The eccentric doctor never makes a misdiagnosis!

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But... why is that? Where does the similarity between the two come from?

When she had just left the reserve force, she asked the Silver Hydra supervisor about this question, but the latter did not answer, but remained silent with a slight smile.

Right now, Vivian feels she's close to finding the answer.

...The answer seems to be within reach if you study the book in your hand further.

"Hmph... Before delving into these two secret manuals, let's solidify the secret technique model of [Raven Avatar] first... Now we're just one step away."

Vivian closed the book and carefully placed it into her personal storage bag.

She has already progressed to over 90% of the second-level advanced secret technique she was studying, [Raven Incarnation]. She only needs to completely solidify the secret technique array in her mind to be considered to have mastered the technique.

Originally, it would have taken at least another six months to fully master this secret technique, but those two secret manuals made Vivian understand the technique much faster, and some of the still vague principles inexplicably became clear and real.

This also corroborates some of her suspicions...

The Secret Court does indeed have a secret connection with the Six-Eyed Raven. Otherwise, their doctrines would never have influenced the secret arts they study.

However, the most important thing now is to complete the secret technique that has reached its final stage.

Ordinary birds acquire a certain degree of spiritual nature after being equipped with the [Calling Bird] arcane array, while [Raven Avatar] introduces this nature into the user. The caster can then transform into a bird form and briefly merge into the shadows.

"Go out for a walk, you're getting rusty from staying in bed all the time."

Vivian stretched her waist, then gently raised her hand, signaling Raven Munin to take up the best vantage point on the Leviathan.

……

During the nearly two-week voyage, Fran had converted his room into a makeshift laboratory.

Although the doctor was not enthusiastic about casting and mechanical skills, that did not mean she had no interest in them.

Fran always held himself to very high standards as a doctor. Besides being able to heal living beings with flesh and blood, he also required himself to be able to treat infected spirits or machines without being at a loss.

Today, however, Fran was simply finishing a research project that he had previously put on hold.

At this moment, she was wearing a monocular spectacle, the kind used for repairing delicate parts, and meticulously disassembling the weapon components in her hands. Haida sat quietly to the side, observing.

The object placed on the workbench, disassembled into countless pieces, is a single-edged chainsaw sword.

"Reverse engineering the weapon module isn't difficult; after all, the barrier to entry is much lower than that for powered weapons. But the problem is, how do you make it move without promethium fuel..."

Fran's world does not have an energy source similar to promethium.

It has a high calorific value, is readily available, and can be used to power almost any machinery. Its byproducts can be used to synthesize food, dyes, yeast, antibiotics, and even cigarettes…

It can almost be called a "panacea" at the industrial level.

Of course, it also causes severe pollution and atmospheric acidification... but compared to its benefits, these side effects are undoubtedly acceptable.

"If we assume that all users possess a certain level of spirituality, then we can use spiritual bones to create a storage device that is powered by pure spirituality."

Fran lightly licked his lips and finally finalized the reform plan.

"Dr. Fran, this is... a sword?"

Seeing that the doctor had mostly finished his work, Haida began to inquire about the object placed on the workbench.

"It looks somewhat similar to the chainsaw weapon mounted on the mechanical armor that White Cup used before."

Fran wiped the oil off his hands and explained to the nun beside him.

"In principle, there is not much difference between the two. Both use a high-speed rotating toothed chain to cut the enemy."

"But it's obvious that this little thing is much lighter and has a much simpler structure. It was a trophy I got during a previous house call... from a not-so-friendly patient."

"Trophy?"

Heda keenly noticed the difference in Fran's wording.

She calls anything obtained through a commission "reward." "Loot"... well, that's probably something taken from the enemy. But this also makes her a little suspicious.

"Hmm...didn't the boundary-crossing effect work?"

Previously, while treating Ivenne at the border, Heda had obtained one or two rather handy weapons. However, she was ultimately unable to bring them back due to the boundary crossing effect.

"You still remember this rule? No wonder you're a top student among the Hunters. In fact, not all realms have the effect of crossing realms."

When the nun beside him mentioned this, Fran began to explain it to her in a lecture style.

"Although the borderlands are chaotic, the material world remains intact. Even if the so-called 'supreme will' wants to exert influence, it needs to do so subtly through agents. And the rules of some realms are already riddled with holes, so some things can be taken away through the loopholes."

This is the nature of the Warhammer universe. The material world has been nearly torn apart by the warp, so many of the original rules no longer hold any effect.

"The spirit bone implantation device is still at the clinic, and I don't have any spirit bone materials with me. Let's wait until we get ashore for further research... I believe Sigrid will be interested in this."

As he spoke, Fran began to gather his chainsaw sword and its parts, neatly placing them into his medicine box.

"Um……"

Upon hearing this, Haida's amber eyes flashed with a thoughtful expression, and she suddenly thought of a question.

“Dr. Fran, the ‘membership card’ you’ve given me is actually a key to Fog Street. The holder can enter Fog Street from anywhere in Norrington… but what about in other cities?”

"Don't worry about that, Haida. You can enter the Fog City from other areas as well; there are no restrictions in that regard."

Fran paused briefly after speaking, and then began to recount the second half of the story.

"It will simply become a one-way ticket, and you won't be able to return to the original place. Leaving Fog Street will take you directly into Norrington."

Lin: "Is that so..."

Qi Haida nodded slightly, having already understood the rules.

Lu: "This is without an 'anchor point.' After arriving in Gormouth, one can travel to and from Fog Street via a ceremony, although the preparation process is somewhat complicated."

Jiufulan never shied away from telling Haida this kind of information, so he explained the specific principles to her in a simple and complex way.

“Choose a secret realm that does not exist in reality, and use my blood as the main ingredient to summon gray mist. Transform the unclaimed secret realm into a ‘branch’ of the Fog Street Clinic.”

"I see."

Haida's chestnut-grey eyes flickered slightly as she noted this.

After about two weeks, the Leviathan has approached the waters near Gormouth. It will dock at Foyport tomorrow.

If the ship sails in a straight line, it would have reached its destination a few days ago. However, there are many restricted areas in the deep sea that must be navigated around.

This is by no means an alarmist rumor or propaganda... but an experience written in the blood and corpses of countless sailors.

As the proverb is widely circulated in the Department of Oceanography, White Cup.

—Do not be complacent about the mechanical ships powered by the arcane furnace; that sea can devour even steel.

After collecting the chainsaw sword parts, Fran raised his head slightly, his amber eyes gazing absently out the window.

The sky was overcast and gloomy, with the sunlight hidden behind the clouds, unable to be seen.

It was truly a peaceful voyage; not a single person on board was sick. Thankfully, we departed at the beginning of the month, otherwise I wouldn't have known who to see for the monthly house calls in April.

Unfortunately, the boat maintained a constant speed for almost the entire journey; otherwise, we could have tried sea fishing along the way…

-

At dusk, in the captain's cabin of the Leviathan.

The captain's cabin wasn't luxurious, but it wasn't exactly shabby either. One could only say that the person staying in this cabin had rather peculiar tastes.

The interior of the room was simply furnished, with not much furniture. However, it contained many transparent quartz tanks, which housed a variety of strange creatures from the deep sea.

At first glance, it doesn't look like a living room, but rather more like an ecological exhibition hall.

Captain Niflü Gmilton held a fountain pen and wrote in the ship's log for the day.

He was a tall, thin old man. Although wrinkles had etched deep lines on his face, his eyes remained deep and clear. He sat upright at his desk, looking remarkably energetic.

Utus was sitting on a leather sofa to the side, his expression normal, not at all serious. It seemed the two were just having a casual chat.

Indeed, although he and Niflü were officially superior and subordinate, their actual status was nearly equal. After all, this professor of oceanography was the strongest fighter among the entire crew of the Leviathan.

"Hmph."

Niflé irritably lit his pipe, his gaze towards Utus carrying a hint of resentment.

"You've got another Hunter on my ship. Are you thinking of switching jobs to the Funeral Court? A few years ago you even sent that chief hunter to Gormouth and back; the thought of him on the ship kept me up for three months."

Utus chuckled softly, clearly unperturbed by the captain's teasing.

"That was the safest voyage ever. Forget pirates, even the ghost ship of the Heir remnants would be in trouble."

In fact, they did encounter a pirate ship on that voyage. Then, that group of unlucky lads encountered Mr. Yaheng's solo boarding...

"...That makes sense. Although I don't particularly like those hunters, they certainly haven't caused any trouble on my ship."

Niflü took a sip of coffee, her tone softening slightly.

He had no intention of criticizing Utus; he mentioned it more as a joke.

“Last time it was ‘Red Wolf’ from the Funeral Home, this time it’s his daughter. Every time you hire such high-class ‘bodyguards,’ the General Affairs Department has to pay for your boat tickets… From a purely business perspective, it’s a bit too much of a bargain.”

"Next time I'll just deal directly with the hunters, so you don't have to profit from this."

Utus shook his head, disagreeing with the captain's statement.

“Norlington is, after all, the city of hunters, and we have no reason to refuse them boarding the ship... Besides, the White Cup Order has agreed.”

"Ah."

Niflüe began writing in his logbook, and only continued speaking after he had almost finished writing the day's entries.

"So, do you know why the Mysteries went to Golmouth? Apart from a few major cities like Mordway and Foy, it's a real lawless place."

"They're probably after Nightmare. That guy got into trouble twice in Norrington, and now he's being watched."

This is the reason the General Affairs Department informed Utus.

"Just a petty thief."

Nifol neither confirmed nor denied this answer.

Since this "Nightmare Guest" targeted the Priest of the Lamp Cult, it means he was preparing for a promotion. A disciple of the esoteric sect who hadn't even reached the rank of High Priest was far from being a real threat in the eyes of the Mysteries Hunter.

"Even if he really is the target, he's probably just someone we deal with incidentally."

"Hmm, that's true... Although the name sounds intimidating, Nightmare Guy himself shouldn't possess much power. He encountered Assistant Teacher Child during his crime, and then simply ran away without looking back."

Utus pondered for a moment, then somewhat uncertainly mentioned a rumor.

"Brother Terence said that Dr. Fran seemed interested in the spiritual materials of the 'Abyss Clan' when he attended the academic conference. It's probably related to this."

"Oh?"

Nifol showed some interest in this.

"Finding a living member of the Abyss Clan in Gormouth is about as difficult as encountering a mythical creature. It's not something that can be done with just persistence or willpower... The Star Abyss Society has been searching like mad for years without even a trace of them."

"However, that doctor could indeed do it... I heard her lecture at the academic conference, and even now, the feeling of dread hasn't faded."

Although he had no substantive affiliation with White Cup, he was indeed an honorary professor in the Department of Oceanography. Therefore, he also possessed the authority and qualification to know the true identity of "Flamemer" at the seminar.

"But what does that have to do with me? I'm just a boatman from Jiuhuo Village."

After another lighthearted remark, the conversation between the captain and the first mate came to an end.

After Utus left, Niflöl sat silently at his desk.

His gaze was calm and deep as he stared at the deep-sea fish swimming in the quartz tank, remaining motionless for a long time.

The glow of the setting sun shone through the seawater inside the container onto his face, revealing the metallic texture of scales on his aged skin.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

I must maintain my perfect attendance record for the remaining two weeks...

Chapter Sixty-Three: The Invisible Room

Passing through the gray-white smoke billowing from the chimneys, the Levia dropped its anchor cable and gradually came to a stop in the harbor.

Looking at the surging crowds in Foy Harbor and the long-lost land, Vivian couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.

Thankfully, we didn't encounter any unexpected situations this time... or rather, the peace was almost unsettling. We didn't encounter any evil offspring, pirates, or ancient creatures from beneath the Arctic Ocean.

There wasn't even any particularly bad weather; the journey was smooth and uneventful.

But this also made Dr. Fran, who was by her side, somewhat inexplicably restless. She always observed the people around her with an almost scrutinizing gaze, as if trying to find hidden illnesses.