Chapter 150: Perfect Ten

Li Mochen glanced sideways at Karl: "Are you sure this is appropriate? Won't it affect your product sales?"

"It wasn't us who did this; it was those betting companies. They clearly want to make another profit off you."

Karl Holton instinctively defended himself, but soon told the truth under Li Mochen's gaze: "I don't know the specifics, but BOSS believes that 'controversy' and 'topics' are the best way to keep you hot and in the spotlight. He plans to make you the most famous high school fighting star in all of America as quickly as possible. As for the impact on our company, it's actually very limited. William, could you give me the remote control in your hand?"

William complied and tossed the remote over. Karl turned on the TV again and switched to another channel.

"This is Georgia Youth Television, a public TV station under the American Broadcasting Company. Its audience leans toward teenagers, especially girls."

As Karl explained, Li Mochen and William watched the TV.

It was a talk show. The host, a middle-aged woman with lingering charm, was speaking eloquently: "You guessed it—today we're talking about the hottest topic on the West Coast of America. The battle between the Twin Sword Prince and the Lucky Prince—"

At that moment, an image appeared on the left side of the screen: Li Mochen pressing his sword against James Lanster, kissing the Lucky Bracelet amid a rain of plastic bottles and cans.

"Cool!"

William exclaimed softly: "Who took this photo? It's absolutely stunning."

Li Mochen also thought he looked very handsome and cool in the picture; he was almost mesmerized by his own image on screen.

But then he realized it must have been retouched. The original body was indeed very handsome and charming, but not to the point of being otherworldly.

"Very handsome, isn't he? This is today's sensation sweeping the entire East Coast of America: the Lucky Prince, Andrew Lee Wylsten. A prince fallen from the top noble families of America into the mortal world, an unparalleled fighting genius—"

The middle-aged woman said this without a blush, making Li Mochen cringe: "Before we start our discussion, let's watch a video. I believe many viewers have already seen the live broadcast, but let's give those who don't know a chance to catch up."

With the host's words, the screen changed. What played next was the scene of Li Mochen defeating James Lanster in the ring at Storm Stadium.

Li Mochen noticed that this video had also been carefully edited, selecting the best angles to fully showcase his relaxed composure and stern demeanor in the ring.

The video lasted less than two minutes before the screen cut back to the studio.

"He's a very handsome young man, isn't he? Even I'm almost captivated. Especially the way he defeated his opponent—it was like the dance of an elf."

The host then looked at the guest beside her with an inquiring expression: "Mr. Punk, what do you think of this match footage? And of Andrew Lee Wylsten himself?"

"The method Wylsten used to defeat James Lanster is an Eastern martial technique known as 'borrowing force to strike,' a fairly advanced fighting skill usually mastered only by high-level Outlaws."

The black elder on the sofa, massive as a mountain, said: "And I should also introduce James Lanster: last year's runner-up in the Atlanta High School MOS individual competition, this year's top contender, a seventh-level magic warrior. For Wylsten to use such a technique against an opponent of this caliber shows his fighting prowess. Without a doubt, he is the most talented middle school student I have ever seen—bar none!"

"That's Desaro Punk! A retired war king, two-time NMOSA gold belt winner, NMOSA Hall of Famer, one of the top 50 stars. He's the pride of the black community. He retired at sixty-five and is one of the rare NMOSA fighters to step into the legendary realm after retirement—"

William's eyes were full of admiration. Karl Holton used the remote to turn off the TV again: "This is our strategy. The promotional resources of the Nathan Group will focus on teenage and female audiences. Due to the generation gap, the media they like usually doesn't overlap with that of adults, especially gamblers. As your image consultant explained earlier, your background, talent, and appearance have great market appeal among young American girls."

Just as Karl was speaking, a knock came from outside the door.

Li Mochen already sensed who it was, and a bad feeling crept over him.

"Angela, is that you? Come in."

"You sensed me just now? Amazing."

The ones who pushed the door open were indeed Angela and Lina, each carrying a large bowl of soup, beaming as they entered.

"Amo, you must be tired now? I figured you wouldn't finish the contract with Nathan until late at night, so I made you some soup."

Angela placed the soup bowl in front of Li Mochen. When she lifted the lid, a rich aroma wafted out.

"See? Perfect Ten Tonic Soup. You like Eastern food, right? I specially learned it from a recipe given by an Eastern chef."

"Wow!"

William Jacques looked at them with a half-smile: "I suppose I get a share, right?"

"No, this is my first time making it. How could I make too much?"

Angela said calmly, without a hint of guilt or embarrassment: "This is for Amo and the little dragon vein to taste. Once they're satisfied, I can serve this dish to others. Next time, okay? I'll include your portion."

William Jacques's face twitched. He felt he was being outranked even by the pet dragon vein. Could these two—one big, one small—really finish two such large bowls of soup?

Li Mochen silently stirred the soup with a spoon, and his eyebrows jumped. He thought, well, this truly lives up to the Medici family's Perfect Ten Tonic Soup.

Five-hundred-year-old 'ginseng,' 'blood ginger'—one of the main ingredients of Leviathan—and 'West Sea Angelica' from the waist of Kunlun Mountain, costing three thousand gold shields per gram—these were just some of the supplementary ingredients; he hadn't identified the others.

Then there was a small deep-sea fire turtle as the main ingredient—wow, what was that? There was also what looked like meat from a seventeenth-level dragon species and a heart from a sixteenth-level holy fire bird.

He wondered what recipe this Perfect Ten Tonic Soup was based on. What theory of yin-yang dialectics?

The key point was that he had already taken too many medicines and eaten too much beast meat; he was almost over-nourished.

"Amo, are you not confident in my cooking?"

Angela seemed a bit aggrieved: "I tasted it before coming. It's very delicious. And it's savory, which should be to your liking."