Macallan turned his head, the beaked mask facing the other man, a hint of amusement in his voice:
"Friend, you're still as serious as ever, wound tight as a fully drawn bow. The mind needs both tension and release. Stay wound up too long, and the string will snap."
His tone was gentle, as though he truly cared about an old friend's mental health.
The Chen Family patriarch's expression remained utterly unmoved. "Sitting in this position, I have no choice. Those little brats in the family are all wolves that can never be fed full. The slightest sign of weakness, and they'll pounce, tear at me, and take my place. Compared to them, that girl who calls herself Nono may be rebellious, but she's actually the least troublesome... She's merely a cat with its claws out."
"That girl..." Macallan chuckled. "She's quite good. Our future Emperor Caesar thinks highly of her. But can a woman Caesar has taken a liking to really be trouble-free?"
"Fine, I admit she isn't entirely trouble-free either." The Chen Family patriarch shrugged.
After Chen Motong came up, the atmosphere visibly relaxed, and the subtle tension that had filled the room gradually faded. The Chen Family patriarch no longer seemed quite so restrained.
"Back to business." Macallan abruptly changed the subject. "Why have the experiments here stalled? You're even relocating the site. Do you know how much time that will waste? The gate to the Kingdom of God is about to open, and time is what we lack most."
Hearing the implied rebuke, the Chen Family patriarch immediately answered, "It was a Dragon. A pureblood Dragon Kind attacked the experimental building. The disturbance was too great and drew the media's attention. The Orthodox and the Bureau of Abnormal Investigation have also set their sights on this