Chapter 375 375: Truth Of The Shrine.

The family stood around the small pond, Leo held Elena as she had woken up and Snow held Julian because the kid was getting irritated and Snow coaxed him gently. Leo had to deal with the ceremony before he could ask for a sample. All this while when the elder priest was going on with the preparations, Leo was discussing with the system and he found that a small bottle of the liquid would be enough to solve his trouble.Lily was skipping around looking at the things curiously. Although she was lively like a butterfly in the garden, she didn't touch anything as Leo had told her to be wary in a low but serious tone. Lily was cautious as she knew that her father was not going to ask her to be careful unless it was necessary, after all, he was always there to handle her troubles.

After a few minutes, the elder priest Hank returned. He smiled and said, "Mister Cardinal, we believe that this pond is a culmination of the blessing that the goddess has bestowed upon us. This small pond might not be much, but we have records that a small spoonful of it can cure mild fevers among people. So, please be carefree, it will not harm the children at all."

Leo would have scoffed at this statement earlier but thinking about how Lily rarely fell ill back when she was a child and even grew to be so smart, along with the explanation from the system, he was sure that this pond was not an common pit filled with water.

The old priest scooped the water in a small golden spoon and then brought it over while chanting some words under his breath. He first brought the spoon to Julian's mouth and fed him a few drops. Leo looked calm but he was watching very alertly. The moment Julian showed any discomfort, he wouldn't mind razing this place to the ground.

The old priest dipped his finger in the water on the golden spoon and then drew a crescent moon-like arc on Julian's forehead. Then he turned over, and did the same with Elena. Lily had come back from her exploration and when the ceremony ended, the old Priest smiled at them and said, "This concludes the blessing ceremony. Please take some rest on the benches outside or in the hall before you leave. I have somethings to handle, so I will be going ahead."

Leo spoke up at this moment, "Priest Hank, may I ask you something?"

The old man paused and asked, "Yes, what can I help you with Mister Cardinal?"

Leo paused and then asked, "Can I ask to take some of this water with me? My mother was an avid believer of the Shrine and the Goddess of Mercy. So, I thought if I could present some of this water to my mother's grave so that her spirit might feel some peace."

The words shocked Snow, but she didn't say anything or show anything on her face. She was aware that Leo had another motive for this. He was not a believer after all. She thought that the priest would say no, but the old man smiled and said, "While I cannot give away much of this water, but I can still manage to give you a few small vials. Would that be enough?"

Leo bowed slightly and thanked the old man. The Priest nodded and gestured for the man on the side, and said, "Kavin, bring over two vials from the storage."

Kavin bowed and hurried away before emerging from a door that led deeper inside the hollowed structure. After a few minutes the young acolyte came back with two glass vials, Leo consulted the System if these would be enough. The system replied in affirmation and then Leo watched the old man scooping the vials and handing them to Leo with a smile. The Cardinal Family bowed and thanked him before they left the inner hall.

Priest Hank looked at their backs and nobody knew what he was thinking before he shook his head and turned around to walk back. At this moment, Kavin asked, "Your Holiness, why did you let them take away the sacred nectar?"

Kavin shook his head and replied, "That man is a man of virtue, he may not be a follower of the shrine but he is someone who had been doing his best to create a world where his children could grow up, and while I am sure that he wants to scan the nectar but I can also tell that he just want to do it to protect his children. That is only normal. All this time, the scientists have tried their best to look for something special in the nectar but they found nothing. This one is no different."

Kavin nodded and then they went on to deal with the things they had to deal with.

…

After Leo walked out of the hall, Lily asked, "Baba, why did you ask for the nectar?"

The young man shook his head and said, "To test it, but don't tell anyone, it is a secret."

Lily nodded earnestly and then she held the hands of her parents while they carried the younger children in their other arms and walked down the stairs.

In Leo's mind however, the situation was completely different. The system said, 'Ping: The host has acquired two vials of the nectar, the system would like to analyze them. Host, do you agree?'

Leo agreed and he sensed the two vials in his chest pocket vanish. He was surprised and could not help but ask where they vanished to and the system said, 'Ping: Host, your privilege is not that high.'

The young man was shocked but he agreed with the idea, and after a few moments, the system said, 'Ping: The remnants were left behind an extinct alien species, the Terrans. They lived and prospered for two eons, before they succumbed to the natural disaster and gene pool stagnation. The Terrans were excellent gene engineers, and this nectar is something that they created by manipulating the natural constituent in the air of this planet and diluting them with water.

This formula has weakened over the years because of the impurities that have increased. The current purity is only five percent of the initial potion. It is estimated that one proper dose could alter the genetic structure of the consumer and increase the physical limit of the species.

The formula of the potion has been reverse engineered and can be used to produce the diluted version of the potion. This potion has military significance and also useful in enabling people to explore the vast expanses of space by enhancing their mental and physical capabilities."

Leo kept on listening while climbing down, and the more he heard the shocked he became. However, he didn't show even an inkling of his shock to Lily or Snow. It was not wise to yell this thing out to them just now. He couldn't justify how he figured all this out to them, could he?

After coming downstairs, Snow said, "Love, shall we directly head to the inaguration ceremony?"

The young man nodded and said, "Yes, after that, we have to get back home as well. These little ones are not even sleeping today, because they are too busy gazing at the surroundings, like curious monkeys."

Lily and Snow smiled at his words and Lily asked, "Baba, I also want to look at everything outside."

Leo shook his head as he said, "Fine then, let's speed up."

…

Kyle and Zeenat came to pick the family and then they drove off towards the office complex. They were joined by three more cars, as they neared the Office Complex. Leo looked at Snow and said, "Don't go to the shrine in the future."

Snow was surprised, because usually Leo didn't tell her anything of prohibitory nature. She asked, "What happened?"

Leo replied, "I am not sure, but I have a bad feeling about this. Wait till I have looked deep into it."

Snow nodded, and after a few minutes, they reached the office complex. Leo and Snow found the place crawling with media people and the employees who have come to join the grand ceremony. The cars came to a stop in front of the tallest tower of the Angkor City, and the guards quickly opened the doors for Leo and Snow. Lily followed behind Leo, and held his right hand while Elena was carried in his left arm. The two girls were showered with great affection by the people as they cheered.

Initially Leo was worried that the two infants would be scared but to his shock, they were giggling and even waving their hands around as if they could understand everything. Leo smiled and replied, "Why are you two taking after your sister so much?"

Snow chuckled and just then Percie and Cherry walked up to them with Markus and Ellyse.