The eccentric doctor never makes a misdiagnosis!

-

Haida returned to her bedroom, gave the power sword "Nie" some minor maintenance, and placed it on the side of the arsenal where weapons were kept, along with her two wooden-handled folding knives.

Although there was no opportunity to use it at the Fog Street Clinic today, and the concept of wear and tear doesn't apply to the adamantite blade that's combined with living metal... routine maintenance is still essential.

The weapon that accompanies you most closely is like a close comrade-in-arms, and you should not neglect it.

She turned on the small lamp next to the bedside table and, before night fell, began to study the Ashes Bible she had borrowed from Fran.

This ancient document, exuding the scents of myrrh and leather, records many lost secret arts within the Hunter system, some of which have been iterated and improved upon, and thus passed down through generations... The following are the lost parts.

"Second-class superior secret technique [Mechanized Spirit Body]. It can temporarily materialize one's own 'spirit' into a simple mechanical device."

(Limitations exist, but it has received overwhelmingly positive reviews. The side effects of this technique stem from the depletion of 'spirit'; overuse while in a state of exhaustion may lead to irreversible loss of inspiration. Reactivating psychic awareness requires ordering appropriate medical services; the risk level is: high.)

"Second-class mid-level secret technique [Silence]. The chanting speed of all casters within a ten-meter radius is greatly reduced, and the obscurity of all prayers is increased."

(This secret technique has a superior alternative, [Listening to Tranquility]. Unless there is a hierarchy of power, it can achieve complete magic suppression within its range. It's decent, but opinions on it are mixed.)

"Second-class lower-level secret technique [Blood Burning]. Burns reason and spirit, fights to the death like a maddened beast, in order to awaken the instinct to kill to the greatest extent."

(It gets dumber the more you use it, so it's likely to get negative reviews. I suggest doing a few advanced math problems after using it to avoid losing your intelligence.)

Heda narrowed her eyes slightly, a hint of a smile inexplicably appearing in her grey-chestnut gaze. Fran's annotations and comments did indeed possess a strange sense of humor…

With the completion of the arcane chapter, what follows is a heavily edited and revised hidden section. It seems to originate from a lost era, or a ballad fallen into the dust of history.

"The worm-dyeing creatures are the offspring of the mother. She is the mother of the ants and the mother of the nest snake."

"She is the goddess who rules over the mob, the goddess who swallows pain, the goddess who multiplies and divides, the goddess who seeks to steal dreams."

"The desire for suffering is stripped away by the Crimson Cup, the folly of stealing dreams is an unanswerable extravagance, and the instinct for fission and proliferation is coveted by the crown of decay."

"And the supreme power to rule the rabble has now returned to me. —██████."

What follows is an extremely long and thick application.

The person who erased the name seemed to want to tear it from the pages of the book. So much so that Heda was unable to remove the ink stains without damaging the text.

But she didn't want to remove the ink stains; an instinctive sense of crisis made her feel a cold, suffocating sensation. It was as if the tip of a sword was pressed against her throat, each breath causing a strange, stinging pain.

That obscured name... perhaps I don't yet have the right to know it.

July was like a blazing fire, and August was far from over.

Despite the scorching heat of midsummer, Haida still felt a chill that penetrated deep into her limbs and bones.

The specific content of esoteric Buddhist scriptures is roughly divided into three parts: precepts, magic, and secrets.

Commandments represent the rules and regulations that a sect must follow, while magic is a series of mystical arts including secret arts and rituals. As for secrets, they are usually a well-known ancient epic.

The publicly available version of the Hunter's Ash Codex only contains commandments, intended to give casual believers and the general public a basic understanding of the order, while also preventing the misuse and over-spread of occult knowledge…

Although all three versions exist in the internal version, the "Secret Stories" section is only preserved formally. Many of the medieval anecdotes recorded in it can also be found in children's rhymes and storybooks sold on the street.

The original text in Haida's hand at this moment describes a deity called "Mother of the Worms" in an obscure and profound tone.

The author's description of Him is detailed yet carries a subtle hint of contempt, even stating at the end of the passage that He has seized the authority to "rule the rabble" from Him...

Clearly, this author whose name has been erased is also a deity.

His ability to leave his name so freely in the Hunter's Ash Canon, "The Sayings of Silence," clearly reveals his identity...

He has many names.

The one who brings all things to silence, the one who governs the order of the world, the one who is not trapped in falsehood, or perhaps... the god who hunts gods.

"Without specifying the date, I cannot determine when this secret occurred. But if I were to make a simple deduction... it might have been a thousand years ago."

The accounts of the authority of the God of Hunting have remained consistent and unchanged throughout the millennia of literature. If He truly did seize authority from other deities, it would likely have been much earlier.

She hesitated, unsure whether to continue reading. Since finishing that passage, a pervasive sense of unease had been setting off. It felt like thorns in her back, a blade pressed against her throat, and a faint, trembling sensation emanated from between her brows.

The thirst for knowledge surged forth silently!

The elusive longing is like a feather brushing against the skin of your neck—not unbearable, but also carrying a hint of seductive allure.

"Peng."

Heda breathed a sigh of relief and neatly closed the book "Proverbs and Silence".

As a funeral attendant in the Order of the Hunters, this level of self-discipline was not difficult for her.

"Unfortunately, this section has no footnotes..."

Following Fran's usual practice, the book she gave herself generally wouldn't pose a large-scale threat. For example, some readers might contain meme plagues that contaminate cognition... or delayed-triggered instant-death curses.

But that doesn't mean the book is safe.

It is more likely that Fran believed he could bear the dangers inherent in the book. If this idea were true, he could continue studying the text.

"Let's put aside the secrets for now and look at the secret techniques. Right now, I need some combat methods other than physical ones..."

Heda gently rubbed her temples and turned to an earlier chapter of the Ashes Codex.

"The next secret technique I will study is 'Mechanized Spirit Body'. This technique can make up for my shortcomings in the tactical aspect."

Haida glanced at the clock on the wall; it was still early, and she planned to use her time before bed to try to familiarize herself with the basic principles of this second-class superior secret technique.

After a period of enjoyable reading, a piercing discomfort brought Haida back to reality.

Then, she turned her gaze to the window. That thing slowly rising... must be the rising sun.

-

Yellow sand, the setting sun, and a scorching, dry wind. This is Ahanta, the capital of Attilion, the land of shifting sands.

A middle-aged man dressed in a gold-red military robe and adorned with luxurious ornaments stood in the shadow of a pillar in the hall.

Tiel, one of the three "Sun Riders" of the Order of the Mystics.

He slowly walked into the morning light, revealing a face full of sorrow and a furrowed brow.

"Somur still hasn't found Sigrid..."

"Is it 'not found,' or 'didn't even look for it'? That guy has always been unscrupulous... It doesn't seem impossible that he would let go of an alchemical creation that could go out of control at any moment?"

His adjutant, José, kept his head down cautiously, trying not to provoke Thiel, who was already somewhat out of control with anger.

“Mr. Thiel, Norrington is close to Attilane, but that's only compared to other cities... You know the situation at the branch. There are no survivors except for the patrol team that just happened to be out on patrol.”

"It's not easy dealing with Mr. Somur either, since there's simply not enough manpower..."

"What a coincidence, that's also Sommer's defense. Although he's severely understaffed, he's very enthusiastic about reorganizing the branch..."

Tier's gaze dimmed slightly, the melancholy in his eyes almost tangible.

He had poured so much effort into the Norrington branch of the Suncasting Order over the years, yet everything turned to ashes in an instant... The only remaining achievement was "accidentally" obtained by Sommer, who happened to be nearby.

Who could stand something like this?

"It wouldn't matter if the Norrington branch were given to Sommer. Everything has been reshuffled and started over, and he's already got there first."

“But Sigrid must be found! The alchemical program on her body is undoubtedly some kind of lost technology. If we can find it... the loss of lives and the Philosopher's Stone can be recovered. The Order of the Sun will gain another ‘Holy Relic’.”

"Yes."

Hossein bowed and agreed to Tiyal's request.

Although the adjutant didn't yet know exactly how to carry out the plan, going against his superior at this juncture was clearly not a good choice...

"However, Mr. Somur has probably been focusing his energy on reconstruction and preaching lately, so it may be difficult to increase the search for Sigrid."

"Of course I know. (Eight″⌒栖陆san4刺√ˉ猬4摺代+《購：》)"

Tiermo stroked the ring on his index finger, gazing at the morning light rising from the edge of the desert, seemingly lost in thought.

"Therefore, let Byes come to me."

"……I see."

Hossein remained silent for a moment, bowed in agreement, and withdrew from the hall.

The entire hall fell silent once more, with only the sound of the wind rustling through the sand filling the air.

"...Anderson and Maltz died so hastily, they couldn't even recover the results. So many years of planning, almost all of it was for nothing..."

Tier extended his meticulously manicured nails and gnawed at them repeatedly. It seemed this action could alleviate his increasingly intense agitation.

“Besides the Philosopher’s Stones in the entire branch’s inventory, she also has fragments of the ‘Primordial Sun’ on her. That is a true divine transformation, proof that my Lord once existed in the world… It must not be lost because of me.”

"Phew, it's not a complete loss. At least it proves that the 'final program' in that alchemical tome can indeed create humanoid alchemical life. Although, judging from the current costs, it's far from being able to mass-produce them..."

Thiel walked slowly with his hands behind his back.

He was waiting for his subordinates to be summoned.

"Dong dong."

A knock sounded, but before Tier could answer, the visitor pushed the door open and came in.

"Your Excellency Mr. Thiel, I heard from Lieutenant Hossein that you wanted to see me... Well, of course I came without delay. It is a great honor to have the pleasure of meeting you."

The clothing of regular Sunforge members is usually predominantly gold and red. However, the person in front of them was wearing a wide, windproof black robe, with all the exposed skin covered by yellowish bandages.

"Byers. Your travel ban is lifted today."

The Sun Rider known as Byas then gave a fawning laugh, almost cheering.

"Thank you so much! You understand me. Being stuck in the cult every day is driving me crazy. Seeing my colleagues smiling and greeting me as they pass by... I'm so touched that I can't even eat."

Byes walked toward Thiel with a look of delight. He rubbed his palm and looked at his capricious boss through the bandages.

"Hey...of course, I know your rules. Please tell me, what dirty work do you want me to do?" (Seven)

Tier's gaze darkened slightly, clearly disliking his flippant manner of speaking. But in this matter, he was the only one truly suited to handle it.

"Go to Norrington to find Sigrid. Whether she's alive or not, it would be best to recover her completely. If that's not possible, recovering only the materials from her body will suffice."

"Oh, I've heard about that matter recently. But..."

Byas slowly rotated his fingers, seemingly in no hurry to agree.

“If even Mr. Somur can’t find any trace of the girl, how could I, a mere ‘Sunfall Rider,’ possibly find her? Please don’t blame me if I return empty-handed.” — Si

"Humph."

Thiel knew perfectly well that Byers was trying to bargain with him, but he was in a terrible mood and had no time to consider the options.

"I swear by the primordial sun that scorches all spirits. If you can find Sigrid or any fragment of her, I will immediately free you from your shackles and restore your eternal freedom."

"make a deal."

Upon hearing Thiel's terms, Byes agreed with incredible speed. The contract was then concluded.

"It seems you understand the sincerity I have shown. Go, Byas."

“Oh, as you wish, Mr. Thiel.”

Byes rolled up the tattered sleeves of his sand-proof black robe to cover his bandaged face and bowed to the Corona Rider before him.

-

Foggy Street Clinic.

【Stairway to Light (from the Abyss)】

[Quality: Average]

[Characteristics: This biological raw material is of low risk, appearing as a solidified mass and exhibiting phototaxis. It can activate and release the stored photothermal energy, but without processing, it cannot form clusters and may self-destruct.]

[Note: "Only a psychopath would stuff something like that into their helmet."]

Inside the operating room, Fran looked at the raw materials that had been identified on the operating table, gently touched the "Reaching for the Moon" badge on his wrist, and couldn't help but fall into deep thought.

"Not bad haul. The materials from the Abyss are always useful and interesting. But it seems I'm almost finished assembling someone's complete set..."

She was wearing a heavy white protective suit, while Sigrid, standing beside her, remained in her alchemical state. Her entire body was surrounded by flaming light streaks, her form half-ethereal and half-real.

"Dr. Fran... what is this? Is it the highly dangerous material you mentioned?"

Sigrid felt both excited and nervous; this was her first time officially assisting Fran.

"No, the raw materials this time are safe."

"It's a relic from the abyss, and after processing, it can be made into a weapon. Coincidentally, its properties are perfect for you, so consider it a welcome gift. Before that, let me do some minor processing..."

“However, I have already caused Dr. Fran a lot of trouble by staying here. I cannot accept your gift…”