Stefan's eyes brightened and he eagerly asked, "Can you take me there to get some? My wife has been poisoned, and I need it to save her. If you can take me there to get some, I'll satisfy any request you and the villagers have." "We're doing fine as we are. We don't need an outsider like you trying to poke your nose into things." Easton glared at Stefan fiercely. "The dragon's saliva is a treasure belonging to my tribe, so how can we just give some of it to an outsider? If you keep this up, you'll be punished by our tribe's laws. For your information, my tribe doesn't belong to any administrative region, so we don't have to take responsibility if we want to hack you into pieces." Easton wasn't just saying that to scare Stefan—Dragos was a small society with a long history, and they had their own rules unbound by any laws. They were similar to the ancient cannibal tribes of Zambawi. Stefan had entered the village on his own initiative, which had infuriated the villagers. Hence, he was
"Mr. Abdon, don't worry—I'm also a villager of Dragos. I want our village to be safe, I was just a little impulsive today. I'm sorry..." Neil bowed to the villagers politely, then turned and said to Stefan, "Let's go, man. I told you this wouldn't work.""Okay, I understand." Stefan nodded.The both of them turned around and walked out of the village as the villagers watched.Stefan stopped when the torches were almost out of sight and asked Neil seriously, "This show has gone on long enough. Can we go back now?" "It isn't a show. I really do want to take you out of the village." Neil gave Stefan an awkward look and fished out the bank card with the large sum of money that he had accepted. "I'll return the money to you. I don't want you to get hurt by the villagers.""Excuse me?" Stefan frowned, his expression turning icy. He felt like Neil had fooled him. He wouldn't have left if Neil had told him that from the beginning. On the contrary, he would have tried to persuade that eld
"What? You... Are you still going up the mountains?" Neil's eyes widened, and he said in awe, "You're fearless!""I've made myself very clear." Stefan twisted the towel around his head that was drenched in sweat, and after taking a deep breath, he was about to set off again. Neil watched as Stefan walked away, feeling guilty. "Hey, wait!"Stefan stopped and turned around. "What's wrong?""I don't want to be your guide, but I can give you a map." Neil took out a notebook and drew something on a page, then tore it off and gave it to Stefan. "The terrains in Dragos are very complicated. This is a rough map of the village, and I'm guessing the dragon's saliva you want is in the memorial chamber. However, that place is at the highest point of the mountain, and it's also in the most complex cave. Our legends say that the ancestral dragon met his beloved woman there, and that was also where they built their family. That's how Dragos came along." "Really?" Stefan was overjoyed and acc
Stefan hid behind a rock, waiting for them to change shifts. He knew the security would be the weakest at that time. He'd heard from Neil that their guards had a ritual—they would perform a Dragon Dance, their ethnic dance, when they wanted to change shifts.Soon, the six guards at the cave and the other six guards who were taking over started dancing, and Stefan took that opportunity to sneak into the cave through a side door. The cave was small but deep, and there was only one lamp in the dark cave. It was a karst cave with unique stalactites that were shaped like the 12 zodiac animals—pig, dog, chicken, goat, tiger, and so on."I'm sure there must be a dragon here since it's one of the twelve zodiacs." Stefan eagerly walked into the deepest part of the cave. He could hear the sound of running water from time to time, and it sounded like the cry of a dragon. The deepest part of the cave was the highest part of it, and there was a stalactite there more than ten meters high. It w
Unexpectedly, Stefan had successfully snuck into the memorial chamber, and he'd even climbed onto the dragon's neck and taken the dragon's saliva, which was the clan's treasure. Neil was shocked, and felt like he was about to pass out."Neil, you came just in time! Help me take this." Stefan held the cauldron with one hand and clung to the dragon's body with the other. The climb down wouldn't be easy, and he was also afraid of spilling the liquid in the cauldron, so he was relieved to see Neil."No, I don't want to." Neil looked up at Stefan and squatted there arrogantly. "I can't do such a thing to betray my clan. They'll kill me if they find me out.""I know you'll help me." Stefan handed the cauldron to Neil. "If not, you wouldn't have given me the map or risked coming here. I'm begging you—please take good care of this cauldron and give it to my assistant. My wife's life depends on it." Stefan seemed to have realized that he wouldn't be able to escape, and knew he could depend o
A day had passed, and the atmosphere in Everheart Manor was tense. Everyone in the manor looked solemn."Today is the last day. Where's Stefan?" Owen looked up at the calendar on the wall in the living room, and a worried sigh escaped him."It's hard to tell." Quinton clenched his fists, then scoffed, "I've always said that he's just an incapable pretty boy. Don't count on him—we have to come up with something else."Owen hung his head in regret. "If I hadn't told him about the four herbs, he wouldn't have risked his life searching for them, and things wouldn't have ended up like this. We didn't get the herb, and now he's missing." "It's too late to say that now!" Xavier slammed his fist on the table and snarled, "What kind of a doctor are you? Are you trying to save lives or end them? Stefan wanted to dig people's eyes out because of your words, and now, thanks to you, we don't even know if he's alive!" He stood up and grabbed Owen's collar fiercely. "Tell us the truth—who the he
Quinton staggered back in shock. "How... could you...""What?" Xavier demanded stubbornly. "We aren't related, so I can say what I want! Don't think that I'll feel sorry for you—you're just an outcast, and if it wasn't for Stefan, I would have dealt with you ages ago!""That's enough!" Leia had been keeping silent, but she couldn't take it anymore. She got to her feet and pushed Xavier away. "You're upset because your first love has suffered—we get it.. Just stop taking out your frustrations on innocent people! Yes, others might not know about the conflict between Quinton and Stefan, but as Stefan's friend, you should know better. There's no right or wrong between them—just defeat or victory. If Quinton was still harboring a grudge against Stefan, don't you think he would have let him die when he saw him drowning in the Southern Sea?" Xavier looked at Leia, and calmed down a little. "I don't know about that, but I would never forgive someone who blinded and nearly killed me." "Bu
"I'm not, but you are!" Leia snapped furiously. "You're wrong—I'm the smart one who calls out lovestruck fools!" Xavier sneered.Both Owen and Quinton automatically took a step back and watched their fight. Honestly, it looked like a lovers' quarrel… and it was rather sweet.At that moment, a servant hurried into the room. "They're back! They're home!""They're back?" Both Leia and Xavier immediately stopped arguing, then childishly rushed to the door, each trying to outrun each other."I knew Stefan could do it! He could even find a mythical item… What a guy!" As Stefan's first fan, Xavier easily outran Leia and was the first to reach the door to welcome them.However, to his confusion, only Elijah and a stranger were walking towards them slowly. "Mr. Stuart!" When Elijah saw Xavier, his eyes glistened with unshed tears. He looked exhausted, and anyone looking at him could tell that things had not gone smoothly for them. "Where's Stefan? I don't… see him." Xavier looked aro