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Upon hearing this, Haida, who had been calm and composed, was suddenly taken aback, and Vivian beside her also trembled slightly, her expression showing a hint of tension.
What's wrong? Why does Sister Heda only react to Gormouth? Is there something special about that place?
In fact, Haida only felt that everything was too coincidental, but she did not find the real discord.
The materials for the [Mechanized Spirit Body], the Star Abyss Society, the Nightmare Guest—everything seems to be coming to a close in that borderland kingdom near the Abyss Sea.
But even before these events of this year had fully unfolded, Fran had already expressed his intention to go there. He even applied for a quarterly transfer order for it…
Looking back now, her casual vacation plans, which included mentioning books, seemed like some kind of pre-planned scheme.
"Dr. Fran, what exactly is in Golmouth?"
For some inexplicable reason, Haida asked a question that even she herself found puzzling.
Fran raised an eyebrow slightly and stared at the nun in front of him for a few seconds.
Although the way she asked the question was a bit direct, it was in line with Haida's usual style... She did realize some of her own thoughts.
Through the spirit of the hunter, the hunter's intuition and psychic knowledge will become increasingly acute as they advance step by step.
Avoid the terrifying things lurking in the darkness, hunt down the targeted evil heirs, and even reverse a war that seems destined to collapse...
While Haida is far from achieving the state described in the commandments where "all things are easily resolved," she has already shown a certain tendency in this regard.
"What's there? Hmm... let me think."
After a moment's thought, Fran slowly began to speak, carefully choosing his words.
"A man-eating sea, a bunch of madmen with worms crawling out of their wounds, a group of mediocre people who want to see the stars from the seabed... and a few stupid thieves."
"At least that's my impression of it. I wonder if these guys have improved over the years."
Heda frowned slightly upon hearing this, trying to understand what Fran meant.
The Abyss Sea is known for its cannibalism, so it's not surprising that it's called that.
But the description "a madman whose wounds sprout worms"... refers to the ants' followers? And "a mediocre person who wants to see the stars from the seabed" should be the Star Abyss Society.
And... what about the "clumsy thief"?
Just as Haida was matching those nicknames with their actual sects, she suddenly saw someone hurrying towards her in the distance.
The newcomer had brown hair and blue eyes, and was tall and handsome. He was dressed in a smart teaching assistant uniform, and behind him was a large, rather conspicuous violin case.
It was Child. Judging from his slightly surprised expression, he probably didn't expect to run into the Hunter in charge of this case on the road.
He strode up to the three men and raised his hand to wipe away non-existent sweat from his forehead.
"Good day, members of the Hunters Order."
"You too, Mr. Child."
Haida responded with a polite greeting.
Because this case involves a White Cup cult assistant who has fallen into fanaticism, the Hunters of Mysteries have notified the White Cup Order. However, given their usual efficiency, it would have taken several hours for them to send a messenger in response; they didn't expect it to be so quick today…
Even with such a rapid pace, Child was still a little late. But he was indeed lucky enough today; Fran didn't return to the clinic directly through the Fog of the Door, so he eventually caught up with the group.
Child did not engage in small talk, but quickly steered the conversation to the main topic, proceeding as usual.
"Sister Haida, have you made any unusual discoveries in the Star Chart Study Group's case?"
"The funeral home has begun compiling the detailed case files, and we will share them with the White Cup Order within two business days. Schmidt's body will also be returned after the autopsy is completed."
Haida maintained her official tone with practiced ease, her eyes as calm and still as an ancient well.
However, out of some friendship with Child, she still offered a word of advice.
"Many potentially dangerous incidents in recent years have been more or less related to the White Cup. Although the number of believers is large and difficult to truly restrain... Schmidt is a White Cup teaching assistant and also a denier."
"His depravity deserves more attention."
"Yes, this is our mistake."
Childe lowered his head slightly and did not object.
His demeanor was humble and sincere, as if he had been reprimanded by Professor Terence many times, to the point that it had become a kind of muscle memory.
But Haida's intention was not to lecture him, so after seeing his attitude, she began to wonder if she had been too harsh...
Fran's voice rang out at just the right moment. (The rest of the text appears to be gibberish and cannot be translated.)
"Mr. Child, I guess you've come here for something other than investigating the case?"
If it were a formal investigation, the White Cup Order would likely stick to their usual two-person team setup, including Professor Terence. The fact that Child came alone suggests he may have other tasks on his mind.
"How did you know?" Child asked, his eyes widening in surprise.
"Just a guess."
Fran waved his hand, subtly changing the subject.
If this scene were to happen inside the Mirror of Enlightenment Club, her answer would probably be "the guidance of fate" or "the revelation of a dream"... But today she is the coroner of the Mysteries Hunters, not a diviner, so she has no time for such superstitions.
Of course, Child didn't think Fran was just guessing... Ever since he had his fortune told by the doctor at the Mirror of Enlightenment Club, he had developed a certain belief in the doctor's ability to foresee the future.
After obtaining the Death Card and later learning that his teaching assistant assessment would take place in the ruins of the Suki no Son's library, this trust became even more deeply rooted...
You could even say it's a bit superstitious.
“There is an academic seminar and several academic lectures at Norlington Central College. The principal would like to invite you to attend. This is the invitation.”
"If you are too busy to attend, please accept this gift."
As he spoke, Child handed Hedda three beautifully sealed letters, each bearing the emblem of the White Cup, an upright triangle, printed on white wax.
The nun took the letter, glanced at it briefly, and then a hint of doubt appeared in her grey-chestnut eyes.
"Is it 'attendee' rather than 'invited audience'?"
“是的。”肿zhUAＮＱUN:2⊙9¨∮4°04｝3∥¤5％｜6々∶4蔡尔德稍一躬身。
The difference in names is slight, but the underlying meanings are completely different.
The requirements for invited audience members are not high, since most people are just there to watch the spectacle. Almost anyone can listen to non-mystical content, and even for mystical content, audience members only need to show a token of their sect.
However, "attendees" are required to participate in the discussions at academic conferences. Therefore, invitees are typically senior students, professors, or supervisors.
Before long, Haida had figured out the ins and outs of it.
In previous years, the symposium was usually attended by Ms. Marian from the Medical Court. But this time, White Cup handed him the invitation... probably hoping to use this opportunity to invite Dr. Fran to attend.
"A lecture?"
Fran was aware of this, but she wasn't quite sure what Grantham was planning.
"...I'm sorry, I've been very busy at the clinic lately, and I'm afraid I won't be able to keep my appointment."
She habitually made excuses, intending to see Childe's reaction.
"Dr. Fran, this meeting won't take up too much of your time, and the White Cup Order will provide you with a Spirit-Gathering Material as payment. Of course, it can also be converted into 800 Norrington standard silver coins."
"If you do not wish to participate in the lecture, you are free to do so. In the meantime, we will keep your identity confidential throughout the lecture."
Fran glanced sideways at his words, his amber eyes holding a rather intriguing look.
Haida, who was standing to the side, was quite familiar with this situation; this was the expression on her face as she prepared to agree…
"Hmm... I can feel your sincerity. I will attend if nothing unexpected happens."
"We eagerly await your visit."
Child breathed a slight sigh of relief.
With Dr. Fran's approval, his trip wasn't entirely in vain. At least he could report back to the principal.
8∫7∮【陆■〓衫俬〈￣四↑er越⊥费群：“Oh right... there's one more thing.”
"The exploration of the library ruins proposed by 'Shushu no Son' has been put on the agenda, so please make preparations as soon as possible. In addition, they will also participate in this academic seminar."
"I understand," Haida nodded in agreement.
As the head of the funeral parlor, she had heard about Suki no Ko's visit, but she never expected to get involved with them so soon...
Having completed his mission, Child quickly departed. Before leaving, he couldn't help but pat his chest, feeling somewhat relieved that the trip had gone smoothly.
The rules of the academic seminar state that "each participant may bring one companion and one pet." Thankfully, Principal Grantham was quite generous this time, sending out three invitations at once… otherwise, I really wouldn't know how to face Miss Vivian.
As the white-cup teaching assistant's figure gradually disappeared around the street corner, Fran reached out into Vivian's arms and gently rubbed the crow's beak, waking the little bird that was still fast asleep with its eyes closed.
The crow awoke from its sweet dream, drooped its eyelids a few times, and then lazily flew onto Vivian's shoulder.
“Vivian, as I said at the beginning, I want you to keep last night’s secret. Don’t let it appear in the Secret Service’s files. Although the Funeral Court won’t hold you accountable for this, I don’t want to attract too much unnecessary attention.”
"Otherwise, I know which department you belong to, and I also know who your boss is..."
Vivian pursed her lips and reluctantly agreed.
"I...I won't tell anyone..."
"cough."
Seeing Fran so blatantly threatening her subordinate in front of her, Sister Heda couldn't help but raise her hand to cover her mouth and cough lightly.
Sometimes she really couldn't understand the doctor's strange hobbies; was scaring children really that interesting...?
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Transition! .ing
Chapter Nineteen: Messenger of the Foggy Street
Foggy Street Clinic, in the isolation room.
In most cases, Fran prefers to complete the dismantling of medical records and related work in his own operating room!
The place is sterile and dust-free, fully equipped, and has a pleasant environment that can resist most pollution and diseases... The reason she is conducting research in a special isolation room today is mainly because the sample in her hand is somewhat special.
This is a complete space necromancer, the "Skinner".
It is a special unit corrupted by the Skinner's Curse, abandoning its original advanced Gauss weapon modules and instead using mutated, proliferating metal claws.
Although the claws also have monomolecular coatings for cutting, this ultimately weakens their overall strength...
In return, one gains the ability to leapfrog between different dimensions.
This makes them move like ghosts, even though their cold mechanical consciousness is completely filled with a morbid desire to devour flesh and blood, they can still move with ease on the battlefield and reap the lives of mortals at will.
Its craving for warm flesh and blood also gives it a cunning, predatory nature, making it even more difficult to deal with.
However, once the leap is blocked, the Skinners lose their greatest support. Although they are not completely at the mercy of others, they become trapped beasts in a cage.
Clearly, without the permission of the Fog Street Master, it was unable to tear through the dimension as usual this time.
Although Heda was not wearing armor, with the help of her power sword "Nirvana" and Sigrid, it would only take a little effort to defeat her head-on.
"The isolation room hasn't been used in a long time; I almost forgot that there was such a room in the clinic."
Fran's in-depth study of the skinners here is mainly due to the viral curse emanating from him.
This thing spreads through contact and can hack into mechanical instruments and electronic systems. According to records, a technical priest of the Cult of Mechanics was infected with this virus and began to self-harm insanely.
She really didn't want the medical equipment in her operating room to turn into some kind of bloodthirsty machine monster...!
Fran breathed a sigh of relief and took a cold gray receiver from the skinner's body.
The hardness of living metal far exceeds that of conventional materials and it can slowly heal itself... Even though it had been disassembled into pieces, she still spent a lot of effort.
"It's a real pity. Apart from improving the resolution of [Mechanical Biology], this skinner has almost no other value."
A complete space necromancer body contains a large number of sophisticated components and a sufficient amount of living metal.
She had previously only collected about a hundred grams of this metal, and a significant portion of it was used to reforge Sister Heda's power sword.
This should have been an opportunity to replenish the stock... but right now this guy is highly contaminated by the Skinner's Curse, which has made all the components in his body infected with the virus and unable to function properly.
When Fran pierced her with the Sphinx-like tailbone, she sensed the contamination climbing up on her. Had she not quickly disengaged, she likely would have contracted the disease herself.
"However, the curse of the skinner is itself a gain."
Fran comforted himself and called Sigrid to put the rest into the display case in the collection room.
The skinner's braking system and combat modules have been completely removed, and it now looks exactly like a life-size model.
However, Sigrid discovered in the collection room that the "Dreammaker," which resembled a mechanical brain, had somehow escaped again and run out of the cabinet...