Chapter 411: Deceiving the masses
The surrounding beastmen instantly whipped their heads around to look at the black-clad figure standing beside Nina. He’s Idir?
The elders’ gazes also locked onto him. He actually came?
Weena stared at the painfully familiar silhouette, her heart swelling with a chaotic mix of emotions.
Idir pulled off his mask, his voice steady and sharp. "And why wouldn’t I dare return?"
The elders’ pupils dilated in unison. It really is him!
Bafar’s eyes gleamed with malice. "Look, everyone! It’s exactly because this jinx returned that our Serpent City is suffering this catastrophe! We must kill this bringer of misfortune today!"
Nina stepped forward without a second thought, shielding Idir with her body. "You are the ones who poisoned your own people, yet you have the nerve to pin your evil deeds on Idir! The beastmen in this city have been falling ill for days, and we only just arrived. How could this possibly have anything to do with us?"
For a moment, the surrounding crowd wavered, caught in a tense gridlock. On one side were their own elders; on the other was a foreign City Lord who claimed she could save them.
"How could we possibly poison our own people?!" Bafar barked. "This disaster was brought down upon us solely because this jinx returned! Otherwise, how could it be such a coincidence? When he wasn’t here, we were all perfectly fine. The moment he steps foot in the city, everyone suddenly falls ill!"
Bafar turned to face the crowd, rallying them. "Am I right, everyone? This sickness came out of nowhere, with absolutely no warning or explanation. If this isn’t a divine curse brought upon us by the Beast God because of this jinx, then what else could it be?"
Watching from a shadowy corner, Phar—who had been silently keeping his eyes on Nina—cast a freezing glare at Bafar. So this is how these beastmen use my name to deceive their people?
Bafar then sneered at Nina. "This female claims our water sources are poisoned. If that’s true, why couldn’t our own witch doctors detect it? And why are the males completely fine? She claims it’s because males have stronger immunity, but some females are perfectly healthy too!"
He gestured toward a specific section of the crowd. "I’ve gathered a few healthy females here. If you don’t believe me, ask them yourself. Some of them drink from the very water sources she claims are toxic!"
A few females stepped forward from the crowd.
Bafar questioned them loudly, "Have any of you been drinking from the well by the old tree in the west, the main road source in the south, or the east road source in the central district?"
A few females stood up straight.
"I drink from the one by the old tree in the west."
"I’m from the central district."
"Me too."
"And are any of you sick?" Bafar pressed.
The females shook their heads. "No."
"Witch doctors, examine them. Let everyone know if they’re healthy," Bafar commanded.
The witch doctors immediately stepped up to check the females. After a brief examination, they confirmed, "They are indeed perfectly fine."
Bafar smirked triumphantly at the crowd. "You all heard it! According to her, those water sources are lethal, yet these females are completely unharmed. They’ve lived in those areas for a long time; you are welcome to verify it yourselves."
"Anu is my neighbor, she’s always lived in the central district," a couple of beastmen spoke up to verify.
With this, public opinion swung heavily in Bafar’s favor.
"Elder Bafar makes a good point! If the water were truly poisoned, why would some people be completely unaffected?"
"It seems it really is that jinx’s fault."
"So that female City Lord was lying to us all along."
"A jinx is a jinx. The moment he returns, he brings doom."
Nina’s gaze swept coldly over the whispering beastmen. Feeling the icy sharpness of her eyes, the crowd instinctively silenced themselves.
Stepping forward, Nina stopped directly in front of the healthy females. "Are you absolutely certain that you have been drinking exclusively from those water sources?"
The females nodded. "We live right there, so of course we drink that water."
"Will you let me examine you?" Nina asked.
The females glanced at Bafar for approval. He gave a nod. "Let her look."
Nina briefly examined each of them, then asked, "Did you only start drinking from those water sources within the last two days?"
In truth, these females were poisoned as well, but the toxin had barely accumulated in their systems.
The females shook their heads. "No, we’ve always lived there. We’ve always drunk that water."
"Then did you happen to be outside the city recently, only returning in the last couple of days?" Nina pressed.
The females looked at her in surprise. How did she know that?
One of them replied honestly, "Yes, I just got back two days ago." The others nodded in agreement.
Nina turned her gaze to Milt and the elders. "These females have also been poisoned. However, because they’ve only been back a short time, the symptoms haven’t manifested yet. This is a slow-acting poison; it doesn’t take effect immediately."
Hearing this, the females grew skeptical but anxious. Are we really poisoned too?
This time, however, the elders refused to buy it.
Bafar struck while the iron was hot. "What ’slow-acting poison’? That’s just a convenient excuse! Our witch doctors already declared them perfectly healthy. What right do you have to claim they’re poisoned? If they really are, why haven’t you produced an antidote instead of demanding our Sacred Relic?"
He turned to whip the Serpent City beastmen into a frenzy. "Do not believe a single word she says! She came here to swindle us out of our Sacred Relic, to help that jinx exact his revenge, and to bring ruin upon us all. The moment she gets her hands on the Sacred Relic, she won’t care whether we live or die!"
Ming instantly spoke up, his voice booming. "Stop spouting nonsense and slandering Nina! Your witch doctors couldn’t detect it because they are incompetent. If Nina didn’t know what she was talking about, how could she have deduced that these females just returned to the city?"
Taru stepped forward to support her as well. "We came here with the genuine intention of helping you. There is currently no antidote for this poison, and your Sacred Relic is the only thing that can save your people."
Aron addressed Milt directly. "City Lord Milt, more and more beastmen in the city are falling critically ill by the hour. The Sacred Relic is your only chance."
The beastmen of Serpent City wavered once more. It’s true, the Sacred Relic is our only hope. They all turned their eyes to Milt, waiting for his final decision.
This time, an overwhelming majority of the elders voiced their fierce opposition.
"City Lord, we cannot give her the Sacred Relic!"
"City Lord, she is Idir’s female. We cannot trust her!"
"City Lord, lest you forget what lies between Idir and us..."
Idir had undoubtedly returned for blood; there was no way they would let his female touch their Sacred Relic.
"But..." Milt looked deeply torn.
Bafar immediately stepped up. "City Lord, you absolutely must not hand it over to them!" He then yelled to the crowd, "Everyone, do not worry! The Sacred Relic can indeed save us, and I have a way to unleash its power. We don’t need this hypocritical female’s help at all!"
The elders’ eyes lit up. "Do you really have a way?"
Bafar beamed with absolute confidence. "Of course. Though, this is not the place to discuss the details."
Seeing his certainty, the elders let out a collective sigh of relief. At the same time, they shot Bafar a reproachful look—if he had a solution all along, why hadn’t he spoken up sooner instead of letting things get this complicated?
The crowd erupted in excitement. Elder Bafar knew how to save them! Naturally, they preferred to trust one of their own over Nina, so they firmly threw their support behind Bafar.
Milt turned back to Nina. "Since our elder has a solution, I will not be giving you the Sacred Relic."
Seeing the tides turn completely in his favor, Bafar decided to press his advantage. "Idir is a living blight upon our clan! We must kill this jinx today to eliminate the threat once and for all!"
He was determined to seize this perfect opportunity to rid himself of Idir forever.
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