Chapter 42: A Brother's Betrayal: The Gamble for Power

Seeing Lace step forward, Nat's eyes lit up.

He had been wondering how to get someone else to take the fall.

Unexpectedly, Lace had stepped forward on his own.

Nat immediately stopped speaking, figuring it was best to let the experts handle the technical matters.

"Lace? The Eighth-Tier Alchemist from the Alchemists' Guild? I didn't expect you to come as well," Meylan said with a smile.

"You recognize me? Since that's the case, let's not waste time. You claim that this pill can heal the Second Prince's injuries, but I need to know what ingredients were used. If everything checks out, we will naturally purchase it for the Second Prince's recovery," Lace said.

Meylan frowned.

How was he supposed to know what ingredients were used to make the pills? He glanced toward Sylvus.

Sylvus noticed Meylan's look.

If he had known the ingredients, he wouldn't have minded explaining them.

But the truth was, he didn't know either.

He was just a seller, not an alchemist.

How would he know what the pills were made of?

"Meylan, give him one of the pills. Since he's such a skilled alchemist, let him figure it out himself," Sylvus said calmly.

Meylan quickly nodded and handed a Guangyun Bone Rebinding Pill to Lace.

Lace accepted the pill with curiosity and immediately noticed a strange fragrance emanating from it.

As he inhaled the pill's scent, he felt a sense of clarity, as if he had become a few years younger.

"Strange, this pill emits a special fragrance. It is indeed made from medicinal ingredients, but I can't identify a single one of them," Lace said, frowning after examining the pill closely.

As an Eighth-Tier Alchemist, Lace wasn't familiar with all magical ingredients, but he knew enough about the majority.

Yet, he couldn't recognize a single ingredient in this pill, which left him puzzled.

"Master, does this pill have the ability to heal my brother's injuries?" Nat asked in a low voice.

Lace didn't respond.

After all, he couldn't even identify the ingredients.

How could he determine whether the pill could heal such severe injuries?

"Shopkeeper, could you share the ingredients used to make this pill?" Lace asked Sylvus.

Since he couldn't figure it out himself, he had no choice but to ask.

"Aren't you an expert? Identify them yourself. I'm not going to tell you. Either buy the pill or leave. Don't stand around here disrupting my business," Sylvus said before lying back in his chair, paying no more attention to them.

Lace felt a wave of frustration at Sylvus' attitude.

He was an Eighth-Tier Alchemist, respected wherever he went, yet here he was being treated with such disrespect.

"Hmph, you don't even know what ingredients are in this pill, yet you claim it can heal the Second Prince's injuries? I think you're just trying to deceive us!" Lace snorted coldly.

Hearing this, neither Sylvus nor Meylan reacted, but Nat's heart skipped a beat.

Why is this master suddenly losing his temper?

If he angered Sylvus and Meylan, and they crippled him too, what would happen then?

"Master, I—"

"Old man, are you looking to make a bet?"

Nat was about to calm Lace down when Sylvus opened his eyes and asked with a smirk.

"A bet? I am an Eighth-Tier Alchemist. I don't gamble, especially not when lives are at stake," Lace said dismissively.

Sylvus gave Lace a surprised look. He hadn't expected the old man to have such principles.

"Boss, I'll bet with you," Nat suddenly said.

Nat felt helpless.

Initially, he had hoped Lace would take the blame, but now the alchemist was getting into a confrontation.

If this kept up, Stan's life might be lost, and Nat's own life could be in danger as well.

"Your Highness, you—"

Lace looked at Nat with displeasure.

He had just said he wouldn't gamble, and now Nat was contradicting him. Wasn't this a slap in the face?

"Master, we have no other choice. If my father finds out, neither of us will escape punishment," Nat whispered.

Lace frowned, wanting to argue, but in the end, he gave up.

"I admire your courage, Your Highness," Sylvus said with a smile. "Since this esteemed master claims my pill is a fraud, how about this: if my pill works, you give me ten billion magic crystals. If it doesn't, you can name your price. How does that sound?"

Sylvus smiled at Nat as he made the offer.

Initially, Sylvus had only planned to extort a couple of billion, but since they were pushing him, he might as well get greedy.

Ten billion magic crystals?

The crowd gasped in shock.

That was a staggering amount. Even Nat felt a chill run down his spine. Where was he supposed to find ten billion magic crystals?

"Boss, ten billion is a bit much. It will take me several days to gather that much," Nat said with a wry smile.

"No problem. I'll give you three days. If you don't pay up by then, your father can kneel before me and beg for forgiveness."

Sylvus said nonchalantly.

*Gasp...*

Let the First Prince's father kneel and beg for forgiveness?

Wasn't that essentially demanding the Emperor kneel?

Everyone was shocked by Sylvus' audacity.

Nat was equally startled, but he knew Sylvus wasn't joking.

If he lost the bet and didn't come up with the money in three days, his father might really have to kneel and beg.

"What's the matter? Afraid to bet?" Sylvus asked with a smile.

…

Nat glanced at Stan, who lay on the stretcher beside him, and finally nodded.

"Alright, I'll take the bet."

If Nat won, it would prove that the pills from this shop were incapable of healing Stan's injuries.

In that case, Stan would truly be rendered useless, removing a rival in the struggle for the throne.

If he lost, it would only cost him ten billion magic crystals.

Although he couldn't afford that, he could always ask his father for help!

After all, it would be money spent on Stan, so Stan would take the blame for the debt.

Yes, in Nat's mind, the scapegoat had now shifted from Lace to Stan.

"Very well, you have guts. You can choose anyone from among these people to test the pill," Sylvus said with a smile.

Nat's gaze swept over the dozens of soldiers lying on the stretchers.

Most people would have chosen one of the soldiers.

But Nat's eyes finally landed on Stan.

"Second Brother, what do you say?"

Under everyone's watchful eyes, Nat leaned down and whispered into Stan's ear.

Stan's eyes were open, and when he saw Nat lean in, he immediately had a bad feeling.

"What? You want to be the first to test the pill? That won't do! You're a prince. If anyone should test it first, it should be someone else."

"You're saying that the current situation is your fault, and you can't bear to let any of your soldiers die because of it? Second Brother, I never realized you were so noble."

Nat continued talking, loud enough for everyone to hear.

Many in the crowd were taken aback, staring at Stan on the stretcher. They hadn't expected the Second Prince to be so selfless.

But Stan's eyes were full of rage. He hadn't said any of that! seaʀᴄh thё nôᴠel Fire.nёt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

Nat was making it all up, blatantly setting him up!

Stan wanted to speak up and refute his brother, but moving caused him immense pain, and he had no strength to argue.

"You're saying that if you can't be the one to test the pill, you'd rather kill yourself? Second Brother, you're making things difficult for me. If anything happens to you, how am I supposed to explain it to Father?"

Nat said, looking conflicted.

"Ugh..."

Hearing this, Stan finally couldn't hold it in any longer.

A wave of blood surged inside him, and he coughed up a mouthful of blood.

"Second Brother, I'll agree to your request, just please don't take your own life. If something happens to you, I'll bear the consequences with Father!" Nat said firmly.

Stan spat out even more blood.

"Master Lace, since my brother insists on this, and even threatened to kill himself, let him be the one to test the pill. If anything happens to him, I'll take full responsibility and won't let anyone else be blamed."

Nat said, looking seriously at Lace.

"You truly are noble, Your Highness. I admire your selflessness," Lace said with some admiration, looking at Nat.

The rumors about the two brothers fighting for the throne seemed false.

Even the onlookers nodded in approval at Nat's actions. This was the demeanor of a true emperor.

If Nat could treat his rival for the throne with such kindness, the kingdom would surely prosper if he became emperor.

Seeing the crowd's reaction, Nat was secretly pleased.

He was confident that news of this event would soon spread throughout the Holy City.

It would definitely boost his reputation and increase support for his claim to the throne.

As for Stan, if he died, Nat would have a good excuse.

After all, Stan had volunteered to test the pill.

If Stan survived, he wouldn't dare admit that being the first to test the pill hadn't been his idea. Otherwise, what would his followers think?

No matter the outcome, Nat would come out on top.

Meanwhile, Sylvus and Meylan exchanged a glance, barely suppressing a chuckle.

They could clearly see through Nat's act.

Sylvus was even tempted to give Nat an Oscar for his performance.

But neither of them said anything. They were just here to sell pills and had no interest in getting involved in this family drama.

"Are you sure about this?" Sylvus asked.

"Boss, let's treat my brother first. He's already threatened to take his own life, and if I don't agree, he might really..." Nat said with a sorrowful expression.

Sylvus rolled his eyes. This guy was a pretty good actor—he even managed to squeeze out a couple of tears.

"Meylan, give him the pill and help him absorb it with magic," Sylvus ordered.

"No problem, Boss."

Meylan walked over to Stan.

Stan, meanwhile, stared at Meylan with wide eyes, his gaze filled with rejection.

"Don't worry, I'm helping you this time, not crippling you," Meylan said with a smile.

He then shoved the pill into Stan's mouth and sent a wave of magic into his body.

"Your bones are completely shattered. You need to exercise more regularly," Meylan remarked casually.

Hearing this, Stan almost spat out another mouthful of blood.

His bones were shattered because of Meylan, who had even broken his skull!

"Ah..."

But after a few seconds, Stan suddenly felt a warm current flowing through his body, and the pain began to fade rapidly.

…