["'You're here. From the sound of your footsteps, you seem to be in good spirits.'"]
["Just like last time, as soon as Stelle arrived outside Arborview Pavilion, Dan Shu noticed her presence as usual."]
["'How can you tell?' Although it wasn't her first time witnessing it, the chief alchemist's hearing was almost too extraordinary."]
["'It's nothing worth mentioning, not important,' Dan Shu said, maintaining her usual gentle smile. 'Let's get to the matter at hand… I've studied the formula you provided, and I've reached some preliminary conclusions. Could you help me deliver them to the Seat of Divine Foresight?'"]
["Stelle: 'What conclusions?'"]
["'As for the conclusions… based on the results, I don't believe Dragon's Coiling Leap has an antidote. Nor will there be one in the foreseeable future. I've compiled a more detailed report. If you're interested, you can take a look.'"]
["With that, she handed Stelle a document titled [Pharmacological Analysis of Dragon's Coiling Leap]."]
["Stelle carefully read through the report and discovered that the core of the formula's pharmacology lies in using the power of the Vidyadhara dragon ancestors to artificially induce a Mara-struck state!"]
"It seems that for the Disciples of Sanctus Medicus, a Mara-struck state with retained rationality is their ideal form," Caesar said with a faint smile. "Speaking of which, this is somewhat similar to the 'Blood Burst' technique."
Blood Burst was a technique restored by the first-generation Lionheart Society members, designed to weaken human genes while activating draconic genes, all while maintaining rationality.
Activating Blood Burst pushes one closer to a dragon-like state, but if the critical blood limit is exceeded, the person loses consciousness and becomes a Deadpool.
If Deadpool is likened to a Mara-struck state, then Dragon's Coiling Leap is a drug that allows one to perfectly harness Deadpool's power while retaining rationality.
Let alone in the Xianzhou… even among the dragon slayers' ranks, this would be an incredibly tempting drug.
With this in mind, Caesar could understand why the Disciples of Sanctus Medicus had persisted in the Xianzhou for a millennium without being eradicated.
"If humans had such a drug, the Principal would probably ban it immediately," Chu Zihang said expressionlessly. "Then he'd secretly keep a dose for himself, ready to inject it into his veins without hesitation when facing a pureblood dragon. If becoming a monster could slay a dragon, he'd make himself even more ferocious."
"…That does sound like the Principal's style."
Caesar briefly imagined a Deadpool in a black Maserati, clad in a tailored black suit, polished Italian leather shoes, and a vibrant red rose pinned to the chest. The image was somewhat terrifying but oddly fitting for the Principal's flair.
——
["Stelle forwarded the pharmacological report to Qingque, then asked Dan Shu if she knew anything about the current situation inside the Alchemy Commission."]
["Dan Shu explained that she had been stationed outside for days and had been temporarily tasked with analyzing the formula for the Seat of Divine Foresight, which delayed her. Thus, she was unaware of the Alchemy Commission's current state."]
["Just as they were about to part ways, Dan Shu suddenly said, 'Stelle, there's one more thing. Could I ask for your help with something else?'"]
["Dan Shu explained that she had left the Alchemy Commission to diagnose and deliver medicine to Xianzhou citizens. The medicine was ready, and she had intended for a colleague to deliver it, but with the current shortage of healers, she hoped Stelle could take on the task."]
["Of course, she wouldn't ask Stelle to help for free. She promised to prepare a gift, which would be ready by the time Stelle finished."]
["'Alright,' Stelle agreed, taking the medicine and heading to the location Dan Shu specified."]
["Then she saw a little girl trapped on a low wall by a flowerbed. The wall wasn't high, but a few rowdy kids were shouting and intimidating her."]
["Stelle keenly noticed that the little girl was also blind."]
["Was this the child Dan Shu had asked her to find? Was she here to deliver medicine for a blind child?"]
["The kids were acting arrogantly. Stelle merely stood at a distance, but they approached her, picking a fight. They soon realized they couldn't hurt her and were instead injured by the recoil."]
["Refusing to admit defeat, they stubbornly claimed Stelle had used some kind of internal force to secretly attack them. In the end, without Stelle doing anything, they cursed and ran off in frustration."]
Valkyrie Academy
Watching this scene, Bronya was fuming.
"In situations like this, you need to give them a good thrashing! I've dealt with plenty of kids like this—yapping and making a fuss. A solid beating sorts them out!"
Back at the orphanage, some older kids tried to bully Seele. In those cases, there was no other way to stop it—you had to make them feel pain.
As long as you were tough enough to show them that bullying you came with a cost, they'd slink away like deflated balloons.
"But what if their parents show up and say, 'They're just kids'?" Seele quietly reminded her.
Bronya's voice rose an octave. "Perfect timing! They're just kids, right? Well, Stelle's a kid too—less than a year old since her 'birth'! Kids roughhousing and accidentally breaking a few dozen bones because they didn't hold back—it's perfectly reasonable, isn't it?"
"A few dozen bones…"
"Seele, Xianzhou people are long-life species. They're durable, if nothing else. They'd probably be fine in a couple of months," Bronya huffed. "If I were Stelle, I'd just swing my bat and let them have it first!"
——
["Stelle helped the little girl down from the flowerbed wall. The girl said gratefully, 'Big sister, thank you for helping me…'"]
["'Are you okay?' Stelle gently brushed the dirt off her, showing a rare tenderness instead of her usual eccentric demeanor."]
["'I'm fine,' the little girl shook her head lightly, a trace of loneliness flashing in her eyes. 'It's my fault. I shouldn't have wandered around and bumped into those guys. They always tease me for being blind and trip me or steal my things.'"]
["'Dan Shu asked me to bring you medicine,' Stelle said, ruffling the girl's hair, touched by her maturity."]
["'Oh, Dan Shu sent you?' The little girl's face lit up with joy."]
["'I heard there's been a lot of trouble lately. She must be really busy, right? Thank you, big sister, and please thank Dan Shu for me too.'"]
["The girl took the medicine and, under Stelle's watchful gaze, stumbled back along her original path."]
"She's like an angel, isn't she? So gentle…" Denji said, biting his spoon and glaring at Power beside him. "Hey, it's not because you're a nasty devil that you think everyone's bad, right? Miss Dan Shu is clearly an angel!"
"Are you an idiot, Denji?! How dare you question my judgment!"
Power angrily smashed a paper cup of cake into Denji's face. "My instincts are never wrong! There's definitely something off about that Dan Shu!"
Denji licked the cake off his face, circling his tongue around his mouth. "Wanna bet? If Miss Dan Shu isn't a bad person, you're not allowed to eat meat for a month!"
"Fine, let's bet! If I win, you give me all your meat for a whole year, Denji!"
"Deal!"
Denji rubbed his hands eagerly but suddenly froze. "Wait a second… why's mine a whole year?! You cheater, Power!"