Chapter 404
By nightfall, Ming and his team returned with a fresh batch of water samples.
Nina tested them immediately, only to find that the vast majority had indeed been poisoned.
“Nina, how is this batch looking?” Keil asked.
“Just like the last one. Most of it is tainted,” Nina replied.
The group frowned in unison. If that was the case, didn’t it mean most of the beastmen in the city had already been poisoned?
A dark cloud settled over Ming’s brow. “Nina, I have more bad news. A cub in the city died from this toxin just yesterday p>
“What? A cub has already died?” Aron said softly, his voice tinged with sorrow. “If this continues, I’m afraid we’re going to lose more and more females and cubs p>
A heavy wave of anxiety washed over everyone. No one wanted to stand by and watch innocent females and children perish.
Whoever was behind this poisoning was utterly depraved.
“They drink the city’s tainted water every single day, which means the toxins are only going to keep building up in their systems,” Yanai pointed out. “We need to stop the city’s residents from drinking that water as soon as possible p>
“Agreed p>
The others nodded in solemn consensus.
Inside her mind, Nina called out to her system assistant. “Little Bun, any progress on an antidote for this poison p>
[Host, the composition of this toxin is incredibly complex and bizarre. A lot of its components aren’t in our database, so researching a viable antidote is going to take a considerable amount of time!] Little Bun reported.
“Keep running the analysis then. In the meantime, see if you can find a way to temporarily suppress or control the toxin’s spread within the body,” Nina instructed.
She had spent the entire day studying it herself without making any headway; it looked like she would have to find an alternative route.
[Understood, Host p>
With a quick acknowledgment, Little Bun dove back into the sea of data to continue the research.
Nina took a moment to organize her thoughts before addressing the group.
“Synthesizing an antidote won’t happen overnight. Our best bet might still be to seek help from the City Lord. We need him to order the citizens to stop drinking the tainted water immediately, and then begin clearing out the water sources p>
“Mm, we don’t have a better option right now. Only the City Lord possesses the authority to make the residents believe the threat and follow commands blindly,” Taru said.
“It’s getting late now, so he probably won’t grant us an audience tonight. Besides, a crisis of this magnitude will require him to summon the elders for a council. We should head to the City Lord’s estate tomorrow morning to explain the situation,” Ming suggested.
“Alright. Fathers, please prepare yourselves to come with me tomorrow. As fellow City Lords, your presence will carry weight, and they’ll be much more inclined to believe us. We also need to brainstorm a backup plan in case they refuse to cooperate,” Nina said.
“Don’t worry, Nina. Facing a disaster like this, they wouldn’t dare refuse lightly. The real hurdle will be proving that the water is actually poisoned,” Taru noted.
“I’ll do my absolute best to convince them, but it’s definitely going to be tricky. Because it’s a slow-acting toxin, it’s impossible to demonstrate its effects instantly—and we obviously can’t use innocent females or cubs as test subjects,” Nina sighed.
It was a frustrating dilemma; they had no immediate concrete proof to force the Serpent City authorities to take their word for it.
“It’s alright, Nina. If all else fails, we’ll just pivot to a different strategy,” Odian comforted her gently. “If they choose not to believe us, then that is simply their fate. We will have done everything we could p>
Ming echoed the sentiment. “Exactly, Nina. Don’t carry the weight of the world on your shoulders. If the beastmen of Serpent City are too stubborn to believe the truth, it’s their own foolishness to blame, not anyone else p>
For a crisis of this scale, any competent leader would rather be safe than sorry. If the rulers of this city truly chose to turn a blind eye, it only proved they were fundamentally unfit to lead.
Nina let out a soft sigh. “Mm. If it really comes down to it, we’ll just have to seize the Sacred Artifact. We need to plan that out carefully as well p>
If possible, she genuinely wanted to prevent innocent casualties. If the poisoning reached a critical tipping point later on, her power alone wouldn’t be enough to save thousands of beastmen.
“We’ve already mapped out most of the City Lord’s estate defenses. The only real headache is handling their specific tribal poisons, especially since we aren’t of the Tengshe clan ourselves,” Aron reasoned.
“If they are willing to listen to reason, perhaps we can negotiate with them—use the threat to convince them to bring out the Sacred Artifact to save their own people,” Nina mused.
“True, that would be the ideal scenario. But if they play difficult, we won’t hesitate to use… specialized measures,” Taru said with a dangerous glint in his eye.
After all, Nina was the rightful master of the Sacred Artifact. Utilizing a few underhanded tactics to take back what belonged to her was entirely justified.
“Nina, your fathers will back you up to the absolute best of our abilities. In fact, we’ve already summoned additional beastmen reinforcements from our own cities. They should be arriving later tonight. Even if we have to resort to a brute-force siege, we have the numbers to win,” Aron reassured her.
“Nina, I’ve also reached out to Lang and the others. They’re closing in on our location as we speak,” Kith added, eager to do his part to alleviate her burdens.
“The same goes for us, Nina. We will always be your most solid shield p>
The rest of her beast-husbands chimed in, refusing to be left behind when it came to supporting her.
Sal stepped forward, wrapping his hand around Nina’s. “Nina, just do whatever you think is best. We aren’t afraid of those pathetic snakes. If they refuse to hand over the artifact, we’ll just wipe them out and take over the city ourselves p>
“Sal is right. We have nothing to fear from them,” Aviel agreed smoothly. “Whatever you want to do, Nina, just say the word. We’re all following your lead p>
With so many City Lords gathered here, they certainly weren’t just for show. Though he didn’t know exactly how many beastmen the others had summoned, he was certain that with their collective strength, bringing Serpent City to its knees would be effortless.
Looking at them all, a wave of warmth washed over Nina’s heart. “Mm. Thank you, everyone p>
Even if it didn’t come to a full-blown war, their unwavering support gave her an immense sense of peace.
Seeing how powerful and capable the other beast-husbands were, Idir couldn’t help but feel a twinge of shame. He clenched his fists tightly. Perhaps I can reach out to my father’s old subordinates who are still loyal to his memory. That way, I can provide Nina with extra leverage.
“It’s getting late. Everyone should head back and get some rest,” Nina said.
“You need to get a good night’s sleep too, Nina. Tomorrow is going to be demanding,” Keil noted.
When it came to fighting, they were more than capable. But when it came to neutralizing poisons, they were completely helpless to assist her.
“Yes, Nina, rest well. Your fathers will head back now p>
With that, Ming and the others said their goodbyes and departed for the night.
After mentally charting out a rough outline for tomorrow’s plan, Nina prepared for bed. Dian helped her wash up, carried her gently to the bed, and gave her a full-body massage to help her unwind.
Once he finished, he suppressed the burning desire stirring deep within his chest and pulled her into his arms. “Nina, let’s sleep p>
Sensing the heat radiating from him, Nina smiled softly. “Want to p>
Dian pressed a lingering kiss against her lips to satisfy his immediate craving. “It’s fine. I can hold back. You need to rest properly tonight p>
Nina had a major ordeal ahead of her tomorrow; he couldn’t bear to drain her energy tonight.
Nina caressed his handsome face. “Just once won’t hurt p>
Though this little pink fish could be a bit stubborn at times, he was always incredibly considerate.
Dian shook his head, tightening his embrace around her. “I want you to get your rest. Go to sleep. I’ll be fine, it’ll pass in a little bit p>
Nina gave him a sweet kiss. “Mm p>
Holding each other close, they drifted off to sleep.
Meanwhile, in another estate across the city, a completely different scene was unfolding between Penny and Tair.
Tair stared at the untouched tray of food in the room, a profound sorrow welling up in his eyes.
Knowing Penny as well as he did, he knew she meant every word. If he refused to give in, she truly would starve herself to death.
Penny sat at the head of the bed, her knees pulled tightly to her chest. She remained utterly silent, not even lifting her head when she sensed Tair entering the room.
She knew Tair would capitulate. Because he loved her.
Carrying the food over to her, Tair dropped down before her, his posture entirely defeated. “I lose. Please, eat something. I’ll go find the dark wizard for you p>
Penny finally looked up. “Alright p>
After finishing the food, she fell asleep in Tair’s arms. But as she drifted off into the depths of her dreams, she softly murmured Idir’s name.
Tair looked down at the face of the female he loved so desperately, a wave of profound despair crashing over him.
Why is Idir the only one in your heart? Why have you never once called out my name in your dreams?
Why is it that no matter how hard I try, I can never measure up to him?
Is he the only one who matters? Will you only truly look at me if Idir dies?
A dark, sinister glint suddenly crept into his eyes. Yes… Only when Idir is dead will you finally see me.
He gently stroked Penny’s cheek. Once Idir is dead, I will stay by your side and help you slowly forget him.
Fixing one last, intense gaze on Penny, Tair stood up and vanished into the blackness of the night.