Chapter 400
Milt’s brow knitted tightly together as he asked anxiously, “Have the witch doctors still not found the cause p>
Harin shook his head. “No. They are completely baffled p>
“We must find the root cause of why the females and cubs are falling ill,” one elder insisted. “Otherwise, more and more of them will succumb to this sickness p>
“But how are we supposed to find it? Even the witch doctors can’t figure it out,” another elder countered.
“Are you absolutely certain there are no issues with the food and water provided to the females and cubs?” Milt questioned.
“Positive. We personally tested all the food and water to ensure they were safe before distributing them,” Harin replied. “We also strictly instructed everyone not to consume any outside food, yet they continue to fall ill, one after another p>
“Then how on earth are they catching this p>
A thick cloud of gloom settled over the grand hall. This mystery was precisely what terrified them the most, because their own mates and cubs had also fallen ill.
Right then, a male guard rushed into the hall in a frantic panic to deliver a report. “City Lord! News just came in from the western district. One of the sick cubs couldn’t hold on any longer… it just died p>
“What?! Died from the sickness p>
The elders gasped in horror, a wave of sheer panic washing over them. The illness was actually lethal! If anything happened to their own females, wouldn’t that mean the end for them as well?
Overwhelmed by panic and unable to devise a solution, the elders began putting immense pressure on Milt.
“City Lord, you must find a way! If this continues, our Serpent City is finished p>
“Exactly! This crisis has been going on for so long. Fine, let’s look past the fact that you haven’t caught the killers targeting our beastmen, but the illness among the females and cubs must be resolved immediately p>
“As the City Lord, it is your duty to lead us out of this predicament as quickly as possible p>
The elders hurled their demands at Milt, their voices laced with thinly veiled resentment.
A flash of icy disdain crossed Milt’s eyes. “What good is panicking now? Do you think I don’t want to solve this? It’s your own uselessness that’s preventing us from finding the cause. Who else is there to blame p>
Hmph. These old fossils are entirely incompetent, yet they want to dump all the accountability onto my shoulders.
“City Lord, you can’t put it that way. We’ve been investigating to the best of our abilities, but you haven’t given us any clear directives or strategies either p>
“He’s right. All you know how to do is tell us to investigate. Running a city shouldn’t be this easy for you p>
“Back in the day, Adir was far more responsible than you p>
“Ever since we changed City Lords, Serpent City has been going downhill by the day p>
“A City Lord who can’t solve problems can always be replaced, you know p>
A few of the elders began to sneer and mock him openly. He doesn’t have a sick mate or cubs of his own, so of course he isn’t in a hurry. If they had known things would turn out like this, they would never have agreed to let him take the throne back then.
The corners of Milt’s mouth curled into a mocking smirk. “Why exactly did we change City Lords back then… don’t you all know the truth in your own hearts?” If you want to replace me, you’d better see if you actually have the power to do so.
The faces of those few elders turned sour, and they instantly fell silent.
“City Lord, they spoke without thinking just now, but the outbreak must indeed be resolved as soon as possible,” Harin interceded. A flash of nostalgia mirrored in his eyes. Back then, Adir truly had been an exceptional City Lord. It was just a pity… Sigh, I wonder how Idir is doing these days.
“Enough. I will find a solution as quickly as possible,” Milt said, pinching the bridge of his nose. “Kiran, travel at top speed to request aid from the neighboring tribes and cities. Harin, continue to assist the witch doctors in treating the females and cubs, and distribute some health-nurturing beast crystals to them p>
“Yes, City Lord,” Kiran and Harin replied in unison.
After organizing the immediate tasks, Milt dismissed the council. He sat alone in the empty hall, gazing into the distance with a profound, unreadable expression.
By nightfall, Ming and the others had returned with numerous water samples. The samples from the more distant areas would have to wait until tomorrow.
Nina had Little Bun run tests on all of them. Sure enough, toxins were detected in the vast majority of the water sources. She immediately instructed Little Bun to begin working on synthesizing an antidote. Once the testing concluded, Nina went out to inform the family of the results.
“Nina, how is it? Is the water poisoned?” Taru asked.
Nina’s expression was grim. “Most of the water sources are contaminated p>
A heavy solemnity settled over everyone’s faces at the news.
“Nina, what should we do now?” Yanai asked.
“I need to think it over, and I also need to see if I can formulate an antidote myself.” Nina frowned. Aside from relying on Little Bun’s research, she wanted to try analyzing the toxins herself to see if she could find a breakthrough sooner.
Seeing how much responsibility Nina was shouldering, her mates felt another wave of deep heartache.
“We can’t just leave everything to Nina,” Odian addressed the males. “Let’s all head back and brainstorm some ideas, then we can discuss them tomorrow p>
“Yes, everyone think it over carefully tonight,” Ming agreed.
A collective sense of guilt rippled through the males. Nina was pushing herself incredibly hard. Because she always appeared so brilliantly capable, they sometimes forgot that she was a female who deserved to be pampered and meticulously cared for by them.
“There’s nothing else for tonight. Everyone should head back and rest p>
“Nina, you should get some rest too. Don’t put too much pressure on yourself,” Aron said caringly.
“I know, Father,” Nina replied.
The males quickly dispersed to their respective quarters.
Nina spent the remaining hours trying to break down the toxins in the samples, but she made very little headway by bedtime. She stared at the vials, feeling a pang of frustration.
Idir walked into the room to find her. “Nina, if you hit a wall, leave it for tonight. The bathwater is hot; let me carry you to wash up p>
Nina packed away the samples. “Alright p>
Idir carried her to bathe and safely tucked her back into bed afterward. Lying down, Nina stared up at the ceiling, her mind drifting right back to the crisis. As she overanalyzed the situation, her brows knit together tightly once more.
Idir pulled her into his arms. “Nina, stop thinking about it and rest. If we really can’t synthesize an antidote, there might actually be another way p>
Nina looked up at him. “What way p>
“We can try using the Sacred Artifact. Its healing capabilities are boundlessly powerful,” Idir suggested.
Nina’s eyes instantly lit up as a whole new line of reasoning opened before her. Perhaps that really was worth a shot.
Idir leaned down and planted a tender kiss between her brows. “My beautiful female, it’s time to sleep p>
“Mm p>
Nesting against Idir’s chest, Nina closed her eyes and gradually drifted off to sleep.
Meanwhile, in the quiet depth of the night, a figure tightly shrouded in a heavy cloak quietly materialized inside Elder Alar’s residence.