Chapter 53: The Source of the Plague

The dizzy sensation struck him like lightning through his spine, chilling the back of his heart, and leaving his limbs icy cold, causing him to lose his balance in an instant.

Poisoned...

Rayan hurriedly supported his feeble body with the black giant sword.

Damn... When exactly was the poison administered? Was it from the initial fire lizard potion? Or the last moment's Limited Invulnerability Elixir?

Rayan tried to gather his Battle Qi, but he couldn't focus at all; his breathing became heavier than ever, and his vision was only filled with blurry double images.

"You probably forgot, I am an alchemist."

The brown-gray cloak fluttered in front of Rayan, and Morien slowly stood up, his gray eyes twinkling with a flint-like glow. "No one would be foolish enough to point a sword at an alchemist and hesitate to act."

He paused slightly, then suddenly spoke in an almost mournful tone, "You've been too kind to me, you should have beheaded me long ago..."

"I will!"

Rayan's hand trembled slightly under the strain of gripping the sword hilt, his knees stood firm, but before he could stabilize himself, he fell again, with the black giant sword slipping from his grasp. He reached out to grab the hilt, but Morien kicked the sword away with the tip of his foot.

"You've lost your chance."

Morien sighed deeply. "You were indeed smart, saving the strong recovery potion to confront me in the best condition, but I was prepared long ago."

"Was the poison administered when we first met?" Rayan asked through gritted teeth.

Morien shook his head gently, "No, I wouldn't poison your potion; I need you to complete a task for me, which is more important than anything. The poison was administered three years ago."

Rayan was startled, then realized, "The alchemy toolbox?"

"Precisely, the bottle in the alchemy toolbox. I coated it with a colorless, tasteless solution."

Morien bent down, stretched out his emaciated fingers, opened Rayan's pack, found the bottle emitting a ghostly glow, carefully pinched the seal with his long fingernails, and carefully removed it, placing it under his cloak.

Rayan tried to stop him, but his body was rigid as stone, completely immovable.

Morien secured the medicine bottle and then breathed a sigh of relief. "When I hid it three years ago, I took precautions. If you hadn't touched that bottle, you wouldn't have been poisoned. Unfortunately, you were too clever, thinking of using an empty alchemy toolbox to exchange for the real Moon Demon Grass, but your own cleverness betrayed you."

"I should have smashed the alchemy toolbox and just taken your Moon Demon Grass..."

Rayan's tongue stiffened, his speech becoming indistinct.

"No, you should be glad you didn't do that. Because, it's not even a potion…"

Morien's pale face grew ominously dark, "There isn't an alchemist in this world who can create a potion that revives life. After Yin Lisha died, I exhausted all my knowledge, examined every text, and the answer was always the same: no alchemist can create a potion that revives life. But when I was about to give up hope, I remembered a legend from thousands of years ago, from the great war between gods and demons. According to the legend, the demon race infected humans with a plague, and after their deaths, the humans would rise as undead to fight for the demons."

"You…"

"Exactly, I found the source of the plague."

Morien laughed cruelly, tears streaming down his gray eyes, "I revived Yin Lisha, and then found that the legends were all true... She had no heartbeat, only a desire to consume humans. I pondered tirelessly for a solution. Just when I began to understand, the villagers from Dusk Village cruelly nailed her in a coffin! I waited three years, three years! Just for today's moment! I will revive her again, and this time I will give her my own heart, to truly restore her to human form. My love, will be with her heartbeat!"

He trembled uncontrollably with excitement.

Rayan opened his mouth, wanting to tell Morien about what Mina's mother had seen, but he couldn't utter a word. His vision was so blurry he couldn't see anything, and his eyelids grew heavier.

Morien calmed his emotions, becoming cool again, "I told you, we met on the same path but went in different directions. You might think I am utterly wicked, but I never intended to harm anyone, naturally, I won't harm you, even though you tricked me with an empty alchemy toolbox, even though you pointed a sword at my neck intending to end me, I still admired you. You shouldn't just be an ordinary pub boy, you are destined to be the brightest star in this world. This world is like a terminally ill elder, no alchemist can cure it, but you and your sword might…"

Morien bent down, touching Rayan's forehead gently with his bony fingers, whispering softly, "Sleep, Rayan, rest peacefully. The poison you've been given is just a common sedative, and once it wears off, you will wake up naturally. I leave all my possessions to you, hoping they will aid your growth. I am grateful for everything you've done for me and Yin Lisha. I will tell Yin Lisha to take care of you, but if…"

He paused for a long time, then said painfully, "If I fail, I only ask one thing of you, to return Yin Lisha to the grave, so we may be together in the earth."

Rayan's eyes closed completely, and he fell into a deep sleep.

"Yin Lisha, my love, wait for me, I am coming…"

Morien stood up, staggering towards the entrance of the underground cave, at this moment, he was nothing more than an aged old man…

Rayan had an incredibly beautiful dream.

He dreamed that he was lying in the attic of Mina's house, on soft dry hay, with Crimson Thorn sitting smilingly at the edge of his bed, neither wearing a mask nor any clothes. Her smile was sweet, beautiful, and genuine. He sat up, but Crimson Thorn forcefully pushed him back down and straddled his legs. He could even feel the wet fur between her legs rubbing against his, and inevitably, he became aroused. As she leaned down to suckle at his chest, he lost himself and grabbed her breasts, the soft feeling instantly filling his fingertips.

He turned over, pinning Crimson Thorn beneath him, but when he looked at Crimson Thorn again, her face had changed to that of the demoness Ella. Her eyes shimmered with a lascivious smile, she spread her legs, hooked her arms around his waist, and forcefully pulled him closer…

Just as he was deeply engulfed in his dream, a sudden crow's caw deep within his heart sounded like an alarm, causing the illusion before his eyes to vanish completely.

The foul stench of rotting flesh then invaded his consciousness, and the handful he grabbed felt not of full breasts, but the hard dirt beneath him. He frowned and slowly opened his eyes.

His head throbbed painfully, as if he had been drinking all night and had just woken from a hangover.

It took him a long time to shakily stand up, pick up the black giant sword, and then stumble out of the underground cave.

Back on the surface, Rayan collapsed in the overgrown courtyard, taking deep breaths of fresh air, feeling his strength gradually returning to his body and his consciousness clearing.

It was now midnight, and Morien had probably left more than an hour ago.

Rayan didn't know whether the poison had expired, causing him to wake up quickly, or if Morien had done it deliberately. He struggled to recall Morien's last words to him, vaguely remembering the word "tomb," but he could not recall anything else.

He sighed, sat down, and while waiting for his strength to fully return, he checked his pack.

The Moon Demon Grass was still there. The heart of the flower emitted a moon-like bright glow, and the black petals were visible even in the deep night.

Morien...

Rayan gave a bitter smile and closed his pack with mixed feelings.

After resting a bit more, his strength had mostly returned. Rayan couldn't wait any longer; he stood up, ready to stop Morien's foolish actions. He had just taken a step when the ground beneath his feet trembled like drumbeats.

Rayan steadied himself with the black giant sword, initially thinking it was the lingering effect of the poison, but then he felt the vibrations intensify through the hilt of the sword.

The shaking grew stronger, as if a massive creature was rhythmically moving its legs, getting closer and closer.

Rayan suddenly remembered Morien's threats to take revenge on the villagers of Dusk Village and cursed under his breath. Despite his strength not being fully recovered, he grabbed the black giant sword and ran towards Dusk Village.

The villagers, originally in deep sleep, were awakened by the vibrations and came out of their houses, talking to each other with puzzled expressions.

"Take up arms! Let the night watchmen gather at the village entrance!"

As he sprinted, Rayan shouted to the unsuspecting villagers, "Don't let the monster enter Dusk Village!"

The villagers all looked at Rayan with irony; one double-chinned villager sarcastically said, "The night watchmen only take orders from the village chief..."

Before he could finish, a deafening roar came from outside the village.

Rayan's eardrums ached from the shock, and the other villagers were not much better off, with several women fainting on the spot and most people standing frozen in place with their mouths agape and eyes filled with terror.

Rayan scanned the crowd and unexpectedly saw Mina's mother holding a trembling Mina; from their attire, they did not seem to have just woken from sleep.

"Your Excellency..."

Mina's mother whispered, lowering her voice, "Morien just came to see me, gave me a large sum of money, and told me to take Mina and leave the village, I... I don't know what to do."

Rayan nodded reassuringly at her, "You don't need to leave; I won't let anything happen to you."

He turned around, his voice fierce, "Take up arms, men, and follow me to the village entrance to kill that monster!"

"But... but we are just commoners..." the double-chinned villager said, trembling.

"Would you prefer to be cowards all your lives, watching as your homes are destroyed and your families torn apart, or would you rather take up arms and be heroes, even if just for a minute, to protect your loved ones? If you don't save yourselves, no one else can save you!"