Chapter 248: Emerald Venom Gem.

Chapter 248: 248: Emerald Venom Gem.

Lord Vale presented the soup to Ayra as he said, "I made it just the way you taught me..."

He smiled while calmly handing it to her side. "It might not be the best, but at least it has all the healthy ingredients you need. So have some and build back your strength."

Ayra smiled at the soup and slowly nodded. She didn’t protest.

She sat there while Vale carefully fed her. Enjoying the taste of the soup while savoring the warmth it brought her.

She actually did like the taste of it.

"How does it taste...?" Vale asked curiously as he fed her a couple of spoonfuls.

Ayra smiled and nodded. "Good. You did a good job."

Lord Vale was pleased by the compliment. He nodded with a smile and continued feeding her while everyone simply watched.

When Ayra had eaten a good amount, Lord Vale set the bowl aside as the Snake Queen slowly approached her.

"How are you feeling now?" she inquired.

Ayra nodded with a smile. "I’m feeling better."

"That’s good..."

The Queen seemed to have some worries as she stared at Ayra, and Ayra could tell that something was bothering her.

"Is something wrong? What happened?" she asked.

The Snake Queen shook her head with a smile. "No... I’m just worried about you, that’s all."

Lord Zark folded his arms as he asked, "And why is that? Is something the matter?"

The Queen slowly turned to them. "We’re grateful that she helped us... But we’re also worried about alerting the Black Circle."

She added, "We’ve been thinking about it lately, and we figured that such power capable of countering the curse of the Black Circle will certainly draw their interest..."

She continued, "Soon, they’ll probably be drawn to the female’s powers, and this will likely lead to them making their way here to find her."

There was silence.

Lord Zark nodded. "I thought as much too. Sooner or later, they’ll make their way to find her..."

The Snake Queen nodded as she stared at Ayra. "I don’t know how safe that will be for you... We’re sorry for endangering you just for saving us. If you wish, my people can protect you until our last breath."

Ayra smiled as she shook her head. "It’s okay. It was a given. And I would eventually have to encounter them, so don’t worry about it..."

She added, "I helped you gain your freedom, not for you to serve me." She smiled. "As for this, I’ll find a way through it."

Lord Vale nodded. "We’ll protect her. She’s our mate... That’s our responsibility, and we’ll do that with our last breath."

Commander Lynn and Lord Ash nodded in agreement.

"Don’t worry, Mama. I’ll protect you at all costs. I won’t let some bad people get to you at all," Ally added.

Ayra stared at her with a smile and patted her hair. "Thanks, sweetie."

The Snake Queen nodded with a smile. "I see..." She shook her head before continuing, "But then again, to show our gratitude and offer some help at least, we decided to give something to you as a gift."

Confused, Ayra stared at her. "A gift...?"

The Snake Queen nodded with a smile as she moved her tail toward Ayra to hand something to her.

At the tip of her tail was an emerald gem, one that looked exquisite and seemed to glow from within.

"This is...?" Ayra stared at it in confusion.

"This..."

Nyx and the rest seemed to have an idea of what it could be.

"The S-rank Venom Gem..." Nyx stated.

They all seemed surprised as they watched the Queen willingly hand it over to Ayra.

Ayra accepted it, staring first at the Queen and then at the gem in her hand. She still didn’t understand what it was, but from their reactions, it sounded precious.

The Snake Queen nodded with a smile. "You’ve helped us a lot. This is the best we can give in return."

"This..." Ayra continued staring at it, still trying to understand what she was holding.

Lord Vale stepped forward to explain. "This is called the S-rank Venom Gem Core. It’s a rare power gem belonging to the lineage of ancient S-rank Snake Monsters. It’s an especially rare treasure of the royal bloodline."

Ayra slowly nodded as he continued.

"It contains a powerful venomous energy capable of granting great S-rank venom powers to anyone who possesses it," he explained.

Ayra blinked in surprise as she stared up at the Queen. "This... isn’t this too much? It sounds like a very powerful and precious heirloom, so why am I getting it?"

The Queen shook her head. "Take it. Without you, it wouldn’t even have been useful, so you deserve it."

She added, "It offers maximum protection and venom weaponry. Not only can you heal now, but you’ll also be able to kill with such toxic S-rank venom. So it’s the least I can do."

Ayra still felt uneasy. "It belongs to you... So how will you protect yourself now?"

The Snake Queen shook her head. "I’m still a snake, and I naturally have venom within me. This is just an additional power. Besides, as the Queen, I shall be protected. So you should have this. I insist."

No matter how much Ayra tried to refuse it, the Queen continued insisting that she keep it. Eventually, Ayra guessed she couldn’t turn it down.

And so, she accepted the gift.

As she held the gem in her hand, its energy began dispersing into her palm. A green light glimmered across her hand before the emerald gem suddenly turned into green smoke and entered Ayra’s body.

At that moment, she felt a strange energy move through her body. It naturally blended with her existing energy and slowly settled within her.

She closed her eyes and allowed it to settle.

When she opened them again, she saw the system tab open right before her eyes.

[Ding]

[Congratulations, Host]

[New Skill Detected for Host]

[An S-Rank Venom Core]

[Status: Active]