Chapter - 5851

Upon hearing Helena speak her mind in a frank manner, Howard hesitated for a brief moment before deciding to cast aside his own hidden intentions. With utmost respect, he spoke, "Your Majesty, to be completely transparent, I am no spring chicken. The reason I am pushing so hard and personally overseeing the delivery of the entire AI model in Northern Europe is because I am desperately eager to obtain that extraordinary elixir as soon as possible."

After a slight pause, he continued, "Now that the AI model has been delivered, and this model uses the latest and finest chips from NVIDIA, it surpasses even the one in Silicon Valley. Take the video processing demonstrated that day, for example. Compared to the AI processing circulating online, it is light years ahead. Although the AI videos online may appear realistic, like movie special effects, upon closer inspection, one can detect numerous flaws. However, the videos processed by this AI model are nearly indistinguishable from reality. I believe that as long as the content being processed is not too far-fetched or out of sync, even professionals won't be able to detect any issues."

Helena nodded approvingly.

Howard was not mistaken in his assessment. There are indeed many AI models online capable of processing videos, but most of them are purely for entertainment purposes and their lack of realism is glaringly obvious. However, the AI model from Silicon Valley is truly exceptional, possessing the ability to deceive even the most discerning eye.

If this were to be the benchmark for Howard's successful completion of the mission, it would undoubtedly be considered a resounding triumph.

Therefore, Helena didn't beat around the bush and promptly retrieved a pair of disposable gloves from her pocket, revealing the elixir that Charlie had given her earlier. She said to Howard, "Mr. Howard, this is the elixir you have yearned for. According to our agreement, you may now purchase half of it for the price of 50 billion dollars."

Howard's excitement surged as he laid eyes on the elixir. He exclaimed, "Your Majesty, please rest assured that the funds have already been prepared and can be transferred to you at any time. I just need to confirm if there have been any changes to your payment information."

Helena smiled and replied, "There have been no changes. You may proceed with the payment using the previous account information. Once the payment is received, I will provide you with the elixir."

Howard's enthusiasm reached its peak as he hastily said, "Very well! Your Majesty, please wait a moment. I will immediately inform my Chief Financial Officer to complete the payment!"

With that, Howard swiftly retrieved his phone and made a call with lightning speed.

As Howard dialed the number, he promptly instructed the recipient, "Transfer the 50 billion dollars to the Norwegian Royal Family's previous account. The sooner, the better!"

The recipient, who had been on standby in the United States, awaiting Howard's payment order, wasted no time and swiftly initiated the remittance process.

Soon enough, Helena received a notification of the cash deposit.

50 billion dollars was undoubtedly a colossal sum of money. For many top companies and families, it would require liquidating assets to amass such a substantial amount of cash. However, for the Rothschild family, 50 billion dollars was a mere trifle. Even if they were to pay such a large sum in cash, it would have no negative impact on their wealth. It was simply a reduction in the digits within their account.

Now that the payment had been received, Helena wasted no time and retrieved a folding knife, roughly the size of her thumb, from her pocket. With great care, she located the center of the elixir and sliced it in half. She then pointed to the two equally sized halves of the elixir on the table and said to Howard, "Mr. Howard, you may choose whichever portion you desire."

Howard, upon hearing this, grew even more excited and replied, "Thank you, Your Majesty. Let me feel them and determine which one suits me better."

He was about to approach and weigh the two portions of the elixir to ascertain which one was heavier.

Helena halted him and handed him a pair of disposable gloves, smiling as she said, "Mr. Howard, since it is something to be ingested, it is important to maintain hygiene."

Howard quickly accepted the gloves and carefully cradled each portion of the elixir in the palm of his hands.

Each portion of the elixir weighed only a few grams, with the weight difference between the halves being minuscule. Moreover, Helena had cut them with precision, making it even more challenging to discern any weight disparity. To truly determine which one was lighter or heavier, a high-precision device like a scale would be required.

After weighing them for a while, Howard couldn't discern any noticeable difference in weight between the two portions of the elixir. He couldn't help but express his regret, saying, "If only I had brought a small scale..."

Helena smiled and reassured him, "Mr. Rothschild, even if there is a slight difference between these two portions of the elixir, it won't be significant. There's no need to be so meticulous."

Howard couldn't help but sigh, "Your Majesty, this elixir weighs about 10 grams, with half of it weighing nearly 5 grams. At a price of 50 billion U.S. dollars, each gram is worth 10 billion. This could very well be the most expensive substance in the world. Even a difference of just 0.1 gram would still be worth 1 billion U.S. dollars."

Helena smiled and nodded, saying, "Mr. Rothschild isn't wrong, but sometimes not everything can be calculated. There are moments when you have to take a risk. To be honest, not long ago, someone I deeply admire told me that I need to be decisive and resolute. Instead of hesitating and worrying about every detail, I should just take the leap without any regrets."

Howard sighed, "What Her Majesty says is true, but I'm still uncertain."

With that, he set down the half of the elixir in his left hand, lifted the half in his right hand, and said, "I'll choose this half."

Helena inquired, "Are you certain? Once you decide, there's no going back."

"Absolutely certain! Completely sure!" Howard knew deep down that his hesitation was futile. The weight difference between the two portions of the elixir might truly be as small as 0.1 grams or even less. Without professional equipment, it would be impossible to determine which was lighter or heavier. Instead of lingering in hesitation and indecision, embarrassing himself in front of a young woman like Helena, it was better to make a decisive choice.

Helena nodded and said, "In that case, Mr. Rothschild, go ahead and consume the portion of the elixir you have chosen."

Howard instinctively moved to put the elixir in his mouth, but then he thought of his son Steve, waiting for him not far away in the banquet hall. If he were to consume the elixir and suddenly appear rejuvenated when he emerged, Steve would undoubtedly grow suspicious.

Although Steve was already obedient and sensible, Howard didn't want to push him too hard. If he constantly grew younger and healthier, it might provoke him to rebel.

Therefore, he decided to carefully preserve the portion of the elixir and said to Helena, "Your Majesty, I plan to keep this portion and consume it after returning to the United States."

Helena guessed his thoughts and smiled, "Our transaction is complete, and the item is now yours. You have full autonomy to decide."

After saying that, she reached out and took back the other half of the pill.

The moment Howard saw her take the pill, his heart began to race, and he quickly exclaimed, "Your Majesty, I have another request. I wonder if you might consider it!"

At that moment, Howard was thinking that since half of the pill was still available, perhaps he could persuade Helena to let him purchase the other half.

It didn’t matter if it cost 50 billion U.S. dollars or even more. After all, he had accumulated enough wealth, and now was the time to use that money to buy himself a longer life.

When Helena heard his plea, she had a good idea of what he was going to ask. Smiling, she said, "Mr. Rothschild, there's no need to be so formal. If you have any thoughts, just let me know, and I’ll consider them."

As she spoke, she casually brought the half-pill closer, and before Howard's eyes, she popped it into her mouth like it was a piece of chocolate.

Howard was still searching for the right words, thinking about how to approach Helena, when he saw the scene that made his heart sink. Helena didn’t even wait for him to speak—she just took the half-pill he had been dreaming of!