Chapter 358 - 300: Turning the Tables (2)
She tapped a finger on a certain area of the Parchment.
A moving image appeared there: a drop of Dark Silver liquid fell into a mass of inky-black polluted Energy.
The moment the two Powers came into contact, the polluted Energy boiled violently, its surface covered with countless fine, dark purple lines.
Those lines were identical to the ones that had appeared on Edmund.
"This is the result of a sample of the Pollution extracted from Father’s body reacting with the core component of the Soul Calming Potion."
Aidele raised her head, her gaze falling upon the collapsed form of Edmund.
"Just now, after the Pollution erupted from Brother Edmund, I secretly compared the Energy fluctuations of the two samples."
She paused for a moment, looking around the hall.
"The two share a source compatibility of nearly ninety percent."
The moment her words fell, they struck everyone like a clap of thunder.
"Impossible!" The one who screamed this time was Edmund himself.
He struggled to stand, but the silvery-white chains held him down firmly as he roared continuously.
"You forged the data! You’re framing me! The Pollution on the Clan Leader is clearly a bloodline Curse..."
"Is that so?"
Aidele interrupted him, taking another item from her Dimension Ring.
It was a Crystal the size of a fist.
Sealed within the Crystal was a wisp of dark red liquid, inside of which floated fine black particles that were slowly squirming.
"This is the carrier of the Pollution, extracted from a batch of ’abnormal materials’ I intercepted from the Rose Commerce Association three days ago."
Aidele held the Crystal high for all to see.
"Upon inspection, the Pollution Source of these materials points to the Black Crow Alchemy Shop, which is registered under Brother Edmund’s name."
She looked toward the other Elder in a seat of honor, Soron.
"Elder Soron, you are a master of Trace Witchcraft. Could I ask you to test, right here and now, whether the Pollution in this Crystal shares the same source as the one on Brother Edmund?"
Elder Soron raised a hand and made a grasping motion in the Void, and the Crystal flew into his palm.
He closed his eyes and focused his mind. A complex Silver Rune appeared between his brows.
Three seconds later, he opened his eyes, which now held nothing but cold, murderous intent.
"They are indeed from the same source," Elder Soron’s voice was ice-cold.
"Not only do they share a source, but this wisp of Pollution... also contains the aura of Edmund’s bloodline."
The hall was in an uproar.
The crowd had completely erupted.
A bloodline aura is one of a Wizard’s most distinct marks, similar to a Soul’s fluctuations and nearly impossible to fake.
For the Pollution to contain Edmund’s bloodline aura, that meant...
...that this pollutant had been in long-term contact with Edmund, or had even been personally cultivated by him.
And its source compatibility with the Pollution inside Clan Leader Titus was as high as ninety percent.
This terrifying truth was now laid bare for all to see.
"Edmund." The white-haired Elder slowly rose to his feet.
His stooped figure, however, now emitted a pressure as immense as a mountain.
"You... actually dared to plot against the Clan Leader of the family."
The color drained from Edmund’s face in an instant.
He wanted to argue, to deny, to claim he had been framed, but a bloodline signature does not lie.
With no Level Four Wizards to object, the results personally verified by Elder Soron were the highest level of evidence.
’Since when... have I been played so thoroughly!’
He clearly remembered, when he had gotten the three vials of Soul Calming Potion a few days ago, he’d had the grey-robed Elder Wizard under his command—the one most skilled in analysis—check them repeatedly.
All test results showed the Potion was pure and harmless, with a gentle calming effect on the Soul.
It was so flawlessly perfect that he had felt safe taking it.
He had even planned to add his own Abyss Pollution "seasoning" to a batch of the Soul Calming Potions...
...and when the Potions made their way to the other heirs, he would secretly trigger the contamination and frame Aidele for it.
’The Potion... it must have contained something I didn’t know about!’
He whipped his head around, once again looking toward the corner of the hall.
This time, he wasn’t looking at Aidele.
He was looking at the young man in the black robe sitting quietly behind her.
Edmund’s pupils contracted sharply.
He remembered now. Before the banquet began, this Pharmacist named Ian had "coincidentally" passed by him.
The moment they brushed past each other, Edmund had felt a slight discomfort in his Sea of Spirit, but it vanished in an instant.
He hadn’t paid it any mind then, but thinking back now...
"It’s you..." Edmund squeezed out the two words hoarsely.
Ian looked up, meeting his gaze.
The young man’s face was calm, his jet-black eyes showing no fluctuation of emotion.
He didn’t even speak, just sat there quietly. The Dark Silver Night Kite on his shoulder tilted its head, its silver-grey eyes reflecting Edmund’s wretched figure.
"CAW! Fool."
Gaga issued a silent taunt.
A storm of murderous rage surged in Edmund’s heart, but the silvery-white chains suppressed him so completely he couldn’t even muster a trace of Spiritual Power.
He watched as the young man in the black robe calmly looked away.
And just then, Aidele’s voice rang out again.
"Elders, the chain of evidence is complete." She bowed deeply.
"Edmund Justice has been in long-term contact with and has cultivated Abyss Pollution, using it to plot against the Clan Leader in an attempt to subvert the clan.
According to the first article of the Clan Precepts, he should be sentenced to the punishment of ’Bloodline Stripping and Eternal Soul Imprisonment.’"
"I request that the sentence be carried out immediately."
As her voice fell, the hall plunged into a deathly silence.
Bloodline Stripping.
Eternal Soul Imprisonment.
This was the cruelest punishment of the Justice Clan, reserved only for traitors.
The white-haired Elder was silent for a long time, his gaze slowly sweeping over everyone present.
The seven remaining heirs each wore different expressions.
Edwin and Adrian looked pale; they’d had some dealings with Edmund before and were now afraid of being implicated.
Ashia sat quietly, her fingertips gently stroking a vibrant green leaf.
As for the other few heirs, some were terrified, while others had flickering, uncertain gazes.