Hearing Deanna's words, Brice and his son couldn't help but gasp.
Such a high-stakes gamble!
Yet it was exactly what they wanted.
The father and son exchanged a glance. Finally, Brice coughed lightly and pretended to scold, "What kind of stakes are these? This is nonsense. Gunner, aren't you going to say something?"
"Enough with the theatrics in front of me. You both seem quite satisfied with Deanna's proposal, so let's proceed."
Gunner, tired of the act, made the decision directly.
Besides, Gunner had great faith in Deanna.
He didn't believe his apprentice would lose to Craig.
Brice's face turned a bit sour after being rebuffed.
He took two deep breaths to suppress his anger. "Since there are no objections to the stakes, let's discuss the competition."
Gunner remained silent, wanting to see what kind of competition the father and son would propose.
Under his father's instruction, Craig stepped forward and said, "The competition will be best two out of three. If Miss Jones wins two rounds, I lose. How about that?"
"Agreed," Deanna nodded.
Craig continued, "As for the judges, let's call other members of the Martinez family to witness. Uncle Gunner, do you have any objections?"
Gunner snorted, "Don't ask me. Ask Deanna. She represents me."
Hearing this, Craig looked at Deanna.
Deanna had no objections. It was better to have other members of the Martinez family as witnesses; she was also worried that the father and son might play dirty tricks if they lost.
"What about the competition content? You haven't mentioned that yet," Deanna suddenly questioned.
Craig smiled faintly and replied, "Miss Jones, don't be impatient. I was just about to say that. The competition will have three parts: poison-making, antidote administration, and detoxification. Whoever detoxifies first wins."
"Alright, what's the second round?" Deanna nodded in agreement and immediately asked.
Craig continued, "The second round will be identifying herbs. The judges will provide over a hundred types of herbs. Whoever correctly identifies them first wins. As for the final round, it will be herb gathering. Whoever finds the most valuable herbs in the back mountain wins. But I doubt we'll need this round."
He looked at Deanna with disdain, clearly thinking she couldn't beat him.
Deanna didn't want to engage in a war of words and coldly said, "I'll return those words to you."
"You!" Craig glared at her angrily.
Before he could say anything else, Deanna impatiently interrupted, "After all this talk, when does the competition start?"
"Starting today. Uncle Gunner will notify the others to witness," Craig said and signaled his father to leave with him.
Soon, only Gunner and Deanna were left in the office.
Gunner saw the serious look on Deanna's face and patted her shoulder to comfort her. "Don't pressure yourself. Stay calm. That boy is impatient and eager for quick success. Even if he grew up in the Martinez family, he's not your match."
"Master, don't worry. I won't lose," Deanna nodded firmly and promised Gunner.
A few minutes later, in the outer courtyard of the Martinez family estate, many branch family members and stewards who had returned over the past few days were gathered.
Seeing the crowd before her, Deanna roughly counted over a hundred people and felt somewhat emotional.
The Martinez family branch was indeed thriving, while the main branch was declining and plagued by internal strife. If the branch family ever decided to rebel, the main branch wouldn't stand a chance.
While Deanna was lost in thought, her master's deep voice rang in her ears.
"Everyone, I've gathered you here today because someone is dissatisfied with my chosen successor. According to ancestral rules, they have issued a challenge with additional stakes: whoever loses must leave the Martinez family."
Gunner explained the situation briefly.
His words were causing an immediate uproar.
"Leaving the Martinez family? That's too big a wager!"
"Master Brice is bullying people! Master Craig has been studying in the Martinez family since childhood, while Miss Jones has only been learning from Master Gunner for less than six years."
"Master Brice's behavior is indeed unsightly. If there's a competition, it should be between him and Master Gunner."
Hearing these comments made Brice and Craig's faces turn very unpleasant.
Deanna was somewhat surprised.
She hadn't expected so many people to speak up for her.
Regardless of whether others questioned the fairness of the competition, it still began.
"The first round is detoxification. Master Craig and Miss Jones will each spend two hours making poison. Then they will administer it to each other and detoxify it. Whoever succeeds first wins the first round."
With the judge's announcement, Craig and Deanna immediately headed to the Martinez family's pharmacy.
On their way there, they met at the door.
Craig looked at her viciously and said, "I will definitely win this round. If you don't want your body ruined, you'd better surrender."
"I'll return those words to you. Don't be a sore loser," Deanna retorted and walked into the pharmacy without looking at Craig's darkened face.