Chapter 309: Chapter 309: Defeated

Ivy calmly tapped her fingers on the armrest as she began sorting through possible solutions.

As far as she knew, her ability did allow her to summon medicines.

The real problem was that she did not know how to trigger it at will.

In fact, her power had been stagnant for nearly half a month, to the point where she had started doubting whether she was cultivating correctly at all.

’If only there was a way to command it directly,’ she thought, frustration pricking at her mind.

Just then, she felt a familiar pull within her body, soft, steady, unmistakable. Her eyes brightened instantly. Her power had triggered.

For the past few weeks, she had discovered a method to avoid running around scavenging like before.

Instead of physically going to gather items, she would step into her temporal storage space, where her ability would automatically drop the items she was supposed to pick up from the world outside.

The power demanded that she retrieve resources personally in order for them to materialize, but Ivy had cleverly found a loophole: as long as she stayed inside the storage dimension, the items would fall continuously until the timer ran out.

She turned to Martha and spoke quickly, yet calmly.

"Stay here. I might have the medicines you listed. I need to check the stock in my house storage. It may take around half an hour."

Martha nodded immediately. "That is completely fine. I can wait."

Ivy gave a brief nod, then slipped away into her room.

Nora was sleeping soundly on the bed, and Ivy did not want to wake her or risk being questioned. She stepped quietly into the bathroom and waved her hand.

The space shifted.

In the next moment, she stood in her temporal storage, a vast, empty green expanse that stretched endlessly in every direction.

Before the power activated on its own, Ivy whispered softly, almost as though coaxing it. "Saline, electrolyte powder, cooling gel packs, antipyretics... anything for treating heat illness will do."

It was as if the space responded.

A cascade of saline packets began falling from the sky like rain.

Ivy’s heart soared.

For the next twenty-five minutes, the items kept falling steadily. By her estimate, she had already gathered over a thousand units.

Once multiplied, it would become seventy-five thousand.

And even after distributing those, she could multiply again, fifty times, twenty-five times, twelve times. It was more than enough to supply the base.

’It works. So the first time I demanded saline and the salines started to fall was not a coincidence. As long as I clearly request the item before the trigger, it listens...’

Excitement thrummed through her veins. She could solve the crisis. She could stabilize the base. She could...

Meanwhile, outside the bathroom, Kael and Silas sat in the living room. Kael was staring at Silas with a solemn seriousness that made Silas feel unexpectedly burdened.

Kael cleared his throat. "How do you chase a girl?"

Silas stared at him, speechless, rubbing his forehead. He genuinely had not prepared to be someone’s love coach today.

Kael, thinking Silas had not heard him, repeated the question, solemn as a court verdict. "How do I chase Martha?"

Silas took a long breath, then released it slowly. "You cannot chase her."

Kael blinked. "Why?"

Silas leaned back. "Bro. If you liked Martha so much, why were you acting obsessed with that substitute girl just last week?"

Kael opened his mouth, but Felix answered from the side with a resigned tone.

"He only pretended to like that girl because he thought she was somehow connected to Martha. He wanted to impress her in hopes she would tell Martha about him."

Silas stared at Kael.

Then he stared longer.

Then he dropped his head into his hand. "Does your brain function correctly?"

Kael lowered his head, silent.

Silas exhaled again and pointed at him.

"First rule of chasing a woman: ignore every other woman. If you look like someone who flirts around, no one in their right mind will take you seriously."

Kael’s eyes widened slightly as though enlightenment had struck him.

Silas continued, raising two fingers. "Second rule: be persistent and shameless. Cling. Stick. Do not give her a chance to forget you."

Kael hesitated. "Shameless?"

Silas nodded firmly. "Proven method."

Kael nodded back with earnest seriousness.

Silas lifted three fingers.

"Third rule: in a relationship, the girl is always right. Always listen to her, respect her, and never dismiss her feelings."

Kael nodded again, more firmly this time.

Silas then raised a fourth finger.

"Fourth rule: you need to confess directly. She cannot read your mind. She will not magically know you like her."

Kael swallowed. "What if... she rejects me?"

Silas smiled with fearless confidence. "Then you pursue her harder. You go after her again and again until she accepts you."

Felix frowned slightly. ’Why does something about this feel... off?’

Yet he had no dating experience to contradict it.

Silas clapped Kael’s shoulder, satisfied. "Now go. Confess."

Kael took a deep breath, gathered courage like a warrior going into battle, and stepped out.

Martha was sitting quietly on the sofa, waiting for Ivy to return. When she saw Kael approach, she immediately stood and bowed slightly.

"I want to clarify that I am only here to assist Ivy. I do not intend to interfere in her personal matters or disturb her at all."

Kael stopped.

Every prepared sentence, every plan, every ounce of determination...vanished instantly.

He froze.

Silas and Felix were peeking through the doorway, and both watched in horror.

Silas muttered under his breath, "I should have taught him how to handle misunderstandings first..."

Kael finally responded, voice flat and stiff. "...Good for you."

Then he turned around and walked away.

Silas and Felix exchanged looks of pure, exhausted defeat.

Silas just collapsed against the doorframe, defeated.

"Unbelievable. Completely hopeless. I gave him the rules, and he still managed to lose before the match even started."

Kael walked back into the room like a man who had just returned from a failed battlefield campaign.