Demon Bible

Chapter 101: Seeing the Golden Elixir Again

'Who could it be?' Nemus really felt that this world was quite interesting.

Everyone harbored their own ulterior motives. Finback Village was full of hidden talents, and Tail Fin Town was practically the same.

Of course, aside from those three individuals possessing the potential to advance to the Golden rank, the Dartmenerly family had been causing quite a stir lately. Rumor had it that there might be a possibility of someone within their family advancing to the Golden rank as well.

However, the Floating World Society had been established for quite a long time, whereas the Dartmenerly family had been making non-stop moves ever since they entered Tail Fin Town.

They backed Black Viper and White Fox, fiercely competing for interests against other factions.

They simply lacked the power and the time to support the Floating World Society.

'Regardless, there is still some time before the Golden Elixir is fully refined. Now that the process has been interrupted, that person likely won't be able to advance anytime soon.'

'Under these circumstances, there's no need to worry too much. I should focus on my own advancement instead.' Nemus took out the Book of Ages.

The cover of the Book of Ages was crafted from a special wooden board, though Nemus could not identify the type of wood.

The pages inside were made of delicate parchment, currently densely covered in written text.However, as Nemus looked closely, he realized that while these characters resembled Holy Cryptograms, they actually were not.

The so-called Holy Cryptogram was a simplified evolution of Holy Script, primarily used as a language for recitation and chanting.

Nemus naturally recognized Holy Cryptograms, but the characters before him were far more complex. They were closer to Holy Script, yet they did not emanate enough resonance for him to decipher them.

'So I still need to obtain a Fey bloodline potion to read these words?' Nemus had already ordered his men to detain Westbin's family. Currently, Westbin's corpse had also been cleaned up and delivered to them.

'I'll find an opportunity to check on it later. Regardless, I am deeply interested in the secrets of the Legend Rank.'

Subsequently, Nemus shifted his focus back to the Dartmenerly family.

Ever since the Dartmenerly family's butler met with him that day and Cici Marie escaped prison to go into hiding, the family had been extremely well-behaved, showing no abnormalities whatsoever.

They had even provided a certain degree of cooperation when Nemus led his team to arrest the cultists of the Floating World Society.

This quietness felt somewhat bizarre.

'Especially Cici. Given her condition, she doesn't seem like the type who could hold back for so long.' Nemus didn't believe he had misjudged her.

From a young age, Cici Marie's personality had been nurtured into something twisted and unstable.

Nearly a week had passed. Given her temperament, it was absolutely impossible for her to hide peacefully in a place like the South District for so long without causing a single disturbance.

Perhaps it was true that merely thinking of someone would bring news of them.

While Nemus was pondering the Dartmenerly family's situation, Krew, who was standing beside him, received the latest intelligence from the Grid.

"Cici Marie has been found—she has gone completely mad," Krew reported.

Hearing this news, a look of mild surprise crossed Nemus's face.

"Word is that White Fox betrayed the Dartmenerly family," Krew continued.

"After Cici Marie fled to her territory, White Fox imprisoned her and subjected her to inhumane torture. It was during this abuse that Cici Marie lost her mind."

"Recently, one of White Fox's subordinates became involved with the Floating World Society. It was only after he was captured that he confessed to this."

"Right now, Cici Marie has already been brought back into custody."

"Let's go take a look." Nemus stood up, faintly grasping the reality of the situation.

In the beginning, the Dartmenerly family's attitude toward him had been crystal clear, harboring hidden threats alongside intentions of recruitment.

Simply put, it was the classic carrot and stick approach. Under those circumstances, most of his actions would be blocked, making it impossible for him to take a single step in Tail Fin Town. Trapped with no way forward or backward, he would ultimately have no choice but to rely on the Dartmenerly family, with whom he shared a bloodline connection.

Invite, Behead, or Subjugate—this was roughly a derivation of that exact same strategy.

It wasn't a novel tactic, but if Nemus lacked the capability, he would have no way to counter such a scheme, and their chances of success would be incredibly high.

Yet, under those very conditions, Nemus had struck first.

After that, the Dartmenerly family's attitude completely changed.

When Cici Marie broke in that night to cause trouble, it was impossible for the Dartmenerly family not to be able to stop her. In other words, Cici Marie's capture was actually well within their expectations.

'Their attitude toward me has changed.' As Nemus thought of this, that faint inkling became entirely clear, and he finally understood the Dartmenerly family's true intentions.

'As expected, there are no eternal enemies in this world.'

In the eyes of ordinary people, Nels's betrayal had sent the family on a downward spiral, causing them to fall from their status as nobles in Sky Spring City all the way to a place like Tail Fin Town.

This was already a blood feud.

At first, it was indeed true that the Dartmenerly family harbored ill intentions toward Nels.

Even after Nemus took over, using various methods to trigger the awakening of the Saint's Bone and spreading the reputation of awakening a Saint's Essence to the public, the Dartmenerly family's thoughts hadn't changed much.

They had used various means to force Nemus to return to the family, all for the sole purpose of stealing and plundering the research results on his body.

However, everything had changed now.

Purr opened the cell door. Since Cici Marie was still a wanted fugitive, she had naturally been thrown back into prison after being caught.

Nemus stepped slightly into the cell and saw Cici Marie wearing an entirely broken expression.

This former Lady Cici was now exceptionally wretched. Slumped in a pile of straw, her body trembled incessantly as Nemus entered the prison cell.

"According to the informant, White Fox must have obtained some sort of human Medicine Refining Secret Method. It allows her to use a person possessing a bloodline as an ingredient for refining medicine. During this time, she put Cici Marie through horrific torments," Purr explained.

Drawing the Forest Treasure Sword, Nemus used the tip of the blade to lift a corner of Cici Marie's clothing, revealing skin that was riddled with needle marks.

'The Golden Elixir again!' At this moment, Nemus finally realized what the butler meant by sincerity during their last meeting.

It was exactly this mad, rambling Cici Marie before him.

To be precise, it was the Golden Elixir refined using Cici Marie as a vessel.

White Fox's desire to advance to the Iron rank was nothing more than a front.

The true cause behind all of this was the magnum opus of the Dartmenerly family's years of research.

Back then, Nels's parents and several other family members had been turned into the elixir.

They had cultivated some of the younger generation in the family, such as Jacques.

And now, this younger generation had also become the raw material for the elixir.

The ultimate goal, naturally, was to produce a true Golden rank powerhouse.

"Looking at it from this perspective, the Dartmenerly family is full of sincerity and genuinely wants to welcome me back to the family."

"And if I am willing to accept it, I imagine the position of the Dartmenerly family patriarch will be mine next."

"A half-refined Golden Elixir." Looking at Cici Marie, Nemus narrowed his eyes.