Chapter 111: The Queen Bee's Essence

Early the next morning, a dozen people gathered outside the largest operating room of the Qion Church. Physician Tivak had informed Lorin and the others that little Hawk’s surgery would take place here, drawing the group to wait anxiously since dawn.

Through the glass door, Lorin could clearly see little Hawk lying on a large hospital bed, his small body curled into a ball. Surrounding the bed were numerous complex instruments and mounds of medicinal herbs stacked like hills. Standing beyond these were eight physicians clad in long robes.

The sheer scale of the preparation made it clear just how much manpower and resources were required for this procedure, explaining why three full days of preparation had been necessary.

"Everyone, we are ready now. Regarding the one million gold coin surgical fee..." Physician Tivak approached the group and spoke softly. To prepare for this major operation, the Qion Church had incurred significant costs over the past three days—the medicinal herbs and specialized equipment alone were a substantial expense. Furthermore, they had invited specialists in Light-attribute healing from other kingdoms, whose fees were equally exorbitant. Consequently, Tivak had come to collect payment before the surgery began.

Lorin stepped forward immediately and handed over a magic crystal card. It contained the 1.2 million gold coins he had received from the auction of the space ring the previous day.

"Oh, very well. Lorin, please come with me." Tivak took the card and turned toward the finance office, with Lorin following close behind.

Although Lorin and his companions had told the Gergil couple the previous day that the space ring had sold for 1.2 million gold coins, the reality of paying such a staggering sum—one million gold coins for a single surgery—still felt surreal to a family as impoverished as theirs.

Maler and the others couldn't help but sigh. When they first arrived at the academy, Lorin had participated in the grade competitions without hesitation just to win the 1,000-gold-coin prize, and he lived with extreme frugality. They never imagined he would be able to produce a million gold coins for his brother's surgery.

In the church's finance office, Physician Tivak used a transfer device to deduct one million gold coins from the card before returning it to Lorin.

"Physician Tivak, can we proceed with the surgery now?" Lorin asked, putting the card away.

"Yes, we can. But before we do, I need to discuss something with you." Tivak had observed that, despite Lorin being only twelve or thirteen years old, he was the one handling all the critical matters for the family. He was the pillar of the household, so there were things Tivak felt he should discuss with Lorin rather than the Gergil couple.

Lorin looked at him with a hint of apprehension. "Physician Tivak, please, tell me whatever it is. I am listening."

Tivak’s expression grew grave. "Lorin, I must tell you that even if this surgery is a complete success, your brother will only have four or five years left to live."

The words hit Lorin like a bucket of ice water in the dead of winter, and he shivered uncontrollably. "How can that be? Two years ago, a man named Doug in our town said my brother had ten years left. By that calculation, he should still have eight years. How could..."

Seeing Lorin’s agitation, Tivak patted his shoulder comfortingly. "Lorin, I understand how you feel. The reason for this is the sudden onset of his illness and the delay during the journey from the town to the capital. It consumed a great deal of his vitality, which is why his remaining time has been shortened so drastically."

"Is there, is there any way to fix this?" Lorin asked desperately.

Tivak sighed. "I know of a few rare medicines that could restore his vitality, but they are completely beyond reach."

Lorin’s eyes lit up. "Please, tell me what they are. Perhaps if we rally enough people, we can find them."

To his surprise, the physician shook his head. "Our church has been searching for these for years without success. They are either too expensive or simply impossible to find. Since you wish to know, I will tell you."

"The 'Longevity Fruit' is known as the supreme medicine for extending life. However, such a heavenly treasure is something we only see mentioned in fragments of ancient texts; it is likely extinct. If we had a Longevity Fruit, you wouldn't even need us to perform surgery. Your brother could simply eat one and likely live to be a hundred, just like any normal person."

The thought of such a miracle occurred to Lorin—if he only had that fruit, his brother would have a century of life, and he himself would certainly have enough time to condense a space seed, master the space attribute, and enter the Plane Herb Valley.

"Beyond the legendary Longevity Fruit, there is the 'Earth-Vein Purple Ganoderma' or the 'Blood Ginseng.' They could restore dozens or over a decade of life, respectively. These have indeed appeared on the Aragon continent, but the moment they surface, they are snatched up in a frenzy, often sparking bloody conflicts."

"Finally, there is one more, though its effect is much weaker—it could only restore two or three years of life. Yet, even that is incredibly rare and almost never seen on the market. It is called 'Queen Bee Marrow.' According to records, it is secreted by the queen of the Green-Winged Bees."

"However, because the Green-Winged Bee is a social, flying magical beast that was already rare, and because people began hunting them relentlessly once the value of their marrow was discovered, they have been driven nearly to extinction." Tivak shook his head, lamenting, "Alas, these medicines are all too difficult to find. If only we had them, we could cure so many incurable diseases!"

As Tivak sighed, he suddenly noticed Lorin staring at him with a strange expression. "Lorin? What is it? Don't be too distressed. Even without these, your brother will have four or five years after the surgery..."

Before he could finish, he was stunned to see a delicate crystal bottle appear in Lorin’s hand. Inside were two or three drops of pale golden liquid, shimmering brilliantly under the light, crystal clear and radiant.

"This... this is... Queen Bee Marrow!" Physician Tivak practically snatched the bottle, his hands trembling as he pressed his eyes against the glass to inspect it for a long moment before finally whispering the name.