Chapter 36 Joshua and Marvin , well past middle age , fell into heavy silence after broaching such a somber topic . Finally , Marvin sighed and urged , " Alright , our old bones can still hold up . " Let's give youngsters more time . When the moment comes , they'll definitely do better than we did back in the day . Go on in , don't keep Briar waiting . " Joshua nodded , waving Marvin off . " Go on , scram before our close contact draws attention . " With that , he shut the lab door , Bored of waiting in Joshua's office , Briar got up to check out the space .

The room was simply furnished - just a desk and bookshelves lining the wall . Alongside traditional medicine texts , the shelves held countless specimens of rare herbs , some of which Briar had only seen in Tristan's private vault . But what truly caught her eye was an old picture frame nestled amongst the specimens . The photo showed five young men . The one in the center was clearly a younger Joshua . A To his left stood Marvin , whom she'd just met . To the right , she recognized Griffin in his youth . The man next to Griffin was unfamiliar to her .

But the real shock came from the long - haired , black - rimmed man on the far right - he was the spitting image of a young Tristan . ' Whoa , she thought , ' didn't know Tristan was such a trendsetter back then . ' When Joshua walked in , he caught Briar staring at the photo frame . " Briar , " he chuckled , " bet you can't guess who's the hottest in this pic . Briar turned with a smile . " Obviously you , Mr. Swift . " Joshua burst out laughing . " Excellent taste ! For that alone , I'll make sure you get the best training .

" Briar hadn't expected this seemingly stern , old - fashioned Joshua to be so witty . " I'll study hard , I promise . " " Come on , " Joshua said , " let me show you around the lab first and introduce you to your seniors . In our traditional medicine program , we don't stick to textbooks - real learning happens in practice . " As Briar trailed behind , nodding along , his warm demeanor sparked a flicker of genuine anticipation for school . She thought , ' Who would've thought I'd ever look forward to attending classes ?

' Most traditional medicine students were men , many from hereditary practitioner families . With Dasmieca cracking down on traditional practices recently , most aspiring doctors opted for modern medicine . While other universities had a brutal 8 : 2 male - female ratio , Shoneport's ratio was relatively balanced by comparison . Even so , enrollment in Shoneport's Traditional Medicine department rarely topped a hundred students per year . The number Joshua deemed exceptional enough to join his lab was rare . Including two new additions this year , the lab housed only eleven students .

Among these eleven students , there are ten males and only one female . So this young lady instantly became the beloved one in the lab . The moment Joshua led in the pretty , doll - faced Briar , every guy in the lab stopped what they were doing . Their eyes were glued to her like magnets . 1/2 Chapter 36 Joshua clapped his hands and announced , " Alright , let me introduce - this is Briar , our new transfer student in first year . She's 18 , but don't let her age fool you - she can already see patients on her own . " " Bravo ! " James Garcia was the first to applaud enthusiastically .

" Hey there , I'm James , head of the lab and this year's project lead - senior , fourth year . " Karl Mosby chimed in , " Hey , Briar . I'm Karl , also a fourth - year in TM . " Ted Wilson added , " Hey there . I'm Ted . " Frank Liame followed . " Briar ! My name's Frank . " Mason Juno cut in , " Mason , what's up . " Joseph Andrew smiled . " Joseph here . " Charle Harris added , " Charle , welcome to join us . " Richard Davis waved . " Richard , nice to meet you . " Thomas Cooper said with a big smile , " Thomas . " Nicholas Reed finished , " Nicholas .

" After ten guys introduced themselves , Mia Marmen shuffled out from the back , extending her hand . " I'm Mia , third - year . Pleased to meet you . " " Nice to meet you too , Mia , " Briar replied , reaching out to shake her hand . The second their hands clasped , Briar felt Mia yank her wrist , squeezing viciously when no one was looking . ' Seriously ? Showing hostility right off the bat ? ' she thought . Briar arched an eyebrow , letting Mia crush her hand . As Mia released her , Briar " accidentally " brushed against Mia's radial nerve .

She smiled sweetly at Mia's pained grimace , all innocence . 2/2