The eccentric doctor never makes a misdiagnosis!

After speaking, Haida couldn't help but give Fran a subtle look.

The young female physician before him, whose hair was still damp, was probably more knowledgeable about this than many of the heretical priests he had ever met... This could be gleaned from the fact that she possessed four complete volumes of the Red Cup's Skin Book.

But on the other hand, she also possessed an astonishing stability. This woman not only casually finished reading those heretical scriptures, but she could even write concise annotations alongside them…

"Judging from the current situation of the hedgehog ∞＞摺|＄代±〗購÷：jiusi；ba!∵er⌒si×＞sansan^￠lin_）wu, Sigrid can switch between three states: 'human body', 'alchemical state', and 'sword body'. Under the Sunforging System, conventional rituals and secret arts cannot achieve this effect."

“The fragments of the primordial sun endowed her with unique mystical qualities, and I am currently studying the principles behind them.”

Fran put the manuscripts back on the bookshelf, a hint of rapture in his amber eyes.

In just a few days of research, the resolution of [Forbidden Alchemy] increased from 21% to 24%. This demonstrates just how excellent Sigrid is as an experimental subject…

"Dr. Fran, I've repaired the foundry, which was more than half melted down. The damage was probably caused by excessive heat resulting from running multiple 'gold-melting rituals' simultaneously..."

Sigrid walked from the corridor into the main hall, her eyes beaming with joy, though her cheeks and clothes bore traces of black soot.

"Thanks a lot."

Fran turned to her, clearly quite pleased with the new maid.

Although Sigrid knows absolutely nothing about cooking and is a fugitive member of the Sunforge with a sensitive identity, she can't possibly go grocery shopping for me. Sometimes, I even need to take care of her myself…

But she was also very talented in casting, alchemy, and mechanics. With just a little guidance, she could repair complex modern machinery.

Fran touched his lips, glanced at his memo, and found the most recent item among the many pending tasks.

"Hmm... Speaking of which, I'm currently tidying up my collection room and the 'First Medicine Storehouse.' Sister Haida, would you be interested in helping out? You could also take a look at my collection while you're at it."

"Happy to oblige."

Without much thought, Haida readily agreed to Fran's request.

Helping others with what one can is a law upheld by the Hunters, and Haida has no reason to refuse.

...And she was indeed somewhat interested in Fran's collection.

-

The collection room.

The wooden door, engraved with intricate patterns, stands like a chasm separating two worlds.

The clinic outside the door is like a paradise untouched by the world, fresh and bright, with even the air filled with the faint fragrance of osmanthus.

The interior was dark and cold, surprisingly vast. Countless numbered quartz cabinets were arranged in a haphazard yet orderly fashion.

It could be a massive spine resembling a dragon or a bird, a withered and decaying humanoid corpse, or a heavy silver armor engraved with sword, shield, and skull patterns.

As the bright, soft, pale yellow incandescent lights lit up one by one, the sense of coldness gradually dissipated, and the vast collection room was finally no longer filled with that oppressive depth.

"So spectacular..."

Sigrid parted her lips slightly and let out a somewhat dazed sigh. Heda felt something similar, but she was more reserved in expressing her emotions and chose to remain silent.

"Most of it is the money I receive for house calls. There is a part that I cannot study in depth right now, and disassembling it rashly would damage its integrity... so I can only keep it for now, which is a real pity."

The light tapping of Fran's thick-soled leather shoes echoed in the collection room.

Like an excellent tour guide, she introduced her collection to the two of them with great familiarity, while expertly overlooking several strangely shaped and mutilated corpses among them.

-

A twisted mass of flesh, covered with tangled tubes and tendrils, slowly crawled in the shadows between the cabinets. Its shape resembled a brain, but looking inside from the broken parts revealed a sophisticated mechanical structure.

It was a "Dream Maker" made using magnetic field technology.

The DreamMaker was originally only meant to unlock the user's magnetic potential, but during one of Fran's interactive experiments, the test subject's consciousness intruded into the device. Although Fran destroyed the test subject's body afterward, its spirit was preserved...

He carefully lay dormant among the Dreamers, gradually accumulating strength and substance. Finally, one day, the power he had built up reached the threshold sufficient for action... and thus began his escape plan.

Fran organizes the collection room once or twice a year, and it is only on these occasions that he can leave this cold and despairing space.

Damn it, that woman actually shoved me into different bodies again and again for experiments… What a bastard! How could I bear to be so humiliated? Once I regain my body and strength, I'll tear you to pieces…

Suddenly, his perspective shifted upwards, instantly freeing him from the deep, dark shadows that had given him a sense of security.

The Dreamer, wrapped in flesh and blood, was picked up by a slender hand covered in stitches, and then a pair of clear amber eyes came straight up to it, just inches away.

What? What did she do? How did she find out about me?

"It seems that the virtual personality experiment is progressing quite well at this stage; it really believes it is a living subject being used as an experimental subject..."

Fran examined the DreamMaker device, started the formatting process, and casually put it back into the crystal-clear quartz cabinet.

Chapter Fifty: Infected by Ants and Insects

"Dr. Fran, is this the wet part?"

After a moment of hesitation, Haida finally couldn't help but ask.

...She witnessed Fran pick up a brain that was crawling on the ground and then casually put it back into the crystal quartz cabinet.

The whole process was familiar and smooth, as if it were commonplace, like catching an escaped hamster back into its cage.

"Wait a minute? Although they are very similar, there are actually quite a few differences between them."

Seeing that Heda was interested in the dream creator, Fran took out the sticky, wrinkled brain again and began to explain in detail.

“A conventional wet part is a mechanical creation incorporating a fleshy neural structure, while this little thing is a mechanical creation that acts on the human body. It is actually a ‘dry part’.”

As she spoke, she lightly flicked her fingertips, parting the brain tissue covering the outer shell to reveal its intricate and complex mechanical structure.

"And these brain tissues come from its original eight & 芜《∑≈》…榴⊥牭∵％泤er小【⊙說々×日＇更」∈裙《“:assembler. It is probably a trace left over from the disassembly, which has multiplied over a long period of time to form its current size."

After the demonstration, Fran put the DreamMaker back in the cabinet, then took out a handkerchief from his pocket and wiped the slippery tissue fluid between his fingers.

Sigrid imagined what it would be like to have this thing attached to her brain... Even though her life form was completely alchemical, she still felt a slight physical discomfort.

"Could something that big really fit into a person's brain? I thought if such a device existed, it would be miniature..."

“Don’t doubt yourself, Sigrid. Your assumption is correct. The vast majority of mechanical implants do exist in the form of microchips; it’s just that this device is a bit special.”

Fran seemed to have lost interest in the DreamMaker and quickly led the two past the cabinet and into a deeper area.

The memory fragments and thought patterns of several original assemblers remaining in the Dreamer constitute its database framework. The AI ​​within it, after being domesticated by the deep learning program written by Fran,... produced a hybrid "self-awareness".

But this thing was only a mass-produced model, and only a handful of people had assembled it before... For Fran, it was just a tool for data testing, and its fate of being discarded and dismantled was almost inevitable.

Fran moved forward briskly and soon stopped in front of a cabinet with silver armor, looking at the cracks in the mirror.

"Part of the glass on the cabinet is broken. Sigrid, could you try to fix it?"

"Okay! Please wait a moment..."

Sigrid nodded in agreement and went to the cracks that were spreading like a spider web.

She stretched out her palm and pressed it against the shattered area. A faint, reddish-brown light shone from the center of her palm and quickly spread to the entire piece of glass.

After a double melting and nine remolding processes, the cracks in the four parts of the mirror quickly disappeared. The entire display case was then restored to its original condition.

Heda quietly observed Sigrid diligently completing her work, gaining a slightly deeper understanding of this Sunsmith.

Besides the high-heat generation ability of the "Primordial Sun" fragments, she also used the molding secrets of the Sunforging System. Otherwise, the entire cabinet would have collapsed during the remelting process. But this requires extremely meticulous control.

As the cracks on the cabinet disappeared, Fran narrowed his eyes slightly, a strange sense of satisfaction in his eyes.

"Phew...that feels good."

She had been thinking about this for several months, but she hadn't made up her mind to do it because she thought replacing the glass was too much trouble.

"Dr. Fran, is this armor meant for human wear... or is it like a golem that can be driven autonomously?"

Haida raised her head and stared at the gray-silver armor, which was far larger than usual.

It resembled some kind of knight's armor, decorated with swords and shields, books and skulls... Even standing before this empty shell without a wearer, she could still feel a profound and heavy sense of oppression.

Like a silvery mountain, or a deity in armor.

"Hmm~ This thing could indeed be self-driven if modified, but it's still mostly for people to wear. However, it has very strict requirements on physical condition, and also requires some other hard conditions."

Fran tapped lightly on the glass of the cabinet, producing two crisp, clean sounds.

"Those who wear this armor are called 'Grey Knights,' skilled at exorcising demons and resisting corruption. Fortunately, you should never encounter them. Believe me, that's not a good thing..."

"why?"

Sigrid was somewhat curious about this.

According to Fran's description, these people are somewhat similar to the definition of the Mystic Hunters, and may also come from the "Orthodox Church"... So why is it not a good thing to encounter them?

8. "They live in a darker and more desperate world. Every mortal is a potential breeding ground for corruption, and their existence must be kept secret. Therefore... while expelling demons, they also cleanse the mortals who have witnessed them."

As VfLan looked at the power armor that had been dormant for many years but was still brand new, he seemed to recall some interesting memories.

Seven: "'Mortal'?"

6. Haida astutely grasped the key point from Fran's words.

"In other words, the person using this armor is no longer a mortal, which is why they can launch a massacre without any scruples... right?"

"That's one way to put it, but they can still be killed by purely physical means. Although they are called demigods, they have not escaped the essence of humanity."

If someone suffers irreversible corruption, the Hunters will decisively grant them death to prevent the contamination from deepening and spreading. Therefore, Haida can understand the Grey Knights' actions to some extent.

Of course, understanding does not mean agreeing... No matter how you look at it, it is indeed too harsh to kill someone just for witnessing it.

"Dr. Fran, how did the glass on the cabinet break?"

"Years ago, I tried writing a program for autonomous combat and wanted to test it on this armor, but it went out of control. Although the control valve successfully deactivated all its power, it damaged my glass before it stopped moving..."

Fran looked slightly regretful, but quickly regained his smiling demeanor.

The breeze flowing through the collection room was like a wisp of silk, delicate and carrying a slight chill.

As they ventured deeper into the space, the three arrived at an area in dire need of repair. It was a damaged zone, with several broken quartz cabinets scattered in fragments, and the surrounding area was practically ruins.

"An enemy?...Dr. Fran, your collection has escaped?"

Haida drew her power sword "Nirvana" from behind her back, lightly wiping the blade with two fingers as she cautiously observed the shadows cast by the surrounding incandescent lights.

"Relax, the culprit that breached containment has already been disposed of harmlessly by me. I just had you two help me tidy up some damaged trash..."

Fran scratched his cheek slightly, a little embarrassed, and reached out to stop Haida's straight sword from striking at any moment. Then he took out two vacuum cleaners from the corner to the side.

For this guy, any physical labor that cannot be solved with [Dust Removal] is considered "life-threatening".

The debris was made of an unknown material, along with broken glass from a cabinet and ashes scattered all over the floor. It took Sigrid and Heda about two hours to clean it all up.

Fran stood obediently to the side, smiling quietly, offering all support except for help.

The quality of these architectural fragments was astonishing; even with Hedana's surgically enhanced muscles, they were somewhat strained. Fortunately, with Sigrid's help, the entire process didn't take too long.

——Swelling > ∠:9siba￡″贰★[4＋|san◇」umbrella

As the clear, pale yellow lights went out one by one, the vast collection room returned to darkness and silence... The three returned to the main hall of the Fog Street Clinic.

The collection room was tidy again, and Fran seemed to be in a good mood.

Her bright eyes were slightly narrowed, and a thin line of amber appeared between her tightly knit, pale eyelashes.

Haida sat back on the velvet sofa, adjusting her slightly short breaths. However, she didn't really feel tired; for her, it was probably just the intensity of her daily training.

Sigrid pursed her lips; Fran's vast collection had quite a jolt to her worldview. Compared to her own collection room, the Norlington Central Museum was practically a kindergarten craft project display area…

"Speaking of which, I haven't had breakfast yet, even though it's already afternoon... I'll just have some afternoon tea snacks to tide me over until dinner."

Adhering to the principle of cooking as little as possible, Fran decided to wait until dinner to showcase her culinary skills. Her usual dessert offerings included glutinous rice and sugar, as well as filling treats like peach shortbread and cookies, enough to satisfy a hunger pang.

Furthermore, eating is not actually a basic need for Fran, nor is sleeping.

"Boom, boom."

The irregular banging on the door startled Fran, who had just entered the kitchen.

In most cases, the Foggy Street Clinic has no visitors. Those who come to this street either possess a token they've given themselves or are patients they're treating…

The next moment, her monthly house call was triggered.

[Dear Dr. Fran, the monthly outpatient call for August has been triggered. The target is 'Glassy Deer'—'Luara'. Please begin treatment as soon as possible. She is expected to die from deep erosion within 10 minutes.]

　Looking for a Shu group: {[℃∧∏（∵￥∩】 “Meow”.

A fawn with fur as white as frost stumbled into the doorway, its four slender hooves trembling from time to time, as if it couldn't even stand still.

Luya came to Fran's side, swayed slightly, and then fell into her arms, curling up and trembling.

“The little guy’s injury is worse than last time. What did you do to deserve this… Also, it seems only sheep can say ‘baa,’ isn’t the bleating sound of deer ‘na’?”