The eccentric doctor never makes a misdiagnosis!

Page 139

Fran seemed to have anticipated her question and quickly offered an explanation.

At the same time, she slightly raised her index finger, pointing to the layers of collapsed floors above.

“We’ve temporarily lost contact with the others. I had Mu Ning search the area, but we didn’t find the White Cup Order members or the two Sons of the Bearded Tree. They probably fell to another level instead of directly to the bottom.”

"Um……"

Haida frowned slightly upon hearing this, a hint of seriousness flashing in her gray-chestnut eyes.

Mu Ning?

There was no one with that name in the exploration team.

Some relics and ancient rituals can subtly alter the memories and minds of intruders, but Dr. Fran shouldn't be the type to be affected... Thinking of this, she tentatively asked a question.

Who is Mu Ning?

"The little guy that Vivian always carries with her. And, it told me its name itself."

As he spoke, Fran raised his index finger, and a small raven landed precisely on it.

It gently flapped its glossy dark blue wings, raised its head, and revealed a hint of pride in a rather human-like manner.

"So that's what it was."

Haida nodded knowingly, then approached Fran and inquired about her companion's situation.

"How are Vivian and the others? Are they injured?"

"Have."

Fran looked at Vivian, who was still unconscious, and then pointed to an impact mark on her arm.

"Her hand was dislocated during the fall, but it's just been set. Elsa has a few bruises from falling debris, but nothing serious. However... before worrying about others, Heida, you'd better take care of yourself first."

"Given your abilities, you should be able to maintain your balance even with two people on your back. The reason your coordination suddenly weakened is..."

"It's because of the scars left from previous contact with the Ficus beard mimic."

Heda's coat and nun's robe had been removed by Fran during the examination of her injuries, leaving her only in a black undershirt.

On her classically beautiful body lines, several faint puncture wounds could be seen, mostly located on her shoulder blades. Even she would have found it difficult to remain unscathed while blocking such a massive number of banyan-like mimics.

Although those eight secret techniques create five objects that appear humanoid, they lack the three-joint restriction, meaning they don't need to follow human movement logic when moving. Extremely troublesome…

"Are those mimics contaminated?"

Upon hearing this, Haida flexed her fingers a few times and realized that she did indeed have a slight decrease in control over her body.

"Yes."

Fran examined the small wounds and noticed that the nun's skin at the wound site had begun to show signs of senescence.

She gently closed her hands, and a clear, luminous light, capable of dispelling dust and impurities, immediately shone, filtering away the dust and debris surrounding the two of them. She then pressed her lips to the wound, sucking out the blood tainted with a strange spiritual energy.

In most cases of venomous bites, sucking out the venom with one's mouth is unwise. However, Fran did not bring a negative pressure device for venom extraction, and this unusual spiritual energy was repelled by Haida's own spirituality, making it difficult for it to spread…

In the current situation, this rather classic emergency method is quite effective.

The nun clearly felt the soft touch on her shoulder skin, and lowered her eyes slightly, waiting for the other person to finish the treatment.

Fran spat out a few strands of contaminated blood plasma. He then took out the Spirit Bone Willow Leaf Knife and cut away the poisoned flesh from the wound.

With the wound covered with gauze, Fran completed the debridement, since there wasn't much that needed to be removed.

"Are you feeling any better?"

She took out a handkerchief and wiped the fine sweat that had seeped from Heda's forehead due to the pain, then inquired about the nun's condition.

"Hmm... the sluggishness in my body has indeed lessened."

Haida breathed a sigh of relief, and her senses seemed to become much sharper as a result.

"By the way, only the 'bleeding' figurine has contamination."

As he spoke, Fran picked up a mimic that had collapsed and died in the fall from the ground and showed it to Haida its body structure.

"The mimic we first encountered, though in a frenzied state, was indeed a pure artifact of mystery, and therefore its interior was hollow."

"And this guy..."

As she spoke, she used Elsa's skinning knife to cut open the simulated abdomen from top to bottom. Beneath the skin made of banyan roots lay a group of highly lignified internal organs.

"Then they are normal humans who have been contaminated."

Looking at this twisted and grotesque mimicry, Haida's expression also became solemn.

"The true situation of the library ruins is more complicated than imagined."

"Perhaps something strange happened during those ten thousand years that were sealed away, or perhaps... the sons of Suju lied."

"That's right..."

Fran wanted to say something more, but then she saw Elsa and Vivian murmur a few times, showing signs of waking up. She gently let go, allowing Munin to return to Vivian's side.

Elsa rubbed her still throbbing forehead and then saw Fran standing in front of her with his hands behind his back. The doctor exuded an indescribable sense of calm, which made her tense nerves relax slightly.

Vivian's first action upon opening her eyes was to reach for the pocket on her chest, only breathing a sigh of relief after confirming that the raven had not been lost.

"Ms. Flamel, where are we now?"

Looking at the unfamiliar surroundings, Elsa asked with some confusion.

“Deep within the library, the true ‘Old Sanctuary’.”

Fran snapped his fingers lightly, expanding the range of [Dust Removal] even further. The surrounding scenery became visible under the clear, soft light.

The murals are made of stained glass, depicting a wooden platform for placing offerings, and a huge banyan-bearded statue standing in the center.

-

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If there are any recommendation votes...

Chapter Thirty-Four: Evil Creatures of the Abyss

As Terence fell, he took out the relic [S-0910. Hand of the Feast] from the pouch at his waist and put on the golden hand ornament as quickly as possible.

The shape of the hand that went to the banquet was similar to a gauntlet, with a hollowed-out gold chain in the middle and claw-like ends. Upon contact with a human, it began to emit an unsettling spiritual aura, and the dusty air was filled with the sweet, metallic scent of blood.

"【Blood Control】".

Crimson blood plasma gushed from the blood bag he carried with him, then formed a cocoon-like structure around him.

A blood-red cocoon enveloped him and Childe beside him, then they slammed heavily to the ground, stirring up a chaotic spray of blood.

Crimson blood swirled around him, then quickly shattered and vanished.

"Hoo..." Terence let out a slightly hurried breath, then half-protruded on the ground.

"Teacher, how are you feeling?"

Child helped him to a relatively flat spot to sit down.

"Please use this relic sparingly, as it will deepen the marks on your hands..."

He showed no surprise at his teacher using the Crimson Cup Secret Technique.

After all, he was present during the exploration that unearthed this "Hand of the Banquet"... and witnessed firsthand how the relic chose Terence, leaving its mark on the flesh and blood of the back of his hand.

With Terence's spirit at the second tier, using the Feast Hand to activate a second-class arcane technique wouldn't cause him too much weakness. The reason he suddenly felt unwell was more due to the low-oxygen environment here.

Ignoring the lingering discomfort in his body, he went straight to the pit and looked down.

Below the deep pit, all that could be seen were layers upon layers of towers and a dark, gloomy landscape.

"Sister Haida and the others fell deeper into the collapse..."

Even for extraordinary individuals with esoteric Buddhist ranks, falling from a great height is extremely dangerous. Terence couldn't help but feel a little worried about this.

"But Dr. Fran fell with them... If it were just a normal injury, it wouldn't be a big problem."

I just hope the injuries aren't too severe. After all, falls from great heights are usually accompanied by severe fractures and internal bleeding. If it's too serious, even that doctor probably wouldn't be able to heal it in a short time...

No longer dwelling on his concerns for Elsa's safety, he turned his attention to other matters.

"What about the two sons of the Bearded Tree?"

Child is a mechanical doll from a lost era. He will not suffer from acute altitude sickness due to low oxygen environment, and his observation skills are also beyond those of ordinary people. He should have a better understanding of what just happened.

"We didn't see them. The stone slabs on the ground were split in a triangular shape, and we fell in three different directions."

As he spoke, he glanced around, but all that remained on that level were dusty bookshelves.

"Tsk." Terence clicked his tongue, rubbing his forehead. Nine

"We let our guard down; we never expected such a turn of events..."

He sat on the ground, calming his breathing to alleviate the discomfort caused by the low-oxygen environment. As a professor in the history department, Terence had spent many years exploring archaeological sites, and his physical condition was much better than that of middle-aged people of his age, so the aftereffects were not severe.

Child, standing beside him, also frowned, a hint of unease showing in his deep blue eyes. (Part Three)

"Are the Sons of Suju deliberately creating chaos? They... betrayed the contract they signed?"

Out of respect for the ancient sect, White Cup and the two sons of Suju only signed a basic exploration agreement: no harm to each other, no deception, and distribution of spoils according to the specific terms of the agreement.

When it came to this, Terence seemed slightly hesitant.

"This point is still open to discussion."

In the instant the dark blue stone slab collapsed and shattered, he saw the surprise and disbelief on Albert's face.

If this was Suki no Ko's intentional act, then he shouldn't have shown surprise at this moment. Since the goal has already been achieved, there's no point in pretending now.

However, the distribution agreement had already been written, and the ownership of the relics in the library ruins belonged to the two sons of Suju. Their reason for interfering with the exploration should not exist.

Or perhaps, the two people's goal wasn't the "sacred relic" at all, but something else entirely...

Of course, it could also be a pure accident. But once suspicion arises, it cannot be eliminated, so it can only be considered one possibility.

...The chaotic situation made Terence feel a little irritated.

He waved his hand, then got up and together with Child, began to observe the details of their surroundings.

This is also a library, where wooden shelves hold many ancient books of unknown titles. Although less damaged than the upper floors, they are still rotten and would crumble into pieces at the slightest touch.

"Such an astonishing number of books, if it could be reproduced... we might be able to recreate the glory of the old era."

He stared blankly at the crumbs of the book in his hand, then shook his head with a wry smile.

"...Or perhaps, being sealed here is their best fate."

The White Cup's esoteric followers have always had some reservations about their hidden history.

They yearned for enlightenment, wanting to uncover the truth hidden beneath the dust of history. But at the same time, they had to carefully consider this unknown knowledge, lest they suffer the same irreversible destruction as their ancestors.

“Mr. Terence, here is a mural.”

蔡尔1德的声音遥0遥传来，循0着提灯的7光芒看去，泰6伦斯9也看到了刻1蚀于墙4壁上的巨幅图3画。纵6使落满尘埃，墙皮剥落，这幅深入石质的板画仍称得上清晰。

In the Age of Dust, humanity's research into the art of the invisible and the hidden deities had reached its true peak; they had come infinitely close to the truth.

But now, all that remains, besides ashes... are the pictures carved on stone tablets. Just like our ancient ancestors in the primitive era.

"This is……"

Terence's deep eyes flashed with a hint of astonishment, and his calloused fingers began to tremble slightly.

This mural has two "layers".

The objects depicted on the lower level are the deities worshipped by the Sons of the Tree of Susans—the magnificent ancient banyan tree with its lush foliage and blossoms that could blot out the sky. Furthermore, the painting technique used is extremely sophisticated; even though the traces have faded, its exquisite outlines can still be faintly discerned.

The "upper layer" covering the original painting consists of countless dense and messy dots.

Rather than a painting, it's more like a dent that was later hammered into the ground, a product more akin to an emotional outpouring.

Terence gently stroked these irregular, mottled depressions, and even after more than ten thousand years, he could still glimpse the deep and intense emotions of the writer.

"What exactly happened to this old sanctuary?... And what happened to those Sons of the Tree of Truth who were once here?"

He stood in front of the mural for a long time, then took out a sketchbook and began to record its specific appearance.

-

Outside the central library, several debunkers who had come to guide the way were exchanging confused glances.

"Didn't Professor Terence say that Elsa would turn back halfway? Why haven't I seen her? Could she have gone in with him too...?"