Chapter 20: A Favor Worth Repaying

Half an hour earlier, inside a research laboratory.

Drake walked through the sterile white corridors, accompanied by Marcus.

The bodyguard seemed rather troubled by something.

"Sir, are you certain we can trust that young man?" Marcus asked. "The prescription he gave you could be poisonous. The young master specifically instructed me to prevent suspicious individuals from approaching you until a proper antidote was found."

Drake waved his hand dismissively.

"There’s no harm in testing it first. The laboratory can determine whether it’s poisonous before I actually use it."

Marcus still seemed unconvinced, but he didn’t argue.

"By the way, did you gather information about him?" Drake asked.

"Yes, sir."

Marcus took out a tablet and opened a file.

"His name is Nero Martinez. He’s currently living with the Morgan family."

Drake raised an eyebrow.

"The Morgan family? You mean the one behind the Golden Chamber?"

"Yes, sir."

The Golden Chamber was one of the largest organizations involved in buying and trading resources. Even the Blackwood family regularly purchased supplies from them.

Drake hadn’t expected the seemingly ordinary teenager he encountered in the park to have such a background.

"However, Nero isn’t actually a biological member of the Morgan family," Marcus continued.

"Oh?"

"He was taken in by Lilia Morgan after her friend, Nero’s biological mother, disappeared inside a dungeon."

Marcus scrolled through the information before continuing.

"According to my sources, Lilia may even be planning to have Nero leave the Morgan family, since he technically doesn’t belong to them."

Drake fell silent.

It seemed the young man’s background was more complicated than he had expected.

Just then, a female researcher wearing a white coat approached them.

"Sir Drake, the test results are ready."

Drake immediately turned toward her.

"What did you find?"

The researcher adjusted her glasses before answering.

"The prescription you provided is not only extremely safe, but it also appears to be an entirely new form of medicine."

Drake was surprised.

"An entirely new form?"

"Yes. The formula uses several types of Mana-infused materials whose properties complement each other perfectly."

She continued explaining with growing excitement.

"The Mana already present inside the patient’s body reacts with the ingredients and breaks down the demonic corruption. Meanwhile, the Mana-infused water and tree sap nourish the body while helping cleanse the remaining contamination."

The researcher took a breath before continuing.

"If my understanding is correct, this could be the first genuinely effective medicine against demonic corruption!"

The corridor fell silent.

Marcus was the first to react.

"What do you mean, the first effective medicine against demonic corruption?"

Even Drake was stunned by the explanation.

He suddenly remembered the joke he had made when he first met Nero.

Hadn’t he asked whether the boy was some reincarnated immortal from a web novel?

’Don’t tell me I was actually right?’

For a moment, Drake seriously considered the possibility.

However, he quickly dismissed the thought.

"I want to test it myself," he said. "Immediately."

Marcus hesitated.

"Sir, perhaps we should wait for further testing..."

"No. The researchers have already confirmed that it’s safe. Prepare the medicine."

Seeing that Drake had made his decision, Marcus could only agree.

Within the hour, the medicine was prepared according to Nero’s instructions.

Drake carefully drank the mixture while the researchers monitored his condition.

At first, nothing happened.

However, after a short while, a warm sensation began spreading through his body.

The Mana that had remained stagnant for months was finally beginning to circulate again.

Drake could feel the blockage inside his primary Mana channel gradually disappearing as the remaining demonic corruption was cleansed.

His eyes widened.

"It works..."

He could hardly believe what he was experiencing.

"It actually works!"

The researcher was equally excited by the results.

"Sir Drake, may I ask where you obtained this prescription?"

She continued eagerly, "If I could meet the person who created it, we might be able to develop treatments for more serious cases of demonic corruption!"

Drake shook his head.

"I’m afraid I can’t reveal his identity. I gave him my word."

The researcher seemed disappointed but nodded in understanding.

"However, I’ll pass your message along," Drake added. "Perhaps he’ll be willing to meet you in the future."

"Thank you, Sir Drake!"

With that, Drake left the laboratory.

He took out his phone and dialed the number his people had managed to trace.

"Hello, Young Nero."

Drake’s voice was filled with gratitude.

"It’s me, Old Man Drake. The person you met in the park this morning."

Nero smiled slightly when he recognized the voice.

"Oh, it’s you! Did the prescription work?"

Drake chuckled.

"It worked perfectly. In fact, the researcher who examined the medicine wants to meet you."

"Oh?"

"She believes your knowledge could help develop treatments for more serious forms of demonic corruption."

Nero fell silent for a moment.

He had already expected the old man to contact him eventually, but he hadn’t imagined the researcher would want to meet him as well.

"I appreciate the offer," Nero replied carefully, "but I’d rather not attract unnecessary attention."

Drake understood his concerns.

"Of course. I won’t reveal your identity to anyone."

He paused briefly before continuing.

"However, I would still like to meet you personally. I can’t properly express my gratitude over the phone."

Nero considered the request.

Drake then added, "I’ve also prepared something for you in advance. Consider it a token of my appreciation."

Hearing this, Nero thought about it for a moment before agreeing.

"Alright. I can visit tomorrow."

Drake smiled with satisfaction.

"Excellent! Then tomorrow it is. I’ll send you the location."

"Thank you. I’ll see you then."

The call ended.

Nero lowered his phone and looked at the screen for a moment.

Things were moving much faster than he had expected, but perhaps that wasn’t necessarily a bad thing.

He put his phone away and continued making his way back to the Morgan Estate.

After reaching the mansion, Nero sat down on his bed and pulled out his phone.

He opened his bank account app and checked his balance. He was very curious about how much he had in his bank account after all those choices he made.