Rising from the Ashes (Andrew and Lauren)

Andrew chuckled and said, "How would I dare? She's the pride of Gabo Creek. I wouldn't even qualify to be in her presence!"

Downstairs in the bar, Luna stepped through the door and immediately looked up toward the second-floor booth.

The moment her eyes landed on Andrew, a flash of coldness crossed her face. Leslie, following close behind, sneered. "General, that arrogant fool is here too." Luna replied calmly, "Ignore him. I'll leave as soon as our business is done."

Zachary approached and greeted her politely. "General Phelan, welcome. Please, have a seat."

Luna sat down with a relaxed posture, casually crossing one long, boot-clad leg over the other. "So, you're about to take Jerome's inner disciple assessment. How confident are you?"

Zachary gave a sly smile. "If you'd asked me before, I'd say 30%. But now? I'd say 80, maybe even 90%."

Luna scoffed. "That's nonsense. Zachary, I have no idea where your confidence is coming from. Jerome is a titan of the Southern Martial Union. Becoming one of his inner disciples is no small feat; history proves that."

She added, "You haven't even reached the martial king level, yet here you are talking about 80% percent? Don't you think you're getting a little ahead ofnoveldrama

yourself?"

Zachary remained calm. "General Phelan, no need to get so worked up. I'm not bluffing. I've had help from someone significant, and that's boosted my chances." Luna smirked. "Let me guess. That 'someone significant' is Andrew upstairs?" Zachary did not dodge the question. "Exactly."

Leslie could not hold back a laugh. "Mr. Fischer, you're one of the top names in Blumedale, and you're seriously putting faith in that fraud? You should know better than that."

Zachary stayed composed. "Who I choose to trust is my business, not yours."

Leslie, clearly offended, clenched her jaw. "You—"

"Enough!" Luna snapped. She turned back to Zachary and asked, "Tell me, what exactly did Andrew do that gave you so much confidence?"

She added, "I'm not trying to meddle in your affairs, but a lot has been happening in the southern martial arts world lately, and Jerome is at the center of several tensions, so I have a responsibility to ask."

Zachary responded plainly. "You've got your duties, and I respect that. There's no reason for me to hide this from you. Andrew gave me two pills, and that's where my confidence comes from."

Luna's brow furrowed. "Two pills made you this confident? What kind of pills are they? I'm highly skeptical."

Zachary answered calmly. "Two seventh-grade Divine Pills, but I won't go into detail about their exact type. And yes, both were real."

Luna fell silent, her wide eyes flickering with shock. Seventh-grade Divine Pills were not something to take lightly, not even for someone like her.

Getting her hands on just one usually required serious favors and negotiation. However, Luna had always been proud and independent. She hated owing people, let alone begging. Due to that, her own stash of seventh-grade pills was extremely limited.

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For martial artists, pills like those were the difference between life and death, a true game-changer. That was also why she had sought out Andrew several times, asking him to teach her alchemy.

However, she would leave frustrated every time, empty-handed, and fuming.

Now, Andrew had casually gifted Zachary two of them?

That comparison left Luna with a bitter taste in her mouth.

Leslie, unable to hide her envy, muttered, "Who knows if those pills are even real? Mr. Fischer, you'd better double-check them. You don't want to be scammed."

Zachary let out a cold snort. "Lieutenant Terrell, projecting your own pettiness onto others isn't a great look."

Leslie turned bright red, humiliated and furious. Her jaw tightened, but she said nothing more.

Luna stood abruptly. "Since you have a powerful supporter, I wish you success in your trial."

She looked up again, just in time to see Andrew still ignoring her, not even glancing her way. That made her burn even more inside.

Without another word, Luna turned and stormed out of the bar.