Once Kisha had set everyone down and ensured they were resting peacefully, she let out a quiet, guilty sigh of relief.
Duke, noticing her expression, approached from behind and placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder.
"You don’t have to feel guilty," he said gently. "We all know it was a necessary step to ensure no one could betray us when it mattered most."
Kisha shook her head, her voice thick with emotion.
"They’re your family. We need to figure out a way to remove the demonic insect from them."
"They’ve already proven their loyalty, and they shouldn’t be enduring this kind of torture for following us." Her throat tightened as she spoke, her thoughts flashing back to the Heart Gu Pill she had made them take.
It had been necessary to ensure their loyalty and to root out any potential spies when facing the Coltons, but now, seeing them suffer, the weight of it hit her hard.
Now that the Coltons had been apprehended and were in their custody, Kisha knew she could have them swear their loyalty using the slave contract, just like she had with Aston and the others.
Duke, hearing her resolve, nodded silently.
He, too, felt a deep discomfort seeing his men in such a state.
After all, he had poured his blood, sweat, and years of dedication into raising these men, who had become like sworn brothers to him.
Seeing Kisha proactively offer this solution for his men, Duke was deeply moved.
He knew all too well that she was doing this to protect him.
While the method was ruthless, he understood its necessity. Without it, many of his loyal and trusted men would fall victim to betrayal, and he couldn’t allow that to happen.
Duke gently cupped Kisha’s neck, pulling her closer until she rested against his strong chest.
"Thank you, wifey..." he murmured solemnly, his voice trembling slightly.
Kisha didn’t notice, but Duke’s eyes glistened with unshed tears, as a wave of conflicting emotions passed through him.
Not long after, Marcus and his grandchildren arrived.
Upon seeing that Kisha and Duke had already settled the Winters’ men, the three exchanged quiet glances, silently retreating to continue their work.
Kisha nestled against Duke’s chest, her voice tinged with concern as she asked, "008, is there a way to remove the demonic insects from their hearts?"
"Yes, host," 008 replied, its tone calm but serious.
"There is a method to extract the demonic insects safely. We can use smoke to draw them out, which is relatively less dangerous."
"However, the process is painful. The insects would crawl out from the heart, through the arteries, and eventually emerge from their mouths. To make this work, we’ll need a healing potion for their recovery, as well as a crucial ingredient that must be burned to create the smoke that will force the demonic insects out."
"Can you find the ingredients in your channel or the system mall?" Kisha asked, her voice filled with concern.
"Yes, host," 008 replied, "but the ingredients will be quite expensive."
Kisha nodded, bracing herself. "No worries, just purchase them. Do we have enough points for it?"
"Yes, host," 008 reassured her. "If my calculations are correct, we have enough and will still have some points left over."
Relieved, Kisha gave a small sigh. "Alright, go ahead and buy what we need. We’ll remove the demonic insects from everyone who took the Heart Gu Pill."
"Host, are we discarding the Heart Gu Pill completely? We still have some left," 008 asked, its tone curious.
"No," Kisha answered, her voice heavy. "We’ll repurpose it, but it will never be used on anyone close to us again." As she spoke, she felt as though a weight had been lifted from her chest.
"By the way, didn’t you mention before that there’s a profession in the fantasy world called ’Inscriber’?" Kisha asked, a sudden realization lighting up her expression.
Her eyes gleamed brightly as the thought struck her.
"Yes, host," 008 replied.
"There are manuals available in the system mall that you can purchase, or I can check my channel for more advanced manuals from the fantasy world."
Then, 008 paused, a new understanding dawning on it.
"Host, are you considering learning how to inscribe so you can create slave contracts on your own?" The last words carried a tone of both excitement and awe.
"Yes, there’s a limited supply of slave contracts in your channel, and they’re often sold quickly," Kisha explained.
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