Side Story: Feather and Poison (7)

Star Empire, Imperial Palace.

Upon returning to the Crown Prince's residence, Chloe was deathly pale, still unable to recover from the shock she had just experienced.

Her prior mental preparation was that Lorenzo was conducting some kind of unethical experiment.

But no one expected that the one imprisoned in the basement of the lakeside villa would be Queen Yu Yao!

Chloe was trembling all over, her fingertips were icy cold, and even her breathing was trembling.

Xialike pulled her into his arms and whispered words of comfort to soothe her.

"Chloe, I'll help you." His voice was firm. "Let's work together to find a way to rescue Queen Yu Yao."

Chloe closed her eyes, and it took her a while to calm down.

Xialike then released his grip and began to seriously consider the whole matter.

"Did Queen Yu Yao say why my father wanted to capture her?" he asked softly.

Chloe sat up and began to tell her story.

"Queen Yu Yao is a medical scholar."

"But that's just an appearance. Actually, she," Chloe gritted her teeth before continuing.

"Yu Yao, like Samus, was a student who was expelled from the medical school."

"

"They all belong to the type that—takes unconventional approaches?" Xialike carefully chose his words.

Chloe shook her head.

"Samuels was punished for his poor medical ethics and research fraud."

"Queen Yu Yao was exiled because of her research on poisons."

"Poison?" Xialike was very surprised.

"She was trying to develop a low-cost poison suitable for large-scale deployment."

Chloe said something astonishing.

Xialike was truly horrified; this was no ordinary field of research!

He frowned and began to analyze the geopolitics of the Feather Race.

A thousand years ago, during a great war between various tribes, the Feather Race was defeated and barely survived on the cold Northern Ice Island.

The island is located on the edge of the Arctic Circle, with a harsh climate and most of it covered by a thick ice sheet.

The available land was also very barren, and grain yields were pitifully low.

Although the underground contains mineral resources, mining is difficult.

Therefore, in recent years, the Feather Race has continuously strengthened its development of the surrounding sea areas.

As a result, friction and conflict between them and the Naga Clan, Halflings, and Goblins who live by the sea have become increasingly frequent.

The Feather Race was clearly at a disadvantage.

Even more shameless, the three races formed a so-called "mutual aid alliance," further squeezing the already narrow economic zone and living space of the Feather Race.

"Queen Yu Yao— " Xialike spoke slowly, "Does she intend to use this poison to fight them?"

"Yes," Chloe nodded, "Queen Yu Yao intends to use it as a strategic trump card for the Feather Race."

The room fell silent for a moment.

If word gets out that Yu Yao and the Feather Race are developing a large-scale lethal poison, they will inevitably become the target of public criticism.

The Feather Race, in particular, was in a position of being falsely accused.

After a moment, Xialike broke the silence.

"Queen Yu Yao, did she succeed?"

Chloe shook her head.

"Where would she find the resources to delve into such in-depth research? Just maintaining the current situation of the Feather Race is already exhausting her."

Xialike began to recall the details of the Yu Yao incident.

Six months ago, Queen Yu Yao was attacked by an unknown force on her way to visit the Cold Mountain Kingdom.

"Then disappeared."

"At the time, everyone thought she had sunk with the ship."

There are various theories about the murderer.

"But I never expected it was Lorenzo who did it."

Xialike's voice trembled slightly, but he still looked Chloe straight in the eye.

"I'm sorry, Chloe."

"Although I absolutely despise my father Lorenzo— "

"But if that's the case, then it was a national action taken in the best interests of all of Taya."

Chloe slowly shook her head.

Lorenzo's purpose in capturing Queen Yu Yao was exactly the opposite.

She said, word by word, "He did this to force Queen Yu Yao to continue her poison research!"

Xialike's eyes widened suddenly.

"No—this—"

A mocking sneer appeared on Chloe's lips.

"Because Lorenzo himself was solely focused on developing this kind of thing."

"He wanted to use this poison to weaken the surrounding countries, so that his conquest could proceed."

Xialike was speechless for a moment.

He opened his mouth to explain, but found himself unable to refute anything.

Emperor Lorenzo coveted the lands of neighboring countries and harbored the ambition to become a unified emperor of the Western Continent.

They've never hidden it in the slightest!

Given his stubborn, arrogant, and disdainful personality.

Absolutely capable of doing something like that!

As if all his strength had been drained, Xialike slowly slumped back into his chair.

"There's even worse news, Xialike."

Chloe's face took on a pale hue.

"This poison has been successfully developed and named 'The Nameless Dove'."

"Lorenzo's plan has begun and he's targeting the Pearl Duchy!"

****

At noon, Meiwu'er returned, bringing several small bags of dried Pea.

"These are all samples taken from goods exported to the Pearl Duchy."

The Star Empire is rich in Pea, a food that is easy to store and transport, making it a popular staple food in neighboring countries.

Not only the Pearl Duchy, but also other forces in the Northern Continent such as the Cold Mountain Kingdom and the Troll Territory are making large-scale purchases.

Chloe picked up a few Pea, brought them to her nose, and sniffed them gently, but didn't notice anything unusual.

She took a test tube, put the Pea into it, poured in the medicine, and began the decomposition process.

While waiting for the reaction to proceed, Chloe explained the principle of the "Phantom Dove" to Xialike and Meiwu'er.

"All food contains some level of toxins."

"Whether it's fruits and vegetables, meat, or grains, the only difference lies in the content and degree of harm."

"Most of the time, the human body can metabolize them normally."

"I know that," Meiwu'er said. "For example, if I ate twenty kilograms of spinach in one go, I would be poisoned by the oxalates in it."

"----You'll die from overeating first," Xialike replied irritably.

Chloe gently shook the test tube, drew out the extract, and discarded the remaining residue.

"But sometimes, humans are not far from the point where food toxins take effect."

Take the Pearl Duchy for example.

"They like to eat shellfish, and many of them contain paralytic shellfish toxins (PSP)."

PSP is a neurotoxin that accumulates in shellfish during filter feeding, due to the accumulation of certain harmful algae. It is found in clams, mussels, oysters, scallops, and other shellfish. Moreover, this toxin is heat-resistant and difficult to completely destroy through ordinary cooking.

"At the same time, the people of the Pearl Duchy also used alum extensively to process food. For example, to make pasta firmer and more chewy, or to dehydrate and shape jellyfish during marinating, maintaining its crisp texture."

"Whether it's paralytic shellfish toxins or aluminum in alum, in the vast majority of cases, they are still within the harmless limit."

After removing interfering substances from the extract, Chloe adjusted the pH level with a focused expression.

But that didn't stop her from continuing her story.

"The function of the 'Wuxiangjiu' is to inhibit the body's decomposition and compensatory abilities, making food that was originally harmless become harmful."

Xialike understood, "Food containing pigeons that don't exhibit symptoms will be ingested. Therefore, it's difficult to trace the true cause of the illness from the surface."

"The key is cost and efficiency," Chloe added.

"The 'Formless Dove' is only used to open the door."

It doesn't require a large dose; one exposure is enough.

"After that, the residents of the Pearl Duchy will be poisoned by the food they eat every day."

"Until illness or even death."

Meiwu'er, standing to the side, felt a chill run down his spine.

"Inexpensive, silent, and with an extremely wide coverage area—the cost-effectiveness of the 'Phantom Dove' far surpasses that of any other military means!"

Chloe held up the test tube in her hand and, following Yu Yao's instructions, added the indicator to it.

"That's right."

The transparent liquid sloshed gently between the tube walls.

"Therefore, one"

Chloe held the test tube up to the window, gazing at the light streaming in, but her words suddenly trailed off. "How could there be none?"

****

Later, Meiwu'er brought back more samples.

Chloe processed and examined them one by one.

This time, she finally found the "Wu Xiang Jiu" in one of the samples.

Meiwu'er opened the manual recording the source of the sample based on the number on it.

"This batch of goods is destined for Haiji Kingdom."

"Isn't it the Pearl Duchy?"

Testing continues.

Next, they discovered problems with the Pea sold to the troll territory and the southern region of the Cold Mountain Kingdom.

Chloe pondered this conclusion, her pupils suddenly contracting.

"It's lead-containing sugar!" she suddenly realized. "People in these areas have this terrible habit in their diet!"

Or rather, it's less about habit and more about poverty.

Although lead sugar contains lead, it has a distinct sweetness and also has excellent preservative properties.

Small amounts consumed daily will not cause significant problems in a short period of time.

These are the living choices of ordinary people at the bottom of society in these areas under conditions of low productivity.

"Once the 'Phantom Dove' suppresses the body's basic detoxification ability, large-scale heavy metal poisoning will break out in these areas!" Chloe's voice darkened. "This is far more harmful than alum!"

"So, Father, this time—" Xialike's voice was hoarse, "You're heading straight for the Plain of Despair!"

The Plain of Despair, the only land passage connecting the Cold Mountain Kingdom and the Star Empire.

To the left of the passage lies the troll territory, and to the right, the Sea Kingdom.

This place has been a strategic location fought over by military strategists since ancient times. It is a crossroads of various regions, frequently embroiled in war, and is one of the most sensitive and dangerous areas in the world.

Now, they have all been released with "the nameless dove".

"The last war on the Plain of Despair only ended three years ago," Meiwu'er murmured. "Is it about to reignite the war again?"

Silence fell over the room again; everyone was shocked by this conclusion.

Emperor Lorenzo's ambitions were far more terrifying than they imagined.

"At that time, there will surely be millions of corpses."

Xialike's fingers were trembling slightly.

"The resulting turmoil."

"I will starve to death for thousands of miles!"

****

The Pearl Duchy, tears reflected in its city.

Death Knell sat on the toilet, vomiting and having diarrhea, looking pale and extremely angry.

As a powerful figure Clock Hand the Clockwork Master, when had she ever suffered such torment!

This clearly indicates that she has been poisoned.

Hairspring had already arranged for someone to thoroughly investigate everything she had eaten that day.

For example, the food I ate at a fancy restaurant in the morning.

The results came back quickly.

The search of the restaurant was completed without incident.

Interrogation of the cook and other staff revealed no suspicious circumstances.

"It shouldn't be from there."

Death Knell held a glass of warm water in both hands, sitting obediently in the chair, her posture even a little too upright. She dared not drink too much, nor dared to move around carelessly, for fear of another bout of nausea.

"Shellfish are slightly toxic, but this isn't the first time I've eaten them, and you ate them with me today too."

"That's the real problem." Hairspring rubbed her chin.

Apart from that one meal, Death Knell ate all her subsequent meals at the base.

In a sense, what he ate today was exactly the same as Death Knell.

As a mage, his physique was not as good as that of the Death Knell.

If there were really a problem, he couldn't possibly have remained completely unresponsive.

Next, Death Knell's luggage was also found.

The bell-ringing priest found a packet of roasted Pea among them.

"I bought it in the troll territory; it's leftovers," Death Knell explained.

During the time it took to assassinate Gopheron, she spent a considerable amount of time searching for her target.

This kind of dry food is the most convenient to carry and the best choice for replenishing energy at any time.

As an excellent executor, pretentiousness is something she has nothing to do with.

"I ate them without any problems, and I haven't touched that bag of Pea at all in the past few days."

If she hadn't forgotten, she would have taken it out of her backpack and thrown it away long ago.

The bell-ringing priest performed a spell, supplemented by alchemy, to examine the matter, but ultimately shook his head.

No toxin reaction detected.

That's strange.

The Hairspring lowered its head and thought for a moment, then suddenly tossed the bag of Pea to one of the Minute Hand members.

"Go find a few slaves," he ordered. "Feed half of them these beans first. Two hours later, feed the rest shells and jellyfish."

"Yes, sir!"

That evening, Hairspring's conjecture was confirmed.

Those slaves who ate both beans and shellfish exhibited typical symptoms of shellfish poisoning.

Besides diarrhea, the most severe cases have even experienced difficulty breathing and confusion.

Meanwhile, the other half of the slaves who didn't eat beans were completely unaffected.

"Are these beans some kind of Plain Increase agent?"

Having run the merchant guild for several years, Hairspring recognized the Pea as originating from the Star Empire after only a short inspection.

"It seems an unknown ingredient has been mixed into the beans," the bell-ringing priest said in a deep voice. "I'll try to see if I can separate it."

"Who on earth would do something so despicable as to put this inexplicable poison in the beans?"

Death Knell clutched her stomach, her face turning pale with anger.

"Which chamber of commerce is just bored and has nothing better to do!"

Although she has received treatment, her digestive system still needs time to repair itself, and she is still feeling unwell.

Hairspring walked to the map, her gaze sweeping between the trolls and the Star Empire, still unable to figure it out.

"The Chamber of Commerce wouldn't do such a thing." He shook his head. "It's thankless work, risky, and completely pointless."