Elliott's mentor sighed helplessly. "I can only tell you that this concerns a major figure whom Gerald once saved. To be blunt, if we refused to concede and insisted on a showdown with Gerald's disciple, it would anger him greatly.

"And if that happens, our research funding would likely be slashed by at least half. Is that really what you want?"

Stunned, Elliott fell silent. Losing half of their funding would be catastrophic and was practically a death sentence for their lab—a burden no one could bear.

"Is Gerald really that extraordinary? I just can't believe traditional medicine could be that powerful," Elliott muttered.

Patting him on the shoulder, the mentor said, "To be honest, I, along with most others, opposed this so-called competition. We've seen firsthand the incredible strength of Dragonia's traditional medicine. It's truly like battling death itself. However, some people just refuse to believe it.

"Well, don't dwell on it. The people of Dragonia prefer to keep a low p