266: Chapter 266 Sacred Relic

"Everyone, please quiet down. Arguing won't solve anything,"

Looking at the somewhat noisy round table, Henry spoke with a note of helplessness.

Hearing his words, the others quieted down. Not only was the power behind him one of the two strongest present, but his role as the moderator alone demanded their respect.

Seeing that silence had fallen,

Henry nodded and continued, "Since Elizabeth has proposed it, according to the rules, we need to vote. Those who agree with Elizabeth's suggestion to allow the mastermind behind that company to join the Longevity Society, please raise your hand."

As soon as Henry finished speaking, several people raised their hands simultaneously.

Moments later, the result was clear. Aside from Elizabeth herself, the other nine opposed.

"Good. The proposal is vetoed,"

Henry said with a smile. "I vetoed because doing so might invite a greedy wolf. We know far too little about this company..."

"President Henry is quite right," the others agreed, nodding.

"Then let us continue discussing how to deal with this company."

Hearing Henry's words, the people around the round table pondered, for this company indeed seemed formidable.

After a while, someone finally spoke up.

"I suggest..."

Time ticked by. By the time a final outcome was reached, it was already late afternoon, nearing evening.

"The plan has eight votes in favor, two against."

Moderator Henry solemnly announced the result. "Everyone, although it is regrettable that there are still many people on that island, this is the best course of action. We need to strike a heavy blow before that company can react."

"I will relay this order as soon as possible..."

No one at the round table objected.

After the meeting concluded, Henry, carrying the documents, got back into the car for his return journey.

On the way back, Henry gazed at the cityscape outside the window, his thoughts involuntarily drifting back a century.

A hundred years ago, the allied forces of various nations set foot on this land called Osialia. Besides countless rare and exotic spirits, they discovered a bizarre, colossal statue at the heart of the land—an entity utterly beyond human comprehension.

No one knew its origin. By the time the soldiers reached the center, the statue was already there.

The statue resembled a cat, yet it possessed four elongated eyes. It was not made of stone, but of a matte black metal, unseen before, that seemed to absorb all light. Merely standing there, it exuded an aura of detachment and majesty that transcended notions of good and evil.

To this day, analysis of this statue has yielded no progress whatsoever.

However, by coincidence, people discovered another of its uses.

When spirit blood was poured over it, the blood would be eerily absorbed. In return, a white liquid would secrete from its eyes.

This liquid had an effect akin to divine intervention—it reversed the aging process and extended lifespan.

The first test subject, a high-ranking officer on his deathbed, after being injected with the liquid, not only saw his white hair turn black and his wrinkles diminish, but his mind also became sharper and clearer, as if he had returned to his prime.

This miracle sparked a frenzy among the high command of the allied forces who had entered Osialia.

For those standing at the pinnacle of power and wealth, possessing energy and time far beyond the ordinary was a coveted blessing.

This statue was a sacred relic!

But a problem soon arose: the liquid secreted by the sacred relic was too scarce, and those bumbling scientists couldn't replicate it.

Even with copious amounts of spirit blood poured over it daily, it was only enough for a small fraction of people.

Thus, this unknown City of Longevity was established. Ten guardians jointly watched over it, becoming the Longevity Families, secretly controlling the world.

In Henry's plan, he and his family members would endure like the sun, moon, mountains, and rivers, never fading from the stage.

Henry stared at the scenery outside the car window, his gaze turning sharp.

"No matter who you are, I won't let you disrupt my plans."

Beep, beep, beep—

Suddenly, a piercing alarm sounded inside the car.

Henry's expression changed. This was the alarm that sounded only when a disturbance occurred within the Sanctum, triggered solely if something happened to the statue itself!

"Back to the Sanctum, fastest speed possible!" Henry almost roared the order at the driver, simultaneously connecting to the secure line between the car and the Sanctum's interior. A surveillance feed soon appeared on the screen.

To the horror of Henry and the other guardians who had also received the alarm, a figure had abruptly appeared inside the heavily guarded room that housed the sacred relic.

His back was to the camera, dressed in casual clothes that starkly contrasted with the surroundings. He seemed to be examining the relic that had absorbed a century's worth of blood.

"No—!"

Henry's unease peaked. He had a terrible premonition that the sacred relic was about to slip from his grasp.

—

In the deepest part of the Sanctum, Lin Fang ignored the blaring alarms as he studied the ten-meter-tall, four-eyed cat statue.

What the hell is this thing?

Having just finished listening to those people's lengthy discussion on how to target him, Lin Fang had followed the trail of the blood and descended upon this place.

The statue gave off an extremely eerie feeling. Combined with the surrounding apparatus for transporting spirit blood, it looked exactly like some sort of cult altar.

It seemed this was what they were guarding.

How troublesome. Let me help you out.

A slight smile curved Lin Fang's lips as he reached out and stored the statue inside his Spacetime Package.

At that moment, a group of people rushed in frantically. They saw the empty room, the pedestal where the sacred relic once stood now vacant, leaving only a few metal grooves behind.

"Where is the sacred relic? What have you done with it?!" Henry's voice was distorted with extreme rage. His face, which had maintained dignity and composure for a century, was now twisted like a demon's.

Who was this person? How did he get in?

The other guardians' expressions were equally grim. Without the statue, the source of the "Tears of the Gods" was completely severed. The foundation of their longevity was gone.

"What sacred relic? I don't see anything. You must be mistaken."

Lin Fang turned to look at the people who had rushed in, his tone as casual as if discussing the weather. He even spread his hands, indicating they were empty.

Hearing this, a middle-aged man nearly exploded with fury. Pointing at the empty pedestal, his finger trembled. "You... you... it was clearly here..."

"Old man, if you can't even speak clearly, then don't bother."

Lin Fang wasn't wrong; this man was at least 130 years old.

A large number of guards filed in, their gun barrels aimed at the young man.

Henry took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down. The immediate priority was to retrieve the sacred relic.