"Do you need me to feed you?" Zara asked. Felix looked at Zara, puzzled. For some reason, she seemed like a different person. She was suddenly acting warm and even showing a bit of a softer side."Don't act like that. You're making me nervous," Felix said.Felix devoured his breakfast, wanting to get through the meal quickly. Meanwhile, Zara sat across from him, resting her chin on her hands."Is it because you think I'm ugly?" she asked."No, not at all. I've been around many beautiful women, so I don't care if a person is beautiful or not. We are all given a life. Beauty has advantages, sure, but being less attractive doesn't mean you can't live a full life."Zara's eyes brightened. "Impressive. That's the most sincere answer I've heard from a man."By 10:00 am, people began arriving at the Traditional Medicine Association headquarters. This event was not open to the public, so the attendees were limited to those who witnessed the recommendation of nine candidates the previou
Following Timothy's pointed direction, Yvonne was stunned. If not for her training, she might have blurted out her true thoughts.Felix Zeller? It was actually Felix!Nala couldn't help but glance over as well, and a flicker of surprise crossed her gaze. This trial was kept highly confidential. Otherwise, they wouldn't have needed Timothy to ensure order and security. Not even Nala knew who the representative would be. Learning it was Felix was shocking as he was the fiancé she had dismissed. Not only was he a doctor, but his skills had also reached such a high level."Tim, you don't seem thrilled about this choice," Nala stated. She had known Timothy for years, so she easily understood his tone."Of course I'm thrilled. Why wouldn't I be?"Since Felix had already been selected, Timothy knew he shouldn't make discouraging remarks. They were all representing Dragonia, and unity was paramount."Take a seat for now. The team from Guneria just arrived, and one of them is a general,
Elliott, dressed in a white lab coat, was clearly one of the lowest-ranking members at the research institute despite his arrogance. He was a mere front for the team's efforts in developing the so-called "miracle drug". Guneria had deliberately chosen someone of such low standing as their representative, making their contempt for this competition evident."I'm Felix Zeller, representing Dragonia's traditional medicine scene," Felix announced, expressionless. The best way to deal with a provocateur was through actions, not speech.With a dismissive wave, Elliott gestured to a foreign man to approach."This is the patient we brought, as per the agreement. He has early-stage lung cancer. You're free to verify his condition."Similarly, William had a middle-aged man stand beside Felix. He was a 53-year-old male also with early-stage lung cancer, ensuring equal conditions for a fair comparison.Felix began examining the patient. Though he had already assessed the condition at a glanc
In most cases, nobody would reveal all their cards before a critical competition, especially with stakes this high. However, Elliott had done just that because he was overconfident. It showed his contempt for traditional medicine, and it was a tactic clearly planned in advance. Realistically, even in a hospital setting, the process of drawing blood and analyzing it would take longer than ten minutes; let alone curing a stubborn illness like cancer that claimed countless lives each year."We'll see," Felix responded, maintaining his composure. The Dragonian way was to act with overwhelming force only when necessary, leaving no room for the opponent to recover. Talking more would be pointless.A few minutes later, Elliott announced, "We've confirmed everything on our end. If you're ready, we can begin anytime."Just as Felix was about to speak, William abruptly stood up, saying, "Apologies, but Felix was a temporary replacement. The real representative has now arrived."What? Felix
Elliott looked utterly confident, convinced that as long as Dragonia didn't resort to breaking the rules by bringing in their seasoned traditional medicine masters, they had no chance of winning in the ten-minute timeframe. Just then, a young man stepped into the courtyard, exuding an air of pride and poise. Like Felix, he appeared to be around the same age."Is that him? Or are you planning to switch again?" Elliott asked with disdain, throwing in a bit of mockery.This time, William remained silent, letting the young man speak up once he had arrived."Do you think a mere miracle drug can challenge our thousands-of-years-old traditional medicine? Ridiculous!" the young man said.Oh? Elliott smirked, noticing that this new guy had quite an attitude. "Alright then, let the contest begin."But under everyone's watchful gaze, the young man stood there with his hands clasped behind his back."A contest? Are you even qualified? I am the direct disciple of Gerald Hoffman, and you thi
No one could have expected that the highly anticipated medical showdown between Dragonia and Guneria would end so dramatically. After all, both sides had taken it so seriously. However, Guneria had conceded defeat willingly."The legend of Gerald Hoffman truly stands unchallenged. No one can defeat him now, and he'll still remain unrivaled," Zara murmured.That prompted Felix to ask curiously, "What do you mean?""Back in the day, when Gerald practiced medicine to save lives, though he spent most of his time in Dragonia, he also traveled the world. It's said that many top figures across the world, from politics to business, were saved by Gerald. Just imagine his influence overseas. "Whatever was on that note, it must have been something dramatic enough to make Guneria's team give up without a fight," Zara explained.Felix's eyes sparkled with newfound curiosity. He hadn't realized Gerald had ventured worldwide. He had always thought he had remained only in Dragonia."Are you hea
Elliott's mentor sighed helplessly. "I can only tell you that this concerns a major figure whom Gerald once saved. To be blunt, if we refused to concede and insisted on a showdown with Gerald's disciple, it would anger him greatly. "And if that happens, our research funding would likely be slashed by at least half. Is that really what you want?"Stunned, Elliott fell silent. Losing half of their funding would be catastrophic and was practically a death sentence for their lab—a burden no one could bear."Is Gerald really that extraordinary? I just can't believe traditional medicine could be that powerful," Elliott muttered.Patting him on the shoulder, the mentor said, "To be honest, I, along with most others, opposed this so-called competition. We've seen firsthand the incredible strength of Dragonia's traditional medicine. It's truly like battling death itself. However, some people just refuse to believe it."Well, don't dwell on it. The people of Dragonia prefer to keep a low p
"Bullshit! It only took a minute! Are you seriously done? Say one more word, I dare you!" Elliott shouted.Just as Elliott said that, his mentor loaded the patient onto the truck. "Start examining him immediately!" he directed.When the examination was done, Elliott stood in place, stunned, as he stared at the test reports. He was feeling an overwhelming wave of emotion.The patient they brought from the Guneria, who was in the early stages of lung cancer, was completely cured."Elliott, do you believe in the wonders of traditional medicine now?" his mentor asked.Elliott gave his mentor a complicated look."But… How is this even possible? A person with early-stage cancer was healed in a minute! What's the point of spending years and huge amounts of money on the drugs we've been developing?"The mentor chuckled. "Every field needs pioneers, doesn't it? Dragonia has a 5,000-year-old history. Keep working hard, and we can create miracles of our own, too."For the rest of his life
No one showed Felix where to go, with only Asher standing beside him as they waited for Aiden to return."Felix, don't be so stubborn. You can't fight the inevitable! You should be grateful that Grandma is willing to let you return to the Greene family," Asher urged, but Felix remained silent."If it weren't for Uncle Victor, do you think I'd be this patient with you? Today is your best chance—if you cure Grandma, you'll prove your worth, and no one will oppose your return to the family."When Felix continued ignoring him, Asher finally became quiet. Ten minutes later, Aiden appeared, pushing a wheelchair, followed by over a dozen impressive-looking individuals.Felix studied the elderly woman in the wheelchair. Despite her silver hair, her skin showed remarkably few wrinkles—a testament to decades of careful maintenance. "Grandma, this is Felix Zeller," Aiden announced.Meredith Armstrong, the Greene family matriarch, did not even bother to flash a smile. She said coldly, "Vict
Felix could not understand why these two had shown up again, especially since his dealings at the Obsidian Auction with the Dragonspine should have left no traces."I won't say it twice," Asher warned, but Aiden ignored him and turned to the woman instead."What seems to be the problem?" Aiden asked, his demeanor commanding respect.Intimidated by Aiden's imposing presence, the woman reluctantly answered, "I have a terrible headache."Aiden snapped his fingers, and his men immediately placed stacks of cash on the table. "Here's 100 thousand dollars. It's all yours—how's your headache now?"The woman excitedly clutched the money to her chest, backing toward the door with a broad smile. "It's gone! The pain is completely gone! Thank you so much!" In the inner room, Melissa felt furious even without seeing what happened. She would have stormed out to confront them if Nala had not held her back."Felix, isn't my way of treating patients faster and more effective than yours?" Aiden
"We still can't confirm if he's really from the Bronze Age over 2000 years ago," Felix mumbled thoughtfully.Everyone studied Benjamin carefully, finding it hard to believe. Yet, considering that his body had been used for ancient alchemical experiments by the greatest mystics of the time, it was not entirely impossible."I'm sure I'll have a way to verify it once we're back in Dragonia," Felix added confidently.At dawn, Felix and Nala were set to return home while Selmer stayed behind. The plan was for Reagan to gather the Steele family that night, eliminate them all, and then return. They were not worried about the Elders' Council for now, as Felix's betrayal would not be discovered anytime soon."Thank you for everything," Felix said on the private jet, still feeling guilty about the night's events. "Don't mention it. I've already decided to pursue you, so helping you is only natural," Nala replied simply.Felix frowned at her words. "A relationship between us is impossible.
The name Benjamin Stone was entirely unfamiliar to Felix, but he was beginning to piece together the situation. In ancient times, emperors were often called the Sons of the Dragon, and their presence was described as "dragon energy".Felix, with his unique possession of the Dragonspine, could very well radiate such a presence. Was it possible that this man knelt and called him "my liege" because he sensed the dragon energy emanating from the pen?"Stand and speak!" Felix commanded.The strange man obeyed immediately, rising to his feet. His tangled hair fell away, revealing a face marred by dirt and scars. Beneath his grimy exterior, Felix saw the features of a middle-aged man, his eyes cloudy but occasionally flashing with a murderous intensity. It was clear this man had seen countless battles, his energy thick with the bloodlust that only came from waging war—and winning it. Such a presence was impossible to fake. Nala and the others edged closer, curiosity etched across their f
"He treats the brush like a sacred relic, which means he absolutely won't allow anyone else to claim it," Felix said, his voice firm.With that, he grabbed the brush in his hand. Instantly, a roar erupted from far away, followed by Alfie's alarmed shout."Damn it! The creature's turning back!"Selmer instinctively wanted to flee, but seeing Felix remain motionless, he did not dare move either. Disobeying his master in such a moment would be nothing short of betrayal."Step back," Felix said, his tone steely. "At this point, I have no choice but to take a gamble!"As the creature rushed back toward them, Felix's suspicions seemed increasingly accurate. If they did not solve this now, Nala would not be the only one dead. In fact, everyone who had come into contact with the brush—himself included—would eventually be hunted down.If this also involved its presence, that might mean Luna and the others were not safe, either."Mr. Zeller, just… be careful!" Selmer shouted, his voice he
With that roar, Felix finally understood that the monster's target was Nala. He knew he could survive if he abandoned her right now, but how could he do that when she only came to Astoria because of him?As the distance between them and the creature grew shorter, Nala shouted desperately, "Let me go, or we'll both die!"Being only at Pulse Realm, she would have been caught immediately if she ran alone. It was also why Felix had been carrying her all this time."Shut up!" Felix shouted, his heart racing as he realized they had less than five seconds before the creature would catch up to them.In a split-second decision, Felix roughly pushed Nala forward and turned to face the charging monster. He commanded, "Run!"Nala fled with tears streaming down her face, not daring to look back. She knew Felix was buying her time with his life.The ground shook violently as the surrounding rocks crumbled to dust and trees were ripped from their roots. At that moment, Felix unleashed several p
Nala felt helpless, knowing she had many resources back in Dragonia but none here. Felix held onto the brush, refusing to let Alfie take it. "I'm the strongest here—you'd likely die facing them," he explained.He refused to hand the brush over to Alfie, and the latter's expression tightened. It was not a matter of pride—this was a task that could very well cost him his life."No!" Nala grabbed Felix's arm, unwilling to let the man she had grown to love risk his life. Even Selmer stepped forward, saying, "Sir, let me have a go. My life is yours to risk."Luna suddenly spoke up, "Why don't we just leave the brush somewhere? If they're after it, we don't need to sacrifice anyone."An awkward silence fell as they realized the simple logic of her suggestion.After that, they placed the floating, trembling brush in their previous battleground. Then, Felix, Nala, Alfie, and Selmer hid nearby to observe. About ten minutes later, a massive explosion announced the arrival of a mysteriou
Felix felt a chill down his spine at the news about a simple brush coming to life. Nala explained, "As soon as we entered Astoria's airspace, the brush started trembling like it wanted to write. When I gave it paper, it wrote 'alive.' The writing was messy but readable." It was the first time Felix had heard such a thing. He asked, "Are you arriving soon?"Nala replied, "Yes. I know you're in a hurry, so I chartered a private plane.""Alright. Let's discuss this further when we meet. I'll arrange for your pickup."Soon, a helicopter from the Starfire residence was headed to the airport. Shortly after, Nala arrived with Alfie, who had accompanied her for security. Felix asked, "Is it still shaking?"Nala nodded and retrieved the box, from which faint thuds could be heard. When she opened it, the trembling brush was inside, its movements wild and erratic.Even more bizarre, when the box was removed, the brush floated midair, refusing to fall. Alfie slid a piece of paper benea
"Mr. Steele!" The six Steele family guards tried to rush forward, but Selmer stopped them.He flashed a sinister smile and clicked his tongue. "My, my! Still trying to make a move on us?"With several sharp cracks, all six collapsed with broken necks, shocking both Luna and Micah."H-How dare you kill my men and humiliate me! Felix, Luna, you're both going to pay for this!" Ollie shouted.Luna panicked. "Dr. Zeller, you've gone too far! There's no fixing this now!"Felix remained unfazed. He asked, "What's wrong? Are you afraid of the Shadowstalker Emperor's decree?" Luna thought Felix was out of his mind for stating the obvious. If it were not for the decree, she would have already taken things into her own hands.Felix called out, "Selmer, contact him."Selmer immediately initiated a video call, which was quickly answered by the other party."Selmer, is there anything I can help with?" came a familiar voice. Ollie, Luna, and Micah all recognized it immediately. Felix as