The eccentric doctor never makes a misdiagnosis!

Page 137

"Thank you, Sister. Although the pit isn't deep, I can get out even if I fall in."

"Easy to do."

Haida nodded in acknowledgment of his thanks.

As the team ventured deeper into the ruins, more collapsed structures emerged from this sanctuary site, silent under the dust of history. Most of them were intertwined with the root systems of banyan trees, creating a strange stability between the two.

Albert arrived at a clock tower that had been reduced to ruins, raised his hand and placed it on three gnarled roots of a banyan tree. Immediately, these roots began to wriggle and part the fragments of metal and stone on the ground, revealing a downward staircase.

"Next is the Central Library."

"It was buried under the clock tower. No wonder it wasn't discovered during the previous exploration."

Terence looked at the wide staircase, a hint of understanding appearing on his face.

Just as he was about to lead the team forward, a swaying figure caught everyone's attention.

The creature appeared at the end of the stairs, its steps slow and unsteady, its movements soft and strange, as if its joints did not exist.

"A corpse? Ancient Banyan's secret technique?"

Terence's gaze narrowed slightly, and his brows furrowed deeply.

In fact, almost every secret sect uses corpses.

The lysin in the decaying crown can drive the corpse; the hunters are adept at using the ash of the dead; the Cistanche deserticola in the red cup can parasitize the human body, placing it between life and death; the son of the Su-shu tree may also possess this.

"That guy... that's probably not a corpse."

After a moment's thought, Albert spoke with some uncertainty.

"If I'm not mistaken, it should be 'Banyan Beard Mimicry,' a product of the secret arts of the Dust Order Era."

Under the glow of the lantern, the "person" at the end of the steps also revealed its form. Its body was entirely woven from the roots of the banyan tree, and its wooden face was twisted and strange, like a flawed, inferior doll.

Heda had removed the power sword "Nirvana" from her back, and Child had raised his sniper rifle, aiming at the approaching uninvited guest.

Upon approaching to a certain distance, the humanoid creature, entirely composed of banyan tendrils, suddenly charged forward, only to be cleaved in two at the waist by Haida's sword. Even after suffering such damage, it continued to writhe and climb.

"Ho..."

No one knows exactly where the monster made of tree roots has its vocal organs, but its cries do indeed reach everyone's ears.

"...Time, is His...deception..."

Its cry was indistinct and hoarse, like a scene that only appears in nightmares. 3∷…≠°∞+:

Fran was intrigued by what the creature was whispering. But after uttering that sentence, it lost its already impaired language ability, became hysterical, and was left only with the instinct to attack its surroundings.

Haida noticed this as well. To be on the safe side, she pierced straight through the chest of the bearded creature with her sword.

Under the spiritual influence of the power sword "Nirvana," its previously almost frenzied movements quickly ceased, and the plant branches that made up its body withered away.

Terence's furrowed brows eased slightly when he saw that it had completely lost all signs of life.

This mimic is only creepy in appearance, and not difficult to deal with... but who knows how many there are? If they're everywhere, things will get complicated.

"Are there many of these in the library?"

“Under normal circumstances, the Banyan Beard Mimicry would not attack others. It must be because of the long time that its spirit has undergone some kind of mutation.”

After a moment of contemplation, Albert continued to express his views.

"This kind of mimicry is very difficult to make, and it is generally used for library administrators. There will be no more than ten in the entire stacks."

"acceptable."

Terence nodded, then looked at Elsa beside him.

“Elsa, other exorcists will soon come to guide you. The dangers ahead are unpredictable, so you should stay here.”

"Um..." Elsa pursed her lips, looking somewhat embarrassed.

Under normal circumstances, she would have readily agreed to Terence's offer. After all, it was agreed upon before they set off... but after learning that the scholar from Gormouth was actually Flamel, she was now somewhat uneasy.

God knows what that woman's true purpose was in infiltrating the survey team...

"Why don't we have Miss Elsa come with us? The ruins aren't necessarily safe... And it'll take some time for the Exorcist to arrive, won't it?"

9. "With the Hunter of Mysteries in charge, these mystical creations below the second tier are actually not very dangerous."

Fran was the one who spoke up for her this time to help her out of the predicament.

Although Elsa felt a sense of gratitude, she also felt something was off.

Second... how come it seems that my request to continue in-depth research has actually fulfilled her wish?

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The daily soup continues!

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Chapter Thirty-Two: The Fall of the Library

Although Fran only offered a suggestion and did not explicitly state her opinion, her insistence still expressed her stance.

After much deliberation, Tyrone finally agreed to let Elsa enter the Relics Library.

Given the current composition of the exploration team, bringing one more person wouldn't be a burden. The main reason I previously disagreed with letting her venture deeper into the ruins was for her safety.

Since Dr. Fran supports Elsa continuing to follow the path, and it is also the child's own idea... there is no need for him to continue to oppose it.

Moreover, Sister Heda is now in charge of the entire team's security. This funeral director's competence is undeniable, and she is comparable to even senior directors.

Even if some unexpected danger were to occur, Terence would not be without corresponding emergency measures prepared in advance.

After confirming that no personnel changes were needed, the entire exploration team began to rest and recuperate.

After all, we had driven a long distance and spent nearly an hour traveling through the woods, so we needed some time to rest and recuperate.

While Terence and the two sons of the Bearded Trees were discussing the journey to the Central Library, Fran meticulously examined the figurine of the banyan tree on the ground, which had been dismantled by Haida.

Although this creature, being a creation of arcane arts, isn't strictly a corpse, that doesn't prevent her from performing the duties of a coroner...

"The banyan roots on its head have the highest activity and contain the most concentrated spiritual energy. In a sense, this part is the 'secret furnace' that drives its body's movements."

Fran deftly parted the figurine head with his index finger and began to examine its internal structure in detail.

Elsa squatted down beside Fusilan, examining the mystical artifact with her. ∏∥｜」wu－∴

"No wonder this mimic could still move after its body was destroyed, only stopping completely after its head shattered, and it even showed signs of life exhaustion..."

“Mr. Albert, what did that whisper mean? Do you know the specific meaning of those words?”

When it came to situations where he needed to demonstrate his knowledge, Albert did not shirk his duties and readily shared what he knew.

"I only heard two words in Old Loretonian. One was 'time,' and the other was 'deception.'"

"The ancient banyan tree wields a hidden power over time, which may be related to this. As for deception..."

As he said this, he paused slightly, as if he was also pondering the possible meaning of the word.

"This term actually appears in many ancient documents. Many high-ranking esoteric Buddhist disciples or scholars often feel that they have been deceived in some way when they are in despair."

"But I don't know the specific meaning either."

"This spirit with the beard-like appearance has been damaged and mutated over a long period of time, and what it says is most likely a collection of scattered and fabricated lies."

Albert's statement has some basis in reality.

For example, the author of "Hymn to the Carnivores," the great sorcerer Groria, is considered, in surviving historical records, to be one of the individuals closest to the hidden deities of the Lost Age.

Yet this very person, in his final work, "The Book of Ethereals," repeatedly and hysterically mentioned lies and deception. Even though Albert only read fragmented chapters, he could still feel a profound and intense sense of despair between the lines.

"Hmm... there seems to be something moving inside this guy's fascia."

Fran's amber eyes fell on a certain spot on the mimicry, catching a subtle yet intense surge of movement.

She raised her eyebrows slightly with amusement, then looked at Elsa beside her as if a little embarrassed.

“Miss Elsa, you should have a knife on you used to collect samples, right? Could you lend me one?”

"No problem, let me look for it..."

Fran's sudden conversation made Elsa feel a little awkward.

Although she had made up her mind to find an opportunity to ask Ms. Flamel about her purpose for coming here alone, she had not yet fully prepared herself psychologically.

Even the thought that the seemingly shy student before her was the mysterious and powerful High Priest of the Lamp Cult still made her involuntarily feel intimidated...

After frantically rummaging through her belongings, she took out a pair of pliers for cutting plant roots and a peeling knife and handed them to Fran.

"Thank you so much."

Fran took the tools and carefully cut off the slightly trembling banyan roots. Her expression was quite serious, but her movements carried a natural awkwardness, as if it were her first time doing this kind of work.

Instead of oozing sap from the broken ends of the banyan tree stump, several bright green aphids crawled out. These insects were much larger than normal individuals, and their dense, wriggling movements were quite unsettling.

"Aphids are indeed a common disease of banyan trees. I never expected that they would also exist in such a mysterious creature."

Elsa leaned closer, her eyes gleaming slightly, clearly intrigued by the noticeably swollen aphid. After all, the traditional skill of natural history is collecting undiscovered and exotic plants and animals.

For safety reasons, she asked Suki no Ko again.

"Mr. Albert, are there any precautions to take when sampling this insect? Is there any danger in contact with it?"

Looking at the dense swarm of bright green aphids in the banyan roots, Albert's eye twitched imperceptibly, and his eyes revealed an uncontrollable look of disgust.

"Ordinary aphids imbued with spirituality. Purely herbivorous and harmless."

"But it's not clean and can spread diseases. If you want to make biological samples, you should be careful to seal them properly."

"I see."

After understanding the situation, Elsa began collecting samples, only stopping with satisfaction after her quartz vials were filled with dozens of samples.

The raven on Vivian's shoulder flapped its wings excitedly, only to be glared at by Vivian.

She slightly pursed her lips, a hint of exasperation in her voice, and tapped the crow's head with her index finger.

"Don't think about eating everything... These insects that are tainted with strange spiritual energy can easily make you sick."

After confirming that the figurine had lost all research value, Haida took out a wooden-handled folding knife and used the blade to carve the ritual array for "Dissolving Evil" on the ground.

Soon, the arcane artifact placed at the center of the ritual was reduced to ash in the intense blue flames. II.

The hunters are always very experienced in dealing with such things in a harmless way.

The rest period ended quickly, and Albert led the group slowly down the steps and into the ruins of the library.

The library of the old sanctuary was vast and deep, the light from the lanterns illuminating only a small area around them, leaving the distance shrouded in darkness. This feeling was unsettling and oppressive, as if they were being swallowed by a colossal monster called darkness.

Albert approached a collapsed bookshelf and reached out to retrieve a book that had fallen to the ground. But even the slightest touch of his fingertips shattered the book into several pieces.

"The [Storage] ritual within the library has failed. The documents here... should all be destroyed."

At this point, a hint of regret appeared in his eyes.

These are all ancient texts from the Dust Era. If they could be reproduced, perhaps they could dispel the fog that shrouds the blank history... No esoteric scholar would not covet the secrets within.

Even with the unspeakable dangers involved, they are still irresistibly drawn to it. Like moths drawn to a flame, only when they are reduced to ashes will their obsessive fascination cease…

"The damage to the documents... was to be expected."

Terrence didn't show much emotion about it.

As a history professor, he has explored no fewer than dozens of historical sites, including many from the Chenxu era. These sites are characterized by severe damage, often yielding nothing but ashes.

Even so, the group continued their simple search as they moved forward. Some special texts possess mysterious qualities, making them no different from "relics," and perhaps they could survive thousands of years of dust and stagnation.

Throughout the entire process, Haida held the power sword "Nie" in her hand to guard against any potential dangers.

From the moment she stepped into the Central Library, she had felt a vague unease. A restless, almost agitated stirring within her soul seemed to be issuing a warning.

rustle-

After listening intently for a moment, Haida finally determined that the rustling noise was not a buzzing in her head caused by the silence, but a slight noise made by something moving in the distance.

"Watch out, something is approaching."

Before she finished speaking, several twisted human figures rose from the veins of the banyan tree on the ground and staggered toward the group.

The figurative form of the banyan tree.

Nine.