The eccentric doctor never makes a misdiagnosis!

3. After saying goodbye, Vivian left the maintenance room. Only Haida remained, sitting alone on the sofa, slowly hanging the guns and magazines back into the cabinet.

As for the power sword "Nie", she usually maintains it and hangs it on the sword rack in her bedroom, almost close to her body.

Wearing this sword gave her a very strange feeling, how should I describe it...

It's like raising a kitten or puppy. Once it's been away from you for a long time, the buzzing sound of the blade when you swing it again becomes much louder, similar to the symptoms of separation anxiety.

Unable to come to a conclusion, Haida ultimately decided to put Fran's reminder aside for the time being.

Inspiration and enlightenment are not things that can be forced; adequate sleep can calm excited thoughts. We can then discuss it further later.

“…Take a bath.” Haida raised her arm and sniffed the sleeve of her nun’s robe.

Having spent a long time in the sewers and the birthday banquet hall assisting the medical corps' logistics team in evacuating survivors, she is now covered in blood and reeks of filth... and urgently needs cleaning.

Heda then finished washing up in the bathroom of her own room.

She has a habit of gradually lowering the water temperature while showering, alternating between hot, warm, and cold water. This helps her keep her mind clear... However, it's not recommended for people with weak immune systems to imitate this, as it can easily lead to a cold.

Haida lay on the soft bed, her weariness deepening like the ebb and flow of the tide at dusk.

"Na."

In a daze, as if floating on clouds, Haida vaguely heard an animal's cry. It was innocent, clear, and tinged with curiosity.

……deer?

Her grey-chestnut eyes snapped open and closed abruptly. The caution and alertness passed down through generations of funeral maids dispelled Haida's drowsiness, and she reached out for the power sword "Nirvana" placed on the sword rack.

She knew her bedroom layout by heart and would never forget the location of the sword rack. But her outstretched hand didn't touch the hilt of "Nie," but instead touched something else.

It feels soft and smooth to the touch, with the unique downy texture of the neck fur.

Haida opened her eyes and saw a white deer with a glassy luster timidly lying in the shadows beside the bed. It was very small and seemed not to be an adult.

"Hey!" Lu Ming said, a hint of panic and embarrassment in his voice.

Luya buried her head under the edge of the bed, but soon peeked out little by little. Then, the two, human and deer, locked eyes.

Haida gazed quietly at the fawn beside her bed, her lips slightly parted as if she wanted to say something... but ultimately fell silent.

This is the Norrington headquarters of the Hunters, a pristine land bestowed by the God of Hunting. Leaving aside Dr. Fran's ability to freely move through the mist within the door, how could even a deer sneak into his room so silently…?

But she soon realized something was wrong.

This place is familiar, but it's not my room.

The Lanqi sword stand that held the power sword "Nirvana" beside the bed was gone, and there was no longer any sense of being enveloped by the [Pure Land] ritual. But apart from that, everything else in the room was exactly the same.

Sensing the subtle changes at the level of spiritual awareness, Haida finally realized the true nature of this anomaly.

"Dream".

"A mythical creature capable of inducing dream entry... Are you the 'patient' Dr. Fran mentioned?"

Heda then recalled that Fran had mentioned having a patient who existed in her dreams, and that her defining characteristic was "cuteness."

The fawn right now seems to fit this description perfectly.

“Yes!” Luya nodded quite forcefully.

"So, did she send you?" Haida asked Luyala with a hint of curiosity.

Luya shook her head in a remarkably human manner, indicating that this matter had nothing to do with Fran. She then opened her mouth, biting and tugging at Haida's clothing, seemingly trying to get her to follow her.

Considering that the fawn was Fran's patient and showed no signs of contamination or malice... Heda decided to trust her for the time being.

The moment she stepped off the bed, her thin nightgown transformed back into a fully armored black nun's robe. Even her power sword, "Nirvana," was unknowingly sheathed on her back.

Dreams are interweaving and flashbacks of fragments of reality, naturally possessing both illusion and enlightenment.

Haida had attempted deep dreaming more than once during the Hunter's Gnostic course, but such a stable dream... was something she had never seen before. It was almost indistinguishable from reality, astonishingly realistic.

Luya stepped lightly out of the room. The ground beneath her feet rippled with pure white light, and the path she left behind seemed to be entirely formed of light.

Haida followed closely behind Luya.

Although she was trying to control herself, her gaze was still irresistibly drawn to the tuft of white tail hair that was sticking up and swaying constantly.

The urge to touch her inexplicably surged, but considering that this rather rude act might frighten her and was somewhat disrespectful... Haida ultimately did not act on it.

As the pure white light gradually dimmed, the surrounding scenery became clearer.

Silver birch and calamus, a long, shaded path.

The morning sun peeked through the gaps in the fallen leaves, scattering its rays across the blue brick pavement. Many students strolled among them, some hurrying, some leisurely.

...This is Norlington Central College.

----------------

On a business trip. (?-ι_-｀)

Chapter Seventy-Five: Connecting with Dreams

A tree-lined avenue, pedestrians in academic attire, and professors wearing white cup brooches...

Without a doubt, this is Norlington Central College.

White Cup and the Hunter of Secrets, Haida has also visited the academy many times and is quite familiar with it.

However, my most recent visit here revealed the ruins of what would later become Norrington's college. The desolate, dilapidated scene was truly impressive and unforgettable.

Influenced by that terrifying memory, several distorted, invisible waves rippled around them.

Dust, congealed blood, and the faint smell of decaying steel permeated the air... The celestial body standing eternally in the sky was stained with a strange, crimson hue, blinking slightly like an eye.

"Na!"

Luya tilted her head back and nudged Haida's waist with a hint of reproach, as if scolding her for her wild thoughts.

As the pure, soft, glassy light shone forth, the strange occurrence that had just happened instantly returned to normal, as if it had been "reset".

"……Feel sorry."

Considering that her wandering thoughts might have brought unnecessary danger, she sincerely apologized.

Upon hearing this, Luya shook her head slightly, the downy hair under her translucent horns swaying along with her neck.

The shimmering light, like threads, approached Haida's face and entered her eyes and ears without hindrance... Although it carried a warm aura, its shape resembled that of some kind of mollusk.

In occult common sense, obscurity and darkness are equally dangerous. Do not readily believe anything, whether it brings peace of mind or fear.

While the devil is indeed cunning and treacherous, the gods are equally elusive and unpredictable.

This scene made Haida instinctively want to draw her sword, but she quickly suppressed it with reason. She waited for the light to completely permeate her body.

A moment later, the white glimmer disappeared.

Haida narrowed her eyes slightly, noticing a subtle change in her memories.

The shattered memories of Norrington's future are still vivid, but the powerful "impression" has faded. It no longer possesses the breathtaking impact it once had.

The memories that had a profound impact on me have been softened.

In other words, besides her abilities related to dreams, she can also exert a certain degree of mental interference... Is this her racial talent?

Although Haida was almost certain that Luara belonged to a certain mythical race, there was no description matching her characteristics in the Hunter's Order's atlas of creatures. Therefore, all assumptions ultimately remained speculation.

After calming Haida down, Luyara resumed leading the way.

A deer, walking through the shade of the silver birch trees, soon came to a woman sitting on a bench by the roadside.

She is getting on in years and is no longer young. However, she takes good care of herself, has a full figure, and exudes the charm of a mature woman.

One could see a book tucked under his arm, old and thick, seemingly written in an ancient language from some country.

Besides, her brows were furrowed, as if she were worried about something...

—Mrs. Belinda

Heda saw Luya stop in front of her and then carefully examined the woman dressed as a teacher.

She wore a brooch on her chest that was sized for a college lecturer and had the words "Belinda Lois" engraved on it.

The Lois family member appears to be an instructor of the ancient Attilian language... Is there something special about her?

Heda's doubts were quickly answered. Countless illusory and intricate "paths" stretched out around Belinda, and she herself possessed an extremely strong presence, as if she were the center of the entire world.

Without a doubt, she is the master of this dream.

Through those hazy, indistinct paths, Haida vaguely saw various scenes... seemingly someone else's dream.

Normally, everyone's dreams are independent, and they can only be connected through special means. Perhaps through the innate abilities of certain mythical creatures, or perhaps through spiritual potions that "connect dreams."

So why did she bring herself into Belinda's dream?

Thinking of this, Haida turned her gaze, with a hint of doubt, to Luara, who was circling around Belinda.

The fawn's eyes were clear and calm; it wasn't in a hurry, simply pawing at the ground with its hooves. It seemed to be waiting for something to happen…

"Crack-crack-crack-crack-crack-"

A harsh, noisy grinding sound quietly began, sinister and heavy.

It's as if someone is rubbing their upper and lower jaws together with all their might, trying to grind both rows of teeth to dust.

A blood-soaked humanoid monster crawled out of the metal drain of the sewer. He slowly stood up and moved his body clumsily.

"Hmph, no matter how despicable that vampire is, he shouldn't have turned out like this."

Heda watched silently as the blood-stained monster drew closer to Belinda, without making a move.

It is essential to be cautious about things you don't fully understand. This is a dream, not reality; acting rashly could have negative consequences...

“Hey.” Luya stretched out a hoof and pointed at Haida, then at the monster, indicating that she didn’t need to worry.

"it is good."

Although there was no direct verbal communication, Haida understood her meaning very easily.

She responded immediately, then drew her power sword "Nirvana" and slashed forward with a sudden vertical strike.

In a flash of cold light, the tall, blood-stained humanoid figure was split in two from head to toe. The severed pieces slid limply to the ground along the midline of the body, making a dull thud.

As the manifestation of the nightmare completely disappeared, Belinda's furrowed brows relaxed, and she even leisurely began to read a book.

Luya then approached the corpse of the blood-stained monster, lightly touched it with her hoof, turning it completely into a white glimmer before swallowing it and beginning to chew.

This monster was just a simple nightmare, not a real nightmare. If left unattended, it will dissipate on its own after a while.

...But since it's been delivered right to my mouth, it feels like a waste not to eat it.

It seems that Fran's divination that day left such a strong impression on Mrs. Belinda that she has been plagued by similar nightmares recently.

Chew, chew, chew.

With her cheeks puffed out, Jiuluya quickly swallowed the nourishment that the remnants of the nightmare had turned into. She then walked towards Haida with a touch of intimacy and licked her palm with her pale pink tongue.

Hmm...did they call me here to be her bodyguard during her meal? Or perhaps, to help prepare the "ingredients"?

Although Luara can understand human language and has normal intelligence, she cannot speak, so communication is still somewhat difficult.

It was only at this moment that Haida roughly understood the logic behind her actions.

Having finished her meal, Luya stretched out her front hooves, pointing to the numerous "paths" surrounding Belinda. The scenery within was blurry and chaotic, constantly changing, dazzling the eye.

A quiet and solemn classroom, a dark and secluded ancient ruin, an office piled high with discarded blueprints, a manufacturing workshop where a power hammer keeps falling...

Lu Haida's gray-chestnut eyes narrowed slightly, and a sense of understanding arose in her heart.

These "roads" are the dreams of students and professors at Norlington Central College.

The mythical creature before them, resembling a young deer, uses Belinda's dream as its "central hub," connecting almost all the dreams in this area.

Why would she do this? To make it easier to find food? Or... is there another reason?

"Na!"

Suddenly, Luya pricked up her ears warily and looked around.

Something is approaching... powerful and oppressive.

Before Haida could ask, she summoned a pure white light to dispel the entire dream.

The scene of Norrington College vanished in an instant, and with a strong sense of loss, everything in Heda's sight returned to darkness.

Her eyelashes fluttered open, revealing a pair of gray-chestnut eyes, and Haida woke up in her bed.