The eccentric doctor never makes a misdiagnosis!

Clues, I need more clues...

-

Norklon, the "Eternal City".

It was vast and desolate, clearly a palace tower standing deep underground... yet it felt as if one were in a dazzling deep space, embraced by countless stars and boundless darkness.

The illusory stardust shimmered and sparkled, like real cosmic clouds, flickering and billowing, hazy and dreamlike.

"It's so beautiful."

Ivanni gazed at the distant temple and let out a heartfelt exclamation of admiration.

She looked rather disheveled at the moment, with her robes and armor torn in many places, and even a spirit arrow emitting a fluorescent spiritual flame stuck in her backpack.

Haida gazed at the scene before her, lost in thought, so much so that her grey-chestnut eyes seemed to reflect the colors of the stars. This underground city, originating from ancient times, was so magnificent it could only be described as a miracle.

"Coming to a place like this and not leaving a comment would feel strange."

While everyone's attention was focused on the spectacular scenery of the Eternal City, Fran stretched out his finger and wrote "A breathtaking view ahead" on the ground, then patted the dust off his hands with satisfaction.

-

After participating in the funeral battle of Rataen, Ivani underwent a profound change in both her mentality and strength.

The two Great Runes granted her physical strength, while her experience of confronting a demigod endowed her with mental resilience.

How much time has passed since she first set foot on the borderlands? A year, or two? Fran, who has a terrible sense of time, has already forgotten, but perhaps only the ever-meticulous Haida still remembers.

Evonne is now a qualified Faded One... and she must be. Life is only once; to lose means to die. Even with Fran's godlike medical skills to rely on, she is unwilling to slack off.

Those who indulge in powers that are not their own will ultimately become weak. Like Greck, who went mad because of his limbs… now he can only eke out a living as experimental subjects.

"middle!"

Haida let out a low shout and released the taut bowstring in her hand.

The bow was drawn taut, the arrow never leaving the string, and it struck a mercury creature that had taken human form with pinpoint accuracy. It pierced the creature's throat and pinned it to the wall behind it.

"The range and power of the Spirit Arrow far surpass those of a pistol. It can also track targets... but its only drawback is that it cannot fire in rapid succession."

With the surrounding enemies mostly eliminated, she also put away the Lion Bow, which she had obtained from the items discarded by Shattered Star.

"These liquid mercury monsters can form humanoid shapes...are they some kind of artificial life form?"

Haida examined the mercury life form nailed to the wall, making some puzzled guesses.

"Yes. These little guys aren't perfect; they have flaws in every sense of the word. But their ability to transform into different biological forms at will is indeed mysterious and interesting. It's far more profound than 'limb extension'..."

Fran was quickly taking samples from the silvery-white corpse in an effort to collect enough solid samples before it completely dissolved.

"The city's ancestors had reached the threshold of success, but destruction followed. A deity threw a celestial body carrying a monster into the city, and then killed it."

"Did their act of creating life anger God?"

Haida was very interested in this kind of occult content. This was an ancient secret of another world, recording the schemes of the gods and the rise and fall of eras... Even just hearing about it was a great gain.

"That's not the case. The aspirations and schemes of the city's ancestors were even bolder and more audacious..."

Fran recounted the history of Noklon as if it were a familiar story, which drew curious attention from Ivanie, who was standing beside him.

"They had no king, so they made a king. They had no god, so they killed a god. In the end... they forged weapons capable of killing a god by embodying the concept of 'death'."

She smiled faintly, giving them her answer. Then she let out a soft sigh.

"Unfortunately, before they could accomplish the great feat of slaying the gods, they were killed by the gods themselves... but the weapon was preserved."

“Hmm…” Upon hearing this, Ivani seemed to have thought of something.

"I guess that's the 'secret treasure' that the witch Lani was talking about, the one in Nokron?"

Fran readily admitted it, not forgetting to add a sarcastic remark. "That's right, it's that one. Isn't it amazing?... You'll become an accomplice in the destruction of the gods, you know?"

"I see. But... could that witch named Lani have done it? And why would she do it?"

"Why did she develop murderous intent towards God? That's a much older story... and some parts of Lani's history may have changed, so I can't say for sure. I'll leave that for another time. Search [◆qUn:ear△'nine [↓silin3＊‰five￣]"

Fran gently touched Ivy's lips with his finger, deftly ending the conversation.

It wasn't that she didn't want to continue telling the two of these secret histories, but rather that something interesting would appear at a location resembling an altar ahead, and she needed to pay attention.

Imitation teardrop.

The creation of kings by the ancestors of Noklonn was, aside from their minds, a truly near-perfect model to imitate.

"..."

A slime-like mass of mercury was writhing on the ground, looking no different from any other mercury creation.

But to have only one slime in the center of such a vast open space... was obviously a bit strange. Having encountered countless similar traps along the way, Haida decisively nocked her Lion Bow and aimed at the strangely quiet mercury-like creature before her.

"This time, it's better to leave the enemy to Ivanie."

Fran pressed down on Haida's hand as she drew her bow, and spoke to Ivani with a hint of expectation.

She and Haida can still intervene in battles of this level now, but in the future, Ivenne will face enemies of divine rank... Therefore, she must be trained as much as possible until she is able to wield weapons against the gods.

"Okay, watch me."

Ivani shouldered her staff and greatsword, and after a moment of concentration, she prepared for battle.

Although it looks no different from an ordinary mercury artifact, anything chosen by Dr. Fran as a test target... cannot be taken lightly. Having long since teetered on the edge of life and death, she has long since abandoned the naive notion of underestimating her opponents.

"what……"

The mercury began to writhe and take shape. Soon, it acquired a human form.

Fran squinted.

A hint of confusion flickered in her eyes, as if she were somewhat taken aback. Haida and Ivenne, standing beside her, shared the same expression.

The object of the teardrop imitation was not Ivenne, nor Heida... but Fran.

At this moment, it had transformed into a slender young girl dressed as a doctor, lifelike and indistinguishable from her real self, even the sutures on her neck were clearly visible. The only difference came from the mimic's silvery color.

"Um, Dr. Fran... shall the assessment continue?" Ivanni licked her lips, asking somewhat uncertainly.

"termination."

Fran was puzzled. In terms of pure physical constitution, he was far inferior to Ivenne and Heida beside him. Why would it choose him as its target for mimicry?

She approached the replica teardrop, only to find that this mercury-made version of herself had begun to dissolve violently.

"Ah, ah... no, no, that's wrong, wrong, all wrong! You're wrong! No, no, it's my fault?"

Fran, made of mercury, clutched her head, frantically tearing at her scalp and ear feathers with such force that it seemed she wanted to rip them off. Her tone was filled with profound despair, as if everything was beyond redemption.

Fran observed the horrifying scene before him with great interest, tilted his head, and began to question the rapidly collapsing mimicry.

"What's wrong?"

"Who are you? You are... ah... are you me? Are you the curse of despair, the lurking death, the mad fire that destroys everything, or irreversible decay?! Who are you!"

Fran didn't answer, but silently watched the replica of the teardrop gradually become hysterical. It was as if it wasn't him who was going mad.

"No...no! You lied to me, you lied to me! No, I lied to you? Yes, I lied to you."

Faced with the delirious ravings, Fran bowed to the mimicry before him, which was melting away like a candle.

"Your reminder was very timely, and I will accept it with great gratitude."

Then, she stepped forward and brought her lips close to the other person's ear, whispering a sentence. Her voice was as soft as a mosquito's buzz, and even the two people beside her couldn't hear it clearly.

"laugh……"

Fran, mimicking the mercury, instantly cooled down from her madness. After chuckling twice, her entire body collapsed rapidly.

Her features melted, her body contorted, and the next moment she collapsed to the ground, shattering into a jumble of mercury beads.

Haida squinted and remained silent.

The scene she had just witnessed had a profound impact on her, but as a hunter who faced evil creatures every day, she remained unfazed, quietly awaiting Fran's explanation.

It took Evian a while to come to her senses, and then she asked Fran, somewhat puzzled.

"...Dr. Fran, did that mimicry exhibit the 'defect' you mentioned? Not only did it dissolve instantly, but it also uttered a bunch of creepy things."

“That’s not the case, Ivani.”

Fran let out a relieved breath, seemingly lost in thought. "She is both a warning and a gift from the threads of fate. Unfortunately, regarding this... I cannot speak of it either."

Fran smiled, waved his hand apologetically, his amber eyes full of innocence.

"Then...when will I be qualified to know?"

"When?" Fran gently lifted his chin, a hint of cunning appearing in his eyes.

"When you ascend the throne and hold up the Elden Ring, I will personally explain it to you."

Author's note on the product launch

I feel like I released it too quickly. I was hoping to write more free chapters to relax and have some fun... but I released it anyway!

I'll start with a little thank you for the feedback. I'm truly grateful to everyone who donated, voted, interacted, and joined the group. It really motivates me to write more. (Although I didn't get an extra update, time was really tight; I didn't even play games after work to write this!)

That's about it! Let's work hard for about ten days, gather some manuscripts, and start the bounty in the middle of next month. The old man's crossover house call should be able to be completed in about three chapters, since it's not a long story to begin with.

1(?`~??)

Chapter Thirty-Two: Not Perfect (Old Man's Ring)

Deep within the eternal city of Nokron.

After slaying countless mercury creations, Qiywini finally arrived before this "secret treasure."

She first looked around, then cast a "Starlight" spell to increase the brightness of the surroundings to confirm that no monsters were hiding... Finally, she opened the heavy and luxurious treasure chest.

For a faded person who has suffered for many years, the first thing that comes to mind when seeing a treasure chest is not the treasure itself, but falling rocks, poisonous fog, and the ground suddenly collapsing...

She pushed open the heavy box lid, revealing a hooked blade the size of a dagger. Ivanie slowly picked it up, her breath catching in her throat.

A chilling aura of death clung to the knife, so intense and profound, as if it were death itself. Simply holding it in her hand, she couldn't help but recall the several times she had faced death before.

The scenes of Shan's hands being smashed by the Tree Guardian, his fierce battle with the lion hybrid wielding the Greatsword of the Skull, and his desperate struggle to survive under the blade of Shattered Star Rataen... are vivid in my mind, as if they were real.

"Hunter's Finger Knife".

Fran walked up to her and told her the name of the weapon.

"The progress is faster than I expected, thanks to the fact that Iveni is getting stronger faster than I anticipated... But in any case, this is probably the longest house call I've had in a while."

Evian sensed the praise in Fran's tone, and she touched her cheek slightly, a little embarrassed.

"Shouldn't we go back to find Lani now?"

"No rush, there's plenty of time. Let's just quickly clear this place out first. If you know a place called Raccoon City, you should have heard of a young policeman named Li Sanguang, who leaves no trace of anything he touches..."

"Is that a story from my hometown?" Evelyn asked curiously.

"Hmm...that's right. Let's talk as we walk."

Fran didn't seem to be in a hurry to hand over this weapon forged by death to Lani.

Dragon soldiers, ancestral spirit kings, and gargoyles of heroes in pairs... there is still much to explore in this ancient city buried deep underground.

-

After a period of suffering, under Fran's tutelage, Evonne nearly plundered everything of value within the Eternal City.

After a long journey, the three finally returned to Lani's mage tower.

"Ugh, I've been riding horses the whole time, I really can't take it anymore..."

Fran leaned against the wall, patting his slightly sore buttocks. Anyone who's ever ridden a horse knows that some saddle designs are very uncomfortable for the tailbone...

Although Ivani had a spirit horse named Torret, which could travel freely most of the time, it was clearly a bit too much for such a small horse to carry the weight of three people... Therefore, Fran borrowed the horse from the tree guardian of Nymgford.

Haida was skilled at riding, so the two of them riding together was just right.

As Ivanie prepared to enter the mage tower with the "Hunter's Finger Knife" imbued with the concept of death, she saw Fran and Haida standing outside the door, seemingly having no intention of coming in.

"Doesn't Dr. Fran intend to meet with that witch?"

Ivanni was somewhat surprised; this doctor had always been very interested in the witch Lani. Logically, he shouldn't have missed any opportunity to get close to her.

“I’m not going. The person she’s waiting for isn’t me. And… there’s something else.”

Fran's smile faded slightly as he calmly looked at Ivanie. (Part 3)