The Titan Type II, Annihilation, brought a total of 500 points of wealth to Adrian.
Exactly the 500 points of wealth spent were replenished.
The Titan Type II developed towards the "rampage" direction, reaching the limit of destruction. There were two types of elixirs for Type II: Rampage and Annihilation.
Next is the Titan Type III, different from the Titan Type II's direction, focusing on stability and low side effects.
According to the data obtained from the Batman sample, Type III was successfully researched by Bane.
After injection or oral consumption, the body would swell slightly, significantly enhancing various aspects of the body in a short period, such as strength, endurance, and even recovery ability, with the most noticeable improvement being strength.
The duration is similar to Type II, with side effects lasting three to five days, making the body weak and limbs sore, resulting in a "waste of time" feeling.
Both the enhancement and waste times vary depending on individual conditions, but the overall difference is only between three to five minutes and three to five days.
However, if someone's constitution is too weak, using it might lead to death, which cannot be avoided.
This mild version of the Titan elixir was named Titan Type III: Enhancement.
It's the type Bane values the most, having a good sustainable development effect, and having undergone human clinical trials without issues.
Apart from the enhancement, Type III also had a developed "waste product" in Bane's view, at least considered waste. This elixir made people "grow," not in size but in slight height increase.
The duration was quite long, around one to two days, but it didn't offer any assistance in terms of strength.
It was akin to a useless facade, and as for the waste of time after use, there wasn't much, though the body might feel sore for a while.
"How could this be waste? It's a boon for short people!" Adrian waved his hand, changing the Titan Type III: Waste into "Titan Type III: Enlargement."
Even though Type III tried to minimize side effects, it still couldn't become a long-term elixir for use.
Using it extensively for a long time would cause irreversible damage to the body.
The genuinely perfect Titan elixir was only four.
These four perfect Titan elixirs were Bane's greatest achievement in the past month—putting aside the quantity aspect, purely considering the quality.
The ingredients of the perfect Titan elixirs included two "non-renewable resources"—Batman's blood and the Lazarus Pit's spring water.
Part of the blood extracted from Batman was used for research, while the other part served as raw material, merging into the Titan elixir.
Four perfect versions of the Titan elixir were created with unexplained black technology.
The perfect Titan elixir wouldn't cause the body to swell but would provide strength, just like Batman's initial situation, combined with the effects of the Lazarus Pit water, further altering the human body.
This power would be permanently retained.
Of course, according to Bane's estimation, it wouldn't immediately turn a person into a "superhuman" at Batman's level, but instead grant temporary significant strength, recovery, and overall enhancement, and then gradually assimilate into the body, slowly revealing its full potential.
Regarding side effects, there were some due to the Lazarus Pit's inherent effects, causing individuals to become extreme, volatile, and insane.
However, as only a small amount of Lazarus Pit was used, this side effect was short-lived. With the use of the elixir, releasing this emotion afterwards caused almost no issues.
It's not like being submerged in the Lazarus Pit year-round, which would lead to irreversible degeneration.
Thus, the Titan elixirs Type II: Rampage, Type II: Annihilation.
Type III: Enhancement, Type III: Enlargement.
And the four perfect Titan elixirs constituted all of Bane's achievements in the past month.
Additionally, the long-term collaborative trade between Adrian and Bane concluded once again, granting Adrian another 1000 points of wealth.
Currently, Adrian had a total of 2800 points of wealth, getting closer to the milestone of 10,000 points of wealth.
Among these Titan elixirs, the greatest achievement was naturally the perfect Titan elixirs, yet what Adrian and Bane valued the most was not these perfect elixirs.
After all, due to the limited quantity and the nature of their raw materials, these perfect elixirs were impossible to mass-produce.
The other Titan elixirs required materials that weren't so elusive; they could be mass-produced!
Standing up, Adrian walked outside Bane's resting room and knocked on the door.
Bane clearly hadn't fallen asleep yet; he was still in an excited state and not easily given to sleep. He squinted for a moment, and his alertness improved slightly.
"Four perfect Titan elixirs, half for each of us?" Adrian looked at Bane and asked.
Bane nodded; it was natural for research results to be shared between both parties, a decision made early on.
The other Titan elixirs that could be mass-produced didn't matter; it didn't matter who had more or less. What mattered was the data, and Bane had already given Adrian a copy.
Thus, these four perfect Titan elixirs were naturally divided equally between them.
"How much money do I have left?" Adrian continued to inquire.
"Ten million," Bane replied. In a month's time, he had spent a whopping 40 million dollars.
These Titan elixirs were quite costly, and besides money, they required samples of Titan Joker, Titan Batman, and the Lazarus Pit, things that money couldn't buy, the "priceless treasures."
"Ten million." Adrian pondered, "Is it enough to start mass production?"
"Mass production is straightforward; the raw materials aren't expensive," Bane said. "I can produce a dozen or so within a few days."
"No, you misunderstand me," Adrian waved, "When I say mass production, I don't mean merely manufacturing more; it's not just for your underlings. I want to sell it to every corner of Gotham City, into everyone's hands."
"I want everyone in Gotham to be as formidable as a dragon."
If the Penguin were present, he would likely understand what Adrian meant at that moment.
"No, that won't do," Bane shook his head.
Titan Type III: Enhancement significantly increased short-term combat effectiveness, under control; it could greatly expand Bane's power. Now, Adrian wanted to promote it and sell it, which didn't align with Bane's original intentions.
"What's wrong?" Adrian asked.
Bane wasn't angry; after all, their cooperation had been quite pleasant. He patiently said, "If it's promoted, the impact would be significant. If others get hold of it, it won't be good for us."
Promoting Titan Type III: Enhancement would mean giving up their advantage.
"Great! I want a significant impact; only with significant impact can we earn money," Adrian said.
"I don't lack money," Bane replied. He didn't desire money as much as the Penguin did.
"You may not lack it on the surface," Adrian said, "But where does your money come from? Accumulated from the past, along with various black income sources, hot to handle, unstable, difficult to spend, mostly used for your Titan Venom research."
"And ultimately, it's just enough to get by."
"Think about it. Selling Titan elixir Type III will provide a stable, large, and clean income stream."
"I have no use for so much money," Bane wasn't easily persuaded by Adrian.
"You're foolish," Adrian bluntly criticized, "You really think money is useless? If Batman didn't have that equipment, would he be as strong as he is now? If you had equipment as formidable as Batman's, would you keep losing to him?"
Bane's eyes suddenly lit up.
Indeed, he didn't care much about money, but there was one thing he cared about: defeating Batman once again.
Why was Batman so powerful? Besides his inherent strength, his equipment was also a crucial factor.
Those high-tech, black-tech gadgets, even if one of them were taken off and exchanged for money, could easily crush Bane to death.
Bane might not lack money, and on the surface, he seemed to have some, like a few hundred million in his black account. But compared to Batman, he was basically broke!
A broke guy couldn't possibly beat a rich guy, especially a strong rich guy. How could a broke guy have any chance of winning?
"Have you not realized where the real gap between you and Batman lies? You're broke compared to him, unable to get that equipment, so you keep losing!" Adrian's voice was resonant and forceful, piercing like thunder, waking the dreaming Bane.
"I-I keep losing to him because I'm broke?" Bane looked at Adrian and asked.
"Yes, my friend, you've finally understood," Adrian reined in his excitement, looking like a wise monk who'd attained enlightenment.
"Abandon your Titan Venom; that's not a weapon but a tool for making money. You don't need that Titan Venom; those tubes are just weaknesses, meant to be exploited. Equip yourself like Batman, and do you think you can't beat Batman?"
"No, I've beaten him before!" Bane declared, "In a fair fight, I won't lose to him."
"Yes, but your fights with him have never been fair," Adrian said sternly, "Use money to create fairness; without money, you're screwed!"
"You're right. I've fallen into a misconception. The gap between us can't be easily bridged with just the Titan Venom," Bane nodded. Adrian's verbal assault had completely won him over.
After all, Adrian was engaging Bane in a negotiation mode while launching verbal attacks.
It inherently carried a persuasive effect; even though some words sounded funny, Bane would genuinely listen and contemplate, ultimately making his own judgment.
Of course, the difference between Bane and Batman couldn't possibly be solely in equipment; everyone was quite clear about that.
After all, it's best not to ruin one's dreams; people need their dreams. What if they come true?
First, let's earn some money and then deal with the equipment gap.
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