While the professor was celebrating this huge win, Sergio Aubert was still in complete denial.

"The Antique isn't yours yet, professor," Sergio interjected. "I won't believe anyone's words until I see my little brother myself. If I find out it's a lie, I will take what is rightfully mine."

This was obviously a slight on the Brownblood Werewolves since he was accusing them of lying.

The giant Brown Wolf snarled at Sergio.

"Watch your words carefully, boy. If it weren't for your father, I would have already lunged at your throat," warned Chief Lupan.

"But this Antique is a matter of great importance. It's not that I do not trust your Werewolves, Chief Lupan, it is that I simply want to do my due diligence. My father would be remiss if I simply believe the words of others instead of looking for it myself," argued Sergio.

However, Chief Lupan was still disgruntled about it.

Seeing as they still needed a bit of convincing, Sergio decided to add a little bit more of an incentive to the two Werewolf tribes.

"Chief Lupan, Chief Klaus, the Aubert Company would be willing to give you a steady supply of moonstone," Sergio said.

The two Werewolf Chiefs turned their heads in Sergio's direction, their eyes widening.

"Moonstone?!" they both asked.

The two Werewolf Chiefs shared a brief look before their gazes pulled away from each other.

"I know how precious moonstone is for Werewolves, especially you blood brothers. It's what caused your rift into two tribes, is it not?"

The giant Grey Wolf snarled. "That's not the only reason. But you are right. Moonstone is precious for our species as a whole. A steady supply will give my tribe the edge over others… "

Meanwhile, the professor anxiously bit his lips and tightened his grip on the giant bone. "This is bad," he muttered.

Michael leaned into the professor, asking for clarity. "What's a moonstone, professor?"

"It's going to give me a heart attack, that's what! Moonstone is what allows Werewolves to safely transform even without the full moon. They will lose their sanity if they tapped into their wolf form without it," professor Lichtenstein explained.

The importance of moonstone for Werewolves couldn't be more overstated.

Their species could easily contend with the Draconians for the most dominant species in the world if they could transform anytime they wanted.

The fact that they could only do it on select days of the year meant that their overall strength was greatly diminished in the grand scheme of things. Other species could just easily look out their window during the night and see if it was safe to attack the Werewolves.

If it was a full moon, they would hide away. If the moon was gone, they'd know the Werewolves were weak.

Moonstone was the solution for this. It was a powder that, when made into incense and inhaled, would give a calming sensation for the Werewolves and make them think that they were in the presence of the Moon itself.

"As you can guess, all Werewolf Tribes yearn to have moonstone. But the inherent rarity of the plant makes it extremely hard to procure."

Plant? Michael pondered.

"We all know moonstone is rare," said Sergio. "But it is not impossible to get. Our immense reach and connections will allow us to get it some way or another. We will have adventurers scouring dangerous mountainsides every day of the week. That, you can be sure of."

Chief Klaus then sauntered over towards Sergio, his immense size and ferality oozing intimidation.

"You dare propose to break a promise under the full moon?" Chief Klaus asked, almost laughing. "Foolish. If you wish to exchange your life for the Antique, then do so as you please."

Sergio tried to utter out words, but stuttered under the giant Grey Wolf's gaze.

"I… the… could…"

After a few seconds to compose himself, Sergio could finally make a proposal.

"The winner!" he shouted. "The Antique shall still go to the most talented. If Mauricio did lose as the Brownblood Werewolves say, then I will recruit the one who defeated him. Once an Aubert, he—and by extension—us, will be entitled to the Antique!"

Zovirru suddenly started laughing. "HAHAHAHA! How interesting. Very well. If you can somehow pull that off, then I'd be willing to give you the Antique!"

Sergio stood proud. "The Auberts can offer him something that no one else can. We can give him the promise of success in the global stage. It won't be long until we reach conglomerate status once again."

He didn't wait any longer and whistled with his hands, and a few seconds later, a horse started trodding in his directions.

"I shall return shortly. In the meantime, professor, I suggest that you should take this time to study the Antique. You're going to have to wait for a year after we get it."

Then, he rode off into the distance.

The professor then immediately got up off his feet and began to drag the Antique an inch at a time.

"Come on, Keo," urged the professor. "We gotta get this back to my lab. I have a lot of questions for this beauty, but not a lot of time."

However, 'Keo' didn't move. In fact, he seemed to be heading in the opposite direction—towards where Sergio rode off to.

"What are you doing?" the professor questioned him.

"Sorry, professor. I've got plans. I have to retrieve someone or else they're going to get real grumpy about not having his sleep," Michael said.

"Ah, you also have a friend in the swordsman tournament," the professor remembered. "Come join me, prof."

"I can't! The Auberts are going to steal the Antique from me!"

Michael chuckled. "Don't worry, professor. They won't," he assured.

Just then, the Brownblood Werewolf messenger, now transformed back into a wolf, walked right next to them. "Would you like a ride back, professor?"

Understandably, the professor was conflicted. He knew just how persuasive the Auberts can be, especially with the benefits they could give as a powerful company. They rivalled even that of the Legacies from Metropolis.

"Aren't you curious as to who defeated Mauricio?" he asked the professor.

"Well, yes, but he's probably just another talented human kid. I've seen plenty of those. But this Antique—"

But before he could finish his sentence, the Brownblood Werewolf interrupted him. "Demi-human, professor. It was a demi-human, not a human, who defeated Mauricio."

The professor stood there, wide-eyed. "A demi-human? Not a Beastfolk?"

"No, sir. A demi-human if unknown species."

Numerous thoughts and calculations flashed through the professor's mind at near light speed. And each time, he could not fathom how a demi-human could defeat Mauricio, a 2nd stage Maugnetic, who was already extremely talented for his age.

The only possibility he could think of was that Mauricio intended to lose, but that was highly unlikely given Sergio's boasting.

"Interested in seeing him now, professor?" Michael asked with a knowing smile.

The professor tapped his feet for a few seconds when faced with such a dilemma. "…URGH, FINE! I'll go see that demi-human. But just for a brief second! The Antique awaits my appraisal."

Michael chuckled as the professor kept grumbling as he boarded the giant Brown Wolf.

He was going to board as well, when he suddenly felt a few presences approach them.

His eyes immediately focused to one person: an old woman with a white cloth wrapped around her eyes.

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