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Chapter 238 Public Recipe
Chapter 238 Public Recipe
Zhou Ling stood at attention, displaying a respectful demeanor, and said, "Your Majesty, please provide me with your instructions."
The king's eyes brimmed with admiration. The prospect of finally acquiring the antidote formula uplifted his mood further. Previous attempts by Sami had proven unsuccessful, but perhaps this mermaid held the key to developing the antidote.
"As you have been involved in the antidote production on several occasions, you should have a general understanding of the process, correct?" the king inquired. "If you can successfully develop the antidote, I will immediately appoint you as a lieutenant colonel. You shall enjoy the privileges of a noble, including your own manor."
Jimmy, overcome with anxiety, was eager to interject on Zhou Ling's behalf, but Zhou Ling shook his head, indicating that he should remain silent. "Your Majesty, the empire already possesses the loyalty potion. The existence of an antidote is inconsequential," Zhou Ling stated.
The king remained silent, pondering for a moment before gesturing for Zhou Ling to elaborate.
"Ancient delicacies have the power to control mental breakdowns, a fact confirmed by the Interstellar Alliance. This is precisely why the rebel army kidnapped Liao Ning, to lure people in. I believe this was also Your Majesty's original intention in seeking out the Princess of Dawn and teaching the people the art of creating ancient delicacies. Therefore, the antidote for the loyalty potion holds little significance."
Each word uttered by Zhou Ling struck a chord with the king. He was well aware that there was no antidote within the royal family. The king simply didn't want the rebel army to possess an antidote that could attract support.
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Upon hearing Zhou Ling's explanation, the king processed his thoughts. If he possessed Liao Ning's abilities, it would be effortless to win over both the people and the mermaids.
"You are correct. The antidote is of little importance. The elves can also provide us with an antidote," the king remarked with meaning. "However, Liao Ning is the key."
Zhou Ling nodded slightly, feeling a sense of relief wash over him.
Smiling, the king inquired, "But she is uncooperative. Do you have a solution? I've heard that mermaids excel at confusing others. Moreover, you have worked together in the past, correct?"
"Your Majesty, I am willing to attempt it," Zhou Ling replied, bowing slightly and displaying determination in his eyes.
As Zhou Ling was led into Liao Ning's room, a stroke of luck saved him from being hit in the forehead by an alarm clock she threw at him. He reacted swiftly, narrowly avoiding the impact.
"Miss Liao, it seems your temper hasn't improved despite not seeing you for a few days," Zhou Ling remarked with a smile.
Liao Ning was momentarily taken aback by his smile, but quickly regained her composure. "Why are you here? Have you been kidnapped too?"
The guard, ensuring that they recognized each other, eavesdropped on their conversation before exiting the room.
Liao Ning made a move to get off the bed and approach Zhou Ling, but he gently shook his head. He scanned the room with his AI, ensuring there were no functioning surveillance cameras, before stepping closer to her.
"I apologize for the hardship you've endured," he said, embracing Liao Ning so she could bury her head in his chest. "There are no surveillance cameras here. You don't need to worry."
Caught in the familiar scent and the comfort of Zhou Ling's strong embrace, Liao Ning couldn't help but let her tears flow uncontrollably.
"Why did it take you so long?" she mumbled through her tears.
"I'm sorry for being late," Zhou Ling soothed, his hand gently stroking her hair in an attempt to offer solace.
The two of them held each other for a while, finding solace in their embrace. Soon, Liao Ning spoke hurriedly, "I don't know where they have imprisoned Liao Nai. The poor child…"
She trailed off, unsure of what might transpire if Liao Nai's evil value continued to increase.
Zhou Ling sought to reassure her. "Don't worry, the empire needs you now more than ever. They won't harm Liao Nai."
Curiosity piqued, Liao Ning inquired, "How did you manage to convince them? How did they bring you here to me?"
Locked up for several days, Liao Ning had only encountered guards and members of the royal family, rarely seeing anyone else, let alone Zhou Ling.
Zhou Ling provided a brief explanation of how he had arrived in the empire. "The empire is in dire need of your ancient delicacies now. Pretend to comply with their demands and negotiate terms with them. Offer the antidote in exchange for Liao Nai. I assure you that we will keep a close watch on Liao Nai's whereabouts."
"But how can that work? If they already possess the antidote…" Liao Ning suddenly grasped the key point. "They already have the elven antidote, rendering the antidote formula meaningless to them."
Zhou Ling smiled. "Indeed, but you need to publicly disclose the formula. This way, the mermaids who are still within the empire can produce their own antidote. When the mermaids begin to revolt, we will seize the opportunity to escape."