Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
If it had been another type of toxin, it would probably have been completely eliminated by such a strong body, but for the Viper’s poison, a good body didn’t seem to be a good thing, because it would only make the Viper’s poison become more obscure and cautious. Hence, it would be less likely to take the bait.
It was just like during a war between two armies: it would naturally be impossible for the weaker party to fight head-on with the stronger party. If the stronger party threw a bait and tried to lure the weaker party, the latter would definitely be extremely cautious when facing the bait. Therefore, the first thing to do would be to pretend to be weak so as to make the enemy think that you were about as strong as them. Otherwise, the only option left would be to wait for the weaker party to continue accumulating power in the dark until there was a reversal in strength disparity of both parties.
Hence, the first step of the detoxification plan would be to show the Viper’s poison the pope’s weakness by genuinely weakening his body. Anyway, the antidote used in the end would be Lin Li’s targeted detoxification potion, and not Rosario’s own power and body. However, making Rosario’s health debilitate was also a significant issue to consider. Rosario was a powerhouse of the Sanctuary-realm who was resistant to ordinary toxins and curses.
“Blood Of The Hellhound’s Heart, Bloodstained Grass, Crow’s Tongue, Flower of Resentment…” Englos muttered, unable to believe his eyes when he saw the list from Lin Li. Every ingredient on the list was filthy and evil. Although there were plenty of precious herbs in the treasure vault of the Brilliance Shrine, they did not have any of those filthy herbs, and based on the names alone, Englos could tell that they were disgusting ingredients that did not seem to be meant for antidotes.
“I’m going to formulate a Demonic Curse Potion,” Lin Li said calmly.
“What!?” Englos’ hands trembled, and he almost threw the entire list onto the ground. He raised his head to look at Lin Li before asking, “Master Felic, are these… used for His Holiness’s detoxification?”
Englos was the best pharmaceutics Master in the entire Ledin Kingdom and Brilliance Shrine. Although he wouldn’t prepare those evil and filthy poisons, he had sufficiently profound knowledge in pharmaceutics to know that the Demonic Curse was a deadly poison. He knew that it was probably not inferior to the Viper’s poison in Pope Rosario’s body.
“Yes, I need to use this Demonic Curse to weaken His Holiness’s body quickly so that I can get rid of the poison easily,” said Lin Li, who felt rather helpless. He had yet to begin the treatment, yet he already had to give Pope Rosario some poison. Had he not known the nature of the Viper’s poison, he would probably not have believed in this method. The main effects of the Demonic Curse were to weaken the user’s body and make their body functions decline rapidly. Once the body was about to decay, the power in their body would naturally decline. That was exactly what Lin Li wanted.
‘Well… Master Felic, it’s not that I don’t believe you, it’s just that it’s not up to me to decide this on my own. If you don’t mind, could you please explain it to me in detail?” Englos knew that Lin Li definitely wasn’t out to poison the pope, but him believing Lin Li wasn’t sufficient, and Lin Li had to earn the trust of others.
Lin Li did not intend to hide his plan; hence, he immediately told Englos everything he planned to do. He knew that if he couldn’t even persuade Englos who had a deep knowledge of pharmaceutics, he probably wouldn’t be able to convince the rest who did not understand pharmaceutics to let him feed the poison to the pope. Actually, even if it were just a filthy item, and not a deadly poison, they wouldn’t allow Lin Li to feed it to the pope, either.
“Given the pope’s abilities, it’s definitely a piece of cake for him to deal with the Demonic Curse which is a lethal poison to others. However, to those who have Holy Light, the poison could easily be purified,” said Lin Li, who revealed his plan without constraint.
Englos knew that Lin Li was telling the truth. Although the Demonic Curse was deadly and vicious, its greatest weakness was that it could be easily purified by Holy Light. That was definitely a weakness of most curses. However, he still felt uncomfortable about letting the pope take such a filthy thing.
Indeed, as Englos predicted, everyone opposed it unanimously when Englos told everyone of that matter. In their opinion, only a healthy body could withstand the torment from the poison, yet they now had to use those filthy things to weaken the pope’s body? This was like plain murder to them.
“I disagree, this is simply murder! Englos, he may be a learned pharmacist who has high standards, but this method of detoxification is unheard of. We can’t gamble with His Holiness’s life. Besides, I’ve also heard that this Mage Felic has Undead creatures for servants. I really doubt his sincerity to give His Holiness an antidote!” Holliard immediately raised his objection while glowering at Lin Li who was beside Englos. He seemed to be all ready to attack once he spotted any flaw.
The captain of the Holy Paladins, Holliard, did dabble in pharmaceutics, and his opinion obviously affected those who did not understand pharmacy. The Chief Judge of the Court of Heresy and a few cardinals had also expressed doubts about Lin Li’s plans at this moment. They even asked to verify Lin Li’s identity.
Besides, the fact that Lin Li always brought his two Undead servants around was obviously an important reason for everyone to hesitate in giving their approval. Although Lin Li did not bring any of his Undead servants with him this time, it was no secret in the Breezy Plains. The Breezy Plains was not within the control of the Brilliance Shrine; hence, no one would hold it against him for having Undead servants there. However, the fact that a person who was constantly dealing with Undead creatures actually proposed such a dangerous plan that seemed to be completely incomprehensible was indeed rather suspicious.
However, no matter what their opinions were, the final decision still lay with Pope Rosario. After hearing Lin Li’s detailed explanation, Pope Rosario decided to go with it resolutely despite the unanimous opposition of everyone else and his lack of knowledge in pharmaceutics.
The Brilliance Shrine would never allow those filthy things to exist, and now that Lin Li wanted them to find those items and put them together in a short period of time, it was truly a tall order. Fortunately, the Chief Judge Fergor thought of a way: to directly interrogate Necromancers who had been imprisoned by them and ask for those items. Hence, he managed to get everything within just three days.
Lin Li stood in front of the operating table and lit up a light blue magical flame in the pharmaceutical lab that Englos usually used. The Blood Of The Hellhound’s Heart was gradually brought to a boil in the refining vessel, and the horrendous stench of the fumes made everyone feel queasy.
Archbishop Englos, Archbishop Martin, Holliard, the head of the Holy Paladins, and the Judge Paladin Rina, all of who were interested in pharmaceutics, tried their best to bear with the stench as they watched Lin Li prepare the potion.
Lin Li constantly added the ingredients into the vessel, and would occasionally turn down the magic flame before turning it to the maximum again. There would sometimes be magical rays of light and sometimes some charred smoke coming from the vessel that contained the potion. As Lin Li’s actions were smooth and fluid, they gradually made everyone forget the stench that wafted up to their noses. He was completely immersed in the process of preparing the medicine.
Thud.
With a dull popping sound, the stench in the pharmaceutical lab suddenly dissipated, and was soon replaced by an alluring fragrance that seemed to be the most wonderful scent in the world that made them take a deep breath. However, when they recalled the source of the fragrance, they immediately turned red; no one had expected that the nauseating herbs would give off such a pleasant scent.
Lin Li carefully poured the magic potion that he had prepared into the potion bottle, after which he picked it up and shook it slightly while placing it against the light source. Through the crystal potion bottle, everyone could see its color radiating with a brilliant and vibrant halo.
“Indeed, dangerous things are always full of temptations!” Rina exclaimed, unable to contain her feelings.
At this moment, the higher-ups of the Brilliance Shrine who were passionate about pharmaceutics were looking at Lin Li with admiration and excitement in their gazes. Although the Demonic Curse was the most evil and filthy poison, it was also a genuine Guru-level potion. After watching the process of Lin Li preparing the potion, they felt that they had learned a lot, and at the same time they also realized how drastic the difference between their own pharmaceutical knowledge and Lin Li’s was. It was no longer just a difference in technique and knowledge, but a difference in realm. At this moment, the young mage Lin Li was just like an idol in the eyes of those several people.
After receiving the potion, Pope looked at it and felt amazed when he smelled the enticing fragrance. Although he’d agreed to go ahead with Lin Li’s treatment plan, Rosario still felt uneasy about downing a potion that contained so many filthy ingredients. However, the potion now looked far from filthy, and if he didn’t think about how it was formulated, he wouldn’t find it difficult to accept.
According to Lin Li’s explanation, the Demonic Curse potion would make Rosario’s Holy Light be suppressed within his body to allow the Demonic Curse to take effect fully without restrained. Within just two days, Rosario’s image changed greatly as his blond hair became gray and white, and his face turned as pale as a sheet while being covered in wrinkles. His strong body seemed to have shriveled, and he was just like a Lich giving out intense death aura.
Seeing the physical changes of the pope, everyone tensed up immediately, and they all began asking Lin Li when he would start the detoxification. Frankly speaking, all of them were feeling a little regretful at this moment for not opposing it firmly. Englos and the rest were no longer in the mood to ask Lin Li for some tips in pharmaceutics, and they were instead focusing all of their attention on Pope Rosario. They even wished they could immediately use their Purge Spell to stop the curse from taking a toll on Rosario’s body.
Finally, when Lin Li arrived before Rosario’s bed again, he sat on the chair next to him and took out two potions instead of leaving. Compared to the colorful Demonic Curse potion, those two were too inconspicuous. One of them was in the form of a green liquid, while the other seemed similar to black ink.
“Master Felic, can you begin now?” Englos and the rest looked at Lin Li with hope in their gazes, waiting for Lin Li to answer.
“Help His Holiness up and let him take this potion first. It’s the Gift of The Earth Goddess and the bait that we’re going to use,” Lin Li instructed, motioning for Englos to help Rosario up while his body was decaying. He then walked over with the green potion.
“The Gift of The Earth Goddess! Isn’t that a Guru-level…” Almost everyone could not help but exclaim and gasp in shock. Although Lin Li had prepared the Guru-level Demonic Curse potion in front of them, they were still astonished by the Gift of The Earth Goddess. There were still differences between different Guru-level potions. To them, the Gift of The Earth Goddess was closer to the Divine Smith level than the Demonic Curse.
After Lin Li pulled out the cork of the potion bottle, a fresh and natural aura of life filled the room. Everyone felt extremely energized, and it was as if the mere whiff of that scent made their bodies grow stronger greatly.
In the end, Rosario was a powerhouse of the Sanctuary-realm, and although he had allowed the Demonic Curse to wreak havoc in his body for two days, causing his body to turn into a horrible state, he was still somewhat conscious. Even though the Demonic Curse was maniacal and tormented Rosario greatly, he could instantly purify the curse in his body with a mere thought. When he slowly poured the potion into his mouth, he could still swallow the potion without the help of others.
When he finished the Gift of The Earth Goddess, Rosario’s decaying body immediately exuded a gust of aura of life, but he frowned again soon after. Clearly, the Viper’s poison had finally broken out and exploded within his body.
