Sensing Steven's 'academic' and 'gentlemanly' gaze, Gavial instinctively covered her collar with her hand.
Normally, she didn't really mind being looked at, but this guy's stare felt way too invasive!
"Can you be serious for a moment? I just came here to discuss something with you, that's all. Stop messing around, alright?"
Gavial was actually a bit worried now. This freakishly strong boy in front of her… if he really decided to make a move, she doubted even ten of herself would be enough to stop him.
What kind of monster disguised as a human was he, exactly? How could someone who didn't even look that muscular possess such insane strength? This completely defied common sense!
"Then say something already! You can't blame me for misunderstanding when you just barged in and pushed me onto the bed!"
Steven shrugged, his gaze returning to normal. Seeing her act all flustered and cautious meant that she was already scared off, which meant his little teasing mission was a success. Naturally, he had no reason to keep messing with her.
As for the misunderstanding? That wasn't his fault at all!
"Ahem— Well, who told you to sometimes be ridiculously strong and other times as flimsy as a bean sprout? You just fell over with a light push!"
Gavial awkwardly scratched her cheek with a finger but quickly shook off the embarrassment and adjusted her expression.
"Anyway, let's not talk about these pointless things. I actually came here to ask for your help with something."
She clasped her hands together in a pleading gesture. For the first time, Steven saw a trace of genuine request on this usually bold and confident girl's face.
"Go ahead, say it. But I have a condition—don't even mention anything about that milk. I'm not giving it to you. Kal'tsit already gave up on trying, so even though I think we get along pretty well, you can forget about it."
Sitting on the bed, which still faintly carried Gavial's scent, Steven leaned his head on one hand and calmly stated his non-negotiable condition.
He had no desire to explain himself all over again. No was no.
"Uh… I can understand why you'd think that," Gavial sighed. "But don't worry, what I need your help with isn't about that."
She hadn't expected even Kal'tsit to go and try talking to him about it, but it wasn't surprising. Regardless, she had no intention of relying on Steven for that in the first place.
If she put herself in his shoes, she wouldn't have handed over something so valuable, either.
"Then what do you want?"
Steven frowned. Besides that stuff, what else did he even have that could attract her interest?
He had already ruled out his undeniably handsome physique, so… was this some love-at-first-sight situation where she wanted his heart?
Without saying a word, Gavial opened a nearby cabinet and pulled out a small green frog-shaped wallet. She unzipped it, reached inside, and took out a thick stack of Lungmen dollars.
Even without counting, Steven could estimate at least 50,000 to 60,000. That was no small amount.
But the more generous she acted, the more confused he felt.
Giving someone money for no reason? What was this, some kind of test to see if he could resist corruption?
"This is the savings I've built up over my years working at Rhodes Island," Gavial said, handing him the stack of cash. "According to what you said before—if I want your help, I have to offer compensation first, right?"
Even though she seemed a bit pained to part with this much money all at once, her resolve never wavered. She was determined to hand it over.
Unfortunately, Steven didn't accept the money.
That kind of cash couldn't be taken lightly. What if she was trying to hire him for something inappropriate?
"Tell me first. I'll decide the price based on the situation," Steven said, calmly watching the green-haired girl in front of him. "I'm a fair guy—one penny gets you one penny's worth. I won't overcharge you, but don't expect any big discounts either."
Now that money was involved, he had to take this a little more seriously.
Gavial hesitated before finally speaking, albeit in a somewhat awkward manner.
"It's nothing too complicated. It's just that… didn't you say you needed some Infected from Rhodes Island to help test your medicine? Well, I can do it. I may be a doctor, but I'm also an Infected. Plus, I can use my medical knowledge to assist you."
"So all you need to do is talk to Kal'tsit and assign the test subject slot to me."
It was obvious that asking for favors wasn't Gavial's strong suit. Even so, she managed to get her request out, albeit in a rather hesitant and choppy manner.
But instead of simply offering to assist in Steven's research, she was straight-up volunteering to be a test subject. That was a first for him.
Still, the more absurd a request was, the less likely Steven was to accept it so easily.
"What's in it for you?" he asked, his tone serious. "You do realize that drinking my stuff doesn't just 'cure' Oripathy, right? If your body isn't strong enough, you won't just get healed—you'll die. Plain and simple."
This was a harsh reality—his milk did have the power to cure Oripathy, but if it wasn't used in combination with other treatments, most Infected wouldn't even survive the sudden eradication of the disease.
"I want to take this chance to study and learn from your medicine."
As always, Gavial was straightforward with her thoughts.
"Back in my homeland, many people suffer from Oripathy. And all across this land, there are countless others just like them. After witnessing what your medicine can do, there's no way I can just give up on researching it."
Her tone was calm and steady, but she knew exactly what she was saying.
She had personally witnessed the horrors that Steven's milk could bring. Even the Aegirian Abyssal Hunters had nearly been driven insane by the agony it caused. With her level of physical endurance, there was no guarantee she could withstand it, either.
That was exactly why Kal'tsit and Warfarin had rejected her when she originally volunteered as a test subject. They didn't want to see her put herself in such danger.
But that went against Gavial's core beliefs.
She had already made it clear—giving up on this research simply wasn't an option.
"Hmm…"
Steven fell silent for a long time after hearing her out, his gaze locked onto hers, as if trying to detect any deception in her words.
But he found nothing.
Her golden eyes held only unwavering sincerity.
"I just don't get you people who live your lives for others," Steven sighed.
Whether it was Gavial now or the elite operators of Rhodes Island he had encountered earlier, he didn't know how to feel about them.
Living like this… wasn't it exhausting?