An Understated Dominance by Marina Vittori

Chapter 2225 "Huh?" Aurora was startled by Dustin's words.

Removing the needles would mean death within three hours. Wasn't that practically a death sentence? "Hmph! I don't care about your ethereal-whatever technique. If you can't cure Alicia, you can only blyourself for the pain you'll be in!" Brian said coldly.

Dustin glanced at him and retorted, "If you can't be of any help, then please keep quiet. Your constant blabbering is getting on my nerves." "Why you-" Brian gritted his teeth but ultimately restrained himself from lashing out.

If Dustin had managed to cure Alicia, Brian would have had nothing to say. But if he failed, Brian would undoubtedly teach Dustin a lesson.

"Dr. Rhys, what do we do now?" Aurora changed the subject.

"Take good care of your sister, and make sure nobody touches her. I'll go back and prepare the antidote now," Dustin said.

Then, he winked at Grace before leaving the room.

"Aurora, remember what Dr. Rhys said," Grace reminded her before following him and exiting the room.

Once outside the villa and ensuring there were no eavesdroppers, she couldn't contain her curiosity any longer. "What's going on? Is there something suspicious about Alicia's illness?" She could tell he wasn't telling them everything earlier.

"Yes." Dustin nodded solemnly. "Alicia isn't poisoned, but she is under witchcraft." "Witchcraft?" Grace raised an eyebrow.

He said solemnly, "I've examined Alicia earlier, and there was a dark energy within her. It's potent and defensive, which makes it difficult to remove. It's a powerful spell that drains vital energy. At this rate, she'll have about three days left." He had just engaged in a battle of energies using his mystical pure energy against the dark energy within Alicia. But she might die before he succeeded.

"With such potent witchcraft, does it mean the Mystic Arts Order is involved?' Grace began to speculate.

As a disciple of the Regal Observatory, she knew her way around witchcraft pretty well. Dealing with regular witchcraft was a breeze, but whatever was inside Alicia seemed next level.

Apart from the high-ranking members of the Mystic Arts Order, she couldn't think of anyone else with such abilities.

"Does Alicia have any vendetta against the Mystic Arts Order?" Dustin asked.

"I've never heard of any." Grace shook her head. "But the members of the Mystic Arts Order are known for their impulsiveness and tendency to engage in questionable activities." He remarked, "While the Mystic Arts Order may not adhere to conventional morality, they're not entirely unreasonable. Without a deep-seated grudge, they wouldn't resort to such drastic measures." Casting a spell as powerful as the one on Alicia would not only drain the caster mentally and physically but could also cause harm.

Nobody would undertake such an act without a compelling reason. Hence, they were either driven by personal gain or fueled by deep-seated animosity.

"If it's not the Mystic Arts Order, who else could it be?" Grace pondered.

"Compared to the Mystic Arts Order, I'm more inclined to suspect the Hall of Gods," Dustin said, narrowing his eyes.

"Since the start of the Combat Tournament, the Hall of Gods has disrupted proceedings more than once. They targeted talented individuals from various sects. It's their modus operand!." "Alicia's martial talents aren't particularly outstanding, so why would the Hall of Gods invest so much effort in targeting her?" she asked curiously.

He argued, "She might not directly threaten the Hall of Gods, but who she is matters. She's a key player. If she suddenly dies, how do you think Alloy, the guildmaster of the Celestial Alliance, would respond?" "He'd be furious," she replied without hesitation.

Alloy had two daughters, and he treated Alicia as his most precious treasure. If anything were to happen to her, he might lose his mind.

"What if Mystic Arts Order were to blfor Alicia's death?" Dustin asked again.

"In that case, the two major sects would engage in a bloodbath!" After a brief pause, Grace quickly grasped the situation. "I got it! The Hall of Gods is trying to create conflict.

"If Alicia died from witchcraft, the Celestial Alliance would inevitably suspect the Mystic Arts Order. With sfabricated evidence, the enraged Alloy might choose to go to war directly. "By then, the entire martial world would be plunged into chaos and bloodshed!" If a large-scale conflict were to erupt between the Celestial Alliance and the Mystic Arts Order, the stability of the realm would be threatened.

And this was the scenathat the Hall of Gods was anticipating.

"First, they disrupt the martial world. Now, they're aiming to disrupt the government. That's the Hall of Gods' main objective," Dustin said.

A cold gleam flashed in his eyes. "These power-hungry wolves need to be taken down."

"If it's indeed the Hall of Gods causing trouble, then I must warmthe Celestial Alliance to beware and not fall into their trap," Grace said with a grave expression. "Wait." He raised a hand to stop her. "These are all speculations without any evidence.

"Gaining trust won't be easy, and how can you be sure there isn't a mole from the Hall of Gods within the Celestial Alliance? If we expose them now, we'll only alert the enemy." "What do you suggest then?" Grace asked, intrigued.

"Since the Hall of Gods intends harm, why don't we turn the tables and m eliminate their influence in one fell ate swoop!" Dustin clenched his fist fiercely, his eyes ablaze with determination. 4