Chapter 264 - 262: A Plan Against the Calvin Clan

Chapter 264: Chapter 262: A Plan Against the Calvin Clan

Duane had been to two rather splendid banquets before.

One had been at Sea Cliff Castle, and the other at the manor of Edwin, Viscount Ugo’s son, but both paled in comparison to tonight’s banquet at the Royal Palace.

There were rare ingredients from every major kingdom—creatures that flew, walked, or swam.

The most spectacular of all was the Level 9 Demon Beast meat brought from a Great Secret Realm on the Sunset Continent!

According to Grand Mage Clement, to hunt this giant rhino-like Level 9 Flame Brilliance Beast, the Holy Radiance Court had dispatched two Scorching Sun Level Warriors and a total of ten Star-level Warriors!

While this seemed to describe the power of the Flame Brilliance Beast, it was actually meant to showcase the might of the Holy Radiance Court.

After all, the Church Court had more than two Scorching Sun Level Warriors, whereas in the entire Pruck Kingdom, it seemed Duke Kelvin was the only one.

In addition to the fine food, the drinks were also top-notch.

The Magic Malt Beer from Count Orlando Bloom’s estate wasn’t even considered the best, and the magically concocted Blue Crystal Wine was a step below that.

The most popular was the Jungle Spirit from the Akutas Kingdom. It was said to be brewed from Magic Plants grown in a Secret Realm, though the exact method was unknown.

Despite the excellent food and drink, the atmosphere at the banquet was quite formal, and few people spoke.

The atmosphere didn’t truly liven up until after the dinner, when the ball and other festivities began.

As the man of the hour, Duane naturally found himself sought after by many.

The Kingdom only had thirty Lords with their own territories, but there were a great many Honorary Nobles and Knights.

Right then and there, quite a few people expressed their hope to have their sons become his followers on Black Forest Island.

Duane was more than happy to oblige.

He now had two territories and was about to develop the plains on Black Forest Island. He needed people for both administration and defense.

’He just wasn’t sure if they were merely playing their parts or were genuinely sincere.’

In any case, Duane announced that he and his men would be staying at the Golden Crown Opera House for the next three days. Anyone who truly wished to become his follower could pay him a visit there.

The banquet continued late into the night. Aside from the Dukes, who were permitted to stay overnight in the Royal Palace, the rest of the nobility had to depart.

Duane left the Royal Palace in Count Kais’s carriage, accompanied by Baron Uriel.

On the ride back, the three of them discussed their plan of action against Viscount Ugo Calvin.

The Viscount was the second-most powerful figure in Grant Province. He relied on the Secret Realm he possessed and had the backing of a Marquis and a Count. In a way, he was even a pawn used by His Majesty to counterbalance the Kennedy Clan.

In recent years, he had clashed with the Kennedy Clan in numerous ventures.

That was why Count Kais wanted to join forces with Baron Uriel and Duane to undermine him in the Magic Potion market.

"Duane, your performance today really took me by surprise!"

Count Kais said with a laugh, "I had no idea you were so good at hiding your strength. You even had me fooled."

Duane countered, "There just wasn’t any opportunity to use my full strength. Otherwise, I would have definitely shown you what I’m truly capable of."

Hearing this, Kais just shook his head.

’What did he mean, no opportunity to use his strength?’

’How were Viscount Freddy’s Knights captured, then? Back then, Duane must have been at least a Celestial Tier Warrior, but when he told the story, he never mentioned being at the Celestial or Shooting Star Level.’

If Duane had known what Count Kais was thinking, he would have surely cried foul.

At that time, he had truly only been an Advanced Warrior.

"Alright, my esteemed Earl of the Star of the Sky, you’re right!"

Count Kais brought the conversation back on track. "Last time, you said you’d tell us your plan against the Calvin Clan once you secured the Silver Jade Territory. Can you tell us now?"

Duane nodded.

Even though he had cooperated with Marquis Sean this time, the previous assassination attempt couldn’t simply be forgiven and forgotten.

Targeting the Calvin Clan aligned with the Kennedy Clan’s interests and was also necessary for Duane’s own growth.

"I’m sure you both know how the Calvin Clan accumulated its wealth."

Count Kais and Baron Uriel nodded. The Baron said, "Of course. It’s the Fire Source Beasts from the Secret Realm in his Viscount’s Territory. The Fire Source Beast Bone Soup made from these Demon Beasts is the best option for ordinary people looking to get stronger."

The profit margins are low, but the sales volume is high.

"Beyond that, he also has a small Fire Element Secret Realm, which can form a Basic Fire Soul Crystal Ore Vein. Although the ore yield is low, that Secret Realm is the perfect place to help Celestial Tier Warriors achieve a breakthrough."

As Count Kais added this, a thought occurred to him.

"Duane, how did you break through to the Shooting Star Level?"

He paused, then asked in shock, "Don’t tell me there’s an Elemental Secret Realm on Black Forest Island?"

’If there really was, he would be kicking himself.’

’After all, he’d sent people to investigate it thoroughly back then.’

Duane explained with a smile, "Not all Celestial Tier Warriors need an Elemental Secret Realm to break through."

The advancement from Celestial Tier to Shooting Star requires one to forge their body with external energy. This eventually allows the body to resonate with the outside world, drawing in the Heaven and Earth Elements to temper it and imbuing one’s Fighting Qi with an Attribute.

In the early stages, this training can be assisted with Elemental Ore, corresponding High-Level Magic Crystal Stones, or Magic Arrays.

In the later stages, being inside a corresponding Elemental Secret Realm makes the process much more efficient.

This is one of the reasons why nobles who possess an Elemental Secret Realm can so easily attract High-tier Warriors.

Duane pointed to himself as he continued, "A warrior as exceptionally talented as I am can break through on effort alone."

Count Kais was taken aback for a moment, then he and Uriel exchanged a look and burst out laughing.

’That’s right,’ he thought. ’A seventeen-year-old Shooting Star Warrior... What an incredible talent.’

"Alright, Duane. Forget I asked."

Count Kais said enviously, "Please, continue."

Duane nodded. "The Calvin Clan built its fortune on Fire Source Beast Bone Soup, and even now, that business remains their mainstay."

He paused and lowered his voice. "If we can create a substitute for Fire Source Beast Bone Soup, we can deal a major blow to the Calvin Clan’s profits."

HISS!

Kais and Uriel both drew in a sharp breath.

Baron Uriel asked uncertainly, "There are similar Magic Potions on the market, but they all cost more to make and have a higher selling price than Fire Source Beast Bone Soup."

But Count Kais, who knew Duane’s character better, asked directly, "You have a solution?"

Duane gave a mysterious smile and admitted that he did.

"I was once a sickly child and drank a lot of Fire Source Beast Bone Soup. Over the years, my father and I researched it together and finally found a substitute. I’ve named it ’Warm Sun Soup.’"

Warm Sun Soup was, in fact, the Chrysanthemum Fire Soup that Duane had created.

He had avoided using the latter name because it would have revealed one of the main ingredients, making it far too easy for competitors to replicate.

So he had renamed it Warm Sun Soup and slightly embellished its origin story.

"Warm Sun Soup? Does it have the same effect as Fire Source Beast Bone Soup?" Count Kais asked, his interest piqued.

"Warm Sun Soup isn’t just effective for ordinary people; even Basic-level Warriors can see good results from it. It’s a bit more potent than Fire Source Beast Bone Soup."

Count Kais and Baron Uriel took another deep breath, realizing this was another golden opportunity.

The two asked in unison, "What do you need us to do?"

"You just need to provide me with Fire-attribute Demon Beast Meat. Leave the rest to me."

Duane didn’t reveal the specific recipe.

Both Count Kais and Baron Uriel were completely understanding of this.

After all, a recipe like this was a closely guarded secret for any noble family.

Unless one had an exclusive monopoly on the ingredients—making it impossible for others to replicate even if they knew the recipe—such secrets were never easily shared.

"Does it have to be Fire-attribute Demon Beast Meat?" the Count asked.

The Silent Shore had a small mountain range, and to the north of the Silver Jade Territory lay the massive Jade Mountain Range. Both were home to plenty of Demon Beasts.

But if it had to be specifically Fire-attribute Demon Beast Meat, the supply from hunting would be inconsistent.

"It has to be Fire-attribute Demon Beast Meat!"

Duane said, "You provide the meat, I’ll handle the production, and you can sell it through your channels. As for the profits, I’ll only take a thirty percent cut."

’Willow Trees, chrysanthemums, and spring water are all inexpensive, and scaling up their cultivation is easy.’

’Thirty percent isn’t a lot, and he certainly wouldn’t be taking a loss.’

Count Kais considered this. He had no objection to Duane taking thirty percent.

Producing it on Black Forest Island would also be very secure; the place was remote, so there was no need to worry about the secret getting out.

"I have no problem with your thirty percent cut, but if we want to mass-produce this Warm Sun Soup, we’ll need a stable supply of Fire-attribute Demon Beast Meat. That’s the hard part."

He continued, "Unless we can farm Demon Beasts like the Calvin Clan does."

Baron Uriel agreed wholeheartedly, his mind already searching for a solution.

"Demon Beasts are hard to tame, but some are relatively docile and not very aggressive. For instance, there’s a type of Fire-Furred Rabbit on Silent Peak, and Red-Clawed Rabbits in the mountains near my territory. If we could capture and breed them in captivity, maybe we could secure a stable supply?"

Count Kais’s eyes lit up.

’Rabbits reproduce quickly, and they’re herbivores. If they could really be farmed, it would be an excellent choice.’

"That’s a great idea! We can each build a farm on our own territory and supply as much rabbit meat as possible."

Their respective shares of the profits would naturally depend on the breeding of the rabbits and the amount of meat each could provide.

As for the specific split between them, Duane wouldn’t get involved.

After all, he was in charge of production, and his share of the profits was already fixed.

"I can’t wait to see the look on Viscount Ugo’s face when he finds out about Warm Sun Soup hitting the market."

Warm Sun Soup would inevitably provoke retaliation from Viscount Ugo, but if the Kennedy Clan was too scared to act, they might as well give up on expanding their influence altogether.

Therefore, Count Kais wasn’t worried about being targeted by Viscount Ugo; there was little the Viscount could do to him.

He looked at Duane’s youthful face. ’This young man is a real treasure,’ he thought. ’I have to keep him close!’