For a moment, Su Changxing couldn’t come up with any conclusion, so he dropped it. After all, it was just his guess and not necessarily true.

Maybe.

Late at night, they arrived at Maelon’s dock. Black and white flags hung there; they were not the Empire’s flags.

"Has Maelon already submitted?" Nobu appeared dumbfounded.

Kasmin was also full of confusion. He couldn’t figure out how the Duke had made Maelon submit so quickly, or perhaps had arranged it beforehand?

"Impossible. Eric couldn’t possibly yield to the Duke. He’s a wise man with righteousness," she said in disbelief. "Something else must have happened here!"

Su Changxing also took a glance at that black and white flag, finding it aesthetically pleasing. He pondered and said, "The person who could invent these things must have a forward-thinking mindset. Maybe he thought the Empire’s current system was outdated, and if he wanted to change it, he had to overthrow the existing order."

Kasmin lapsed into silence, finding the possibility credible, "But..."

Su Changxing continued, "Without his presence, it would probably be tough to manufacture things like Rune Warriors, right?"

Kasmin nodded, "He had only designed a prototype before, which was not mature, but he’s not the only scientist in the Empire. Other scientists could create Rune Warriors based on his prototype."

As they approached the dock, they saw from afar that a large number of corpses were being dumped into the sea, rolling down the stairs from the edge, sinking to the seabed.

A large school of fish gathered around, treating these corpses as their food.

The skin on the hands and faces of those corpses appeared ulcerated, as if afflicted by some disease.

"Is this some sort of contagious disease?" Su Changxing frowned slightly, feeling that this contagious disease might threaten him.

Kasmin was startled: "This is the plague! Why is there a plague in Maelon? The plague occurred in the south, but this place is in the north, separated by the sea."

Su Changxing thought for a moment and said, "Perhaps it spread via ship movements."

Weilian shook his head upon hearing this and said, "It’s unlikely. The plague’s fatality rate is extremely high. If ships from the south carried the plague, most of the people on board would die en route."

"Ships carrying the plague would also be sunk into the sea and never allowed to dock."

Kasmin hesitated and said, "Over here, in Maelon, they were developing an antidote for the plague. Eric even wrote to me saying the plague’s antidote was broadly prepared, only awaiting mass production to solve the southern plague issue."

Su Changxing muttered, "Could it have been an experimental accident? To develop an antidote for the plague, one must study the plague, so there must be people with the plague in Maelon."

Kasmin gave Su Changxing an unexpected look, "That might be the case, but if the antidote was developed, there shouldn’t be such an extensive outbreak in Maelon."

Su Changxing glanced at her, speaking with a hint of frustration, "I said it could be an experimental accident. Maybe Eric thought the antidote was successful, but it wasn’t. Perhaps that stuff is the root cause of the plague."

Kasmin was dumbstruck and asked sideways, "So what should we do now? Even if we enter Maelon, there’s a chance we might catch the plague."

The journey so far had made Su Changxing seem reliable to her, so she subconsciously asked.

Su Changxing thought for a moment and said, "You should all stay on the ship. Tomorrow morning, I’ll go down and see what’s going on. Also, no one knows me."

Kasmin expressed worry, "It’s best if you don’t get close to people to avoid getting infected by the plague."

"Rest assured, this thing should have little effect on me."

Su Changxing nodded, not caring much in his heart. His physique values were very high, so even if this thing could affect him, the impact wouldn’t be significant.

The crew watching the scene ashore had no intention of leaving either. Compared to the hell-like scene on land, the ship was heaven.

Of course, even if they wanted to go down, Su Changxing wouldn’t let them. Some crew members weren’t reliable and might leak the news of the princess being on their ship.

Nobu came over and volunteered, "Sir, let me go with you. Our family still has some business in Maelon, and I want to check it out. Besides, I’m quite familiar with Maelon and can guide you."

Looking at him, Su Changxing laughed, "Since you’re not afraid of dying, come along with me tomorrow morning."

Nobu’s eyes were full of concern, and he explained, "Mainly because my wife and children are still here. I can’t just leave them and survive on my own."

"This damn plague, I’ve heard over a million people have died in the south. Corpses lie all over the ground, and some towns hardly have any living people left."

"I hope Maelon won’t end up like that."

Su Changxing nodded, handing over a bottle of wine, "Take a rest first. I’ll call you when we leave."

Nobu opened the bottle and took a big swig, "No problem."

Landing during the day was also to observe the current situation in Maelon. If the streets were still deserted, it would be a sign of a serious plague situation.

He also had to consider the route forward; after all, the plague was an unknown entity. If it was severe, he needed to find a detour.

Su Changxing placed three fragments of the Skeleton Talisman on the table. The broken textures could fit together, forming a piece about the size of a palm.

But there was no response, it seemed some steps were needed to activate it.

Seeing the Skeleton Talisman on the table, Kasmin reminded, "I’ve seen in some ancient books that this thing requires a sacrifice, preferably fresh blood."

"What kind of blood?" Su Changxing asked.

"It seems like any blood will do, but fresh is best," Kasmin replied, appearing uncertain, as it was something she only read in books.

Su Changxing pondered for a moment, then took out a small knife from his pocket, cutting his palm open. The blood dripped along the blade onto the white talisman, spreading along the grooves.

The blood vanished quickly, as if absorbed. The Skeleton Talisman flashed with a strange light, as though flesh was growing. The broken parts started to join, becoming intact.

However, the healing speed was not fast; it was even a bit slow. Su Changxing had let out half a liter of blood, and only half of the fracture had joined.

Kasmin watched Su Changxing continuously bleed and was a bit dumbfounded, "Won’t you have a problem if this goes on?"

Su Changxing remained calm, staring at the Skeleton Talisman on the table, as if the blood was not his, saying, "Theoretically, my blood generation speed is faster than this. Even if it continues day and night, I won’t die."

Kasmin’s mouth twitched, feeling something was off in this scenario, "Anyway, be careful, make sure not to kill yourself."

"A mere few liters of blood is hardly anything," Su Changxing said blandly.

Finally, after bleeding two liters, the Skeleton Talisman was joined into a complete form.

A pitch-black glow lit up on the patterns, and the whole bone piece gave off a chilly touch.

[Bloody Skeleton Talisman - Tough: Rank A Crown, Lower Rank, substantially enhances bodily defense and resistance to spirit, curses, and plagues.

Requires the wearer’s own blood to activate, with the activation time proportional to the blood quantity.]

This thing actually has Rank A Crown quality.

Anything of Rank A Crown is no simple matter. This item must possess extraordinary power, Su Changxing was certain.

Therefore, he sat by the table, in front of the Skeleton Talisman, and quietly bled all night.

"This should work now," Su Changxing mused.

Beside him, Nobu watched with horror, hesitantly asking, "Sir, isn’t bleeding so much bad for you? Blood is the source of life. Without it, you’ll fall ill, your lifespan shortened."

Su Changxing sighed, "One look and I know you don’t understand science. As long as there are enough hematopoietic stem cells, blood will be endlessly..."