"Brother, I want to ask..."
Chen Mo approached to strike up a conversation, but the man with the spiky hair turned a deaf ear, fixating on the copper furnace and muttering to himself:
"This time it will work, it must work this time!"
Chen Mo shook his head and lifted his leg to walk deeper into the interior.
He had only taken a few steps when a black shadow shot towards him, and he reflexively drew his sword to strike, but a cry of alarm came from not far away:
"Spare the dog under your blade!"
Chen Mo’s sword technique shifted, and he smacked the back of the sword towards the shadow.
With a muffled sound, the black shadow was knocked to the ground.
It was a large dog nearly the height of a person, its fur jet-black and glossy, with two heads hanging around its neck.
One dog head was sticking out its tongue, eyes rolling back, already unconscious.
The other dog head was grinning at Chen Mo, emitting a series of stifled low growls.
No, it seemed to be an Alien Beast.
Chen Mo didn’t feel a trace of Demon Energy from this black dog.
A young man quickly ran over and picked up the black dog, his expression one of distress, "Are you alright?"
The dog head nuzzled in his arms, seemingly coquettishly seeking comfort.
After the man inspected the dog and confirmed that Little Black was unharmed, he breathed a sigh of relief, stood up, and looked at Chen Mo:
"I’m sorry, Little Black is usually very well-behaved, it’s just a bit sensitive to the scent of strangers... Uh, are you from the Sky Scale Guard?"
Noticing Chen Mo’s dark patterned black robe, the young man was somewhat puzzled.
This was the first time someone from the Sky Scale Guard had visited.
Chen Mo nodded and said, "I am Chen Mo, Hundred Household Officer of the Ding Fire Department, looking for Li Gongfeng, Li Siya."
The young man was momentarily stunned before his eyes widened, his tone becoming hurried:
"Are you the recently famous detective genius, the nemesis of the Demon Clan who slew the transformed Demon Python, the pillar of the nation who rescued society from calamity, the light of Great Yuan piercing through the endless night... Mr. Chen, Mr. Chen?!"
A black line crossed Chen Mo’s forehead.
Was he this famous now?
And who came up with these titles? They were too embarrassing!
"Ah... You must be talking about me, but ’the light of Great Yuan’ is a bit too much," Chen Mo said with a frown.
"Not at all, not a bit too much!"
"I am Fourth-rank Tributor Huang Haoran, I’ve long admired your name!"
Huang Haoran clasped his hands together, his eyes filled with admiration.
The storm of the Zhou Family case had not yet passed, and the case in Linglan County had brought them another wave of shock.
The Demon Python’s spine was a hundred feet long, and just the chunks of flesh and blood had burned for an entire day, indicating how powerful it was in life!
Yet from discovering the conspiracy of the Demon Clan to slaying the Demon Python, Chen Mo had only taken a mere night!
Saying he was a nemesis to the Demon Clan was no exaggeration!
"By the way, you’re looking for Li Gongfeng, right? He is in the Artifact Refining Department. Please, follow me."
Huang Haoran led Chen Mo toward the interior of the Demon Suppression Department.
On the ground were large and small copper furnaces, with waves of heat rolling over them, and a group of people squatting in front of the copper furnaces busy with various refining tasks.
Walking along the corridor and through the inner door, they arrived at another courtyard.
In dozens of steel cages were various strangely shaped Alien Beasts, including a white bear several tens of feet tall, a moose with upright pupils, and an orange cat with wings on its ribs...
Along the way, with Huang Haoran’s introduction, Chen Mo gained a general understanding of the Demon Suppression Department.
The entire department was divided into the Alchemy Department, Artifact Refining Department, Formation Path Department, and Beast Taming Department, each corresponding to different functions.
But the ultimate goal was one — Demon Slaying!
"The methods of the Demon Clan are cunning, good at disguise, and extremely difficult to deal with."
"The Alien Beasts cultivated by the Beast Taming Department have keen senses, able to detect Demon Energy; the Body-Guarding Elixirs developed by the Alchemy Department can prevent the corrosion of Demon Energy; the Magic Artifacts refined by the Artifact Refining Department have extra damage bonuses against the Demon Clan."
"As for the Formation Path Department, it is to break the Eightfold Exorcism Array and free ourselves from the constraints of the Holy Sect as soon as possible..."
The two walked through the corridors and courtyards to a wide square.
The entire square was constructed of white stone, with a huge area; dozens of Furnace Tripods were placed on it, with materials for artifact crafting piled up beside them, and the segmented Demon Python Spine was conspicuously among them.
"Li Gongfeng, Mr. Chen is here."
Huang Haoran announced loudly.
Li Siya, who was controlling the fire at the front of the furnace, turned his head upon hearing this, and his eyes brightened up as he flew towards Chen Mo.
"Brother Chen, you’re here."
Chen Mo nodded and said, "I happened to be free today, so I came to have a look."
Li Siya led him to a Furnace Tripod, where a fierce red flame was burning inside, and a section of Demon Bone was floating in the tripod, not softening in the slightest despite the blaze.
"I wasn’t wrong at the beginning; this Demon Python did indeed swallow a strand of Dragon Qi, otherwise, its bones wouldn’t be so tough."
"After the death of the Demon Python, the Dragon Qi scattered, but the enhancement effect on its physical body was still preserved."
"With my Earth Lotus Fire, it would probably take around five days to fully refine this Demon Bone."
Li Siya stated, standing with his hands behind his back.
Chen Mo’s brow quirked slightly.
He could feel the power of the flame, far surpassing regular Alchemy Fire, and it would still take so long to refine?
It seemed that this Demon Bone was indeed a valuable item!
At that moment, Li Siya took the initiative to say, "Brother Chen, whatever Magical Treasure you want to refine, just tell me. This Demon Bone is your spoils of war; to be accurate, it is our Demon Suppression Department that is taking advantage of you."
Chen Mo nodded and said, "Alright, then I won’t hold back."
He took out several sketches he had prepared earlier, handed them to Li Siya, and conveyed his general requirements.
Since the Demon Bone was long enough, he planned to make several pieces to give away as gifts.
After reviewing them, Li Siya patted his chest and said, "No problem, leave it to me. However, it might take some time, probably about a month."