Chapter 3

"Master Quentin, is something wrong?" Madeline couldn't help but ask.

Quentin had been standing silently, not taking his seat.

"Is it the food? Perhaps the dishes today don't suit your taste? If that's the case, I can have all this Sacholles cuisine taken away," she said.

"This... this is really precious... and you just threw it into the trash?"

Quentin didn't seem to hear her. His gaze was locked on the half piece of red truffle lying in the garbage can.

He stared at it—

As if his heart was bleeding.

"Precious?" Madeline looked puzzled. "Master Quentin, I'm not sure what you're referring to...?"

Everyone in the Madison family turned toward him, confused.

"This red truffle."

Quentin's hand trembled as he picked the red truffle out of the garbage. He rinsed it gently under clear water, then—

Right in front of everyone, he popped it into his mouth and swallowed it whole.

"What?!"

The entire Madison family froze in shock.

Scarlet's face turned crimson in an instant.

The truffle Quentin just ate... was the one she had spat out earlier.

"Master Quentin, what are you doing?" Even Madeline looked stunned.

He was a Grandmaster, the top fighter in Goldspire. And he just ate a discarded mushroom from the trash?

"Heh. Forgive me, everyone. You must think I've lost my mind," Quentin said lightly, his mood lifted. "It's just... something like this that can extend life is nearly impossible to come by in all of the nine realms. When I saw that red truffle, I couldn't help myself..."

"Extend life?" someone repeated.

The Madison family looked even more lost now.

"A single red truffle can extend your life by half a month. It's a rare wild delicacy and not cheap—at least 400,000 dollars per piece. And even at that price, it's not something you can procure easily. I never imagined I'd find one here. Honestly, even with my status, I'm afraid I wouldn't be able to taste one."

Quentin let out a hearty laugh.

'400,000 dollars? Extend half a month of life?'

His words struck like a blade, cutting straight through the hearts of everyone present.

Every pair of eyes turned, almost in unison, toward Cora in her wheelchair.

Because...

She had eaten nineteen red truffles earlier. All by herself.

"Master Quentin... are you sure?" Scarlet asked again, her voice desperate. "Are you absolutely certain that red truffles can extend life? You're not joking?"

She simply couldn't wrap her head around it.

How could a backwoods hick like Emory afford a bride price worth millions? And if he was that capable, why would he marry a disabled woman he had never even met before?

Before Quentin could speak, Yvette beside him snapped coldly at Scarlet, "Watch your mouth! How dare a nobody from Vermillion Delta question Master Quentin?"

"Scarlet! Apologize to Master Quentin—now!" Madeline followed up with a sharp slap across Scarlet's face.

They couldn't afford to offend Quentin. The Madison family would be wiped off the map in Vermillion Delta by tomorrow if they did.

"I—I'm sorry, Master Quentin... I was out of line. I shouldn't have questioned you," Scarlet stammered, shrinking like a frightened cat, her head bowed low in fear.

"The ignorant are not guilty," Quentin said evenly. "After all, with the Madison family's status, it's no wonder you've never encountered a rare treasure like red truffle."

He sat down, took a couple of polite bites of the Sacholles dishes, then rose.

"I've got some matters to attend to. You all enjoy your meal."

"I'll see you out, Master Quentin," said Madeline, quickly standing up.

But Quentin shook his head. "No need."

He walked to the door. But just as he reached the threshold, he paused, turned back, and said to her, "Madeline. On account of that red truffle earlier, let me offer you a word of advice. From now on... keep an eye out for a young man who goes by the nickname 'The Reaper'.

"I hear he's come to Vermillion Delta looking for a marriage match. If your family earns his favor, forget the thirteen cities of Vermillion Delta. Even across the whole of the nine realms, the Madison family would have nothing to fear."

"The Reaper?" Madeline repeated, intrigued. "Master Quentin, who exactly is The Reaper? Is he really that powerful?"

"Powerful?" Quentin chuckled softly. "Even the War God who protects the nine realms would be like a moth to flame before him—completely helpless. If the mystic arts world has an end... Then in my eyes, he is that end."

There was awe and longing in Quentin's expression.

"Master Quentin, do you know his full name? Where is he from?" Scarlet leaned forward, curiosity piqued by Quentin's reverence.

"I'm not sure of his background either," Quentin said vaguely. "But... I believe the High Commissioner called him E.B."

After Quentin and Yvette left, silence settled over the Madison family once again.

'The God of War is like a moth to a flame before the Reaper? Is he really that terrifying?'

As her thoughts drifted to the legendary female war goddess of Nordine, a faint blush crept across Scarlet's face.

What if she could marry The Reaper? Wouldn't that be something?

"Emory! What was that red truffle all about?" a stern elder from the Madison family suddenly barked. "Something so rare, so precious—a life-extending delicacy—and you didn't think to tell anyone? You let Madeline stew it with chicken? Are you deliberately mocking our family?"

At that moment, all eyes turned toward Cora. Their gazes brimmed with envy and resentment.

"Uncle, don't blame Emory," someone offered, trying to ease the tension. "Maybe he didn't even know it was a red truffle that could prolong life."

Before Emory could respond, Cora, sitting in her wheelchair, let out a quiet, bitter laugh.

"No one in their right mind would spend millions in betrothal gifts just to marry someone disabled like me."

"Exactly!" Scarlet chimed in. "That red truffle must've been something Emory dug up by chance. If he had known its value, would he really have settled for Cora? He only compromised because he knew he wasn't good enough for me."

Scarlet scoffed openly. "Too bad Cora is a cripple. Even if she lives an extra year or two, what's the point? The red truffles were totally wasted on her."

"Right? Cora, why don't you go get your stomach pumped?" another elder suggested lightly. "Maybe we'll find a few undigested red truffle pieces in there for the rest of us?"

"That's a great idea!"

The others brightened at the thought.

"You people have gone too far." Emory's voice was quiet, but it carried weight as he stared at the greedy faces around him. "Cora is my wife. If anyone dares hurt her, don't blame me for what happens next."

"Oh come on, Emory. It's just a stomach pump. She's not gonna get hurt from it," someone countered casually.

But Emory didn't budge.

Scarlet sneered, "Let's just drop it, Uncle. Why waste your breath on some country bumpkin like Emory? As for Cora—who knows what that cripple's stomach might pass on. I'm not risking eating anything that came out of her."

"If Scarlet won't eat it, then neither will I," another younger Madison chimed in. "Just an extra half-month of life? I'm not that desperate."

"Alright, enough bickering!" Madeline finally interjected. "They're just a few mushrooms—what's there to obsess over? Even if you do want to dig them out, Cora's probably digested them by now."

She paused momentarily, her tone shifting.

"Since the whole family's gathered today, I have an announcement to make. Half a month ago, the Caison family from Nambern came to Vermillion Delta. They want to invest in an international music academy. Who among you will go talk terms with them? I'll gift the one who seals the deal Rose Villa by Viona Lake."

A hush fell over the room.

Rose Villa was one of the Madison family's core properties.

"Grandma, I've studied music since I was a child. I'd like to represent our family in discussions with the Caison family," came a calm voice.

All heads turned.

It was Cora—still seated in her wheelchair.

"You want to negotiate with the Caison family?" Scarlet looked stunned. Then she burst into laughter. "Cora, are you daydreaming?

"The Caison family of Nambern is a powerhouse in Sacholles Province, backed by the Duke of Sacholles himself. Even Master Quentin wouldn't dare cross them—neither would the High Commissioner. You think someone like you can deal with them? A cripple representing the Madison family? That's a joke."

"She's right," another elder in a sharp suit added grimly. "Cora, you shouldn't meddle in family business. If people from Sacholles see you acting as our representative, they'll think the Madison family has fallen to the gutters."

"I…" Cora's lips parted, but she couldn't find the words. Her eyes flicked toward her grandmother, searching for a lifeline, a chance.

But Madeline didn't even meet her gaze.

"No. Absolutely not."

"Grandma, I can do it. Please… just give me one chance."

Tears welled in Cora's eyes.

Rose Villa meant everything to her. It was the place she and her late father had promised to return to. It held her entire childhood.

If her father were still alive… maybe she'd still be living there now.

"I said no, and I meant it! You're disabled—you have no right to represent the Madison family!"

And with that, Cora finally broke down.

Watching his wife—so beautiful, so helpless, and now utterly devastated—Emory turned toward Madeline.

"Madeline," he said, "if Cora's legs could be cured… would you allow her to negotiate with the Caison family then?"