Chapter 8: Shandong Pharmaceutical Company

  19th century London, England was like a massive garbage dump construction site. On one hand, it was a dirty and chaotic cityscape with polluted water flowing everywhere, while on the other hand, it was also a place of economic prosperity brought about by the Industrial Revolution. At the port on the Thames River, an ocean liner that had traveled from afar was docking, carrying David Wurburg who had narrowly escaped death in the East. He stood silently at the ship's railing, gazing out at this familiar place.

  Seated in a wicker chair on the porch of his estate on the outskirts of London, elderly Baron Joseph Wurberg sipped a cup of hot tea as he watched the gardeners tidy up the flowers and grass in the courtyard. This was a small estate left behind by Joseph's grandfather, which had become outdated after more than 100 years, with even the roof of the main building looking worn out.

  Outside the manor's gate, it seemed like someone had arrived. The gatekeeper was opening the iron gate and a four-wheeled carriage drove in. Since his son David went to the Far East, the Earl's family fortunes had been declining, and few people came to visit this fallen old Earl anymore. As he watched the carriage circle around the central garden and stop before him, the old Earl suddenly felt a tremble in his heart, as if sensing something. He put down his teacup, slowly stood up, and gazed at the carriage door with suspicion.

  "David...my David???" Joseph's voice trembled as he saw the young man get out of the car.

  "Father, I am David, I have returned." It was indeed David Warburg who had just stepped down from the carriage, tears streaming down his face as he hugged the old count.

  In the evening, the Woburn Manor was brightly lit, and this old mansion, which had been deserted for several years, seemed to have regained its youth. In the study, David was telling Joseph about his life in that vast and weak country over the past few years, while Joseph puffed on a cigar brought back by his son, listening with a happy face to his son's various experiences.

  "David, are you leaving again this time?" Joseph asked.

  "Father, I've resigned from my position in the Far East Fleet. This time back, I plan to sell a kind of medicine. It's a miraculous medicine that not only saved your son but can also save our family." David said as he took out a small porcelain bottle from his pocket with three Chinese characters "消炎片" written on it.

  "Is this that medicine you were talking about? What a beautiful bottle, just like an antique." Joseph took the bottle and didn't open it, but instead looked at it.

  "Well, Father, do you still have friends in your circle in London? This medicine is expensive, I think it's best to recommend it to the nobles first, preferably those with serious illnesses." David asked tentatively.

  "Oh, I haven't been to town for a long time, but don't worry, my son. I'll have the steward pay attention and see if there are any upcoming balls or banquets. As for being seriously ill...I think those guys who spend their days indulging in wine and women will never be too healthy." The old earl said with confidence, thinking that if this medicine was as miraculous as his son said, he wouldn't have to worry about finding a buyer.

  Half a month later, David appeared at the Marquis of Lewis's party in a brand new suit. Although he had been away for several years, the circle hadn't changed much, and David soon found his old friends with whom he used to eat, drink, and gamble together, and after a few cups, he successfully rekindled their old friendship.

  It is said that this time David brought back a kind of magical medicine, and even tried the efficacy of the medicine. These nobles immediately became interested. Not all of these nobles were medical enthusiasts, but most of them had some unspeakable secrets! At that time, having a mistress was a necessary factor in European high society, brothels were also relatively common, and at that time, the sanitary conditions led to the widespread prevalence of various venereal diseases among the upper class and intellectuals. The famous German philosopher Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche was infected with syphilis in a brothel, which affected him for most of his life, and he didn't even dare to marry the woman he loved, living a lonely life.

  As the few bottles of "anti-inflammatory pills" given by friends fully achieved a decisive therapeutic effect, David, the heir of this declining aristocratic family, immediately became a red man in London's high-society circle. Various lords and ladies hoped to have private and intimate conversations with David at their own balls, and generously purchased a divine medicine that could cure influenza and sepsis.

  As for the popularity of the pills, David was mentally prepared: those who would sell their souls for money were a tiny minority. However, he had not anticipated that the therapeutic effects would be mainly on lower body diseases. As his fame spread far and wide, David and "Anti-Inflammatory Pills" crossed the English Channel, soon to be heard by various famous social circles in Europe, followed by all sorts of invitations, forcing David to spend more than two months basically living in carriages and trains, like a courier darting between European countries. In the end, David had no choice but to let Joseph establish a "Sunderland Pharmaceutical Company" on his own estate, gradually setting up branches in the capitals of various European countries to replace his endless shuttling.

  Actually, apart from selling medicine, David had another mission, which was to purchase various equipment in European countries according to Liu's list. Sometimes it would also involve military equipment. However, these somewhat difficult problems were all solved perfectly in David's pharmaceutical campaign. Those gentlemen of high society didn't care what kind of equipment the Far Eastern merchant wanted to buy, as long as David brought it up, someone would immediately rush to help him solve these troubles, and the price and delivery time would be the best. Once, a Dutch tycoon heard that David needed to purchase a set of shipyard equipment but complained about the long delivery period. He immediately dismantled all the equipment from one of his medium-sized shipyards in the Netherlands and sold it to David, along with installation personnel.

  David sometimes couldn't sleep at night, thinking of the governor's son. He had imagined countless times using his connections in Europe to rescue his own son from Liu Fei's hands. But he could never make up his mind, on one hand because of his noble promise, and on the other hand because of a feeling towards Liu Fei that was neither fear nor worry. Thinking of his high-speed iron ship, transparent and soft glass noodles, exquisite clocks beyond imagination, and the glass plate that could cook food without fire or smoke, David felt a thrill: those things were not something humans could have, and even after traveling all over Europe, he had never seen anything like them. So where did Liu Fei come from? Hell or heaven? David didn't dare to be sure, nor did he dare to make any rash moves.