Chapter 350 - Bicker At The Storefront
Darkmoon Tribe, Old Tailor's abode.
"Do you want to keep this thing?" Leon asked nonchalantly as he showed a glass bottle with a squirming Demon Core sealed inside to the Old Shaman.
The Demon Core shown in the glass bottle was not the same as the one he had last destroyed after his battle with Balthazar in the Capital.
This one did not have any sharp legs and lost its solidness. It was like a blob of sticky black slime with a bit of sentience and would latch onto any living thing in its vicinity like a parasite.
It needed a host to live. Without one, it will eventually die and solidify back into its spherical crystal form.
"What? No way. Take that thing away from me and destroy it!" The Old Shaman said decisively with repulsion towards the glass bottle in Leon's hand.
The Old Shaman had seen what a Demon Core looked like, and it did not look anything like this. Every warrior had their own Demon Core, and he was also no exception.
His Demon Core was round and filled with Darkness Profound Energy, but this 'Demon Core' before him was tainted with a mixture of Demonic Energy inside it.
Leon nodded.
He had expected such an answer and had only asked out of courtesy. After all, it was the Demon Core of the Old Shaman's son.
Without the Demon Core, the Old Shaman's son would no longer be able to manipulate Darkness Profound Energy to temper his body and will forever be stuck at the High-rank Great Warrior Realm.
The Demon Core seemed to have sensed the impending doom that would soon befall it and tried to break free from its containment, but it was futile.
It was too weak to even put a crack on the glass bottle. Before it could resist for long, Leon's hand burst into scorching hot flames and engulfed the glass bottle entirely.
Boom!
The Demon Core combusted after the red flames contacted the Darkness Profound Energy and Demonic Energy inside. However, under Leon's strict and skillful manipulation of his flames, the explosion was carefully contained.
The Old Shaman and the Witch Doctor only saw the red flames transformed into a revolving ball of black flames before it was reduced in size and disappeared into thin air completely.
"How is the treatment? Is it done?" The Old Shaman asked shortly after seeing that his son had yet to awaken from his slumber.
"For now. The first step is already done. Let me rest for a bit, then I will help your son recover and wake him up." Leon said tiredly.
"Alright. Shall I arrange a room for you to rest in?" The Old Shaman nodded and offered.
Leon shook his head and said, "There's no need. Just here will do. I only need a few minutes to recover some energy."
After that, he sat on the cold floor and closed his eyes in meditation.
The treatment had been relatively straightforward and smooth according to the plan. Nevertheless, it has also taken much of his time and mental energy in the process.
To stop the Old Shaman's son from demonizing completely, he only needed to extract the Demon Core, the source of the problem. But this was not something medicine could do and required the use of his Divine Will.
He could have chosen to destroy the Demon Core while it was still inside its host body, but this was a much riskier move as the Demon Core would retaliate and endanger the host.
The Demon Core had also tried to retaliate when he was extracting it from its host with Divine Will, but it was not as violent.
Even so, the Old Shaman's half-demonized son had awoken during the treatment process. However, Leon had made preparation for this by immobilizing the person through sealing their acupoints.
As such, the half-demonized son could not move a single muscle throughout the treatment process that lasted a few hours.
It was almost time for the start of the great feast.
At this moment, Ironhead was at the front of the tailor store waiting with Goldenrod. It had taken him half an hour to find Leon's location at the tailor store and had been waiting there ever since he learned that the person was treating the Venerable Shaman's son.
"Do you really think Brother Leonhardt will be able to cure Demon Possession? We don't even know much about Brother Leonhardt's medical skills… yet you took him here to treat Big Brother Hardrock…"
"…If something goes wrong, it'd be difficult for Brother Leonhardt to withstand the Venerable Shaman's wrath… If something happens to our guest, you best be prepared to explain yourself to the Chief." Ironhead said solemnly to Goldenrod.
"Huh? The Chief cares that much about this person? No matter what he had done for our tribe, it does not change the fact that he is an outsider. Why would the Chief care so much about this person?"
Goldenrod was startled.
"Outsider?"
Ironhead laughed coldly and said, "He might be an outsider, but he is still someone the Chief wants to recruit! Even if that is not the case, what do you think will happen when the other tribes and vagabonds here that the guest our Chief personally invited, died on the same day they were invited into the city?"
"They will think we are untrustworthy people who repay gratitude with malice! Who would still want to join our tribe if we were labeled with such a bad reputation?! It would be like a slap on our Chief's face. Even if you have the Dark Wyvern Rider as your blood brother, he will not be able to protect you from the Chief's wrath!"
Goldenrod was inwardly shaken after Ironhead spoke and gave him a stern glare. The pressure from a Great Warrior was not something he could easily withstand.
"Big Brother Ironhead has spoken too seriously." Goldenrod said with a forced smile before he continued, "These things will not happen. Brother Leonhardt will definitely be able to treat Big Brother Hardrock!"
"Not a single person has been successful in treating Demon Possession in the past! How can you be so sure that he will?" Ironhead questioned seriously.
It was not like he was doubting Leon's abilities and hoping Leon would fail. In fact, it was the opposite. It was just that the consequence of failure was too severe for it to be taken lightly.
"I'm not sure at all. I am hoping that he will be able to treat the Demon Possession! If we do not even have a little bit of hope, when will the Demon Possession ever have hope of being cured?" Goldenrod said.
Shortly after, he sighed, "Actually, I did not think it could become such a serious matter. I was just trying my luck and hoping to be rewarded with the leather guards for referring Brother Leonhardt in case he succeeded."
After being silent for a moment, Ironhead coldly said, "In case he succeeded, you say? What a good F*cking 'In case he succeeded!' If Brother Leonhardt succeeds, you also get a chance of being rewarded. But if he fails and gets killed by the Venerable Shaman, you would be freed. Either way, it is a win-win situation for you! I did not know you were such a schemer!"
"With such a scheming mind, how can you not have foreseen such a huge potential problem? Perhaps, you do not care about the tribe at all? Well, why would you, right? As long as you have your brother, you two brothers would still be accepted anywhere you go!"
Goldenrod was so shocked he began to sweat profusely. That is some serious accusation! He quickly retorted, "Why are you trying to villainize me, Big Brother Ironhead? You are wrongly accusing me!"
"Am I? I heard you lost a bet to Brother Leonhardt and forced to become his subordinate."
"Well, that is true… but this is unrelated!" Goldenrod defended himself before he suddenly thought of something and said, "Hold on. Do you have a grudge against me or something, Big Brother Ironhead? Don't tell me, I've slept with one of your women before?"
"What did you say?!" Ironhead glared at Goldenrod and almost exploded.
"Ahem, ahem, forget what I said. I have misspoken, Big Brother Ironhead." Goldenrod retreated awkwardly and almost choked on his own words.
He had slept with so many women in the tribe that he could not even remember all these names and relationships with other men.
Unbeknownst to the two people's bickering, Leon had already succeeded in treating the Demon Possession and only needed to nurse the Old Shaman's son back to health.