Chapter 611: The Serpent’s Poisoned Desire
Ethan studied Emery Shaw carefully. The man was reluctant to share much about the mysterious location he had mentioned. All he would say was that an entire city lay hidden beneath the sea.
That alone was enough to stir Ethan’s curiosity. What kind of people could build a massive city on the ocean floor? Did they all walk around strapped to oxygen tanks, or had they created some other way to survive down there?
Both places Emery had spoken of seemed worth investigating. Ethan hadn’t expected such a small planet like Earth to be tangled in such a complex web of powers. In some ways it was even more unpredictable than the vast Sea of Death.
"Who was it that injured the girl with Lyla on that island?" Ethan asked suddenly, wondering what kind of being could possess that level of strength.
"It was a snake from the Serpent Isles!" Emery blurted, genuine fear flashing across his face.
"The Serpent Isles? A snake? You were there?" Ethan raised his brows. It made sense—so it hadn’t been a human after all. His earlier judgment had been correct: magical beasts weren’t restrained by Earth’s natural laws.
Emery nodded. "That place was a transit station. The Dissenters are using several of them to move the people they’ve captured. In the end, they’re all being sent to Sacred Sea Island. Honestly, I didn’t expect to encounter forces from the Serpent Isles there. I kept hidden... and then I ran."
His voice lowered as he described Astrid’s battle with the giant snake. Even now, fear lingered in his expression.
Ethan caught something that didn’t add up. "How did you escape? If they were that powerful, how could you possibly slip away?"
"I..." Emery’s expression twisted oddly. Then his body went limp, dissolving into a pool of black tar that spread across the sofa. Within moments his entire presence vanished, leaving nothing behind but an ordinary-looking couch.
"Holy hell... that’s impressive. Don’t tell me you just melted out of fear back then?" Ethan stared, half-amused, half-stunned.
The tar rippled, then slowly reformed into Emery’s human shape.
"What do you mean ’melted out of fear’? That was quick thinking, thank you very much," Emery shot back without missing a beat.
Ethan was left speechless. He had always thought Emery was just unusually tall and lanky. He never imagined the man could actually shapeshift.
All the while, the fat man had been sprawled across the sofa, snoring lightly, as if none of this concerned him in the slightest.
Then came a knock, knock, knock.
Someone was at the door. Ethan extended his Soul Sense and immediately recognized the presence: an elder of the Zane family.
"Everything’s cleaned up. We’ve taken full control of the ship, but..." The elder hesitated, his expression shifting.
"But what?" Ethan pressed.
"Mr. Kane’s death has already been reported back."
"That’s bad... if word of Kane’s death reaches Crescent Isle, their connections to Sacred Sea Island will be alerted," Emery said urgently.
Ethan’s expression darkened. The situation was tightening around them. Lyla had been handling cleanup operations on Crescent Isle, but so far she had only cleared one location.
"Do you know Sacred Sea Island’s exact coordinates?" Ethan asked the elder.
The man shook his head. "Without precise coordinates in an ocean this vast, just knowing the direction is worthless. Besides, I usually only manage the casino... Wait, the captain should know. I’ll go find him right away."
He left mid-sentence, hurrying out of the suite.
A soft groan sounded from the corner. Quinn, who had been unconscious, stirred and slowly opened her eyes.
Ethan turned toward her, ready to speak—
But the fat man suddenly rolled over and sat up, stretching. A sigh slipped from his lips as his eyes flickered with strange light. Quinn, who had just managed to lift herself, slumped back down to the floor with a dull thud.
"What are you doing?" Ethan’s voice snapped sharp as steel.
He had felt it clearly—the fat man had just used a Soul Attack on the woman.
"Why are you yelling at me? I was just making sure she didn’t interrupt your business," the man replied lazily, rising to his feet.
He slung an arm around Emery’s shoulders as if they were old drinking buddies. "Come on, how about we find something to eat while he sorts out his affairs?"
Before either of them could protest, the fat man dragged Emery toward the door, leaving both Ethan and Emery dumbfounded.
Crash!
The sound came from Amber Zane’s bedroom just as Ethan opened his mouth to speak.
His Soul Sense shot out, and his eyes went wide.
"Haha... enjoy yourself," the fat man called back with a wink before disappearing down the hall.
Damn bastard, Ethan thought, but he had no time to waste on him. He bolted for the bedroom.
Through his Soul Sense, he had already seen Amber tumble from her bed and hit the floor. Her body convulsed, trembling violently, her face flushed scarlet, and heat radiated from every inch of her skin.
Ethan rushed inside and stared. What in the world had that old man given her? He had already purged the toxins from her body using Natural Healing. Why was she worse now?
"Damn it... why is this druid healing so damn useless?" Ethan muttered under his breath.
He remembered other times when the skill had failed to cleanse certain kinds of poison.
"You’re spouting nonsense... since when are there aphrodisiacs in Ethereal?"
The sudden voice in his ear froze him in place. It was deep, ancient, and dripping with amusement.
Ethan’s eyes narrowed. "Morzan. So you finally decided to show yourself. Where the hell have you been hiding all this time?" The old ghost had ignored every attempt Ethan made to reach him.
"Mind your own business. This girl is in serious trouble," Morzan replied smoothly. "She’s been dosed with something refined from a Lust Serpent’s core. Tsk, tsk... I never thought I’d find such treasures on Earth."
Ethan’s jaw tightened. "A Lust Serpent? What the hell is that? And more importantly—how do I cure her?"
"Heh... if it were a simple aphrodisiac, she could just grit her teeth and wait it out. But Lust Serpent core poison is different..." Morzan’s voice trailed off, deliberately drawn out.
"Stop being cryptic, old man! How do I get this out of her system?" Ethan barked.
Amber stirred on the floor, her lashes fluttering. She was beginning to wake. Her entire body glowed fever-hot, skin red as though scalded.
"The Lust Serpent’s poison isn’t really poison," Morzan continued, a chuckle riding his words. "The creature itself is naturally lustful, and its core carries that nature. A single dose has... fascinating effects. For instance, even the smallest amount can permanently cure male impotence. One taste, lifetime guarantee."
Ethan’s eyes widened. "That’s... some miracle medicine! Why the hell would you call that poison?"
No drug in existence could cure such a condition outright, let alone permanently.
"Where can I get some?" he demanded before he could stop himself.
"I had one once... but now it’s almost impossible to find. That’s why I’m surprised—delighted, really—to see it appear here of all places."
Ethan cut in bluntly. "Did you use it?"
Morzan cleared his throat, suddenly awkward. "Ahem... let’s not get distracted. Focus on saving the girl."