Chapter 408: A Brewing Crisis
"Understood. We’ll make sure to be prepared," Ming and the others nodded, before dispersing to attend to their respective tasks.
Idir walked over. "Nina, did those old fogies make things difficult for you today?"
"A few of them opposed me, but it’s fine. I can handle them," Nina replied. "I just didn’t know which ones have a history with you, otherwise I would have taught them a lesson today."
Idir wrapped his arm around Nina. "There’s no rush for revenge. Let’s focus on helping you get the sacred relic first." Once they had the relic, he would settle the score with those old fools properly. If he acted now, it would only bring unnecessary trouble to Nina.
"If they refuse to bring out the sacred relic to save the beastmen in the city, they probably won’t be willing to trade with us either. In that case, we might just have to force our way into the holy land," Nina mused.
"I’m not particularly worried about the others, but I’m unsure if my protective shield can keep you safe," Idir said. "Relying on my strength alone, I’m afraid I won’t be able to snatch it out."
The poison within the holy land was exceptionally potent; a single misstep could lead to instantaneous death. While his strength was formidable, the elders guarding the holy land were no pushovers either. He could handle one or two, but facing a crowd would be overwhelming.
"Don’t worry, I can find another way if it comes to that. Perhaps tomorrow will go smoothly and they will agree to hand over the sacred relic! Then we wouldn’t even have to worry about all this," Nina said reassuringly.
"Mm," Idir murmured in agreement.
"I saw your friend, Tair, today," Nina inquired. "Is he an elder as well?"
"Tair? He was there?" Idir was visibly surprised. "His strength isn’t particularly impressive, and his previous rank was just a squad captain. How could he be discussing matters with the City Lord alongside the elders?"
Based on Tair’s past rank, he wasn’t qualified to join discussions in the great hall.
"Is that so? He seemed to hold some sway in front of the City Lord and the elders, so his rank shouldn’t be low." Nina was slightly astonished. She had assumed Tair was a powerful beastman just like Idir.
Idir pondered for a moment. "Perhaps he trained fiercely after I left and made rapid progress. Or maybe he went to evolve his bloodline, boosting his strength and earning a higher position." Still, he made a mental note to keep an eye on the matter.
Nina nodded. After chatting a bit longer, she went back to studying the poisons.
The following day, Nina and her companions arrived at the Witch Doctor’s house as agreed, and Milt’s group arrived shortly after.
When Penny noticed Nina heading out, she followed along. She had heard from Tair the previous day about Nina’s meeting with the City Lord, so she knew exactly what Nina was planning to do at the Witch Doctor’s place today.
This time, several more Witch Doctors had gathered at the house, and the entrance was swarming with sick beastmen. Because the courtyard wasn’t spacious enough, they were treating the ailing beastmen right outside the front doors.
As Nina approached the entrance, several gazes instantly locked onto her. Some were friendly, others malicious, and one felt intensely burning. Sensing something, Nina glanced around her surroundings but failed to spot anything unusual. For some reason, she felt as though she was being targeted.
Milt and his group walked up to her. "Little female, you’ve arrived."
Nina greeted him, "City Lord."
Milt pointed toward a large row of bamboo tubes nearby. "These are the water samples we gathered. If you’re ready, you may begin."
The Witch Doctors craned their necks to stare at Nina. Is this the female the City Lord mentioned who could cure the city’s beastmen? Can she really detect a poison that even we couldn’t uncover?
"Let’s begin," Nina said, picking up a bamboo tube to start her evaluation.
The surrounding beastmen watched curiously, whispering among themselves.
"Why did the City Lord come today?"
"I’m curious too."
"What are they doing over there?"
"What is that female looking at with those bamboo tubes? Why did she have to come all the way to the Witch Doctor’s door to do it?"
"Who knows!"
The beastmen chattered dynamically, completely in the dark about what Nina and Milt were up to.
Harin and his allies waited anxiously for Nina’s results, praying this female could truly prove the contamination and aid Serpent City.
Conversely, a few of the elders wore expressions of pure disdain, refusing to believe a female could decipher anything. A few others harbored a hidden malice in the depths of their eyes.
After some time, Nina stopped her movements. "The testing is complete."
She singled out four bamboo tubes. "These four are untainted. The rest are all poisoned."
Milt swept his gaze over the tubes. "Are you certain?"
"Positive," Nina stated definitively.
Milt turned to the elders in charge of those sectors. "What is the sickness rate in the areas corresponding to these four water sources?"
The responsible elders checked the markings on the bamboo tubes, verified the data, and replied, "Two of the water sources indeed belong to the regions with the absolute lowest number of patients—those areas are doing much better than the rest. The other two are water sources from outside the city."
Excitement flushed across the faces of Harin and his faction. This female could truly tell the difference! Perhaps she really was their savior. A few elders looked on in sheer shock, while others sneered inwardly.
With more beastmen dying over the past two days, they had been worrying themselves sick.
Milt looked at the bamboo tubes. "Distribute these among the Witch Doctors. Let them examine them and see if they can identify any differences."
The Witch Doctors hurriedly began their inspection. The onlookers, catching only fragments of the conversation, started whispering again.
"What poison are they talking about? Is the water poisoned?"
"It sounds like there’s an issue with the water sources."
"No way, right?"
Before long, the Witch Doctors discovered that a certain medicinal powder reacted differently between the two batches of water.
"City Lord," one of the Witch Doctors reported, "these water samples are indeed different. However, this powder isn’t meant for testing poison, so we cannot definitively confirm if it is a toxin."
"I understand," Milt nodded. He then turned to Nina. "Little female, I am willing to believe you. Starting today, I will purge the city’s water sources. However, controlling the water will only halt the spread of the illness. Do you have any other methods to save the beastmen who are already sick?"
Hearing Milt’s words, the surrounding crowd finally pieced the truth together.
"Is the City Lord saying there’s something wrong with our water?"
"It seems so."
"That female actually figured it out!"
Right then, Alar shot a meaningful look at one of the elders. The elder immediately stepped forward and declared, "City Lord, please do not be deceived by them! There is absolutely nothing wrong with our water!"
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