Although the room looked calm on the surface, the only ones not struggling were the ones only watching: Yuri and the Doctor.
The others all looked tired while being soaked in sweat. And Leo looked like a tomato, completely red.
Over the minutes, the needles slowly pierced into Eloise, and only the tips became visible.
Yuri felt the room changing again after the needle stopped moving.
However, the room didn't become as chaotic as before.
Yuri saw some lines moving towards Eloise as the energy accumulated in the room flowed towards the bed. While Leo absorbed some, the majority scattered among the dagger and needles.
Even from some distance, Yuri noticed, not long after, some transparent liquid dripping from the tip of the needles.
The process kept going wanting to suck the whole room dry.
The sounds of things breaking came from the tables.
Two minutes later, the liquid finally stopped dripping. Fortunately, the Array Commander held on. But three of the nine people helping passed out in the process.
The needles quickly bolted out from Eloise's body, signaling the end.
After they fell to the floor, Leo removed the dagger swiftly, staggering in the process.
Leo tried to stabilize himself with heavy breathing. But he struggled to stay standing.
He used the bed to support himself. However, even after the tension left his body, he still tried to focus on the room status.
Some small arrays crumbled down, while others fell flat on the ground.
The room kept changing until everything went back to a more stable state. By then, from the helpers, only the Array Commander and two medicinal specialists were conscious.
Leo finally turned around, weakly walking out. However, he still looked toward the doctor and spoke with his horse voice.
"Your turn." He said, leaving the room without saying another word.
Yuri became excited as he looked forward to the confirmation that the treatment was a success. It had been months since he felt this much hope.
---
Outside the patient room, Leo located a place to sit.
He was shaking his head while communicating with a man that appeared to be in his 40.
Max was the individual checking if Leo required anything. When Max turned around, he noticed Yuri leaving Eloise's room.
"Max, they require more people to administer immediate care for the unconscious. Additionally, the doctor said you should finish the new room arrangement. He'll be transferring Eloise as soon as he can."
"Don't neglect the body," Leo remarked from the side.
"Oh, also assign the autopsy team to retrieve a body by Eloise's bed, and inform them it's relevant to the ongoing investigation."
"Alright," Max responded.
The place was bustling. People walked around lively. Having received the orders, Max contacted people using some devices. He also began directing people around more actively.
"So, a room to take a rest?" Yuri asked, his emotions already back under control.
"An isolation room, please," Leo replied. A cup with an energy drink was swirling and evaporating gently in his hand.
Acknowledging the request, Yuri took a similar device, a smartphone-like gadget, and called someone.
"Hey, can you take a key to the main isolation room and meet me there? [...] Sure."
Ceasing the call, Yuri noticed Leo was standing up, ready to go.
"Follow me," Yuri said, leaving the room.
People cleared a path, but they couldn't hide their probing eyes.
Fortunately for Leo, they all had their duty, so they had no opportunity to query about anything else.
---
Inside the waiting room, the crowd seemed to have received the good news already, as a few had big smiles.
"Hey, Yuri! How was it?!" Matt shouted, halting the duo.
"Old man, it seems you aren't useless!" He continued.
Leo couldn't bother to answer, too tired.
"Go help Ginn. He may need help. Are you that free to wait around doing nothing?" Yuri interjected.
Even while grumpy, Matt still went away. He had no fun since Leo looked almost unconscious.
Yuri looked around. He was glad that no one else was coming to bother them.
Leo walked towards the stairs, leaving Yuri's side. However, a few meters away, he staggered so much that he almost fell.
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When Leo showed signs of falling, Yuri ran toward him and arrived on time to offer help. Putting the elder's hand above his shoulder, Yuri hugged his back. He firmly supported the tired man.
Looking at Leo's eyes, He noticed signs of unconsciousness. Yet, Leo's right hand was stubbornly clutching inside his pants' right pocket.
Even in this situation, Leo still turned his head around and whispered.
"I'll be counting on you."
Leo stayed alert despite his tiredness.
---
Yuri helped Leo down to the basement.
Arriving at the seclusion room, an adolescent boy was waiting for them with a big squarish jewel and a small package in his hands.
"Sir Yuri, here is the key and payment." He made the delivery while bowing.
"Tha..." Leo moved unexpectedly, surprising Yuri mid-sentence.
The elderly went straight for those things. After seizing it, Leo then entered the room without glancing back. His movements, while naturally paced, were too rigid and unnatural.
"Is he alright?" The teenager asked.
"Considering what he did, I'm not surprised," Yuri said while moving towards the wall and sitting down. "You can go. I'll be watching over here."
Inside, Leo arrived at a panel. His eyes focused on it, and after identifying the structure, he inserted the key into an indentation.
The room atmosphere changed, and the door slammed.
The room became quiet.
Leo examined the arrays with his awareness. And only after verifying that the room was fully isolated did he let go of all the tension.
He fell to the floor, even hitting the panel.
There, he lay on his side, package on hand. But not even that far away from a more comfortable low bed.
Despite everything, he fell asleep deeply. His hand left his pocket only after falling and passing out. And a golden statue rolled out.
The statue glowed and trembled slightly on the floor before finally dimming back to its normal state.
---
"Don't you realize the consequences of your deeds?!" a 30 years old blond man yelled.
Confronting him was Ginn Aravyz with a sword in his hand and a group of people at his side, a few of them injured.
"I sure do, but I don't think you do. You'll need to account for your boldness. You're in my residence and dare to attack my guest? Did you forget your mission?"
"HAHA! A brat wants to educate me! Know your position, baby boy. Why did we even have to come to such a forsaken country? It's all because of your lack of strength! Would you ever receive such treatment if it wasn't for Miss' rebellious phase? You're making an enemy that you can't afford!"
"YES!" Ginn yelled. The room shook as everyone was ready to attack.
Noticing the pressure from the building's arrays, the elder calmed down and lifted his hand. His presence expanded as he was ready to fight. He couldn't underestimate them in this place.
"Enough! We're all from the Volcano Sect. How can infighting happen because of an outsider? Elder Derick shall receive punishment for putting Miss Eloise in danger when he's back to the sect."
Someone interrupted them. The acting intermediary was another elder from Volcano Sect. She was called Lyrian, a white-haired middle-aged woman and a specialist in body refinement.
'Why is she here? Does she have a connection with the two brothers?' Ginn wondered.
He then turned around as a new participant arrived.
Patrick was Derick's twin brother. Ginn planned to deal with both. Because they had been looking down on him since the first day they arrived. Unfortunately, Lyrian surprised him.
"Patrick, bring your brother to his quarters and wait for the new orders from Volcano Sect. It's time to commemorate Eloise's health progress, so don't fight!"
Lyrian's influence was more distinguished than the twins. So by using her seniority and position as the leader of this party, she successfully minimized the confrontation.
As the two men left, not daring to disobey the orders, Lyrian smiled at Ginn.
"This should solve this little dilemma. Right? Today is a day for commemoration."
By the time she had finished speaking, Ginn had already sheathed his sword back.
"For now." He said as he signaled for people to leave.
In the room, now alone, Lyrian thought: 'The brothers might surprisingly lose such a fight. Ginn's power may be negligible elsewhere, but this is his home. Their level is too low to compensate for such home-ground advantage.'
She returned to her tea time with a newfound smile.
---
"Where is he?" Ginn asked while using the smartphone-like device.
"Isolated in the main room," Yuri responded.
"Good, even they can do nothing if he's in there. Ask someone to watch over him so you can come to the meeting. I don't think Leo will be getting out anytime soon."
Turning off the communicator, Ginn started giving orders.
"Manu, take care of the injured. Yukk, call everyone in for an emergency meeting!"
At this time, Matt arrived a bit too late for the party.
---
The twins went back to their quarters. Lyrian also went back to her strategic room.
However, the fourth Volcano's elder decided to visit her niece.
The 70 years old looking woman had the most seniority in the whole group. But she didn't come here leading others or following orders.
She had already distanced herself from Volcano activities and had been enjoying her retirement for decades. Nevertheless, Joyce was the first to move when the news that her niece got poisoned arrived at the Volcano headquarters.
Joyce came to have some peace of mind. But also to give her brother, the current Sect Master, and the rest of her family some peace. Because the last thing she wanted to see was her family falling apart by following the little girl to this distant place.
At first, she imagined it would be similar to her retirement days, some holidays. Yet, as she received more details, her expression grew more serious. Those days, she thought about how naive she was when she heard the bad news for the first time. Her past self would've never guessed the brutality of this poison and whom it might involve.
While she grew more desperate, she also found it harder to persuade her family to wait at home. Despite them knowing that many moving may be the enemy's objective, staying cold-blooded towards the younger generation was hard.
Luckily, she came here herself rather than sending only her disciples. Her presence here might be the only thing holding the Sect Master's head in its place.
Furthermore, the little husband the girl found in the middle of nowhere surprised her more and more. The last few months broke the prejudice of considering the young man only a prank from her niece. Aside from her, others back at home were also surprised by his actions. Capable and visionary people weren't born in trees and were the hardest to cultivate.
Looking at her niece in the bed, Joyce forcefully held her tears. Fortunately, despite looking even weaker, the girl had a presence again, as she was free from the heavy chains.
She sensed the poison residue in the bed. But if she didn't know already, she wouldn't even guess it was poison.
She saw Ginn's and Volcano's people working together efficiently. Cleaning the room, stabilizing Eloise's condition, and preparing the transference.
"So, you want help moving her?" Joyce asked.
"Yes. As you can see, cleaning this place will not be easy, and the array system is also compromised. We've been preparing for this, and a new room is ready for the move. The difficult part is not worsening the patient's condition. And that would take hours for us. However, with your excellency's help, we may be able to fast-forward the transference, thus immediately initiating the post-poison-removal long-term treatment." The doctor that watched Leo's treatment elaborated.
"Since the transference point is in the same building, I can help immediately. I can stabilize Eloise's condition for enough time and without risks. Anyway, how would you summarize the treatment you saw?"
"A miracle," he answered undoubtedly.
"Later, we'll talk about the details. I'll also report back and recommend you for a new position when we go home. It's about time since we all know you're the best doctor we have at Volcano. For now, I'll put my niece's recovery in your hands. And as her aunt, I thank you, as this journey has become way longer than anticipated."
"Master... I owe the sect way more, and being able to experience such mind-blowing treatment has put me in your excellency's debt."