"Broken Halo, where are you? There’s an emergency. Some members of the gang have been poisoned."
Simon’s eyes flickered with confusion when he heard this.
"What do you mean that they have been poisoned? Is my poison acting up already?"
Akaza immediately released a tired sigh.
"Just come and see for yourself. I’ll explain when you get here. Just know that the factions have started acting against you... against us."
Simon narrowed his eyes, then he took a subtle glance around him.
Nobody was trailing him, but no matter where he passed, Initiates and guards would always take a glance at him or whisper to their friends.
He was now a celebrity, but he was certain that some of these Initiates and guards were actually working for the factions and were telling them his location.
They were acting as the eyes and ears of the factions.
His eyes flickered with a calculating glint.
’It seems I’ll have to hasten one of the plans I had. It’s about time... It might just cost me a lot of money.’
He looked back at his Grave Mark and finally gave a response to Akaza.
Barely three seconds had passed.
"No problem, Akaza. I’m on my way."
"Alright."
Akaza ended the call, and Simon’s eyes glowed with a cold and calculating light.
’I’m a little bit surprised that they acted so quickly after what I did to their messenger, but I guess it’s not so bad after all.’
He inhaled and exhaled deeply, then he changed his direction and went to meet Akaza and the Iron Fangs.
Some minutes later, Simon stood beside Akaza, behind him were some members of the Iron Fangs, and in front of him were twelve members of the Iron Fangs on the floor.
They were all writhing and groaning in pain. Some were even clawing the ground while some would cough out dark green blood a few times before releasing another groan of pain.
Because of the pain they were going through, none of them were wearing their masks because it made it more difficult for them to breathe.
And on their bodies were dark green lines, and these dark green lines were everywhere, even on their eyes.
Though one might believe that these were just lines, Simon knew what they were- Their veins.
And the moment he saw the dark green lines and their conditions, he knew what was wrong with them.
He looked at Akaza with a slight tilt of his head.
"Did you try to find a permanent cure for the poison I gave you guys?"
Akaza immediately shook his head.
"No..." He paused, then he released a sigh.
"The factions reached out to them and offered to make them members with better benefits than what we give them."
"They agreed, and they told the factions about the poison you gave us. That the poison is how you’re controlling us."
He paused and gestured at the twelve members of the Iron Fangs.
"The factions tried to cure them of the poison, but as you can see... they failed."
One might not have noticed, but Simon could perceive the disappointment in Akaza’s voice the moment he said the words- "they failed".
No matter what, Akaza wanted to find the cure to Simon’s poison, but all his attempts ended up in failures.
He had bought several medicines and antidotes but none worked. He had paid some clan members who knew about poison and medicine to find a permanent cure for the poison, but they all ended failing to find the cure.
Recently, he had spent much of his money hiring some so called poison practitioners and healers.
He was running thin on his merits, and he believed that what was preventing him from finding a cure was his lack of resources.
If he had enough money, he would hire better healers and poison practitioners, and he would finally rid himself of the poison.
However...
If the factions who had far more resources than he did, failed to remove Simon’s poison, how was he supposed to remove the poison?
Was he going to be stuck with Simon’s poison for the rest of his life?
Or until he met a Demon Lord or a Demon King that was a poisonous expert or a healer?
When would that be?
Akaza was not the only one that was disappointed and sad because of this revelation.
The other Iron Fangs were also sad and very much disappointed.
These twelve members had bragged to some of the present members that they would finally be free from Simon’s clutches and from the shame of serving a slave.
But seeing their current state, they all began to realize that Simon was even more terrifying than they expected.
Simon took a glance at Akaza and the Iron Fangs, and he could accurately guess what was going on through their minds.
He shook his head and looked back at the twelve Iron Fangs who were in pain.
If he actually cared about the Iron Fangs and if he had a long term use for them, he might have encouraged them or said something to them to make them change their perception of him.
However, he believed that in this situation, actions were better than words.
’At least, I can sense that some have begun to respect me and fear me after what I did earlier today.’
He turned and was about to speak to Akaza, but Akaza spoke.
"There’s one more thing."
Simon raised a brow. "What?"
Akaza remained silent for a moment, then he pointed at one of the groaning Iron Fangs on the floor.
"He told me to tell you that the factions have challenged you to a life and death duel, and if you don’t agree to it, then the Iron Fangs would deal with their wrath."
"They also said that this is punishment for not only spitting on their faces, but for assaulting their messenger and insulting them in his face."
Simon’s eyes flickered the moment he heard this, and just as he expected, the members of the Iron Fangs behind him became restless.
They began to murmur, and fear began to spread among the Iron Fangs.
Simon did not care about this though, and his expression was calm and composed as he looked at the floor with a thoughtful expression.