The eccentric doctor never makes a misdiagnosis!

Haida breathed a sigh of relief and accepted her answer.

When faced with such situations, this doctor doesn't hesitate to display his smooth and cunning sophistry. But strictly speaking, it might be the best solution to the current predicament.

Soon, led by Fran, the two arrived at a golden door.

The patterns on the door were exquisite, and many deities hidden in the illusory starlight bowed their heads and served the huge celestial body in the center of the celestial scroll, which was as black as molten gold.

"This is it, we're here."

Fran extended his slender index finger, covered in stitches, and pointed to the elegant and stately door.

"Hmm... Dr. Fran, you've already been inside? And it was 'accidental' that you went in?"

Vivian rubbed her slightly twitching eyes, trying hard to suppress the urge to ask further questions.

"Of course. You see, it can be opened with just a few secret words."

Fran patted his soft, full chest with a hint of pride, then gently knocked on the door, producing a clear, bell-like echo.

Then, a solemn and sacred female voice slowly drifted over... seemingly from a distant horizon, yet also as if right beside your ear.

"Remelt, recast, reshape, and reignite the furnace of the beginning. Give birth to creation and build the dawn."

After listening carefully, she fluently recited the corresponding prayer for casting the sun.

"Returning to ashes, burning away, falling and being reborn, summoning the primordial sun. Shining eternally, illuminating all spirits."

“—Boom.”

The golden doors opened, and the deities on the patterns on both sides changed from bowing to kneeling in worship.

Heda bit her lip slightly, a hint of nervousness in her eyes.

If you include the time she spent at the border, she hadn't felt "nervous" for many years. But right now, trespassing into the secret, forbidden territory of another orthodox sect... did make her feel a little guilty.

Haida looked around the small, secret room, her gaze slightly narrowed, and even her brows furrowed.

The metal structures inside the room had been completely melted and burned, and almost all the facilities and equipment had turned into solidified liquid.

These interwoven fluid metals form numerous human-shaped sculptures, recreating the grand scroll of kneeling deities above the doorway in bizarre and distorted poses.

"Sister Haida, have you noticed anything is missing?"

Fran, intrigued, went among the distorted and grotesque figures, struck a pose, and pretended to be one of them.

"The sun. The sun has disappeared..."

Heda noticed the lack of a "subject" in the composition almost instantly.

"What was this room used for before it was burned like this? Was it a special ritual room?"

Vivian searched the floor and walls, but found no trace of the ritual array. She suspected that a Type I ritual might have been performed here, and perhaps it had attracted something extraordinary.

"Very close to the correct answer, but still a bit off. Large-scale Type I rituals involve extremely violent spiritual upheavals upon activation; the traces of such events are impossible to conceal." Zero

Fran approached a male statue, tapped its pupil a few times with his fingertips, and deftly removed a glittering crystal fragment.

“Melted quartz. This material is not used in ordinary rituals or forging. However… there is another mysterious discipline that uses quartz as a vessel.”

Before Fran could answer, Heda already knew the answer and spoke first.

"—Alchemy."

"Correct." Fran clapped his hands slightly in an encouraging manner.

“Look, in the gaps in the molten metal, in the cracks in the ground, and even in the eyes of these statues… there are large amounts of re-solidified quartz. Oh, in this case, it should be called ‘glass’.”

As Vivian gazed at the floor covered in sparkling, multicolored glass, the sequence of events gradually became clearer in her mind.

"So, the disaster that befell the Sunforge Order last night was likely caused by an alchemical accident?" Lu

"The word 'accident' is not accurate. It should be called a deliberate 'planning'. Almost everyone at the Sun Tower was a raw material for this man-made 'sun'."

Fran shook his index finger, his gaze falling on the empty sun in the center of the group portrait.

"Moreover, the person who initiated this scheme has most likely already reaped the ultimate rewards."

With her 21% resolution [Forbidden Alchemy], Fran could easily identify the traces of alchemy. However, the alchemical formula used here was of a high rank, and she couldn't be sure what kind of creation it would ultimately produce.

Vivian sensed the sudden increase in danger of the incident and couldn't help but feel a sense of lingering fear. Suddenly, a new question popped into her mind.

"So that means this incident has nothing to do with the three survivors in the library; they were just victims?"

Fran gave a meaningful smile and reached out to adjust glasses that weren't actually there.

"On the contrary, the real culprit is among them."

"who is it?"

Heda asked calmly, seemingly unsurprised that Fran had been able to identify the person behind the scenes in advance.

After all, she had personally witnessed this guy using the "Swinging Heart Bell" to steal information from other people's minds. It was probably based on this principle that Fran was able to perfectly solve the prayer riddle of the Golden Door.

In this situation, all the reasoning and speculation are actually just the doctor's personal whims. She may have known the answer from the very beginning…

Vivian may not have known Fran for very long, but Heida had spent several years with her in the borderlands. This gave her a certain understanding of the doctor's habits and character.

"Unraveling the truth must be done in conjunction with confronting the murderer. Never giving away spoilers beforehand is a virtue."

Fran walked out of the alchemy chamber, then turned back, his eyes gleaming with a sly glint as he looked at the two of them.

"But if you really want to know, I wouldn't mind revealing the secret beforehand, would I?"

-

The bounty, including the missed updates, requires a total of five chapters to be paid back. I'll finish it within two months. And why isn't he interacting with me? I'm so annoyed! (?˙▽˙?)

Chapter Forty-Five: The Day of Falsehood

Sigrid sat at her dressing table in her bedroom, silently tidying her long, shimmering golden hair that cascaded down like a curtain.

She lowered her eyes, and the room was dark, so her entire face was hidden in a hazy shadow.

A strict yet gentle mentor, a passionate and powerful female rider, a somewhat shy but always smiling office worker... In just one night and a dream, these colleagues who were closer than family turned into a handful of cold ashes on the floor.

Just a brief recollection of the past brought tears to her eyes. Her mental state began to deteriorate uncontrollably again…

But under the suppression of Fran's drugs, those chaotic reflections of the past gradually faded, allowing her to find a moment to catch her breath amidst the intense despair.

"Phew... Sigrid, cheer up!"

She gently brushed aside the strands of hair that were stuck together by her tears, then put on a close-fitting silk undergarment, followed by the craftsman's robes of the Suncasting Order.

She looked as radiant as ever in the mirror, but a hint of weariness lurked between her brows and eyes.

"Is Miss Sigrid there? It's Fran, I'm sorry to bother you. But I need you to come with me somewhere."

At the same time as her greeting, there was a rhythmic knocking on the door.

"Dr. Fran?"

After confirming that her attire was inappropriate, Sigrid turned and opened the door. She seemed somewhat puzzled, then a possibility occurred to her... and a sense of anticipation arose within her.

"Has the truth been uncovered? Or has the murderer been found?"

"Hmm...both."

Fran did not make excuses or prevaricate; instead, he gave her a clear and concise affirmative response.

"Who did it? How did they do it?...Why did they do it? Was it an enemy, or one of my 'colleagues'?"

Sigrid grabbed Fran's shoulders with both hands and asked anxiously.

Her previous grief and despondency were like kindling ignited by a spark, instantly transforming into anger and hatred... and bursting forth with intense heat.

"My dear craftswoman, you have too many questions. You're making me dizzy."

Fran didn't mind Sigrid's loss of composure; he simply gently brushed the other's hand off his shoulder before beginning his explanation.

"We've found some interesting clues and have a general understanding of the cause and sequence of events. Now we need to hear your opinions."

"Listen to our opinions?"

Sigrid pondered the meaning of those words, and then frowned deeply.

"So... even if there isn't a real culprit among us, there must be someone who knows the inside story of what happened last night?"

“That’s right.” Fran nodded.

Although she had phrased it somewhat subtly, the other party was clearly familiar with the Hunters' investigative procedures. Therefore, she didn't need to waste any more words explaining further.

"They're actually among us..."

Sigrid found it hard to accept, yet it also seemed as if she had expected it.

Unless a large-scale Type I ritual is initiated, it is absolutely impossible to silently reduce all living beings within the Sunforge to ashes. A ritual of this scale would cause astral-level spiritual tremors, leaving no possibility of concealment.

This indicates that they died through means outside of ritual. In terms of its manifestation, the entire defensive system of the Sunforge Tower was disintegrated from within at some point by dazzling "light and heat"... and this is precisely the area that the Sunforge Order is most familiar with.

Arcane arts, alchemy, or perhaps dangerous forbidden creations.

So much so that when Sigrid recalled the moment before the disaster, in addition to shock and surprise, she also felt a strange sense of familiarity.

Now, her premonition was further confirmed by Fran: the person who caused the disaster was among these colleagues she spent every day with.

"It might be hard to accept, but relax, there will be even harder things to accept after this..."

Fran extended two index fingers and tapped them with a slightly guilty look.

"Don't worry, Dr. Fran, I'm not that fragile... cough, what happened before was purely accidental."

Sigrid had mustered her spirits, seemingly regaining her former cheerfulness and enthusiasm. Even though the familiar clanging of metal was no longer heard around her, the silence chilled her to the bone…

But as long as she could still hear the throbbing of the hot substance in her chest, she would always be able to regain the courage to move forward.

"Those who forge the sun with their faith will not be crushed by despair, nor overwhelmed by suffering."

-

Inside the alchemical chamber where numerous golden statues were placed.

"Who allowed you clowns who only know how to hide in the shadows to set foot in the forbidden area deep within the tower? The main hall has granted you permission to assist in the investigation, but it is absolutely not giving you the right to enter this room. Overstepping your bounds, what a despicable overstepping of your bounds..."

The deeper Anderson went into the corridor, the more gloomy and suffocating his face became.

Upon seeing the golden door that had already been opened, he finally snapped after enduring so much.

"Please calm down, esteemed Mr. 'Sunfall Rider'. Although our actions have been offensive, please review the evidence before drawing any conclusions."

Fran walked lightly and leisurely from the other side of the corridor, followed closely by Sigrid.

“…Doctor, this has nothing to do with you. I know you are just a contract worker.”

Anderson was about to explode in anger, but seeing Fran approaching, he ultimately calmed down. After all, she was the one who had healed the nearly broken Sigrid, and she deserved to be treated with respect.

“Mr. Anderson. We will accept any condemnation or investigation afterward. But before that… you'd better take a look at what's inside.”

Heda's voice was as calm as still water, her gaze equally serene. Just like Anderson, completely unconcerned about his rage.

But when she saw Sigrid's forced yet enthusiastic smile, her breath hitched slightly, and her expression became complicated.

Clearly, she had accepted Fran's "early spoiler".

“If I witness any desecration of the Sun-forging artifacts as a result, I will take my own life. But before that, I will not allow you usurpers to leave the tower alive.”

Anderson gritted his teeth and looked into the room. The next moment, his pupils suddenly contracted.

What comes into view are numerous statues of deities, some bowing their heads in worship, others prostrating themselves on the ground.

They were cast in nine parts gold, their robes adorned with rose-red carnelian, surrounded by flowers and leaves, stars and moon, wings and halos... but their expressions were full of fear and reverence, staring intently at a certain point in the heavens.

"Thump." Malz, who had been summoned along with them, immediately knelt down on the ground.

"God..."

The elderly librarian's thin body trembled incessantly, like a pilgrim witnessing a miracle.

He kept muttering to himself, seemingly delirious. Fran couldn't help but sigh, feeling frustrated by the sudden increase in workload.

"...This is another belief within the Sunforging Cult, 'The Primordial Sun.' They believe that before the birth of the Sunforging that shrouds the sky, there existed a colossal celestial body that never extinguishes and never falls silent."

Sigrid walked forward somewhat dazedly, her gaze unfocused as she looked at the "perspective point" of the entire cast, the position where the sun should have been.

Anderson quickly recovered from his shock.

“It’s true that some of my colleagues inside the Suncast Tower believe in the First Sun, but what does that mean? It’s just an altar with a few statues… How can you be so sure that it’s related to yesterday’s disaster?”

“Mr. Sun Rider, what you say makes a lot of sense. But I don’t think you should be so clueless as to not recognize this as a forbidden alchemical creation…”