After a moment of silence, the first man in black rubbed his chin thoughtfully as he stared at the box. He said, "What you're saying might actually be true. "According to the notes our ancestor left behind, if this box is opened, whatever is inside will fly out on its own. Something that magical really could be what they're after.""No kidding!" the second man retorted, his voice laced with impatience. "Why else would we go through the trouble of using the old portrait instead of opening the box for a fresh picture? If the notes are right and it flies away, we'd be left with nothing but regrets."He licked his lips and added, "If this actually works out, it'll all be worth killing those six idiots in the family. That took some effort, didn't it?"Suddenly, the door burst open with a loud bang, and a gust of wind swept through the room. Before the two men could even react, they collapsed unconscious on the floor. When the dust settled, the only thing missing was the box on the tabl
"Felix?" Asher scoffed at the name, his expression filled with disdain. "You've got to be kidding me. Those two were Aetherial Realm experts! "To steal from them, someone must be at least Oceanus Realm, if not higher. Are you seriously saying Felix is already at that level?"The old man's smile did not falter as he shifted his gaze to Aiden, completely ignoring Asher as though he did not exist."If you could watch everything unfold, why didn't you step in to grab the box yourself? Or better yet, kill Felix?" Aiden asked, remaining calm and composed as if the entire conversation was a casual chat. He continued, "Are you perhaps some kind of friend of his?"The old man clapped his hands twice, the sound breaking the tension in the room. "Impressive," he said with genuine admiration. "The infamous prodigy of the Greene family. Unshaken even in the face of chaos. I respect that."He paused before adding, "Due to certain... circumstances, I couldn't attack Felix myself. My role was
Felix had been so excited last night that he completely forgot to text Melissa and let her know he would not make it to work. After all, once the refining process started, he could not stop, even if he wanted to. It was supposed to take a full day and night, but to his surprise, it went much faster than expected." Looks like you've just decided to throw in the towel," Melissa huffed as Felix walked into the clinic.Before he could respond, five men with menacing expressions barged into the clinic."Who's the doctor here?" one of them demanded.Felix glanced up calmly. "That would be me. Are you here for treatment?"The group leader, a young man, stormed over and grabbed Felix by the collar. "So you're the doctor? You've got some nerve, being this young and running a clinic! I'm shutting this place down today."Felix stayed calm, but Melissa was not having it. "Hey! What's that supposed to mean? Explain yourself!" she snapped.The young man sneered, motioning for someone to st
Without warning, the middle-aged man struck a palm through the air toward Felix.Caught off guard, Felix barely had time to raise his arms to block. The impact sent him, chair and all, staggering several feet back with a loud thud.Blood spurted from Felix's mouth, and his face turned ashen."Felix!" Melissa cried out in panic, rushing toward him. The middle-aged man, however, didn't even flinch. He simply turned around and left, making no further moves."I'm fine. I don't think he was trying to kill me," Felix said, shooting Melissa a meaningful glance as he spoke.Was he telling her to keep quiet? Feeling confused, Melissa said, "Despite the situation, you're still worried about me saying too much?""Are we just going to let this slide? Call the police!" she suggested, trying to play along, even if she didn't fully understand his intent."There's no need for that. Just help me sit down," Felix replied.A street away, Asher and Aiden sat in the back seat of a car. The middle-a
It was clear that Queenie was well-liked. She and Willow chatted like old friends, their conversation free of any awkwardness."Oh, is that so? That must've slipped my mind. Everyone, please sit," Clement said warmly, raising his glass."Our previous neighbors were all elderly folks. My wife and I are pretty sociable, so it's great to finally have a group like this together. Let me start things off with a toast!"The others joined in, raising their glasses. Felix smiled and added, "From now on, just call me Felix. Calling me 'Dr. Zeller' feels too formal. We're all neighbors here."As the drinks kept flowing, Clement reached for the wine decanter again."Honey, you need to slow down!" Willow said hurriedly. "You've got that business trip to Yartford tomorrow.""Relax! Don't you know my tolerance by now? Don't kill the mood!" he replied.Without pushing further, Willow got up and left the room to settle the bill. She knew how things would play out—Clement would drink too much,
Willow and Queenie gasped in fear as Clement charged forward. He raised his fist, only to have a knife pressed against his neck."Playing the hero? Look around. Do you think you're a match for all of us?" Zechariah taunted.Meanwhile, Felix had quietly emerged from the restroom. No one noticed his return.He assessed the situation calmly. With his skills, he could have easily intervened and neutralized the threat in moments, but he chose not to. Clement needed this moment—to stand his ground as a man and protect his pride. Felix also had his own priorities. He was the one seeking help from Clement and had to tread carefully.He was considering intervening when he spotted a familiar figure loitering near the doorway."Huxley," Felix called out with a faint smile.Huxley, who had been enjoying the spectacle, froze. When he turned and saw Felix, his legs nearly gave way."F-Felix?" he stammered.Huxley was usually the type to rush into a fight, but ever since his traumatic encou
Huxley was standing beside Zechariah after he hung up the call, trembling with fear."I'm serious. Clement really does have a friend who knows Mr. Gray," he said nervously, following Felix's instructions word for word.But Zechariah wasn't having it. To his surprise, Zechariah swung a hard slap across Huxley's face."Bullshit! If Clement had a friend like that, would he still be groveling at the bank and begging for a measly loan?"Kurt was no minor figure. In a city like Gray City, there was probably not more than ten people who could afford to disrespect him. For someone like him, getting a loan approved was child's play."I know you're friends with Clement, but if you keep talking nonsense, don't blame me for what happens next!" Zechariah snapped.At that moment, Felix walked in, his expression calm as ever."Huxley was giving you some good advice. However, it doesn't seem like you're accepting it," Felix said casually."Huh?" Zechariah glanced at him sideways, sizing him up
"The Jacobs family? You must really know Yartford inside out. So much so that you can tell who lives at every address you see." Felix joked.Suddenly, Felix froze. "Wait a minute, which Jacobs family are you talking about?"George shot him a wry smile. "The Jacobs family at the top of the Eight Great Martial Families. Apart from them, there's no other Jacobs family worth remembering."Felix was stunned. After all, with the Scarlet Thread still in him, he was walking straight into a trap."Isn't the top of the Eight Great Martial Families in Yartford the Crayden family?" Felix asked. "Each city only has one family from the Eight Great Martial Families, so how could the Jacobs family and Crayden family both be in Yartford?"George explained, "You're right, Felix. The Jacobs family in Yartford isn't the main branch. It's just where some of the older members of the family go to retire. It shouldn't really be the case, but the Jacobs family is so powerful that the Crayden family doesn'
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