Chapter 152

The Imperial Palace where the sovereign of the Chinguk Empire resides.

For several weeks now, the air here had been thick with tension.

The eunuchs and palace maidens who served closest to the sovereign moved about with utmost caution, careful not to make a sound as they came and went.

The royal physicians always carried an air of dread. One wrong herb could cause disaster.

In this tense atmosphere, one person alone remained composed.

Prince Tang Yeon-cheol, the Regent Crown Prince, was personally nursing the sovereign.

Day and night, he cared for his ailing father.

As regent, the only other thing he did was squeeze in audience sessions whenever he had a moment.

There was no choice. His father’s condition was precarious, and he could pass away at any time. The crown prince personally inspected even the medicine.

“What herbs did you use?”

“One pennyweight of agarwood, two pennyweights of astragalus, and small amounts of white atractylodes and ginseng, Your Highness. If this proves ineffective again, I will substitute ginseng with wild rehmannia. Though His Majesty is weak, please do not lose hope.”

“Do your best.”

“Yes, Your Highness!”

Of course, Tang Yeon-cheol was also aware: neither ginseng, agarwood, or rehmannia could restore his father’s fading strength. His father was already as good as dead.

“How laughable. What a futile effort.”

While inwardly scoffing at the situation, Tang Yeon-cheol glanced at his father.

The sovereign struggled to breathe, as though on the verge of passing.

Beside him, shamanic priests took turns infusing him with energy.

It was a form of mystical treatment.

To be honest, no one really expected it to work, but it did at least give His Majesty’s complexion a faintly improved appearance.

Perhaps even that was an illusion. For the sake of that illusion, skilled shamans worked tirelessly.

Pointless efforts to extend the life of someone already as good as a plant, even if only by a single day.

Despite this, Tang Yeon-cheol dared not discuss giving up. That wasn’t the duty of a son. Until the very end, all efforts had to be exhausted to care for his father, who would soon join the ancestors.

But Tang Yeon-cheol had another matter even more pressing than nursing duties: the issue regarding the sinister pharmacist of the Britannia Empire.

After entrusting the care of his father to his younger brother for a while, Tang Yeon-cheol called his subordinates.

“Was the message delivered to Alan Medoff?”

“Yes, Your Highness. …As you predicted, he refused.”

The proposal delivered to Alan Medoff, the Privy Council Chairman, via the empire’s resident diplomat.

A demand for him to appear at court personally, or a demand to send his brother as a hostage, or a demand to deliver Tang Yeon-cheol himself.

All of them were rejected, they said.

Tang Yeon-cheol smiled bitterly. He hadn’t really expected approval in the first place.

What he truly wanted to know was something else.

“What did Alan Medoff’s expression look like when we informed him that we had discovered the method to produce that substance? What was his reaction? Was he surprised? Or did he brush it off as unimportant?”

“Your Majesty, Westerners all look alike, so it’s hard to judge from their expressions…”

“Just tell me the truth.”

“He briefly sighed once. He didn’t seem particularly startled from what I’ve been told.”

Just one sigh.

It seemed as though Alan Medoff, the fearsome man, didn’t consider the method of producing morphine to be that significant a piece of knowledge. He remained calm even after learning that the secret formula for the exclusive narcotic had been uncovered.

‘Indeed, a frightening individual.’

How much effort had it taken to discover the method for producing morphine?

Secret orders had been issued to capable doctors who skillfully handled dangerous herbs such as opium, white peony, and cannabis, leading to thousands of experiments. Mistakes were made, and several people became addicts while testing the efficacy.

Yet, it seemed this villain wasn’t particularly startled.

“I apologize, Your Highness.”

“No, it’s not your fault.”

The knowledge gained was not entirely meaningless.

The fact that Alan Medoff feared the widespread proliferation of morphine remained unchanged.

Otherwise, why would its distribution be restricted to the military?

The fact that morphine and the even more terrifying heroin were produced using opium as the raw material hadn’t changed either. Neither had the reality that other types of narcotics like ephedra could be manufactured. The empire’s production capacity was still predictably limited.

‘This could be a fight worth undertaking, as long as we maintain strict control within our borders.’

It wasn’t solely because of hatred for the empire.

If left unchecked, the empire would surely attempt to invade the Chinguk Kingdom using Alan Medoff as the spearhead. The instinct of humans wielding sharp weapons is to swing them. Tang Yeon-cheol had merely acted as the catalyst.

Of course, the empire couldn’t be left alone even if it harmed the Chinguk Kingdom.

After the envoys from Chinguk had visited.

My next point of contact was Empress Lianhua.

The former Crown Princess of Chinguk and sister of the Crown Prince of that land.

I thought I had already gathered all the information I could from her, but with Chinguk now mastering the method for producing morphine, a new strategy was necessary.

In preparation for formulating this new strategy, I needed someone to confer with.

Thus, I went to the Imperial Chambers.

“Have you arrived?”

When I saw the empress, the phrase “humans are creatures of habit” immediately came to mind.

Her attire was responsible for this impression.

The empress, who used to wear elaborate and splendid robes fit for her title of princess, was now dressed in relatively plain jackets and unadorned skirts. Clearly, since she was no longer a princess, she no longer wore the garments of one.

‘Even though there’s no one to point it out, she’s still mindful of her dress code.’

Because of her meticulousness, it was easier to seek advice from her.

“The tea is being enjoyed well. The coca leaves Siena gave me.”

“Fortunately. …However, Empress.”

“I understand. You didn’t come here asking about my wellbeing. Ask what you want.”

Perhaps it was the invigoration from the rich coca tea, but Empress Lianhua, whose complexion appeared slightly better, looked at me with narrowed eyes as if inviting me to proceed.

So I laid everything out on the table.

…

“A regrettable situation indeed.”

First, the empress reacted as though it was someone else’s problem.

But because her usually gentle tone made her appear maternal, she was actually already slightly knitting her brows, aware that the discovery of morphine production by Chinguk was no trivial matter.

Then doubt surfaced on her face.

“Do you have unclear expectations of what I might help with? I have no knowledge of pharmacy myself?”

“I am aware of that. What I wish to inquire about is something else.”

“In that case.”

“Would it be possible to compromise with the Chinguk Crown Prince? I wish to ascertain if he is willing to cease his hostility toward me.”

The doubt on the empress’s face deepened.

The fact that the word “compromise” came out of my mouth seemed unbelievable to her.

It is puzzling indeed. The empress knows that morphine isn’t my sole advantage because I possess even stronger weapons, so she’s naturally curious why I’d even discuss compromise.

However, I am not doing this without cause.

“The harm caused by morphine isn’t lessened just because it’s weaker than heroin.”

“Of course not.”

“The side effects are comparable to cocaine and only slightly less severe compared to the phenylacetone that killed Leon Rothe Dale. The common opium cannot compare. Once it spreads, the consequences will be tremendous.”

Morphine is indeed terrifying enough.

Even with this explanation, the empress continued to look baffled.

“Can’t we just block the drugs coming from Chinguk?”

“Empress.”

“Of course, it isn’t entirely possible to completely stop them. But consider this: can Chinguk trade vessels deliver large quantities of morphine to our empire now? If Victoria blocks them thoroughly, I believe the damage wouldn’t be severe.”

“…”

“If we block them, where would the supply go? It would go back to Chinguk.”

Her assessment wasn’t incorrect.

Chinguk might be capable of manufacturing large amounts of morphine through somewhat primitive methods, but blocking it wouldn’t be impossible. The current empire isn’t an environment where Orientals can openly sell morphine with confidence.

If we blocked them, the supply could indeed backfire onto Chinguk.

Meanwhile, we could also spread even deadlier drugs into Chinguk.

However, my concern was something else.

“Empress. Chinguk has many ways to leverage drugs.”

“Hmm?”

“For instance, they could offload the supply onto Darien Kingdom or the Turu Republic, at lower prices. Would any nation refuse such an offer? While we can block shipments by sea, we can’t seal off every border.”

“A.”

First, an attack through third-party countries.

And there’s more.

“…Though this is an extreme scenario, they could also disseminate the manufacturing process instead of the substance. Aren’t there plenty of people within the empire who’ve already spent fortunes trying to make morphine themselves? If Chinguk openly shares the recipe…”

“Many people would jump at the chance to produce it immediately.”

“Exactly.”

The empress’ expression gradually hardened.

If all Chinguk wanted was money, they wouldn’t resort to circulating supplies to third countries or spreading the recipe. That would be counterproductive, right?

But if the trade was not the goal, but an attack on the empire was, they might be capable of doing so.

The empress sighed briefly and nodded while speaking resolutely.

“…Now I understand why you mention compromise. You believe that even if you win, the empire will suffer greatly and search for a way out. Because a victory could easily result in mutual harm.”

“Exactly.”

“But compromise is impossible. It might only be possible if I’m sent, but I have no intention of going.”

“Don’t worry, I won’t send you.”

With this reassurance, Empress Lianhua added calmly:

Chinguk is already rigorously supervising poppy cultivation to prevent side effects, as well as controlling all the hot springs suitable for obtaining salt. They intend to attack the empire.

Ultimately, compromise is impossible. This was Empress Lianhua’s answer.

“I’m sorry to have disappointed you.”

The empress apologized while sipping her coca tea.

It didn’t matter. I wasn’t desperately seeking peace to begin with. If that were the case, I wouldn’t have let Siena smuggle in drugs through the shadows.

I only needed confirmation.

That there was no way to avoid a full-scale collision through any means.

“Thank you for your advice.”

After offering appropriate thanks, I returned to the production facility.

I also decided to summon Siena, who was still busy with her operations, once again.

To prepare for the upcoming War of Narcotics.

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