The eccentric doctor never makes a misdiagnosis!

"Some of my case-handling experience is nothing to brag about," Haida said, shaking her head modestly.

Her initial suspicion of Marianne stemmed partly from intuition and partly from exhaustive thinking.

If one spouse in a middle-aged couple is murdered, their spouse will be the primary suspect... because the process of eliminating suspects should begin with the person closest to them.

Even if she fails, Haida won't be discouraged. She will use the most direct methods to eliminate targets one by one until she encounters the only "real person." This is called "exhaustive search."

Marian pursed her lips slightly, and her already aging appearance made her look even more tired and aged.

"【Memory Retrieval】 is merely a minor technique embedded within the entire ritual array. What truly constitutes this is the White Cup Order's first type of ritual, 【Establishing a Dream】."

"The White Cup Cult? Why would they use a ritual to trap me here?" Haida asked, somewhat confused.

This kind of ritual, which can create spiritual realms, has extremely rare materials, extremely obscure arrays, and often requires harsh preparation conditions... so why would I waste it on myself?

“It wasn’t them who did it, it was me. Grantham died in battle, the White Cup Order no longer exists, and I took their last legacy from the ruins of the Central College.”

"This……"

Heda was speechless for a moment. Even though she had prepared for the worst, Marian's answer still surprised her.

"Then why should I do this? I know you are still confused, my child. Because the Order of the Hunters has also perished... The real 'outside world' you yearn for no longer has any meaning, only pain and despair remain."

Marian lowered her head, walked up to Heda, and almost pleaded as she took her hand.

"Although this place is fake, at least everyone is still alive, and everything is still as it was when there was still hope."

"Stay here. Haida, don't go, don't die meaninglessly. I'm begging you..."

Marian's tears fell onto Heda's hand, bringing with them a chill that went deep into her bones.

Through just a few words, Heda already had a clear basic understanding of the "outside world" at this moment. At the same time, she understood why Marian fabricated this illusion... she did it to protect herself.

Just like a mother weaving a soft swaddling cloth to protect her infant from the elements.

"You can be freed from the endless assignments of the General Affairs Court, and no longer be entangled with evil heirs and heretics, living a peaceful life and becoming someone you've never been before..."

“To become Heida Moira, not a ‘funeral maid’ or ‘Ahen’s daughter’.”

Heda did not respond to Marian. After a moment of hesitation, she spoke with some difficulty.

“Hunters who hunt heretics may die, may fall into confusion, but they will never choose to succumb to self-destruction. Ms. Marian, you know my choice.”

"Yes, precisely because I know..."

Marian let out a deep sigh, which also seemed to be a great relief.

"Wake up."

Everything around her began to blur and collapse. Haida felt as if she were falling from the clouds, and the intense sense of loss made her close her eyes.

When she opened her eyes again, she found herself in a room on the top floor of the Sunforge Tower.

Looking down from the window, all that comes into view is a desolate wasteland of broken walls and ruins, with red sand blowing and drifting like smoke. It's like a post-apocalyptic scene from a fairy tale.

Marianne was sitting on a tall, square chair in front of Heda, with life support tubes connected to her body like the roots of an ancient tree. Beneath her chair were engraved a massive array of ritual objects.

The prayers, like ants marching in formation, started from her forehead and spread downwards until they filled the entire room.

Haida's pupils suddenly contracted.

"Ms. Marian... what's wrong?"

The Marianne before me was terribly aged. In my memory, she was tall, pretty, and had a beautiful face, but now she looked like she was in her eighties and nearing the end of her life.

"【Establishing a Dream】used my spirit as a framework; once it is dismantled, my spirit will naturally dissipate as well."

"Marianne!" The voice slowly rose, as soft as a mosquito's buzz.

"There's no need to grieve for me. I should have died fifty years ago. I've only survived until now thanks to these alchemical organs all over my body."

"Do not approach the heart of Norrington, my child, escape. Do not feel ashamed, live at all costs, you are the last spark of the Hunters..."

Her breath grew weaker, and her voice and spirit vanished together. Heda remained silent, gently kissing Marian's forehead as a final farewell.

Upon arriving in the "real" outside world, she did not experience the clarity she had expected; instead, she felt increasingly confused.

Dr. Fran said she would be making "quarterly house calls," but where exactly did she bring herself to?

She reached into the spot where Fran's hand had been and suddenly realized that she was no longer wearing a thin nightgown, but a burial maid's fitted nun's robe with ceramic armor.

The object taken from the pocket was not a soft hand, but the ashes-covered book with eight ramming corners—"The Sayings of Silence".

In any case, let's get out of here first... Haida cleared her scattered thoughts, tidied up Marian's remains, and walked out of the spacious ceremonial room.

She descended the long, spiraling staircase of the Sunforge Tower, stepping into the ruins ravaged by the red sand.

Suddenly, Haida noticed a strangely styled street lamp standing by the half-damaged roadside.

It's so well preserved that there's not even a trace of wear on the paint. Its presence here feels rather abrupt.

The streetlamp poles were quite low; one could easily touch the top with their hand. Driven by some strong intuition, she removed the lampshade, wiped away the dust covering the glass, and a familiar face appeared.

Her hair was braided into several plaits, and her hair and eyelashes were as white as frost... Without a doubt, the head of Fran was contained inside the lampshade.

Just as Haida was at a loss, Fran opened his amber eyes and gave her daily greeting with a slight smile.

"Good day, Sister Haida. Search★: Erqing"∩private№蓤like々≠＠°≥∧鑥｛○肆"

She seemed to want to bow, but with only a head remaining, it was clearly impossible.

"You broke through the dream realm on your own in less than a day. You did a great job. Hmm... It's a good thing I had a backup plan for you, otherwise this house call would have been even more troublesome."

Fran blinked slightly and stuck out her pink tongue lightly, as if to express her apology.

Chapter Fifty-Eight: Beneath the Foundation [The Last Nun]

"Although there's only one head, it's still... a pleasure to meet you, Dr. Fran."

"Me too." Fran closed his eyes slightly, seemingly a little embarrassed.

"Hmm~ In the dream, one hand is enough, but in reality, I'll have to trouble Sister Haida to help me find the rest?"

Haida put the lampshade containing Fran's head into her bosom and slowly sat down, leaning against the lamp post.

Witnessing Marianne's aging and death firsthand shocked her like never before. The image of Marianne's last moments before her death kept replaying in her mind, each time bringing a deep-seated sorrow and horror.

She needs to rest for a while to calm her restless mind.

Fran clearly knew that Haida needed some time to recover, so he remained silent in her arms, quietly closing his eyes and waiting.

About five minutes later, Haida felt her thoughts gradually returning to calm. She then began to ask Fran about the specifics of this quarterly house call.

"Dr. Fran...where are we now? And what's going on?"

"That's not hard to explain."

Fran had clearly prepared his answer beforehand, and he fluently and eloquently explained it after Haida began to speak.

“We are now in one of Norlington’s ‘futures’.”

Heda nodded without surprise upon hearing this.

She had certainly considered this answer, but simply knowing this wasn't enough. She also needed to figure out the reasons and causes behind Norrington's transformation into this state.

"I've also speculated about this. But why is our world heading towards destruction in the future? And... is all of this inevitable?"

“Of course not, dear Sister Heda.”

Fran wanted to wag her index finger, but with only her head remaining, she could only raise her eyebrows slightly to signal.

“Fate and the future are in a state of endless change, and every possibility will lead the branches of history in other directions. What is shown here is probably one of the ‘worst developments’.”

“…I understand.” Haida let out a soft breath.

Although she never believed in inevitability, Nenfran's clear and accurate answer did give her a sense of reassurance.

"Actually, I don't know much about this place either. What I'm saying now is just some guesses based on experience. For most of the day you were awake, I stayed in the lampshade and almost suffocated."

Fran made a casual complaint and yawned as he did so.

Haida narrowed her eyes slightly, as if she wanted to say something, but ultimately did not speak.

It's strange enough that a head could still survive, let alone the fact that Fran doesn't even have lungs anymore; if he's going to suffocate, a little longer won't make a difference...

Furthermore, a person's vocal cords should not be able to vibrate without air being pumped from the lungs, so theoretically, they should not be able to speak at all.

Just as Heda lifted the lampshade to get up and leave, Fran gestured for her to sit a little longer and not to be impatient.

"Sister Haida, are you familiar with the Sons of the Trees cult?"

Haida had indeed seen descriptions of the sect in some documents, and then recounted what she knew.

"A secret cult that believes in the 'Ancient Banyan Tree of Time'. Medium-sized, with a family bloodline system for succession, and its whereabouts are a mystery."

"This is a rather niche subject. You must have had excellent grades during your reserve service, right? Hmm... no wonder you were a top student?"

Fran chuckled, then continued along with Haida's words.

“Each branch and tendril of the ancient banyan tree represents a future trend, perhaps with hope remaining, or perhaps on the verge of destruction. In addition, there are also some differences between these different branches…”

8. "After all, no two leaves have exactly the same vein pattern. Every snowflake may look similar, but the texture of their crystals is not exactly the same."

After listening to Fran's explanation, Heda had completely regained her composure. She then thought of a very important and practical new problem.

"By the way, Dr. Fran... where are your medicine box and my sword?"

"Oh, that's why I didn't let you leave directly earlier." Fran glanced at the scorching red sand under the streetlights.

"Our belongings are buried under the sand, and you'll have to go through the trouble of digging them out..."

錂——

Bad news: the item is buried very deep, and there's a lot of sand to dig out.

Good news! Haida is very fast at sifting sand.

Her arms and wrists were strong, and her movements were swift, like a human bulldozer. In just a few breaths, the loose sand that had been dug up had piled up high, revealing a box and a sword in the pit.

"Buzz—"

Haida wiped the dust off the guard of her power sword, [Nirvana], and sheathed it, eliciting a series of fine metallic chimes.

Although Fran continued to avoid physical labor as always, this time she seemed relaxed and at ease, completely at ease. After all, she really didn't have the ability... The only help she could offer at this moment was an encouraging look.

"Where do we go next? Since we're on a house call, we should have patients. Just like last time at the border."

"Sister Haida, I'm afraid I'll have to find my body first before I can meet with the patient again... I don't look like I'm in a condition where I can treat patients right now, do I?"

Fran, inside the lampshade, let out a soft sigh and blew the strands of hair that had fallen across his face to the side, showing that not having hands was indeed quite inconvenient.

"Moreover, my 'second medicine storehouse' for rare drugs is mainly placed in my torso and limbs. It would be bad to pollute the environment if it were left here."

Haida glanced at the city ruins covered in red sand, her expression becoming somewhat subtle. After a moment of contemplation, she remained silent.

Sometimes she had a hard time keeping up with Fran's peculiar thought processes. His first reaction to the possibility of the medicine being lost wasn't distress over the loss, but rather concern about environmental pollution…

"Of course, I'm just worried that the treatment won't achieve the best results. If surgery is necessary, this isn't a bad option."

Fran moved the remaining half of his neck to slightly relieve the soreness in his muscles.

"...As it is now?"

Heda had witnessed Franna's uncanny medical skills firsthand, so she had little doubt about him in this regard.

But right now she's really curious... how can you perform surgery on someone without limbs?

"Hmm~ I know, it's hard to believe."

Fran, as expected, put a white braid from beside his face into his mouth.

She pursed her lips, then opened them, revealing a complete and intricate knot.

"Sister Haida, would you like to see the osmanthus knot or the pipa knot?" She winked slightly, a hint of smugness in her eyes.

"No need, I think I understand."

Looking at the knots formed by strands of hair, Heda ultimately didn't ask any more questions. Although she still didn't know how Fran should perform surgery, her tongue-tying technique was truly astounding…

"Sigh, if this were the Fog Street Clinic, we could just use a spare 'Prayer Hand' and the problem would be solved... why go through all this trouble?"

Hearing Fran's casual complaint, Haida's eyes narrowed slightly, as if she had thought of something important.

“Dr. Fran, there’s Ms. Marian here, there’s Grantham from Central College, and naturally there’s another me… So there must be another you? Could she treat you?”

"Good idea."

Fran's lips curled slightly, revealing a hint of a smile.