According to Old Bray, Black Dragon Tendons are highly poisonous and can induce illusions in people. Therefore, they have always been an important material for alchemists and sorcerers to refine elixirs and create magic.
“Do you know about the Corpse-hunting Ritual?” Cheyenne nodded, “I’ve heard about it online, but I always thought it was just a legend. How could there really be people who hunt corpses?”
Her words were met with a disdainful look from Old Bray. “You’re still young and inexperienced. Not knowing something doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist. You see, the end of science is actually mysticism.”
“Today, I’m going to tell you about something that is just as extraordinary as the Corpse-hunting Ritual-the Yocmery magic!”
When he was young, Old Bray had conducted in-depth investigations in the remote southwestern region and discovered the existence of ancient and mysterious villages.
Among them was a village specializing in the production of magic worms.
“These Black Dragons are a commonly used raw material for making magic worms in that region. Feeding spiders, ants, snakes, and other creatures with their blood can enhance their toxicity.”
“I learned the principle of using poison to counter poison from there. Although traditional medicine has some records of using this principle, they only scratch the surface of the knowledge of the interdependence of plants and their antidotes.”
“Books don’t know that the same principle applies to magic worms.”
Magic worms made from Black Dragon blood are called “Baleful Magic,” and they are of a higher grade than the Golden Silkworm Magic that Cheyenne had heard of before.
It was not practical to completely eliminate Baleful Magic using ordinary methods.
“Their nemesis is peach wood, so you need to wrap them in sand and roast them on peach wood branches. The peach resin released during the burning process can effectively seal the eggs of the form-shifting worms.”
Peach resin is a type of tree resin that aids in complete combustion.
“What about those who have already been infected?” Iker was concerned about the more than 2, 000 people who had already been infected. It wouldn’t be right to burn them along with the worms.
Old Bray glanced at the young man standing before him, dressed in a military green uniform, and his noble and just aura made it clear who he was. “You are from the Todd family, right?”
Iker nodded, “That’s right, my father is Kai. I’m Iker. You can call me Iker, Old Bray.”
“I know your father, and since you are from the Todd family, I won’t beat around the bush with you.”
“What I’m about to say is very serious, and I hope you can listen carefully.”
Meanwhile, everyone held their breath, eager to hear Old Bray’s next words.
Little did they know that the old man took a deep breath, creating a mysterious atmosphere, only to utter three ruthless words in the end-
“Burn them alive!”
Iker was greatly shocked and his face became grave.
Cheyenne was equally stunned. “No, that’s not possible! Those are real lives!”
Even Paisley, who had been calm before, was angry now. “Old man, have you lost your mind? How can you say such heartless things?”
“They are more than 2, 000 lives, not ants. How can we just burn them alive?”
Only Leandro sighed heavily as his opinion aligned with that of Old Bray.
During this period of time, he had been seeking methods to alleviate the illness or cut off the transmission, but all his efforts had been in vain.
In the beginning, there were only eight or nine infected individuals, but then it gradually increased to fifty, a hundred, a thousand… and more. If this situation continued, Akloit would naturally crumble.
Old Bray touched the tip of his nose and coughed lightly. “You don’t understand the severity of this thing. Back then… three villages near the border were wiped out overnight because of this small thing. I almost didn’t make it out alive.”
The Black Dragons he encountered back then were not as mutated as the current ones… It was unimaginable how much the toxicity had increased.
Finding a successful method to cure the magic was difficult!
Regardless, Cheyenne was not willing to risk other people’s lives. She was not a god and did not have the qualification to do so. As a doctor, she would never mention the word “give up” before giving her all.
From Old Bray’s words, she found a glimmer of hope.
“Old Bray, you said you had encountered this thing before. Can you tell me where you encountered it and how you managed to come back successfully?”
“That was more than twenty years ago… I was part of a team composed of scientific research experts. We traveled from Canster Mountain to the Marltham Plateau, visiting the southwestern region.”
When they arrived at a small village in Yocmery, the atmosphere there was extremely closed off, and there were more women than men, resulting in a custom of walking marriage.
Because of his youth, good looks, and gentle and humorous personality, he caught the attention of a girl named Cadence.
Although he had divorced Paisley and their child was not young anymore, he still politely declined her offer.
In order to keep him, the girl prepared to use magic on him. Sensing her intentions, he remained cautious and vigilant.
However, the same couldn’t be said for his companions. They fell under the control of the magic worms and became manipulated by those women.
Most of them fell ill and died after giving birth, but he didn’t believe that they died from an illness. So one night, he sneaked into a household and observed.
He witnessed the girl placing a magic worm, known as the Baleful Magic, on his companion.
After about half a month, that companion committed suicide.
Old Bray immediately felt that something was very wrong with that village. He tried various methods to escape but failed.
In the end, it was with the help of a kind-hearted person that he managed to escape.
To prevent this cruel secret from being exposed, those people placed the same magic on the three neighboring villages.
The people shared the same water source from the mountains, and they all died from suicide overnight.
Due to the extremely bizarre and mysterious nature of the incident, it was announced as a flu outbreak to the outside world.
The local elderly explained it as a “curse from the gods.”
He didn’t tell Paisley about this matter when he returned, as being captured by women and almost becoming a son-in-law was too embarrassing.
“Old Bray, do you happen to know where Candace and her family went later? If they were able to use magic on you, it means they definitely knew some inside information,” Cheyenne couldn’t help but break the silence.
“This…” Old Bray cautiously glanced at Paisley, who still had an expressionless face. He couldn’t help but feel fearful. If it were in the past, she would have scolded him right away.
“Ahem… How would I know about that? I’ve been a faithful person to your grandmother. I don’t know, and I don’t want to know.”
His gaze shifted, clearly showing his guilty conscience.
At this moment, Cheyenne had to break the silence. “Old Bray, this is a matter of life and death. I hope you can be honest with us.”
Paisley also smiled but it lacked warmth as she spoke, “Exactly, you must know where your old lover went.”