too. Poisoning him is one thing; getting away safely afterward is another. I don't want to see you throw your own life away."

"I understand, big brother Haoyue." Linley nodded firmly. "I'll train hard!"

"Good." Haoyue nodded in satisfaction. "Go on. As for the ingredients, you can ask Yale to help find a way. The Dawson Chamber of Commerce is a vast enterprise; finding a few medicinal ingredients shouldn't be difficult."

"All right!"

Linley left in high spirits.

Watching Linley walk away, Haoyue's eyes flashed with concern.

Hemolytic Poison... powerful as it was, Clayde was a Level Nine Warrior, after all, and he surely had plenty of things to protect his life.

But-

The corners of Haoyue's mouth rose slightly.

"It's all right. I'm here," he murmured. "Even if things are exposed, I can still get that kid out safely."