Chương 233: The Lifeline of Opening at 7 AM

The moment Marcus asked his question, the atmosphere in the carriage instantly turned icy.

The nightingale beside Roland had a cold voice.

"Mr. Marcus."

"This is probably not something you could know, or perhaps you've planted people inside the church?"

The nightingale was not labeled without reason.

The truth is that only the group's core management knew about the platinum tentacle slime.

Marcus, that lapdog who's always been on the sidelines, shouldn't even know this.

The fact that he's asking this question now means there's only one possibility.

That means he planted people within the group, or even turned a senior manager against him.

So Nightingale decisively unleashed her magical pressure, enveloping Marcus, with the air of ready to kill at the slightest provocation.

Although Nightingale's strength hasn't increased much recently, her intermediate-level magic power is enough to terrify the weak Marcus, causing him to break out in a cold sweat.

"Miss Nightingale, you've misunderstood! I'm innocent!"

The nightingale sneered.

"Heh, the whole affair with the antidote to the Bewitching Herb was controlled by the church. If you didn't tamper with it, how could you possibly know?"

"I urge you to reveal the traitor's name immediately."

Roland held out her hand, gesturing for Nightingale to stop, her face still bearing a smile.

"Nightingale, stop."

"I don't think Mr. Marcus would do anything unwise, and it's impossible for there to be a traitor within the church."

At this moment, Marcus still carried the highly poisonous brand provided by Lady Tree. This branding magic, built on the foundation of divine power, had almost no possibility of being removed.

If someone dares to plant a traitor within the Roland Group, it would be tantamount to courting death.

Roland showed a curious expression.

"Mr. Marcus, I believe you have not betrayed me."

"But I'm curious, how exactly did you obtain information about the antidote for the Bewitching Herb potion?"

Marcus felt the pressure ease and immediately let out a long sigh of relief. After carefully considering his words, he spoke truthfully.

"Miss Roland, to be precise, I guessed this information."

"You guessed it?"

Roland was surprised.

"Yes."

Marcus nodded in confirmation, then looked at Roland with a somewhat strange expression.

"As for how I guessed it... that goes back to a month and a half ago."

"A month and a half ago?"

Roland was calculating the days.

A month and a half ago, around seven o'clock, was the time when the disabled beast girls were fleeing and smuggling themselves out of the port. News of the smuggling ship wasn't exactly a secret in the old port area, so it wasn't surprising that Marcus knew about it.

A look of understanding flashed in Roland's eyes.

"Mr. Marcus, is it those orcs who fled here that led you to this conclusion?"

Marcus nodded.

"Yes, I did a little research, and all the orcs on that wrecked ship belong to the 7 o'clock opening."

"I used to have a VIP card that opened at 7 o'clock, so I know some of the inside stories. For example, the orcs who escaped were basically fed bewitching herbs to improve the quality of their services."

As Marcus spoke, he picked up the small teapot from the coffee table and diligently filled the porcelain cup in front of Roland with black tea, his tone revealing a hint of embarrassment.

"Just a few days ago, when I visited the church for business with the Chamber of Commerce, I happened to see two orcs, who happened to be the dancers I saw when the store opened at seven o'clock."

"Ahem... Of course, I didn't do anything too outrageous to them."

"Anyway, the day I saw them, they were wearing clerk's long skirts and uniforms in the church. They must have been doing clerical work. People addicted to the Bewitching Herb potion can't do any proper work."

When the topic of potions came up, Marcus's expression suddenly turned melancholy, as if he had some unspeakable experience, and even his back slumped slightly.

"If people don't take the Bewitching Herb potion for a long time, their brains will turn into mush, and they will abandon their personal dignity for a bottle of potion."

"And those orcs you took in had clear eyes, natural and cheerful expressions, and even a kind of elegant temperament. They didn't seem like guys who had drunk the bewitching herb potion at all."

Oh, so I saw the beast girl who helped with government affairs at the church.

Roland was wondering where she had revealed her little black chicken feet when she realized that the beast girl who had smuggled herself over had been spotted by Marcus, a regular customer.

That makes sense.

As the number one lackey with the mark on his body, Marcus was qualified to meet Roland on the third floor of the church, and naturally encountered the smuggled beast girl who was working there.

It's just too coincidental that Marcus ran into a familiar face among so many beast girls.

"Mr. Marcus, why do you assume that I developed the antidote, rather than that I purchased the bewitching herb potion to satisfy these beast girls' demands?"

Marcus smiled wryly.

"So I'm just guessing, but I'm more inclined to believe that you've developed the antidote."

Why do you think that?

"Because Miss Roland, the crackdown on Bewitching Herb potions is very strong in your territory, I personally think it is unlikely that you would employ orcs with potion addiction, unless those orcs can be cured."

"Most importantly, the Roland Group and Seven O'Clock Opening are currently at odds, making it difficult for you to purchase large quantities of Bewitching Herb Potions to satisfy so many orcs."

Marcus's reasoning silenced Roland.

In fact, she has no intention of bringing the healing mucus to market, at least not for quite some time.

The Bewitching Herb Potion, a harmful substance, has been entrenched in this world for far too long, with deeply intertwined interests and complex relationships with nobles, extraordinary individuals, merchants, and lords.

Once the information about the healing slime is exposed, Serafie alone will not be enough to protect Roland and the Roland Group.

Putting aside everything else, the fact that it opens at 7 PM and the Church of Vulcan behind it will make them spare no effort to take control of Roland, or simply destroy all sources of healing slime.

After all, the development of opening at seven o'clock and the collection of faith in the Church of Vulcan are largely inseparable from the Bewitching Herb potion.

As a business elite, Marcus couldn't possibly be unaware of this information, so asking so directly would be far too abrupt.

Unless Marcus desperately needs this antidote.

Roland narrowed her large eyes, the smile on her face vanished completely, and a sense of oppressive authority emanated from her once again.

"Marcus, before answering the question about the antidote, I also want to ask you a question."

"Miss Roland, please feel free to ask any questions. I will answer to the best of my knowledge!"

Marcus became excited upon hearing Roland's words.

Roland did not explicitly deny it, which actually means that the Roland Group really does have a way to cure the Bewitching Herb potion. Even if it cannot cure the addiction, it can alleviate the addiction to some extent!

His face was filled with barely suppressed excitement, but then Roland's next words made him freeze.

"Marcus, have you become addicted to the Bewitching Herb potion?"