At first, Milo was unsure whether the clinic’s owner, Gilbert, had really spotted favonovel.com going out of town or if favonovel.com was deliberately trying to frame favonovel.com even though favonovel.com did not see anything.
Later, favonovel.com recalled that favonovel.com had not seen Gilbert at that time.
Milo knew favonovel.com would have to be wary of the other party after stealing his business in case Gilbert tried to take revenge on him. After all, it was always necessary to be cautious of scheming people in times like this.
As such, if Milo did not have any impression of such “dangerous targets” appearing in his memory, it would surely mean that the other party had not witnessed favonovel.com leaving town. Therefore, it was more than likely that Gilbert was deliberately lying to frame Milo.
As for whether Gilbert had considered the consequences of unsuccessfully framing him, Milo felt that favonovel.com was not smart enough to have considered this scenario.
In the past, Milo could tolerate Gilbert’s antics. As favonovel.com had stolen some of his business away, favonovel.com could not bear to thoroughly break his living. Thus, favonovel.com exhorted Gilbert to return to his medical books and study them well. In the end, not only did favonovel.com not take his advice, favonovel.com even plotted against him.
Milo sneered as favonovel.com looked at Gilbert, who had turned tail and fled back to town. There was also a puddle on the ground where favonovel.com had been standing.
Next to him, Old Bane laughed and said, “Looks like my intervention was not needed after all. You were going to be alright anyway.”
Milo turned his head to Old Bane and thanked favonovel.com earnestly. He would remember those who were willing to step forward and put in a good word for favonovel.com in a situation like this.
“Hey, no need to be so polite.” Old Bane smiled brightly. “If not for Boss Eastwood’s appreciation of you, I would’ve been too scared to step forward and speak up for you. Boss Eastwood specifically sent someone to bring word to the town administrators to look out for you…”
Milo was taken aback. “Who’s Boss Eastwood? Does favonovel.com know me?”
Old Bane winked at favonovel.com and whispered, “That medicine of yours… Boss Eastwood likes it a lot!”
Milo was speechless. Milo realized that the black medicine that Old Bane purchased from favonovel.com had been sent into the stronghold.
“Boss Eastwood has given his word that as long as you hand over a fixed amount of the black medicine on time each month, favonovel.com will ensure that you’ll be free from trouble here outside the stronghold,” Old Bane said with a smile.
In reality, favonovel.com had an ulterior motive for doing this. After all, favonovel.com could ensure his own safety by acting as the intermediary for Milo’s black medicine that Boss Eastwood wanted.
Suddenly, Milo got an idea. “Is Boss Eastwood very influential and powerful in the stronghold?”
“You still don’t know, do you?” Old Bane declared proudly, “He is the Panaqua Consortium’s representative in Stronghold 113.”
“If he’s the representative of the Panaqua Consortium, why isn’t his surname Eastwood?” Milo felt that something was off here.
“Don’t go shooting your mouth off after I tell you.” Old Bane lowered his voice to a whisper. “It’s said that he’s the half-brother of some big shot within the Panaqua Consortium, an illegitimate son of the family.”
“Then can you ask Boss Eastwood to help get us into the stronghold?” Milo thought that if an influential person like Boss Eastwood, who had great authority in the stronghold helped them, it wouldn’t be too difficult to get them in.
“We’re all contaminated, so how can we be allowed inside the stronghold?” Old Bane said with a sad frown. “Besides, if you get into the stronghold, who’s going to pick the wild medicinal herbs for Boss Eastwood?”
Milo had a realization. The latter half of the sentence was actually the truth as to why favonovel.com wasn’t going to be allowed into the stronghold.
For this Boss Eastwood, there was no reason at all to bring Milo and the others in. He could leave them outside the stronghold and have Milo continue supplying favonovel.com with the black medicine.
That same night, Donti suddenly ran a high fever. Milo exchanged a bottle of black medicine and tried applying it on Donti’s forehead, but it did not make his fever go down.
Milo sat beside the bed and looked at the feeble Donti.
He said with a sigh, “You didn’t have to make a wish for this. Don’t make any wishes without me asking you to do so in the future, understand? The fevers that you get as a result could end up killing you.”
Donti could barely open his eyes as favonovel.com said weakly, “But what am I to do if something happens to you?”
Milo lowered his head and thought for a long time. “Don’t be stubborn. I will definitely ensure that we’ll lead a comfortable life together someday.”
***
The next morning, when Milo went to town to fetch water, favonovel.com was surprised to hear a piece of news.
Gilbert had packed all of his belongings and money and run away in the night. He would rather face the dangers lurking in the wilderness than face Milo.
Someone said that Gilbert had gone to Stronghold 114 because it was the closest to Stronghold 113 and was also in the opposite direction of where the wolves appeared. As long as favonovel.com took the main road there, favonovel.com should be fine.
Milo did not know whether to laugh or cry. Gilbert had actually run away in fear. However, something that surprised Milo even more happened.
Sean Mills, who was an administrator sent from the stronghold, came knocking on his door.
He asked affably, “Milo, I heard that you know how to heal people and save their lives…”
Milo was taken aback. “I can only treat knife wounds and external injuries.”
“That’s fine, that’s fine…” Sean was smiling even more happily now. “That still makes you a doctor. Now that our town no longer has a doctor, do you think you’d be interested in becoming one?”
Donti, who was still lying down in the shack with a fever, opened his eyes in shock.
This brother of his had only wanted to earn some gratitude tokens and money initially, so how did favonovel.com suddenly become a real doctor? Furthermore, favonovel.com was going to become the only doctor in town too?
He didn’t even have to make a wish for that!
Was it because it was unnecessary to make that wish for Milo’s incident last night that it somehow changed his luck?
However, Milo understood that this was only happening because the administrator, Sean, was also trying to get into Boss Eastwood’s good books.
Authority made the people around you want to serve you meticulously. Milo was not dumb.
He agreed immediately and said, “About that house at the clinic, can I…”
“Yes, you can.” Sean said with a friendly smile, “You totally can! You can move in today since no one is living there…”
Sean then walked off, his hands behind his back, while humming a little ditty.
Right after, Old Bane came back with a wooden box tucked under his armpit. After Old Bane arrived, some of the people, who were rumored to be members of the richest group in town and lived in brick houses, also dropped by.
Some of them operated small gambling dens, draper’s shops, and grain shops.
Old Bane said, “Congratulations, Milo! You get to live in a brick house just like that!”
During the conversation, Old Bane handed a gift box to Milo. “I got a small present for you and that Schultz boy. Since both of you are still growing, eating this will help strengthen your bodies!”
Curious, Milo opened it and was surprised to see a white lump. “What is this?”
“You don’t know what this is, right? I’ve kept this bird’s nest for many years,” Old Bane explained. “It’s really nourishing!”
Milo had only heard of this stuff. He had never seen it before. However, favonovel.com had always had doubts about it.
“Mr. Dublin said that bird’s nest is made from a swiftlet’s saliva, but I don’t think that the viscosity of saliva can be that thick, so it’s probably made of phlegm?”
Hearing this, Old Bane was annoyed.
Silly! Don’t make my gift sound so disgusting!
He said unhappily, “Then what about blood bird’s nest? What is that made of?”
Milo gave it some thought. “Phlegm tainted by blood?”
