Man With Super Medical Skill (Matthew)

Matthew's eyes narrowed slightly. For someone to claim familiarity with him-the leader of Virtue Hall-right to his face, this young man was either bluffing or had plans to exploit him.

"So, what exactly would I need to do to join the Marine Corps' Virtue Hall?" Matthew asked calmly, his gaze fixed on the young man.

"Matteo, I admire you. Do you know why?" Instead of answering the question directly, the young man changed the subject, smiling as he posed his own question.

Matthew shook his head slightly, his expression indifferent.

The young man continued, "I've done my research on you-calm, strong, mysterious. These three qualities define you, and incidentally, they're all traits I value. That's why I invited you here, to recruit you. Here's the deal: drink that flask of wine in your hand, fight a match for me, and I'll personally help you join Virtue Hall. How does that sound?"

From the sincerity in his tone, anyone else might have believed the young man truly intended to help Matthew.

"What kind of match?" Matthew asked.

"A fight in an underground boxing ring," the young man replied. "Your opponent will be Shaun Mendoza from the Viper Crew. Agree to face him, and everything else will be taken care of."

Matthew's expression shifted slightly. Shaun Mendoza... the same man Bram had mentioned earlier, the one who'd been living it up after the stolen goods incident.

Initially, Matthew had planned to apprehend this young man after questioning him and extract more information. But now, it seemed this encounter might yield an unexpected lead.

"Alright. When's the fight?" Matthew agreed without hesitation.

The young man's smile widened though a glint of disdain and mockery flashed in his eyes.

This is the guy they're calling "Mr. Larden" on the island? He's nothing but a fool. The young man chuckled inwardly. Once I've used him, I'll assign him some lowly status as a Marine Corps disciple. Let him dream about entering the Six Grand Halls.

The young man himself was just a disciple of one of the Six Grand Halls, yet Matthew-an islander with minor accomplishments-dared to dream so big.

"You can go for now. I'll have

someone inform you when the time

comes the young man said,

offering Matthew a warm, seemingly genuine smile as he watched him

leave.

en

Once Matthew was out of sight, the young man's demeanor changed. "Lenny," he called out softly.

The mustached middle-aged man from earlier entered the clearing and bowed respectfully. "At your service, sir."

"In ten days, during the death match

at the underground boxing arena, arrange for Matteo Larden to fight Shaun Mendoza. Spread the word that Larden is just an ordinary man with a bit of cleverness. Raise his betting odds as high as possible, and at the last moment before the betting pool closes, place all of our money on Shaun," the young man instructed, his voice calm but cold.

"Understood, sir," Lenny replied with a nod.

...noveldrama

At the Veiled Assembly's docks, the area was brightly lit and bustling with activity.

When Matthew returned, Mack hurried over, his face full of urgency. "Matteo, we've got a problem!" Matthew patted Mack's shoulder, his voice steady. "Slow down, Mack. What happened?"

Mack exhaled sharply before launching into a rapid explanation. "We were planning to consolidate the docks today, but when we

arrived, we found everything had et

been completely looted. Even the stacked goods were gone. The materials we needed to build a large port were already substantial, but now there's nothing left on the island. We can't move forward with the construction."

Having laid out the problem, Mack looked at Matthew, his expression filled with expectation.

Matthew thought for a moment before replying. "Leave it to me. I'll take care of it."