After about 30 minutes, Jack returned to the private room. "That was quick," noted Felix. Jack grinned. "Of course! Like I said, it's just a formality. Ms. Kinsley handled everything earlier. Actually, with Nessa busy training, I thought I'd explore some local entertainment. "Do you want to join tonight? The company contacts can arrange everything. It's totally safe—no scams." Scams? Felix found it amusing. What scammer would dare try anything with a martial arts master like himself? "This liquor's basically water. Let's make do with it. By the way, I never asked—what brings you to Astoria?" Felix glanced at him with a smirk. He joked, "I got invited by a beautiful Astorian lady." Jack scoffed. "Yeah, right. Cheers!" Just as they raised their glasses, the door slid open. Four burly men sat down rudely on both sides. Judging from their tattoos, they were likely local gang members. Jack frowned and asked, "Can I help you?" They did not respond, either unable or unwill
"Jack!" Felix's voice finally snapped Jack out of his trance. "Let me introduce you. This is my good friend Jack Graham, and this is Luna Starfire." Felix was exasperated. He had called Jack's name three times while the guy just stared at Luna until she grew uncomfortable. "Pleasure to meet you, Ms. Starfire." After barely shaking hands, Jack's expression suddenly changed. He jumped up. "Excuse me. I need to use the restroom." Honestly, Felix was stunned. He could tell exactly what had happened to Jack, but wasn't this a bit extreme? Though considering Jack's obsession with Astorian media when he was younger, perhaps it made sense. The awkward moment was saved by Luna's amused smile. "Your friend's quite entertaining, Dr. Zeller." Entertaining? Felix seized the chance to change subjects. "Tell me about your friend. The case doesn't seem urgent, right?" Luna nodded. "To be direct, her situation is similar to Jenna's." Ah, fertility issues. Indeed, it was not life-threa
Why was Xena asking Felix to return, even though there was no mission for him? Felix frowned. "Why?" "No reason needed! You're a Dragon Knight under my command. When I order you back, you come back!" Such forceful authority would have been impossible before, but now Felix did hold the Dragon Knight title—no disputing that. "I have a patient here, Xena. Don't put me in this position." After a brief silence, Xena's voice softened slightly. "Whether you have a patient or not, I know you well enough. You're in Astoria for something else. I might not ask, but I know plenty. "Felix, this situation is bigger than you realize. It's not something you can handle on impulse. Understand?" Clearly, Xena had guessed Felix was targeting the Steeles. Her "urgent matters" that let him board the plane must have been Alistair's anonymous tip. "I really do have a patient. Sorry." He hung up. After several minutes without another call, Felix relaxed. He only received a text message. It was
Felix had only been testing the waters. "No worries. It's just a thought. Let's focus on the treatment." As expected, May had the same condition as Jenna. It was latent uterus syndrome. "Thank you so much, Dr. Zeller." May broke into tears of joy, knowing she could conceive once her husband was cleared. Across cultures, continuing the family line was paramount, and infertility was devastating for women. May left on urgent business, and Luna led Felix to the study, where Kyro waited. "I hear you have important matters to discuss, Dr. Zeller. Rest assured, this study is specially constructed for absolute privacy." Knowing Kyro's standing, Felix decided to take his chance. He pulled out his phone to show Yadier's complete confession. After watching, Kyro slammed the table and breathed heavily with rage. "Those beasts! I thought the Steeles' local activities were heinous enough. I didn't think they'd do something worse." Luna's eyes burned with fury. Her anger was obvious eve
Kyro and Luna looked puzzled. To them, nothing had happened except Felix staring at Micah. Could that count as a contest? Then, they noticed something was wrong. Sweat poured off Micah like rain and dripped audibly against the floor. What had happened to him? Finally, Felix withdrew his power. Micah dropped to one knee and gasped for air, his eyes filled with raw fear. After recovering, Micah bowed to Felix. "This is my first taste of a Dragonian martial artist's true power. Please forgive my earlier disrespect, Dr. Zeller." Felix said with a smile, "No offense taken. You're quite skilled yourself." Even before absorbing another Dragonspine, Felix could have crushed Micah without breaking a sweat. Micah would not even have a chance to fight at all. Micah turned to Kyro. "Mr. Starfire, Dr. Zeller's strength surpasses any warrior or shadowstalker I've encountered. Even if we surrounded him, I doubt we'd force him to use more than one hand." Such high praise made Kyro and Lu
Hearing those words, Kyro shook his head. "It's true that Reagan could easily do it. But why would he? The Steeles are one of his loyal dogs, so why cut off his own arm without cause?" Luna pondered before adding, "As you said, Grandpa, there's no reason for him to do that now. But from what I know, Reagan is extremely arrogant and profit-driven. Given proper motivation, discarding the Steeles wouldn't trouble him." She turned to Felix. "What you may not know, Dr. Zeller, is that Reagan is one of our nation's three most powerful figures. The Steeles only rose to their current status after gaining his favor, which happened in such a short time and is very different from old families like ours. "Only Reagan could gather them all as you wish. If he approves, even their total elimination could be dismissed as a mere fire, with no media daring to report otherwise. The impact would be minimal." Felix stroked his chin thoughtfully before asking, "Does Reagan have any particular obsess
Felix smiled wryly. Francis was the mystic from King Aurelius' court over two millennia ago, and his identity remained a mystery. If anything of his had survived until now, it would be among the rarest treasures imaginable. Finding such an item seemed impossible. "Let me ask around first." Felix's original plan had been to investigate and eliminate targets one by one. But Nala's data matched Luna's—there were over a hundred Steele members. They weren't just abroad but scattered across various Astorian cities. How could he hunt them all? After a few deaths, the Steeles would go into hiding for sure. Given their connection to Reagan, even a dog's death would warrant investigation. Once Astorian authorities got involved, complications would multiply. Felix was not confident he was invincible worldwide yet, and Reagan's true strength remained unknown. The situation could turn dangerous. He had rushed here from Dragonia because he was furious to see so many countrymen used as te
Nala was mysterious enough herself, coming from "that place". Her Shadow Mask alone was extraordinary. Perhaps she really could help. But truthfully, Felix wanted to avoid any further entanglement with her, even as a last resort. Yet the faces of his sleeping countrymen on that bus compelled him to dial her number. "Felix, how are you doing there?" Even Nala had not expected his call. "I'm here to ask about Francis Thane from King Aurelius' time. Can you get anything he left behind? Anything authentic will do, but preferably not martial art techniques." Felix was not foolish enough to strengthen the Shadowstalker Emperor and his shadowstalkers. He held no goodwill toward Astoria, after all. "Give me ten minutes." Nala's efficiency was impressive. She called back quickly. "I have something! It's a brush Francis once used, but it's an extraordinary one—even Oceanus Realm masters couldn't break it. "Don't worry. It's been studied extensively, and there's no hidden power. It'
"There is a way. That woman told me that if I could find a husband to defeat her brother, she'd give me the antidote. The only condition is that my husband cannot be from our place," Nala explained.Felix understood everything. "Is that why you targeted me? Did you think I could win the antidote for you?"Nala nodded. "Yes. I didn't think much of anyone from this part of town before. But then you appeared and won my heart."Felix studied her carefully. "Here's the deal. I'll ask for your help if I ever need it. In return, I'll defeat her brother as your husband and get you the antidote. After that, we'll be even."Though Nala was excited, she felt her heart clench. "Is that it? Can't we go further in our relationship?"Judging by his gaze, she knew it wasn't because of her appearance."At least for now, it's not possible. I'm going to bed." Felix waved her off.The next day, Nala went to the clinic early. Felix, who slept in until past 9:00 am, was startled to find Averill besid
While looking into those bright eyes, Felix, who intended to brush things off, finally admitted it. "Yes, it's me."Xena waved her hand dismissively, silently telling him to leave.Felix couldn't figure out what was going on in Xena's mind. He didn't know if Willow's letter affected her.For some reason, Felix felt a sense of relief. He had done what he could—the rest didn't matter.By the time he returned to Gray City, night had fallen. Nala greeted him, "Welcome back. Come eat."The timing was perfect, and Felix didn't question it since he was hungry. "Thank you."After finishing his meal, Felix stopped Nala from doing the dishes. "You gave up everything to be with me. Is it truly out of love?"Nala thought for a moment. "Not entirely. At the very least, I do care about you."Nala was being genuine, that was if she ignored Felix's abilities and his overly protective mother.However, Felix shook his head. "You don't even dare to show me your face. You should leave. There's no
"Have you forgotten what I always taught you? The Greene family never fights a battle without certainty. Send an expert to test Felix's abilities first—just testing, mind you, nothing lethal," Meredith instructed.Aiden nodded in understanding. "Yes, Grandma."…At Xena's residence in Yartford, Felix sat silently on the couch until Xena broke the silence. She said, "About your earlier situation, you don't need to worry for now. "While you're on assignment, headquarters will protect your family members, and since you have no acknowledged relatives, this protection extends to your friends."Felix looked up with interest. "Is that really possible?"Xena nodded. "Yes, I've authorized it personally. No matter how powerful they are, the Greene family wouldn't dare openly defy headquarters. "You can rest assured about that. However, how you resolve your conflict with them after the mission is your own business."How to resolve it? Through elimination, of course! Now that his anger h
Aiden made a subtle hand gesture behind his back. He and Meredith knew that someone like Felix, who would not even acknowledge his own father, would never respect the Greene family's authority.They had not really brought him here to treat Meredith's condition—their true intention was to eliminate Felix. The Greene family had always been ruthless—if someone could not be controlled, what was the point of letting them live? This was especially true since Felix carried Greene blood but refused to serve the family's interests.However, Felix's Dragon Knight status complicated matters. Since it was an official position appointed by headquarters, killing such a person would mean directly opposing the organization—something even the Greene family could not afford."What do you think you're doing, Felix?" Aiden asked with a barely concealed smirk. He had deliberately used Felix's friends to provoke him into attacking first, which would give the Greene family legitimate grounds for retal
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