Chapter 303 80%1


    The next morning, after having breakfast, Keh and Ophelia set off for Jenton. When three cars drove out of the underground parking lot, they saw a row of vehicles parked at the hotel entrance, led by DarkHawk.


    He took a few steps forward. Caleb nced at the man in the backseat through the rearview mirror, then stopped the car and rolled down the window.


    "Keh, I heard you''re going to Jenton. It''s quite unstable over there. I''ll send two vehicles to apany you."


    The man''s well-defined face was reflected in the car window, his deep eyes under the sses slowly lifting. "No need for that," His voice was deep and cold. DarkHawk took a deep breath and lowered his head. "Keh, I was wrong about the incident back then. Please give me a chance to make it right."


    Back then, he listened to others and thought Keh deliberately sent him and Sherry to their deaths. He only survived because he was fortunate.


    Later, it was discovered that Keh had tried his best to rescue them when he realized it was a trap. Sherry''sst words were to tell Keh to save him first. Yet he did something that wasn''t right for the guild. Keh looked away and didn''t say another word, while Caleb wisely rolled up the car window. Three cars drove past DarkHawk.


    Ophelia asked the question Eric had askedst night, but before Keh could respond, the two people in front exined the whole story, one after the other.


    "So, were Sherry and DarkHawk a couple?"


    Caleb nodded while Barrett shook his head, and they exchanged nces.


    Caleb said, "Of course not! The guild doesn''t allow dating!"N?velDrama.Org: owner of this content.


    Barrett retorted, "Are you blind? It was super obvious."


    Ophelia was speechless, thinking she shouldn''t have asked that many questions.


    Caleb and Barrett argued about this topic the whole way. If it weren''t for her and Keh sitting in the back, they probably would''ve argued the roof off the car.


    The car had traveled quite a distance. Ophelia nced back and felt the unseen presence trailing them, guessing Keh sensed it too. Keh had actually given DarkHawk a chance to make it up to him.


    After leaving the city, the highway began to narrow, and the scenery changed drastically. Tall, dense forests surrounded them as the car moved from paved roads to dirt paths, eventually entering small town areas.


    They crossed several districts in less than half a day, arriving in a remote vige nestled by the mountains. The gate bore the name "Tansoton" in big, bold letters.


    Getting here smoothly was all thanks to DarkHawk''s coordination behind the scenes. After escorting them to the ce, their vehicle discreetly withdrew to a spot out of sight.


    Ophelia got out of the car. Today, she had practically begged Keh not to make her use the wheelchair again. Feeling her feet on the ground, she couldn''t help but jog a few steps, move around the car, and link arms with Keh. 09:54 Mon, Dec 9


    They looked like tourists: Even the usually serious Keh wore a matching couple''s vacation outfit, and his usual ck baseball cap was swapped for a cream-colored one.


    His demeanor had transformed from his usual seriousness to a sunny disposition, totally overshadowing Ronin standing by them.


    Walking behind them, Ronin carried a silver-gray metal case, scanning the area with his sunsses on.


    The area was lush with trees. Rice paddies stretched at the mountain''s base, and each family lived in wooden houses climbing up the slopes. Layer uponyer, extending from far to hear. The information Emma provided was quite urate. As soon as they entered the vige, a middle-aged man in flip-flops climbed down from a hammock and blocked their path. "Are you here to search for poison bugs?"


    Ophelia exchanged a nce with Keh.


    "Everyone whoes here is looking for those bugs. Otherwise why would anyone visit such a deste ce? Follow me," The man fanned himself as he led the way.


    The ce was small, with just a few dozen households. In front of nearly every home was a row of ck ceramic jars about the size of oranges. The information matched almost exactly..


    The neers caught the attention of the vigers rxing under the trees, who looked over with curiosity. They spoke the local dialect, which was hard to understand without listening carefully because of the strong ent.


    Almost everyone here seemed elderly. There wasn''t a single young person in sight. The midday sun was zing. The man kept fanning himself vigorously and took big breaths as he headed toward the mountain.


    Keh stopped in his tracks, released Ophelia, and crouched down in front of her. "Climb on, I''ll give you a piggyback ride."


    Judging by the looks of it, they still had quite a distance to go. The bumpy dirt road was definitely going to make it hard for her to walk.


    Ophelia didn''t want to waste any time on this matter. She just wanted to find a cure for Keh as soon as possible. Without a moment''s hesitation, she climbed onto his back.


    She took a small portable fan that was hanging around her neck and used it to cool him.


    The group trailing behind them felt like they were witnessing a clichéd romantic scene. Especially Ronin, who was struggling with a heavy suitcase.


    "Hey! Sir, when will we be there?"


    "Almost there," The old man started waving his fan faster. Even though they were quite exhausted on their way up the mountain, the old man kept rambling about the miraculous qualities of these poison bugs. It sounded like a sales pitch. "Sir, you''re really missing your calling if you''re not in sales," Ronin said as he switched hands to carry the suitcase.


    "Well, I''m telling the truth. Our poison bugse from secret families and can cure all sorts of diseases that can''t be treated elsewhere.


    "Unfortunately, our inte isn''t well-developed, so we can''t spread the word. Besides, it takes a lot of time to cultivate these bugs, and they might not even match a person''s blood."


    A match?" Ronin, being a medical professional, relied on science and hadn''t studied these alternative remedies. He found it sounded so mystical. He came here specifically to study it. If these bugs were truly that effective, it could be a major breakthrough in medical science.


    09.04


    IVION, LANG Y


    Ophelia remained silent, het heart pounding with anxiety.


    Keh, as if sensing Ophelia''s emotions behind him, gently reassured, "There''s nothing to worry about. We have other methods."


    He had made up his mind. The other method he referred to was the surgical n Ronin had previously suggested. In the past, he was afraid the surgery would fail and didn''t want to burden her.


    But now, he wanted to take a chance for Ophelia. Rather than wating for death and letting her suffer, he thought he might as well give it a try. He wanted to keep going for her sake.


    Opheliay on his back, hugged him tightly, and nodded gently twice. She knew he was trying tofort her.


    After about ten minutes of walking, they reached a spot halfway up the mountain, surrounded by a circle of tall trees enclosing a yard. The yard was neatly kept, and the wooden house looked like it had seen better days.


    The old man pushed open the gate and walked in, calling toward the house, "Tanya, someone''s here to ask for the bugs."