?Chapter 928:


    For a brief moment, Maxine said nothing. Then, she lifted her hand and motioned for him toe closer. “Come here.”


    Jules walked toward her without hesitation.<fnb7ab> Discover more novels at FindN0vel</fnb7ab>


    Maxine studied his condition with sharp eyes before pulling a small pill from the box nearby. Holding it out, she said, “Swallow this.”


    Jules didn’t hesitate and downed the pill at once.


    Anyone watching could see how much Maxine truly cared for Jules.


    The Griffiths family, with nearly a millennium of heritage and control over the enigmatic and powerful Serpent Society, imposed merciless standards whenever the question of session arose. Not every daughter of the Griffiths line was deemed worthy of the role.


    To be the heir, a candidate had to pass a grueling series of assessments. Chief among these trials was the mastery of the Medical Codex, a legendary tome passed down by the Griffiths’ ancestors. Each heir bore the duty of carrying its knowledge forward, wless and intact.


    Because of this mandate, every heir of the Griffiths family was a healer of extraordinary renown.


    Maxine had triumphed over a host of rivals to earn her crown. Her unmatched grasp of the Medical Codex had transformed her into a physician of unparalleled talent.


    Moments after swallowing the pill Maxine offered, Jules felt relief wash over him. He lowered himself into a deep bow. “Thank you.”


    Maxine responded with little more than a distant look, prepared to dismiss him. But then something pricked at her senses. A faint odor drifted past, and in an instant, her demeanor shifted. She straightened sharply, her eyes narrowing. “What is that smell on you?”


    Jules froze, confused. After the failed mission, he and Katrina had rushed back to report to Maxine without a chance to change or bathe. The remnants of the night still clung to him—dust, sweat, ash. Any of them could have been on his clothes. He had no idea what Maxine meant.


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    Her patience snapped before Jules could answer. She reached out, caught hispel, and scraped a residue from the cloth. She examined it for a moment before bringing it to her nose. Her expression shifted, her eyes widening in disbelief. “Soulscorch?”


    Soulscorch was no ordinary substance. It was a potentpound refined ording to the records in the Poison Volume of the Medical Codex. Only someone with ess to the Codex could create it.


    Maxine’s own studies of the Medical Codex had etched the form for Soulscorch into her memory. Besides her, the only other person who could concoct it was Rita—the very sessor she had designated to inherit the Medical Codex. Why would Jules bear the trace of such a rare drug?


    Jules had never heard of Soulscorch before. Confused by the question and unnerved by her piercing stare, he began to tremble. “I swear, I don’t know what you’re talking about.”


    Without a word, Maxine scraped another fleck of powder from his clothes and held it out for him to see. “Where did thise from?”


    Atst, memory struck. Jules recalled the moment Elliana had flung a cloud of dust at him and Katrina, dropping them both into unconsciousness.


    After his story tumbled out, Maxine’s expression grew graver than ever. “Every detail you’ve spoken—can you swear it is the truth?”


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