The Godskin Noble's memories contained nothing about Titicaca. In other words, Zhao Si could not see the ritual for producing Man-Serpents.
Even if they had, though, the imagery might have been too grotesque to pass censorship.
From the memories, Zhao Si learned that the Godskin Noble had struck a deal with Rykard, obtained a piece of flesh from the Gelmir God-Devouring Serpent deep within the volcano, and begun conducting evolutionary experiments.
The results were those Basilisks and the Man-Serpent Egg Titicaca held in her arms. Zhao Si had gone softhearted after all. He had not provoked Titicaca or destroyed that egg.
Man-Serpents were not a plague or the Frenzied Flame. They were living creatures, after all, and had to mate to reproduce. A lone Man-Serpent could not amount to much. Besides, the real danger was the Gelmir God-Devouring Serpent, not the Man-Serpents.
In the Godskin Noble's memories, even a piece of flesh that fell off the Gelmir God-Devouring Serpent remained alive and would not die or rot.
Even processing it could not strip it of its vitality. Put simply, it would not cook through and could not be eaten.
If anyone ate the Gelmir God-Devouring Serpent's flesh, they would probably have their life stolen by it and be assimilated instead.
Assimilated into what? One look at Titicaca's wretched state answered that.
Neither human nor snake, nor even a Man-Serpent, but some patchwork monster.
As for skinning Titicaca's face, that had purely been because the Godskin Noble's hands were itching to revisit his old trade.
Skinning humans really offered no technical challenge at all.
Once the memory fragments finished playing, it was time for the familiar business of receiving the Gloam-Eyed Queen's Grace.
The Gloam-Eyed Queen was surprised. "Weren't you just here? How did you get back so quickly?"
Holding Zhao