"No problem."
Jacob gritted his teeth and asked his servant to take out his transparent card. Then, he gave 300,000 gold coins to Noel's Alchemy Workshop for free.
Although he would probably have to cut down on his expenses in the future and be reprimanded by his father, he would at least be spared the loss of one million gold coins.
"However, President…."
Seeing that the matter was over, the people around them were about to disperse. However, upon hearing Jacob's resentful words, they settled down and pricked up their ears to see what he was up to.
"If I remember correctly, my price was too high in the auction, but this gentleman should also pay the price he bid previously to buy this potion."
Upon hearing this, everyone understood that Jacob was determined to harm others without benefiting himself. Five hundred thousand gold coins for a bottle of an experimental potion?
Everyone knew what decision to make. If Li Tianxiang refused to pay, not only would Jacob be able to get back his 300,000 gold coins, but Li Tianxiang would also have to pay the compensation. At the same time, Jacob would be able to obtain the potion at a price that was acceptable to him.
However, to his disappointment, Li Tianxiang only gave a faint "oh" before throwing his transparent card to Noir.
"There are 5,000 magic crystals inside. Perfect."
Jacob was dumbfounded as he watched Li Tianxiang waste 500,000 gold coins. Then, he noticed the gazes of the people around him.
More importantly, he found Lan waving a fist at him with a swagger. Meanwhile, May was frowning at him with a look of disgust.
He had lost. He had completely lost.
Faced with the looks of disdain, Jacob left the workshop with his servant like a defeated dog with his tail between his legs.
Noir looked at the transparent card in her hand and sighed helplessly. Her income from today would be comparable to her usual quarterly income.
However, she was not happy at all. After all, although she was not afraid of Jacob, complete enmity had formed between them.
No matter how powerful a merchant was, in the face of true power, they were like ice and snow facing the sun. They would melt before long.
"If you're worried, you can return the money to Duke Harry later."
Upon looking at Noir's troubled expression, Li Tianxiang was a little confused. Wasn't this very simple?
"Return the money? That would only make him feel even more humiliated!"
However, Warren had already reacted to the situation, and he waved his hand to calm Noir down.
"Do you mean… returning the money to Duke Harry?"
Seeing Warren stroking his beard thoughtfully, Li Tianxiang smiled.
"That's right. I think even the Duke would have a good impression of you if he regained the 300,000 gold coins that he lost. Besides, as long as you complain a little, unless you are brainless, the Duke will know whose problem it was."
Seeing the smile on Li Tianxiang's face, Warren's hand that was stroking his beard paused for a second. He accidentally pulled off a strand of hair, causing him to grimace in pain. Meanwhile, he silently sighed with emotion.
Li Tianxiang did not have any good intentions in getting Noir to return the money. In fact, he was actually 'complaining' to the Duke about Jacob's actions.
Those who had a stable position in the Monarch City would definitely know what was important and what was not. It would probably be a light punishment if Jacob was grounded. After all, he knew that the Duke had three sons…
"In any case, these 300,000 gold coins have to be returned. As for my 500,000 gold coins…"
Warren's lips twitched upon seeing Li Tianxiang's miserly expression. Had he really thought this far?
"That won't do."
Noir smirked and simply pocketed the transparent card.
"There are so many people watching. What if the apprentices ask me where the money is? I also happen to lack experimental equipment and raw materials. I'll take this money as a sponsorship from you."
Li Tianxiang didn't really intend to get the money back. After all, it was a free gift from Gordon and not something he earned from the system through farming. Thus, it didn't hurt him at all when he spent it. However, he had the habit of reaping benefits, so he asked.
"Alright, alright, alright. I don't want it anymore, but I need some mithril. You have to give me some, right? Just treat it as a gift that comes with buying the potion."
As he said that, Li Tianxiang shook the test tube in his hand. Only then did the two of them realize that they had yet to observe the effects of the potion.
"I'm going to drink it."
Li Tianxiang pulled open the cork, and a refreshing fragrance immediately entered his nose, causing his eyes to unconsciously glow with joy.
"Test Subject Number 939, Record 107…"
Noel held a wooden board in one hand with a piece of paper on it. She held a pen in his other hand, ready to record the results of this experiment.
The corner of Li Tianxiang's mouth twitched. He closed his eyes, raised his head, and gulped down the potion.
"How is it?"
Noir pushed her goggles over her head and looked at Li Tianxiang curiously.
"Didn't you say that it would definitely be alright?"
Upon seeing that she was obviously afraid that he would explode after drinking it, Li Tianxiang naturally didn't have a good attitude.
"The human body is different from animals. Although there are no problems with animals, we still have to be fully prepared…"
Noel continued to talk about the necessity of alchemy experiments and the safety criteria in alchemy. Li Tianxiang believed that if he did not stop her from talking, she would not stop until tomorrow.
"Alright, alright! Stop, I got it! Didn't you want to know the effects of the experiment!"
Hearing this, Noir finally stopped talking. Beside her, May and Lan also breathed a sigh of relief.
Warren laughed like a weasel who'd stolen a chicken when he saw how inexperienced they were. Then, he pulled two cotton balls from his ears.
The three of them immediately glared at him. From the looks of it, Warren had already experienced Noir's glib tongue.
However, he did not tell them, not to mention that he had prepared earplugs. In the end, the rest of them were tortured by Noir!
"Stop staring! What exactly happened?!"
Noir grabbed Li Tianxiang's head and turned him around so that he could look at her.
"Uh…"
Noir was very forceful, and Li Tianxiang had been sitting on a chair. Thus, a beautiful scenery was revealed from a corner of Noir's collar.
Li Tianxiang quickly looked away and told Noir how he felt.
"The taste is very good and the effects are great."
"That's it?"
"That's it."
Li Tianxiang was surprised. After all, the Heart of the Beast was a debuff from the system.
This potion was obviously a native product of this world, but he did not expect that it could really eliminate this negative state.
Not long after Li Tianxiang drank the potion, he realized that the Heart of the Beast debuff in his status bar had disappeared. However, he didn't expect Noir to be dissatisfied with the effect.
"This shouldn't be…"
Noir tapped her chin with the end of her pen. Then, her eyes flashed.
Before Li Tianxiang could react, she had already left the laboratory. When she returned, she was holding a small black pill.