Chapter 552 - 542: The Treatment Begins

To be honest, Moira Lynch was terrified the old man would go back on his word. After all, half his fortune was no small sum.

However, Moira Lynch had prepared for this. If the old man dared to break their agreement, she could make all her previous healing efforts go to waste.

First, Moira Lynch had the butler find someone to build a huge wooden tub.

Hearing Moira Lynch’s request, the butler looked puzzled. "A wooden tub? A tub made of wood? May I ask why it must be a wooden one?"

Won’t other materials do?

After all, they really didn’t have any wooden tubs here.

At his words, Moira Lynch shook her head. "No, it must be a wooden tub. A large one, filled to the brim with nutrient liquid. Not only that, but you’ll also need to prepare a sufficient supply of it."

According to Moira Lynch’s previous assessment, it would have taken at least half a month for the old man to make a full recovery.

And during that half-month, she would have needed to continuously cast her Healing Skill on him.

But that was her earlier diagnosis.

Under the current circumstances, for the old man to be completely cured, the time required would multiply several times over. It would take at least three months, maybe even longer.

Half a month was already the absolute limit of what Moira Lynch was willing to accept.

’Three months, or even longer? Out of the question.’

Setting aside the fact that she still had to participate in the game, months of continuous healing would inevitably leave her physically weakened. She was in an unfamiliar place with unfamiliar people; she had no desire to reveal her vulnerable side to them.

As the old saying goes: never harbor ill intentions, but never let down your guard.

Even the original half-month timeline was something she was reluctant to agree to.

So, to prevent any mishaps, Moira Lynch decided to use some drastic measures on the old man.

’As long as the final result is good, the process doesn’t matter.’

However, this approach would require a huge amount of rare medicinal herbs to assist the process.

But the old man was rich enough; these things should be nothing to him.

Moira Lynch had Patience compile a list of medicinal herbs, which she then handed to the butler.

"For the items on this list, the older the better, and the more the better."

The butler moved with incredible speed. Soon, everything Moira Lynch had asked for was prepared. They had even stockpiled an entire warehouse full of nutrient liquid and medicinal herbs.

"Do you think this will be enough?" the butler asked urgently. "Because of the tight schedule, this is all we could gather for now. If it’s not enough, the rest is already on its way and will be delivered shortly."

Looking at the supplies the butler had prepared, Moira Lynch couldn’t help but let the corner of her mouth twitch. She had really underestimated just how rich these people were.

"This is enough."

Once everything was ready, the old man finally regained consciousness and slowly opened his eyes.

His once-cloudy eyes had become much clearer.

The moment he woke up, the old man immediately noticed the changes in his body.

His heavy body felt much lighter.

The feeling was even more pronounced than before.

’Is this a terminal lucidity?’

’Or am I already dead?’

At this thought, a deep sense of unwillingness surged in the old man’s heart.

It wasn’t that he was unwilling to accept that he had brought this on himself, but rather that if he had known it would come to this, he would have kept the person who could heal him by his side.

But soon, he realized something was off, because he saw his most trusted butler walking toward him.

When the butler saw he was awake, his eyes filled with emotional tears. "Sir, it’s so wonderful that you’re all right."

"I’m not dead?!"

The old man’s voice was hoarse. Every word he spoke felt like a knife scraping across his throat.

The butler nodded excitedly. "That’s right, you’re not dead. Miss Lynn saved you."

Just then, Moira Lynch walked over.

Back on Ariel Planet, Moira Lynch had been wearing a mask and an escort’s uniform, so the old man hadn’t gotten a clear look at her face.

Even so, the old man recognized her the moment he saw her.

"Miss Lynn, you are indeed a woman of your word." A smile spread across the old man’s face.

That smile held many emotions: relief, the joy of surviving a disaster, and hope for a new life.

"Of course I keep my promises. After all, you paid a hefty price for it, sir," Moira Lynch said jokingly.

Hearing this, the smile on the old man’s face deepened. He said, "Rest assured, Miss Lynn. Since you keep your promises, so do I."

The implication was that he wouldn’t go back on his promise to give her what she was owed.

With this promise, Moira Lynch relaxed considerably, but she didn’t let her guard down completely. After all, until she had the goods in hand, nothing was certain.

But before that, she still had to do her job properly. That way, she could accept her payment with a clear conscience.

Once everything was prepared, Moira Lynch had her people immerse the old man in the tub, which was filled with nutrient liquid and all sorts of rare medicinal herbs.

The milky-white nutrient liquid was the highest grade available in the interstellar era, with a single vial costing two hundred thousand Gold Coins.

One vial of nutrient liquid was only about a hundred milliliters.

The number of Gold Coins needed to fill the entire wooden tub with it was astronomical, to say nothing of the fact that the butler had an entire warehouse of the stuff prepared.

All sorts of medicinal herbs were placed in the milky-white liquid. Anyone who didn’t know better might think they were cooking something.

Moira Lynch had the old man placed in the wooden tub, submerged completely with only his head left above the surface.

"The next part of the treatment might be a little hard to bear, but please, you must endure it," Moira Lynch advised.

The old man nodded slowly, indicating he understood. "This old man has been through everything in his life. Begin. Don’t hold anything back."

’This man seems to have misunderstood my meaning. When I said ’hard to bear’... Ah, forget it. He’ll find out soon enough anyway.’

A ball of white flame once again coalesced in Moira Lynch’s hand.

If one looked closely, they would notice a faint black ring around the outer edge of the white flame this time.

She tossed the flame from her hand. The next second, roaring flames erupted from the wooden tub, instantly engulfing the old man.

His originally graying hair, eyebrows, and beard were instantly burned away completely.

Seeing this, the butler subconsciously started to move forward, but Moira Lynch stopped him.

"Don’t go over there if you don’t want to die."

The old man in the wooden tub had his eyes closed and his brow tightly furrowed, but otherwise, he showed no reaction.

The nutrient liquid in the tub began to drop at a visible rate, and the medicinal herbs within started to wither, turn black, and finally disappear.

In contrast, the old man’s complexion grew increasingly rosy.

Seeing this, Moira Lynch said to the butler, "What are you standing there for? Hurry up and add more nutrient liquid and herbs."

"Oh, right!"