The eccentric doctor never makes a misdiagnosis!

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As she spoke, she handed the book to the girl in her graduation gown.

The girl's eyes lit up slightly, and she almost couldn't wait to take the book and start flipping through its thick pages.

"Thank you!"

"Since you've read it too, sister, what's your opinion on the parable in Chapter Twelve, 'Those who forge tall hats must feed on their own blood relatives'? Is it also part of Mr. Zoparos's theory of aggregation?"

Vivian's eye twitched almost imperceptibly.

Just as she was about to give this not-so-bright girl a piece of her mind, she suddenly realized that the person in front of her looked strangely familiar, and she was momentarily startled.

Amber eyes, light-colored hair, and the... on her neck.

Noticing the change in Vivian's expression, Fran blinked lightly.

She then lifted her shirt, revealing the black stitching on her neck.

"Vivian, didn't we find out a little too late?"

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Inspiration! Why are you hiding from me?! It hurts, it hurts so much!

Chapter Twenty-Two: Controversial Cipher

The unexpected meeting made Vivian feel a little awkward.

I should have realized that concealing my presence would make me very inconspicuous, and ordinary people wouldn't even think of striking up a conversation with me...

She wasn't afraid of Fran.

Although this doctor is somewhat eccentric, he is indeed quite reasonable and follows his own unique set of principles.

As long as you don't violate any of the rules, she's actually not difficult to get along with... As for potential threats, that's something the General Affairs Department should consider.

The problem is that Vivian is currently on a surveillance mission with the Secret Court, and such a conversation might attract the attention of the two Sons of the Tree of Life. If the mission is affected as a result, she'll inevitably get a scolding from the Silver Feather Hydra Supervisor…

Vivian closed one eye and switched to the perspective of the callbird outside.

The little crow perched on the road sign preened its belly feathers and glanced discreetly into the bookstore.

Sure enough, Nigel and Albert had already noticed this, but remained silent and continued to observe.

To avoid arousing suspicion, I'll probably have to adopt an academic discussion approach. But I've almost forgotten everything from my cipher course back then... What exactly is Zoparros's convergence theory again?

Just as she was trying to recall her student days, she suddenly saw the doctor in front of her secretly reveal an unfolded piece of paper in his palm.

Ciphers weren't a required skill for Secret Service agents, so even during her early clerical work, she only had a superficial understanding of them. And the *Monroe Epic* was something only scholars would attempt to analyze… so it was understandable that she didn't know its contents.

Therefore, Fran thoughtfully prepared some off-field assistance for her.

Like a ray of dawn suddenly breaking through the gloomy clouds, Vivian felt relieved and immediately began to recount the contents of the story.

“Mr. Zoparros’s ‘aggregation theory’ argues that the act of cannibalism, in addition to satisfying the innate hunger of blood relatives, is essentially aimed at enriching the spirituality of the cup and ascending to a higher mystical level.”

"Personally, I am more inclined to Mr. Carmine's 'convergence theory.' He believes that cannibalism among blood relatives is essentially an imitation of ancient sacrificial rites...enriched with spirituality, which is just a reverse deduction by later researchers to make it more reasonable."

Upon hearing this, Fran slightly lifted the round, silver-rimmed glasses on his nose, and his amber eyes regained their clarity.

"That is indeed a reasonable explanation..."

Upon hearing Vivian's question, Albert, who had been quietly observing, narrowed his eyes in surprise.

He hadn't expected that someone in such a small bookstore would be aware of the various viewpoints within the esoteric literary world regarding the *Monroe Epic*. The once uninhibited White Cup Order had tightened its control over esoteric knowledge after the Lost Age; ordinary people shouldn't have such easy access to it…

Oh... is it because of the academic conference at Norlington Central College today that the South District has gathered many secret disciples from other sects?

Albert quickly pieced together the whole story. But at the same time, there was something else that bothered him greatly.

Why are there still people who support convergence theory? Hasn't the views of that charlatan monk Karmin been proven false? What does it mean to say "imitation is the essence, promotion is the appearance"? How utterly backwards they've reversed the order of importance!

Even Carmin himself died from psychic madness...

He really wanted to go over and explain, but after a moment's hesitation, he held back.

It's just a minor controversy in the discussion; there's no need for me to make a fuss over it. Ah, no need...

Just then, Fran picked up the book and began to read it, looking quite serious.

Second, "I am also more accepting of convergence theory."

"It's rumored that many of Attil's disciples perform meaningless sacrifices to varying degrees, euphemistically calling it 'pleasing the Mother of All Things.' Explaining this with the idea of ​​accumulating spirituality is clearly a stretch..."

Albert felt the blood begin to pressurize in his head.

Although Nigel pulled him back from behind, the boy still couldn't swallow his anger.

4. Pushing aside his colleagues' hands, he went to Fran and Vivian.

"I'm sorry to bother you."

5. It might be presumptuous of him to join the conversation between the two ladies, but he simply couldn't tolerate this cryptic exchange riddled with obvious errors...

6. "But if I may be so bold... convergence theory itself is an outright heresy."

"Besides his views being contradictory and self-contradictory, his theories are also highly misleading. Most esoteric scholars who firmly believe in his ideas become fanatics or fall into psychic disorder."

Vivian maintained the usual composure of a Secret Service agent, remaining indifferent and showing no intention of responding.

Of course, this was mainly because she really knew very little about the document, and even if she spoke, she wouldn't have much to say... But this also made her unconsciously wonder about Dr. Fran's actual purpose for this trip.

Is she trying to get in touch with Suki no Son? And her outfit... is she from the Star Abyss Society?

"Fanatical believer?"

Fran's amber eyes widened slightly, as if surprised by what the other person said.

"Yes."

Albert nodded and then began to explain in detail to the girl in academic attire in front of him.

"Carmin himself was an unbelieving monk, and most of his views were outrageous ravings, like his book 'Creationism.' While they may have some merit, it would be a mistake to actually believe those paradoxical arguments..."

"It will serve no purpose other than leading you astray."

Fran put down his book, looked at Albert with some curiosity, and then asked for his opinion.

"Sir, which viewpoint do you believe is correct?"

"The theory of origins!"

Albert's answer was remarkably decisive.

"Eating raw meat and drinking blood, swallowing whole, this behavior is by no means a mechanical imitation... but a tracing of ancient history. The one who offers the cup is not only accumulating the spirit of the cup from human corpses, but also drawing power from the hidden history that has passed away."

"While the actions of those esoteric Buddhist disciples were instinctive, they were also rituals imbued with principles. To define them simply as 'imitation' would be too biased."

January Concubine Group: 8◆逜〓＋路瘤§∝杉√—(After saying this, his expression relaxed a bit.)

Although I don't know how much she can understand, at least I stated the correct theory, so I can consider it as my best effort...

Meanwhile, Fran's attire also caught Albert's attention.

A dark-patterned blouse with white silk sleeves. Although it's student attire, it's quite similar to the style of the Navigator of the Deep Sea... It's a classic Gormouth style.

The order near the Abyss... is it the "Ant Scale Gate", the "Six-Eyed Raven", or the "Star Abyss Society"?

There are very few normal people left in the Ant Scale Gate Order who haven't gone mad, the disciples of the Six-Eyed Raven have not appeared for a long time, and the Star Abyss Society is still active to a certain extent... but most of them are astrologers who are ignorant of the ways of the world.

It must be said that the girl in front of me really fits this description... She seems like a student who has just left the ivory tower, full of longing for the world, but completely unaware of its cruelty.

Or perhaps they only know a few outdated, typical cases from books, but they don't take them seriously... And this is the most dangerous mindset.

"Is the idea that sacrifices are for tracing back to the origin, hence the term 'origin theory'?"

Fran nodded slightly, a hint of realization in his eyes, as if it were the first time he had heard this answer.

"From which source does this argument come?"

"The Lost Age Classic, The Hymn of the Carnivores, was written by the great sorcerer Gloria."

Even though he tried to hide it, a hint of smugness still showed in Albert's eyes.

The Sons of Suki possessed the highest-quality collection of ancient books, and even though some were lost in the ruins of the library, it was still much better than the White Cup Order, which was on the verge of extinction.

Of course, if Fran and Vivian's previous exchanges hadn't been so unconventional, he wouldn't have bothered to correct her through this information gap.

Upon hearing Albert's words, Fran subtly pursed his lips, a hint of a smile playing on his lips.

"But didn't the great sorcerer Gloria eventually go mad? He failed to become a new god as he envisioned, and instead became a half-human 'holy heir' before ascending to the highest level."

"This……"

Albert frowned slightly.

He had only intended to correct her, but judging from the girl's tone, she seemed to know something about this hidden history as well...

Seeing Albert remain silent for a moment, Fran then began to share his own views.

"If the only end is madness, then how can we say that Karmion's mad ramblings are wrong? After all, he did get what he wanted according to his own theories... becoming a monster beyond the ordinary."

"That's sophistry."

"But how do we disprove it?"

Fran's new problems followed.

Albert didn't want to get into a pointless argument. At the same time, he sensed that the girl in front of him wasn't as harmless as she appeared.

Once she delved into academic matters, her insight bordered on acerbic…

"...Based on the existing documents in the field of cryptanalysis, it is indeed impossible to disprove it."

The somewhat arrogant young man gritted his teeth and finally admitted it.

But he was not convinced, because the other party had only found loopholes in his words and had not truly refuted him.

"But I must remind you, while Karmion's theories cannot be disproven, they cannot be said to be correct either! Advancing according to his theories will result in flesh and blood mutation even before reaching the third tier."

"The deity worshipped by the Star Abyss Society also follows the nature of the 'Cup.' If you don't want to become a non-human being early on, you'd better not follow that guy's path..."

Fran certainly knew this.

She only brought up that point to mislead the other person; she couldn't possibly have actually tried it herself...<≌＝■

"Thank you for the reminder."

She seemed about to say something more, but after glancing at her pocket watch, her expression changed slightly, and she did not delve further into the academic matter.

"Excuse me, I have an academic conference to attend later, please excuse me."

After saying a polite remark, Fran removed the hood of his smock and hurriedly left Will's bookstore.

Albert watched her figure disappear completely, then narrowed his eyes, feeling a strange resentment welling up in his chest.

He tricked himself with a sophistry and then walked away without looking back. That guy is infuriating...

He then turned to look at another girl in a gray trench coat, but she had disappeared into the crowd and was nowhere to be seen.

"She left while you were arguing with that girl from the Star Abyss Society."

“Albert, although many of the secret documents from the outside world are incomplete, never underestimate any disciple of the esoteric religion.”

Seeing Albert's sullen and somewhat unhappy expression, Nigel stepped forward to offer a word of comfort.

Due to the difference in age and status, the relationship between the two sons of Suki is less like that of partners and more like that of a butler and his young master...

"Hmph, of course I know that."

"My wording was inappropriate just now, so it's only natural that I was refuted."

Although he readily admitted it verbally, Albert clearly had other ideas.

Anyway, she'll be attending the White Cup academic conference, so we'll see what happens then...

He raised his wrist and glanced at the watch etched with an ancient banyan tree pattern.

There's still plenty of time before the council meeting starts; even if they arrive thirty minutes later, they'll have plenty of time. Why was that girl in such a hurry?

A somewhat unbelievable guess came to mind.

Is this girl preparing for an academic lecture after the seminar? But that would require her esoteric knowledge to be at least at the professor level…

……

9. Fran walked out of Will's bookstore and blended into the sparse crowd.