If the venomous creature remained uncontrolled, Maurice would die. Tere prided himself on knowing Felicia well; she wouldn't stand by and watch Maurice die in her stead. Her moral compass and sense of guilt simply wouldn't allow it. That was the context behind his stated conditions.
But Felicia simply let out a sharp laugh, her gaze dripping with disdain as she looked at Pete as if he were trash. Her tone was scornful, cutting through the air like a knife.
“Pete, you’ve made a critical mistake,” she stated. “The place you want me to go must be quite important, right?” She tilted her head, then continued. “Let me guess… that place must be related to that map. Or rather, it’s tied to the mysterious location marked on it.”
“I’m not mistaken; you need me to reach that place to accomplish whatever you’re after,” she speculated slowly. Seeing Pete and the robed man's expressions change, she said, “Ah, so I’m right.”
“For me, none of this works, does it? Which means… I’m indispensable to you,” she voiced, a hint of amusement in her tone. “When you’re asking for help, you’re supposed to act like it. The proper approach would be to get on all fours and beg for my assistance, not strut around with that irritatingly superior air.”
Pete’s expression darkened immediately. Felicia was talking too much. As a pawn, she should obediently follow orders, not fight back!
The robed man's expression mirrored his. Earlier, he could have easily used the Heart Eater to control Felicia, resolving everything without this trouble. But Maurice had thrown a wrench in their plans, willingly using the twin venomous creatures to absorb the damage intended for Felicia.
With their last bargaining chip gone, the roles were reversed. It was Felicia's turn to dictate terms.
The robed man's frustration boiled over, and he shot Pete a sharp, accusing glare that seemed to say, "This is all your fault! If you hadn't been so overconfident, we wouldn't be in this mess!"
Pete ignored the silent rebuke, turning his attention back to Felicia. After locking eyes with her for a few seconds, he sighed and shook his head. “You’re right. Well then, I’m begging you, please agree to my request. As a show of good faith, I’ll suppress the effects of Maurice’s Heart Eater for now. Deal?”
“For now?” Felicia sneered, clearly showing her dissatisfaction.
Pete stammered helplessly. “Felicia, you’re a skilled doctor. If you check his pulse, you’ll see I’m not lying. The Heart Eater has gone berserk. No one can save him unless we find the Heart Eater’s natural habitat and find another to counteract it… not even you.”
Felicia knew that, of course. The Heart Eater was nearly extinct. Finding another was difficult enough; finding one of the same origin was nearly impossible.
Pete, however, knew more. “I know where to find one. It’s on the island we need to visit. The Heart Eater inside Maurice is one I stole from that island myself.”
“Really?” Felicia seized the opportunity to mock him. “You really don’t have an ounce of shame, do you?”
Pete chuckled lightly, letting the insult roll off his back.
Though Felicia ultimately agreed to his terms, she wasn’t done with her questions. “So, this island you’re talking about… it’s the place marked on the map, isn’t it? What’s exactly so valuable there that you’re willing to go to such lengths to find it?”
She still remembered how the map had upended everything. Dexes and Myra had discarded it like a hot potato, yet it had sparked a frenzy, causing people to chase it like madmen, leaving destruction in their wake. From powerful elites with wealth and influence to ambitious groups with devious schemes—everyone seemed to be after this mysterious treasure. And it hadn’t fooled Pete. Even Stephan had shown interest. Felicia vividly remembered that moment in the rainforest when Stephan admitted he had a reason—one he couldn’t ignore—for needing to find that place. What reason could it possibly be? Felicia still hadn’t figured that out.