Perry was dead. He lay on the ground in front of Ted's grave, with blood pooling around him.Xena was overwhelmed with grief. With her parents gone, she had only Curtis to rely on, and she cherished every one of her relatives. Now, seeing Perry dead before her and with what looked like a suicide, the pain was unbearable for her.Yet, Jaden's expression remained calm, as if he had anticipated this scene. There was even a flicker of schadenfreude in his gaze."Xena, now's not the time to feel sad. Think about why your uncle would choose to take his own all of a sudden," Jaden said.Still crying, Xena looked at Jaden, feeling confused, "What do you mean?""When I arrived, he was still alive! He only told me that he was sure that Felix was responsible for his son's death, though he had no proof. Maybe, as a father, he found it unbearable to go on without avenging his son's murder."Xena felt guilty. She looked down at Perry's lifeless body."Uncle Perry, why did you have to take suc
"Mr. Hawkins, we've confirmed it. Perry's death was indeed a suicide. Xena went to the site personally," a subordinate reported.Andrei nodded, setting aside Perry's final letter. He raised his hand, and a tablet was handed to him immediately."This is all the information we could gather on Felix. Please take a look."Time slipped by as Andrei meticulously studied the details for over two hours. He had always been detail-oriented, after all."Felix is far from ordinary, as expected. Most of the people in his circle are not ones we can afford to provoke," Andrei remarked.While they couldn't yet ascertain Felix's full capabilities—aside from Perry's mention of him being a martial artist—the connections within his circle told a different story."Yes, Mr. Hawkins. That was my conclusion as well. Are we still going to proceed against Felix?"Andrei nodded again. "Of course. A promise is a promise. I'll keep at it until I reach my limits. If there's truly no way forward, only then wi
The note read, "I challenge you on behalf of the Elders' Council. On the night of the full moon, atop Eastern Mountain. I will await you!"Beneath that, the note was signed with the name "Solomon Gill".Looking at those words on the note, Felix felt somewhat baffled."Felix, I'm so sorry… I've let you down." Vivian apologized repeatedly, disregarding her own injuries. It was her first major task since becoming Dragon Lord, and it had ended in failure. She felt terrible for this setback."Don't take it to heart. This Solomon is at least at the level of a Martial Saint. It makes sense you couldn't match him," Felix said dismissively.The enemy had managed to injure Vivian and all the Dragon Alliance guards without even being seen. That said enough about his capability. Felix had reacted quickly, but by the time he came out, the person was gone."Have you ever heard of the Elders' Council?" he asked.Vivian shook her head. "No, and as far as I know, there's no such organization in
After the call ended, Felix feasted on the food. He was hungry after a long day."Why aren't you eating?" he asked, noticing that Xena was watching him with a hint of unease."I'm not hungry. I only ordered the food to go along with the act. I didn't think you'd actually eat it," Xena replied."Of course. Why waste it?" Felix said, unfazed.He wiped his mouth as if he was about to leave, but then Xena spoke up again. "My uncle, Perry, is dead. He committed suicide."Felix's expression remained calm. "And?"Her grief and anger erupted in that moment. "Are you even human? You know why he killed himself, don't you? Don't pretend you don't! Are you really going to say Ted's death had nothing to do with you?"It was clear her sadness was genuine, welling up from deep inside."First, I had nothing to do with Ted's death. Second, Perry's suicide has nothing to do with me, either. Finally, have you spent even a moment considering what Ted might have done to provoke me? "Are you truly
This was the first time Felix had ever heard Yvonne sound so distressed. His emotions were stirred by her sobbing."What happened? Tell me!" he shouted."There's an outbreak of some unknown illness at an orphanage in Canraville. Can you go there? Those poor kids are suffering terribly," Yvonne explained.An orphanage? Felix didn't need to ask why or how this was connected to Yvonne. He only knew that these children, who had already had an unfortunate life, were now enduring physical torment as well. It was too heartbreaking."I'm on my way now.""Thank you, Felix. Lady Nala and I just arrived in Yartford, but we're taking a flight right back to Canraville. Besides you, Lady Nala has used her connections to gather every available doctor in the area."Nala was involved in this? Felix didn't ask further questions. He hailed a taxi and went to the address Yvonne had given him.Shortly after getting off, Felix received a call from Larry's younger brother, Luis. Felix briefly explaine
Upon entering, Felix found himself in a children's bedroom. The spacious room contained over a dozen beds with children, though only three people were present to tend to them. One was an elderly man who had to be Brandon, alongside Zara, whom Felix already knew. The third was a young man who must have been Brandon's disciple. If not, he would not have been permitted to be here. "Felix!" Zara's eyes brightened upon seeing his arrival, but her excitement was restrained. After all, Brandon was present. While Felix's medical skills were impressive, they could not compare to Brandon, Dragonia's third-best master healer. "How are things?" Felix asked.Zara's eyes reddened as she watched a child thrashing against their restraints, clearly in agony. "Not good. I can't identify the illness. It's up to Dr. Quinn now." At another bedside, Brandon frowned as he removed a silver needle. While assisting him, Gale immediately turned to scold them, "Quiet! Get out if you can't keep silent. Ca
With Brandon's words hanging in the air, Gale, who already could not stand Felix, immediately pointed at him. "Did you hear that? Get out if you're not going to help! You should know your place in traditional medicine. You can't just rise to the top on empty praise." Though he had initially just been ensuring Brandon could work in peace, Zara's praise of Felix had sparked his jealousy, regardless of its truth. Ignoring Gale's provocations, Felix watched Brandon, who had returned to examining his silver needle. He asked seriously, "Dr. Quinn, have you heard of the Bloom Seeds?" What? Brandon shot up and trembled. "That's it! I knew it reminded me of something but couldn't place it. Yes, it must be the Bloom Seeds!" Zara quickly asked, "What are the Bloom Seeds?" Someone else answered her, "The Bloom Seeds are the signature technique of Sonny Balcom, who's ranked 12th among the Thirteen Aces and Dragonia's Super S-rank wanted criminals. "As the Circle of Hearts, he could inje
Gale thought, "Hmph! Keep boasting, kid. Everyone wants to show off! When you fail, I'll make sure you'll regret being alive!" Gale remained convinced that someone just a few years older than him couldn't possibly achieve such a miracle. Xena was also shaken up and feeling equally skeptical. "Felix, you need to understand that this—" Before she could finish, Felix cut her off with a cold stare. "Instead of questioning me, bring some men over and guard outside! Who's the doctor here—you or me?" Xena trembled with anger. Given her status and the fact that she would soon be promoted to Warlady, even Brandon had shown her deference upon seeing her again. Yet, Felix dared to speak to her so rudely in front of everyone. "Saving lives takes priority. Your name is Felix, correct?" Regardless of others' opinions, Brandon only cared about freeing these children from the Bloom Seeds as a master healer. "Yes. I assume you know the Pierce of Trinity technique?" Felix replied."I do. I'
The reason Edmond dared to question Felix at all was that he was holding onto that one sliver of arrogance—he assumed Felix had only cured Christopher by pure luck, just because it happened to fall under his area of expertise.Otherwise, would he have even dared speak up? Not a chance.Once the silk threads were tied and tension filled the air, Felix spoke calmly after only a short pause. "Her Grace has a mild seasonal chill. It's nothing serious. I'll prescribe her some herbal blends—she'll recover within five days. Or, if she prefers a quicker route, acupuncture will do the trick."The Green King blinked, clearly stunned by the response. "You mean you can heal her without medication?""That's right. No medicine necessary." At the same time, a soft, melodic voice floated from behind the curtain. Sydney Haye said, "My love, that sounds perfect. You know I hate taking medicine. Please, Dr. Zeller, come in and begin the treatment."...15 minutes later, Felix stepped back out in
Joaquin was on the edge of madness. He wanted nothing more than to kill Felix right there, but he didn't dare risk the entire Goldstein family just to satisfy that rage. Disobeying a royal summons meant immediate execution—there was no bluffing around it.After taking a deep breath, Joaquin forced himself to put on a smile. "Dr. Zeller, then tell me—what exactly do you need in order to head to the Green King Manor?"Felix had seen this kind of groveling far too many times before. "Gras is right outside your estate. Go talk to him. The sooner you two reach an agreement, the sooner I'll leave for the manor.""What? Gras is here?" Only now did Joaquin realize just how thoroughly he had been played. Everything had been a setup from the beginning, and he had walked straight into the trap.Time ticked by, and eventually, Gras strolled into the courtyard. He said, "Dr. Zeller, the talk went well. How's the view treating you so far?" From the smile on Gras's face, it was clear he hadn't
Not far away, Wagner silently prayed with all his might. "Come on, Felix, don't back down now. Keep acting like a hothead—because only then will you die."As for any retaliation from the Longstone family, he wasn't the least bit concerned. Things had already gone too far, and Joaquin clearly wasn't about to back down. He would definitely find a reason to escalate the fight, and if that weren't the case, Wagner wouldn't have dared tag along tonight.Maybe his prayer actually worked, because Felix shook his head. "Sorry, I came here just to cooperate with your investigation. Anything beyond that… I won't do."Just as Wagner thought Felix had sealed his fate, someone suddenly rushed in, holding something in his hand. "Mr. Goldstein! We've got trouble—Green King Manor just sent a royal summons!""What?" Joaquin's expression twisted as he snatched the letter. A summons from one of the nine Minor Kings was no small matter—when it was issued, compliance was mandatory. Ignoring it meant
In the past, no one dared provoke a family war so openly as it would've been a blatant slap in the Green King's face. But this time, the Goldsteins had the upper hand. After all, Justus was dead, and the Longstone family was a prime suspect. Hence, even if blood were shed, it could still be justified.Joaquin knew this well. He also understood that Gras would never give up Felix for the sake of the Longstones' reputation, so even forcing the standoff served his purpose.Just as the tension reached its peak and a battle was about to break out, Felix stepped forward on his own. "You're the head of the Goldsteins, right? I'll go with you."Joaquin narrowed his eyes. He hadn't expected Felix to boldly step forward."Dr. Zeller, please step back," Gras said.Felix glanced at Gras and said, "Thank you for everything, sir. But the truth will speak for itself. Once the investigation is done, I'm sure they'll let me return."Gras stayed silent, but Joaquin chuckled coldly. "Return? Do you
Ginny was naturally present as well, and she spoke up at that moment. "Mr. Goldstein, no one wanted to see Justus die like that. But why did you bring your people to Longstone residence? Are you suggesting that his sudden death has something to do with us?"Joaquin's expression grew darker as he looked at her. He blamed Ginny for this, thinking that none of this would have happened if she had just agreed earlier. And now, they couldn't even determine the cause of death."No connection? That doctor from your household, Felix Zeller—he's the one responsible for Justus' death."Right then, someone spoke up from the crowd. "That's him! That's Felix Zeller!"Felix, who had been calmly sitting in a chair, finally saw Wagner standing among them. And in that moment, everything made sense."Wagner? You've gotten quite bold, huh?" Gras sneered.Wagner flinched at Gras's words, but remembering that he now had the Goldsteins backing him, he stiffened his spine and stood tall. "Cut the crap
In Cloud City, there were a few noble families. Nonetheless, behind the polite smiles, tensions surged. Infiltrating each other's estates with spies had practically become a tradition. While they rarely uncovered major secrets, the information they did gather always gave them a head start.So when the news broke, Gras didn't doubt it for a second. He jumped to his feet, furious. "This is outrageous! Their son dies, and somehow it's the Longstone family's fault?"Ryker looked just as puzzled, agreeing that the accusation made no sense.But Felix let out a quiet, weary sigh. "Mr. Longstone, I'm afraid this is probably my fault. I'm a doctor, and I've gotten a bit of attention lately. After they failed to determine the cause of Justus' death, and given our meeting earlier today, they likely saw an opportunity to drag your family into the mess." Gras's expression darkened, knowing that Felix wasn't wrong. After all, doctors could also be poisoners, and plenty of martial artists had fa
It was clear someone had said something to Justus. Otherwise, this situation wouldn't have escalated to this point.Felix said calmly, "It was a standard therapeutic massage technique, and I was blindfolded the entire time. Does that explanation satisfy you? Or would you rather find someone else capable of treating Ms. Longstone—I'll gladly step aside if you can."Justus sneered, his eyes filled with disdain. "Cut the crap, Felix. Don't act like I don't know exactly what's going through your head. Ginny's the heiress of the Longstone residence—Gras's precious jewel. Everyone knows that marrying her is like securing the entire household. Don't tell me that thought never crossed your mind.""It didn't," Felix said simply.Unfortunately, that answer was never going to satisfy Justus. He snarled, "Listen up, boy! I'm giving you three days to get the hell out of the Longstone residence. If you don't, you won't even get the chance to regret it. Everyone else might be afraid of Gras—but I
As Wagner watched Justus explode in rage, he felt an overwhelming sense of satisfaction. With what he'd just uncovered, there was no need to exaggerate—it was already explosive enough on its own.After all, Justus' future fiancée was touched in that kind of intimate way by a young, healthy doctor. Any man with a spine would lose it."But Justus," Wagner added with a smirk. "Didn't Felix just get publicly praised by the Green King?"Cloud City wasn't that big. Anyone with any influence had been keeping close tabs on Green King Manor—especially with the mystery man who walked out of Desolated Lands involved. So, the news of Felix being rewarded had already spread far and wide.Justus clenched his jaw. "So what? It's just a flash in the pan. If he was truly skilled, the Green King would've kept him. But as long as he hasn't climbed into the Green King's inner circle, I can crush him whenever I want."Wagner's grin widened. That was exactly the attitude he needed. If Justus had shown
The moment the Flame Monarch mentioned the Healer Sage, the Green King's expression shifted noticeably. "So the Sage really was living out there in seclusion... No wonder. Flame Monarch, does this mean you've taken a liking to Felix?"But the Flame Monarch waved his hand dismissively. "There's no need for that."That response made the Green King secretly rejoice. If the Flame Monarch didn't intend to recruit Felix, then he understood why—and that was perfect. It meant the opportunity to take Felix under his own wing was wide open.The night passed quietly. Felix stood beside Christopher's bedside, noticing the man's breathing had grown steady and stable.At this point, the herb had run its course and was no longer effective. But what was left inside Christopher's soul—a strange, lingering force—was exactly what Felix had hoped for.Christopher was alive but completely unconscious. The remaining energy had no regenerative properties, which meant he'd likely never wake again. For Fe