The eccentric doctor never makes a misdiagnosis!

When he mentioned "patients," Fran pursed his lips and glanced at Haida almost imperceptibly. A hint of amusement flickered in his deep amber-gold eyes.

-

The site of the White Cup Order.

The once-prosperous academy halls have been reduced to ruins, and the hurried figures of the academy and professors have vanished, leaving only a deathly silence.

Even carrion-eating ravens are unwilling to linger here, for the dead are already indistinguishable from dust, and no longer possess any value even in being devoured.

“Ms. Marian said she had been to the Academy, and taken away the White Cup Order’s ‘legacy.’ Perhaps this place is safer than the Tower of the Sun…”

Although Heda wore leather boots, she walked without making a sound. She silently passed through the academy's main hall and, guided by Fran, headed towards a room deep inside.

Fran, nestled within the lantern, had her long eyelashes slightly furrowed, as if she were about to fall asleep. With only one head, it was inevitable that she would lack energy, especially considering the long period she had maintained her [Dust and Impurity] state.

"Ah~" She let out a long yawn.

"Hopefully, what's hidden in the Central Academy is the torso. Otherwise, it makes no difference whether the limbs are there or not..."

They encountered no obstacles along the way, which was surprisingly smooth.

The vast academy was deathly silent; all imaginable life had vanished. Even the most resilient trees and vines had withered and died. This made it impossible for even the mosquitoes that depended on the plants to survive.

"It's here."

At Fran's prompting, Haida stopped in front of a rather ordinary office.

As the long-neglected wooden door gradually opened, Haida was able to glimpse the situation inside the room.

A pale left arm rested on the desk. In the corner of the room lay two lifeless corpses.

One corpse sat slumped to the ground, while another knelt beside it.

The dead are not uncommon here. Haida did not pay too much attention to their identities, but instead went to the office first and helped Fran recover her left arm.

"Great, both hands are ready. But it's still not very convenient to put into use..."

Although it was an expected situation, Fran still seemed somewhat troubled. Without a physical body, it was difficult for her to manipulate her two hands precisely.

Imagine what a creature with only arms and a head would look like? Oh, damn it, it's a Geodude...

For the sake of his image, Fran decided to maintain his current lantern-carrying state for the time being.

Having completed the limb recovery, Haida, following her professional habits, began investigating the two strangely deceased corpses.

"Dr. Fran. The person sitting on the ground... looks familiar?"

Fran raised an eyebrow and looked the corpse slumped on the ground up and down.

He was so decayed and rotten that he was unrecognizable, with sunken eye sockets and skin covered with crisscrossing, dry furrows, its texture almost like leather. But through his bone structure, Fran still quickly confirmed the other man's identity.

"Yes. He is indeed an acquaintance. Professor Terence, the paleographer."

This answer matched Haida's guess, and she then turned her gaze to another person.

"Then the one next to him... must be the assistant."

She lifted the robe draped over the corpse beside her, and a hint of surprise flashed in her eyes.

Compared to the decaying and rotten Terence, Child's body was almost intact, his features still youthful, with a certain boyish clarity and vitality. Time seemed to stand still for him, everything frozen in the moment he closed his eyes to sleep.

"Mr. Child's body shows no signs of aging or decay? Is it some kind of secret technique of the White Cup Order, or the effect of a disaster?"

Haida carefully stroked the hilt of her sword to prevent any unexpected events from occurring.

"It's not so much related to these things. The reason he hasn't changed is more due to his own unique characteristics."

Fran raised an eyebrow, his expression relaxed and indifferent, as if he had expected this all along.

“I don’t think I’ve mentioned this to you before… Child is actually a golem-like relic, numbered unknown. Although he is highly biomimetic, there are still subtle differences in his physiological structure compared to humans.”

Heda frowned slightly, recalling the scene when she met Childe.

He gives the impression of a normal young man, with nothing unusual about him except for his cheerful personality.

"Was he always a golem, or was he modified in the future?"

“Always have I,” Fran replied with a smile.

"I can't believe I didn't notice..." Haida raised her hand to her forehead, a strange doubt creeping into her professional competence.

"Caird's spirit originated from a normal human being, so it's normal that it's not noticeable without using secret techniques."

In fact, Fran could try to wake him up.

However, due to issues like aging and damaged wiring, this will likely take some time… In contrast, the energy problem is easily solved; bottled Philosopher's Stone powder will suffice.

But she currently has limited energy and doesn't intend to spend too much time on it.

"Let's not bother him, let's go."

Haida nodded slightly, and the two left the room. As the door closed, everything returned to darkness.

-

The further one gets into the heart of Norlington Central College, the more shocking the extent of the damage becomes.

Although the outer area is dilapidated, it still retains the basic structure of the building, while the central part is empty and open, almost completely leveled.

“In the novel ‘Setting Up a Dream,’ Ms. Marian said that Grantham died in battle. This place may be the battlefield where he fought…”

Compared to the energetic Heda, Fran lowered her eyes and pretended to be asleep, without responding.

Entering the very center of the vast, empty crater, the ground is covered with huge, tearing claw marks, and traces of frost, fire, and lightning are everywhere.

Deep within this brutal battlefield, Haida saw Grantham's still-standing figure.

The old man looked serene and composed, his meticulously trimmed beard perfectly in place, and his classic monk's pointed hat worn upright and neatly. It was as if he were not engaged in a life-or-death struggle, but rather enjoying a banquet.

But his entire being, including his clothes and cane, had completely crystallized. The shimmering light on the surface of the crystals was dazzling yet profound, like jade and emerald.

An unusually strong "spirit" surrounded Grantham's body, and even death could not dissipate its influence.

"Hmm~ Although the scholars of the White Cup despise the followers of the Red Cup, they cannot deny their essential similarities..."

Fran gazed at the emerald-like crystal sculpture and sighed.

The high priestess dancer named Sayens once etched the words "Call the Drinkers" into the very fabric of her skin, while Grantham... imprinted the unnamed first type of ritual into the crevices of his brain.

“Sister Haida, staring at him for too long will affect your mental state. It’s time to leave.”

Seeing that Haida was somewhat lost in thought, Fran offered a concerned reminder.

"Hmm." Haida withdrew her gaze. Then, glancing past Grantham's body, she gradually walked towards the academy's exit.

After the two figures completely disappeared, a shadow floated within Grantham's translucent body.

The wine, thick and swollen, slowly approached the emerald green crystal wall that sealed it off... those were fleshy eyeballs with countless pupils standing upright.

Chapter Sixty: Peeking into Fate [The Last Nun]

Lingxi District, Qingqinan Street.

Heda carried the lantern containing Fran's head and moved forward quietly.

Compared to other neighborhoods reduced to ruins, San's streets remain largely intact. As night deepens, the dim streetlights along the roads gradually brighten.

5 An unknown natural disaster nearly brought Norrington to the brink of destruction, and the West End was certainly not immune.

The reason why the street remains intact is that after the two crossed a dividing line in the ruins... this place is no longer reality, but a "secret realm".

The dimly lit street seemed to have no end... All the shops on both sides were dark, and the wooden signs hanging on the doorknobs were turned up to "closed".

"The streets are so quiet. There's no sandstorm or noise. I wish I had a bed at this time of year."

【Reaching for the Moon】Black tentacles wriggled and crawled out from between Fran's moist lips, up her cheeks, and gently rubbed her tired eyes.

"I have a feeling that the limbs stored here by the Lamp and the Moth will be legs. My torso will probably be at the Hunter's headquarters in the city center..."

"Oh, that's really troublesome."

She chuckled and sighed, then pursed her lips and swallowed the black tentacles back into her mouth.

-

Although it was a secret realm artificially created through rituals and mystical arts, the level of completion here was very high. The air was filled with the damp scent of earth after the rain, and there were a few shallow puddles scattered on the streets.

In a near-apocalyptic event, the cult of the Lamp and the Moth also reunited after a long period of division and hostility.

While intimate contact may burn each other, separation in dire circumstances means destruction.

Sensibility and rationality, light and darkness, are mutually exclusive yet interdependent. Just like two sides of a contradiction.

"The lights are on up ahead, Dr. Fran."

Heda gently patted Fran's cheek, waking her from her sleep.

"Ah~ I'm sorry, the environment here is a bit too perfect for sleeping."

Fran opened her eyes with considerable difficulty, and only after the drowsiness subsided slightly did she turn her gaze to the brightly lit shops along the street.

This is a fortune-telling hut.

Silk curtains, their patterns mottled in black and white, hung on either side of the cottage, resembling the scales of a moth. Specks of light shone through them.

"Sigh~ Those who believe in the 'lamp' all like to play this trick of divination."

Fran curled his lip slightly in disdain.

For her, nothing was more boring than a predetermined future. If the outcome could not be changed, then there was no essential difference between "prophecy" and "curse," and perhaps the two were even from the same source.

Just like Oedipus Rex, who tried to defy fate... even though he resisted with all his might, he ultimately could not avoid falling into the trap that fate had woven for him, killing his father and marrying his mother, ending up in a dead end.

"Welcome, distinguished guest."

A melodious and ethereal female voice quietly rang out.

"Hello, excuse me for disturbing you."

Haida looked towards the source of the sound, but saw no one. There was only a dimly lit candle and a mirror reflecting her image.

"What would you like to have your fortune told? Career, love, or your recent luck?"

In the mirror, she interlaced her fingers, leaned back in her chair, and expertly inquired about the fortune-telling service.

“I’ve come looking for two things, and I know… they’re right here.”

Haida stated directly her purpose for coming to the West District, without concealing anything or being evasive.

The Hunters' contacts with other esoteric sects are mostly straightforward. If cooperation is possible, they discuss agreements in detail; if not... they prepare for a violent assault.

"Heh..." A snicker filled with pleasure rang out, and the person in the mirror raised their hand to cover their lips.

"Many guests come here because they have lost something precious, and it seems you are no exception. Sister, what do you wish to regain? A lover, passion, or beautiful memories before destruction?"

"..."

Haida's chestnut-grey eyes darkened slightly.

She roughly understood why Dr. Fran disliked these fortune tellers. That cryptic attitude certainly made one want to empty a magazine in front of a mirror.

However, one point mentioned by the person in the mirror did pique her interest.

"Then please tell me... why Norrington was destroyed?"

"This question isn't difficult to answer. But... you are the funeral attendant of the Hunters, you should know this better than anyone else, so why are you asking me?"

The person in the mirror touched their chin, seemingly puzzled.

At this distance, with the [Tearing Ritual] added to the blade, it should be able to directly break through this guy's illusion. However, there's also a possibility of killing him outright. Should we try...?

Haida thought about this question seriously.

The person in the mirror keenly sensed that the other person was not in a good mood and that their patience was about to reach its limit.

"Okay, okay, I have a feeling you're thinking about something terrible. I really want to answer you, but I've forgotten that disaster. I can't describe what happened back then anymore."

"Have your memories been erased?...I understand."

This situation was not unexpected for Haida.

For some beings, their appearance is indescribable, their names cannot be mentioned, and even their memories cannot be preserved... Although the diviner did not answer Haida's question directly, he gave some hints from the side.

“Sister, let’s go back to the original question.”

The figure in the mirror gradually became illusory, transforming from Haida's appearance into a woman wearing a mottled gauze robe.

“I know what you’re looking for. But what can you offer in exchange for them? What price are you willing to pay for those two nameless limbs?”