Chapter 428

Chapter 428:

In Ekuoledo.

Night had fallen by the time Wyatt and his team reached the rugged slopes of Elixirspine, the clock striking eight.

As Wyatt pushed forward with determination, Marc seized his arm, halting him in his tracks. “Don’t go in tonight; it’s too dangerous p>

The trek to this point had been a gauntlet of danger, with Marc losing track of the countless toxic plants they had seen.

They were still only at the mountain’s edge, and the thought of what might lie deeper within sent a shiver down his spine.

Barrie had wanted to intervene earlier, but Wyatt’s fierce resolve had kept him silent.

Now, seeing Marc intervene, Barrie exhaled in quiet relief.

Wyatt was desperate to find the thousand-year-old wildroot panax and hasten back to Kretol that same night, though deep down, he recognized the futility of such a plan.

𝘠ou𝘳 dа𝗂𝗹𝗒 𝖽𝗼s𝖾 o𝘧 𝗇𝘰𝘃𝗲𝗹𝗌 𝗼𝘯 ѕ.c𝗈𝗆

Yielding to Marc’s caution, Wyatt directed Barrie to prepare camp.

At Wyatt’s command, Barrie and the group swiftly unpacked tents from their gear and began setting them up.

Meanwhile, Marc sprinkled a specially formulated insect repellent around the campsite’s perimeter, a precaution he had planned well in advance.

Since boarding their flight, the group hadn’t eaten a single meal.

Once the tents were pitched, Barrie instructed some of the team to kindle a fire and prepare food.

As they ate, Barrie and several guards fended off relentless swarms of venomous insects.

The growing pile of dead pests made Marc’s frown deepen.

His repellent, highly effective in controlled tests, proved feeble against Elixirspine’s relentless bugs.

Weldon, bundled tightly in protective clothing, still suffered a bite on his eyelid. Within moments, his eye swelled, leaving only a narrow slit to see through.

The sting was excruciating, a mix of burning and itching, and he nearly scratched it — only to stop cold at Marc’s sharp warning.

“Don’t touch it! Break the skin, and an infection could cost you your eye p>

As he spoke, Marc moved closer to inspect Weldon’s eye.

The moment his fingers grazed the swollen tissue, Weldon exclaimed in pain, “It hurts p>

Desperate to rub the agony away but thinking of Marc’s warning, Weldon could only suck in sharp breaths, hoping to endure the torment.

Seeing Weldon’s suffering, the others pulled their hats down tighter over their faces, but two more guards still fell prey to the vicious insects.

Surrounded by groans and anguished cries, Marc reluctantly retrieved a small bottle from his bag.

It held a powerful antidote, the result of years of meticulous research to neutralize common poisons.

Crafting it had been an arduous process, and this tiny container was his only yield.