The eccentric doctor never makes a misdiagnosis!

"I need to break through a technical bottleneck before the next quarterly rounds, so I can only work hard these few days to catch up..."

"Is there anything I can do to help? 〃▲♂』肆…］。◇弎∧.儛硫}＼柶肿÷〈zHUAnQUN:”

Fran's "reminder" did clarify Heda's thinking, so she wanted to offer Fran as much help as she could.

"Oh...yes, there are."

Upon hearing this, Fran immediately stood up and slowly moved closer to Haida.

“I’m currently in dire need of excellent experimental subjects, as well as relevant biological parameters. If Sister Heda is willing to assist me…”

Without anyone noticing, the languidness in her amber eyes had vanished, replaced by a fervent passion for scientific research.

"Are we going to continue with the previous surgery?"

Haida made her guesses quite calmly, as if she had already mentally prepared herself.

"Hmm~ no." Fran rested his cheek on his hand, looking regretful and disappointed.

“If this were a few months ago, I would have invited you to finish the rest of the surgery without hesitation, but my research project is unrelated to this right now…”

"Furthermore, I have new ideas for customized optimization solutions for the surgery, but I still need some time to fully refine them."

Haida nodded slightly, indicating that she understood.

"I understand. So... is there anything I need to do?"

"Come to Fog Street Clinic every three days until the end of December. I will do some physical examinations for you and record some data."

"As a reward, the copy of Proverbs and Silence is no longer considered a 'borrowed' item; it is now your property."

Fran's pale eyelashes fluttered, and a hint of cunning and cleverness was hidden in her eyes.

Sister Heda still had some resistance to the remodeling surgery, but she seemed to be less averse to it... That's good.

Fran had actually prepared a drug long ago that could force the funeral maids to sleep within a minute; it was non-toxic, harmless, colorless, and odorless. He planned to use it as needed…

However, considering that disregarding patients' wishes would violate her medical philosophy, Yu Lu has never put it into practice.

He has the desire to steal and the audacity to do so, but he hasn't yet made up his mind to take action.

Now that Haida is showing interest in volunteering for the surgery, he can permanently shelve this backup plan...

-

The Mirror of Enlightenment Club.

Dorothy listlessly fiddled with the amethyst cluster in her hand, observing the passing customers through the ripples in the silver mirror in front of her.

"Master of Ceremonies, please do not play with the ritual materials."

Tong En, who was sweeping the floor with a broom in hand, looked at the rather unserious Dorothy and gave her a somewhat irritating reminder.

"Crystal isn't mercury, touching it won't make it disappear. I'll just put it back in a bit."

Dorothy extended her index fingernail and gently tapped the crystal cluster's outer shell, seemingly already used to Tong En's nagging.

“Miss Dorothy, the accounts we submit to the Obscure Society every quarter always seem to have inexplicable problems… Some ritual materials just seem to have vanished into thin air. Do you have any clues?”

Tong En put down the broom, put his hands on his hips, and looked at Dorothy.

"In the end, I balanced everything out, didn't I? Don't worry, they won't pursue the matter."

Dorothy coughed lightly, trying to conceal her guilty conscience.

"But the losses of these ritual materials should have been accounted for transparently... at least it wouldn't leave any evidence against us."

In addition to serving as a receptionist, Tong En also worked as an accountant and an apprentice mirror polisher. Therefore, she handled most of the club's affairs single-handedly.

"Oh, right." She seemed to have thought of something, took out a schedule from her pocket, and began to look through it carefully.

"Today is the first Sunday of November. Miss Fran should be here according to the previous appointment. I'll go and prepare in advance."

Dorothy raised her hand, signaling Tong En to wait a moment.

“Last month, the Hunter carried out the ‘Purge Order’, and the Medical Court has a lot of work to do. Fran may not be able to handle it all… I’ll do a divination to see if she will visit today.”

She was still somewhat bothered that she hadn't been able to glean any information from the other party using [Display Tendency]. Although it was a lower-level arcane technique of the third category, its effect was solely dependent on the caster's psychic talent.

Even among those who are also mirror polishers, it's difficult to say that one can completely conceal it. Unless the other party's skill in divination far surpasses one's own, or they possess relics from the Lamp Cult.

“'Portraits' are coming, but 'prints' will not be made.”

With a flick of her thumb, Dorothy tossed a delicate silver coin into the air. The arcane spell, [Display Tendency], began to activate.

The Norrington silver coin, gleaming with metallic luster, traced an arc in the air before landing on the floor and beginning to spin.

"Qiang..."

Portraits, prints, or will they still be displayed vertically?

Having learned from her previous failed divination, Dorothy actually leaned more towards the last scenario, even if the chances of it happening were extremely slim…

The silver coin's spinning force gradually weakened, trembling like a spent arrow. Instead of dramatically standing upright or getting stuck in the gap, it eventually fell to one side.

It was the aged and majestic face of the first Meredith.

"A human figure, which means... she will keep her appointment on time."

Before Dorothy could finish her monologue, she saw Fran, dressed in a mottled gauze robe, step into the shop in the image of the mirror.

She walked through the corridor and went straight into the calcite chamber, her movements natural and practiced, as if she were visiting for the second time.

In addition, she was followed by a funeral attendant dressed in a black fitted robe. She was not tall, and her face was hidden under a hood, but strands of bright golden hair could be vaguely seen on both sides of her cheeks.

Was he a hunter accompanying Fran, or a guest seeking divination? Dorothy raised an eyebrow, somewhat puzzled. The hunters of the Funeral Court were always averse to prying into and speculating about fate, and generally wouldn't come to the fortune-telling shop.

And if it's just the two accompanying guards... how could a contracted physician be qualified to have the funeral home provide him with security services?

...Never mind, these are things that the prophets of the Obscure Society should worry about, they have nothing to do with me.

Dorothy quickly abandoned her deep thoughts, got up, picked up the Norrington coin from the ground, and wiped the dust off with her sleeve.

Although the divination did not fail this time, she felt no sense of accomplishment for some reason.

The outcome came true so quickly, it was as if Fran had deliberately let his guard down...

“After all, we’re fellow mirror-wiping enthusiasts. Tong En, why don’t you go and entertain her and that nun? Use the new tea from Golmouth; it’s rare to find someone in Norlington who appreciates this old-fashioned flavor.”

"Ok."

Tong En then prepared to go to the washroom to wash her hands before making tea. Dorothy, however, seemed to remember something and added a sentence.

"Wait a minute. Um... if Fran asks me, just say I'm away on a business trip and not at the club."

Whether it was a reminder from the psychic or a sign from fate, Dorothy always felt inexplicably guilty when she saw Fran… especially her gauze robe embroidered with both lamps and moths.

Although she was certain she had never seen it before, there was a vague sense of familiarity about it.

……

"Dr. Fran, am I really not going to be discovered here?"

In the calcite area, Sigrid, dressed as a funeral maid, stood somewhat awkwardly behind Fran.

Along the way, notices searching for her could be seen on the streetlights of Qingqinan Street. Even after several months, the Zhu Ri Cult had not given up on tracking her whereabouts.

...Of course, Somur didn't actually take any concrete action, but he certainly made a good show of it. This Corona Rider was a good person in every sense of the word, and could be considered an anomaly among the core decision-makers.

"Don't worry, the person sent by the Sun-Casting Headquarters to find you is dead. And all the resources of the branch are focused on the reconstruction work, so they won't be able to spare any more time for at least six months."

When the topic turned to the vampire from Ahanta, Fran felt a strange, absurd chuckle. He wanted to laugh, but felt it would be impolite.

He must have some strength to have escaped from Sister Heda, who wields the power sword "Nirvana," and is likely immune to sunlight.

However, this guy's luck was really bad...

Although escaping into the sewers was indeed the fastest way to get rid of Haida, at that time, the chief hunter Yaheng and the servant in the cup were engaged in a life-or-death cat-and-mouse game... This vampire would not escape death no matter who he encountered.

“Dear Sigrid, staying in the Fog Street Clinic all the time will make you feel suffocated. You need to go out from time to time to find some new things to do in order to maintain a healthy mental state, just like me.”

As he spoke, Fran handed Sigrid the fresh tea from Golmouth.

The latter took it with both hands and sipped it slowly. His face was hidden in the rising steam.

Just then, Tong En knocked on the door.

“Ms. Fran, Mr. Child has arrived. Hmm… he has a female companion with him.”

"Okay, I know."

Fran stepped forward and opened the door, wondering who Child had brought with him.

I remember Child said he would bring Professor Terence with him last time, but why is he accompanied by a lady? It seems the White Cup doesn't have any secret arts or rituals that can change gender... but the Red Cup does.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Dr. Fran. Um… and this funeral maid.”

Child waved to Fran, while not forgetting Sigrid behind her.

He seemed able to maintain this enthusiastic state indefinitely, like a golden retriever that never tires...

"Welcome to the Mirror of Enlightenment Club, Mr. Child."

After a brief greeting, Fran turned to Rosalie, who was standing next to Child.

"Excuse me, miss, may I ask how I should address you?"

“I’m an investigative reporter for the Norlington Evening Post. Just call me Rosalie.”

Rosalie was very easygoing, a stark contrast to her confrontational attitude when questioning Officer Raymond at the press conference.

Respect is essential when dealing with a Hunter's healer. After all, the Funeral Maid is standing behind her... and she doesn't want to get rid of a whole magazine of Silver Core bullets.

"Investigative journalism...that's certainly a suitable profession for the Moon Familia. Did you graduate from the Journalism Department of Norlington Central College?"

Fran held up his index finger to his lips and began to guess with great interest.

"……Yes."

After a moment's hesitation, Rosalie nodded slightly, confirming Fran's guess.

What puzzled her was that she had clearly put on a disguise, so it seemed to have no effect at all...

Sister Yakaida arrived at the conclusion of the Moon Familia in just a few seconds, while Dr. Fran seemed to have no thought at all, as if he already knew his identity the moment they met.

"Alright, let's get straight to the point."

As he spoke, Fran gracefully lifted his moth-gray velvet robe, concealing his face and revealing only his deep amber-gold eyes. He was like an astrologer from Attiland.

The light in the entire room seemed to dim as well, adding a sense of mystery and seclusion.

"What kind of enlightenment do you two hope to gain from the elusive concept of fate?"

-

Chapter Eighty-Three: The Scarlet Plague

Before heading to the Mirror of Enlightenment Club, Child and Rosalie said, "Let me introduce you to a very powerful doctor."

She had just learned some information about Fran from Byers' autopsy report and Professor Terence's snippets of conversation, and was very interested in this outside physician of the Mysteries Hunter, so she gladly went to visit him.

Rosalie always thought that divination was just a hobby for Fran, and that he probably wasn't very good at it. Perhaps he was just a beginner like Ms. Belinda, just playing around with it.

...until Fran covered her face with a veil, revealing the exotic patterns of gray moths and lamps on her robe.

Moths, intertwined and entwined, clung to the curves of her body, barely visible beneath her thin veil. The lamplight flickered, their downy feathers shimmered, eroding each other yet also depending on one another.

Simply by keeping her eyes on the scene, Rosalie felt her psychic awareness expanding and growing...

As if by some strange twist of fate, she asked the question that had plagued the Noralia family since the beginning of the millennium.

"How can the Moon Familia rid themselves of the 'Blood Plague'?"

Upon hearing this question, Child's azure eyes widened slightly.

He had a feeling Rosalie might ask some unusual questions, but he didn't expect them to be so important...

Since the betrayal of the Moon Goddess at the beginning of the millennium, a scourge known as the "Blood Plague" has spread among the Moon's Familiar. Is it a remnant of their undead nature, or punishment from a deity for their treachery? The answer remains elusive…

The symptoms of the blood plague are severe and deadly, and almost incurable. The afflicted person's craving for blood gradually becomes intense and unbearable, eventually becoming completely uncontrollable... leading to their descent into a mindless and evil being.

Almost the instant she uttered those words, Rosalie realized the inappropriateness of her statement and immediately corrected herself.

"Ah... I'm so sorry, Dr. Fran. I asked a strange question. Please allow me to ask another one."

Even the ancient vampires of the Elder Council couldn't cure this plague, so how could a mere human physician possibly have a solution? Besides, asking it in such an obviously informal setting as "divination"... I hope Dr. Fran doesn't think I'm putting her in a difficult position.

Rosalie raised her eyes slightly guiltily and looked cautiously at Fran.