The eccentric doctor never makes a misdiagnosis!

Page 173

Vivian gasped for breath, taking some time to calm her racing heartbeat.

Although she had only exchanged a single glance with the girl in the mirror, she still felt an unprecedented sense of danger. Looking into those indifferent, cold eyes, it felt as if her throat would be slit by a sharp blade at any moment.

"Well done, Vivian. Maybe you're actually quite talented in combat?"

Fran approached Vivian, who was still shaken by the shock, and reached out to touch her head.

Haida sheathed her power sword again and walked over with light steps.

Although she was seriously injured, she was in a dream world and therefore still retained most of her mobility.

“Vivian did very well in the physical fitness test at the Secret Service. Hmm… the same goes for the firearms test.”

She recounted what she knew.

Among the Secret Service agents, Vivian was undoubtedly one of the best performers. But why did she seem like an accessory most of the time...? It was probably related to her extremely risk-averse approach to life.

"Gentlemen, exams and fieldwork are completely different..."

Vivian pursed her lips, seemingly reluctant to bring up the past.

"If I have to face mythical beings like the 'Girl in the Mirror' every time I'm on a field mission, I'll eventually develop a heart condition from being too frightened..."

"heart disease?"

Upon hearing Vivian's words, Fran reflexively turned around to look at her, a hint of excitement showing in his amber eyes.

"Dear Agent Vivian, with just a little help, I can permanently resolve your heart condition. Would you be interested?"

"There's a discount for the first quarter of May, but we need to return to Norrington to have sufficient surgical facilities."

"Well, Dr. Fran, I was just using an analogy..."

Vivian spoke weakly, then looked at Haida beside her with pleading eyes.

"cough."

Haida covered her mouth and coughed lightly, then asked Fran about the more important issue at hand.

"Dr. Fran, what's so special about the girl's eyeball in the mirror?"

Fran then took out a gelatinous evidence bag, placed the stolen eyeball inside, and began to answer Heda's questions.

"This little thing contains an extremely rich spirituality. But it is too chaotic, and therefore has the quality of driving people mad. It comes from an ancient person. But who exactly it is, it would be best to examine this room first."

"But before we begin inspecting the rooms, there is one more important thing to do."

As she spoke, she walked towards the standing silver mirror and examined its reflection. It was a towering, rugged staircase made of shards of glass and broken blades.

"Sure enough, the sharp blade staircase can be seen."

"This silver mirror is a fragment of the 'Gate of the Stag.' Or rather... a trace of its existence."

Both of the sanctuaries Fran mentioned are located in another world within the dream.

It defies conventional logic and cognition, and is inhabited by deities and their attendants. It has many names: a temple hidden behind the world, the dwelling of the sun, or... a wandering abode.

None of the people present, except Fran, knew this name, because it had been forgotten in the Lost Age and covered in the dust of history.

For most esoteric Buddhist followers today, although the temple is now free of walls, it is no longer as easy to find as it used to be, and even glimpsing its radiance from afar is impossible.

Just then, Luya arrived in front of the silver mirror.

She opened her mouth slightly and began to nibble at it like a biscuit. It made a crisp crunching sound, indicating she had good teeth.

"They actually ate it...?"

Watching Luya swallow the silver mirror, even Fran felt a strange ache in his throat. But the little deer looked like she was enjoying a snack.

“However, if Luyala digests the fragments of this door… then can the ‘Gate of the Stag’ also be called the ‘Gate of the Doe’?”

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.

Soup~

Chapter Sixty-Six Carmine

As Luya swallowed the silver mirror containing fragments of the Gate of the Stag, the blades and chill in Room 408 began to dissipate more quickly.

Only after they had completely dispersed did the true appearance of the room gradually become clear.

This is a very old-fashioned, ordinary guest room, with dust piled up everywhere. It's quite different from the usual decor of the Dream Flower Hotel.

It doesn't look like a hotel room for receiving guests, but rather like an elderly person's neglected study.

On the desk by the window were a quill pen, a dried-up ink bottle, and a book written on parchment.

Lu: "Oh, ancient Attila. It's so familiar, not using those strange, exotic languages."

San Fran reattached the arm he had given Vivian, then picked up the diary, brushed the dust off the cover, and began to examine it.

This action made Vivian, who had just calmed down, feel a little absurd again, and the corners of her lips twitched slightly.

A similar sense of absurdity had arisen when Fran had just taken off his arm and handed it to her, but at that time the Mirror Woman was in front of her, and she didn't have time to think about it deeply.

2 Vivian glanced at Haida and found that the nun's expression remained unchanged, as if she was used to it.

From this perspective, Sister Haida's understanding of Dr. Fran is indeed far greater than her own... But she usually accompanies him on field missions and rarely leaves the Hunter's Headquarters at other times. When exactly did the two become so familiar?

While she was still wondering, Fran had already begun reciting the contents of the book.

However, it's more like a diary than a document recording secret arts or ancient history. Or perhaps it's not even a diary, but merely a collection of random thoughts written based on sudden inspirations.

"Gray and gloom linger and rise, housing is nowhere to be found, the path to advancement is hidden in every corner of dreams. Just as I thought! Yes, just as I predicted... those fools who still walk the old path will be devoured by madness."

"I was right! I was...right!"

“That arrogant fool Gloria will pay the price for his stubbornness. He has clearly acquired a long life and taken on a ‘prototype,’ yet he is still so impatient and so ungrateful…”

“My time is running out… As long as I cannot shed this mortal body, nothing I do can delay death. Though I perish, I will continue to exist, even if I am reduced to fragments.”

Fran first recited it in the obscure and difficult Old Attila, and then switched to the common language.

Her tone was strange and desolate, like the dying roar of an old beast.

"I never imagined that one day I would have to follow in the footsteps of those naive apprentices. How pathetic. I had already seen a new path, and I already held the fragments of the Gate of the Stag..."

Listening to the doctor's words, Haida could genuinely feel the author's intense resentment.

At the same time, there is also a sense of helpless self-mockery.

"I, so insignificant, will also collapse like a celestial body. The essence of winter will return to my eyes, the essence of light to my brain, the essence of flesh and blood to my heart, and all the knowledge and understanding I have gained in my life will remain in my scars."

"Even though I have been torn into countless pieces, it is through this that I have been able to continue to exist..."

My notes end here. 6

Fran flipped open the cover, wanting to check the author's name. Soon, she found a name in an inconspicuous corner: Lu.

"Carmion von Monroe".

She murmured the name softly. (泤)

“Karmien?” Vivian’s eyes widened; the name sent a strange chill down her spine.

"That mad monk who wrote the 'convergence theory' commentary on *The Epic of Monroe*?"

"good."

Fran nodded slightly, confirming her answer.

Upon hearing this, a strong sense of unreality arose in Vivian's mind.

She remembered the name so well because Fran had mentioned it when they were in old Will's bookstore.

The two were pretending to debate the contents of "The Epic of Monroe," with the two sons of Sugimoto nearby. It was only thanks to the doctor giving her a small note as a hint that she wasn't completely speechless.

The ancient people and books of the lost era are more than a thousand years old, which Vivian finds too distant, so she doesn't have many thoughts about them.

Now, with that person's handwritten notes and eyeballs actually right in front of her, she felt a strong sense of unreality.

Looking at Vivian, who was still somewhat dazed, Haida couldn't help but feel a sense of admiration for her.

I originally thought this Secret Service agent was just keen on collecting strange popular novels, but I didn't expect that she would also have knowledge of ancient books like "The Epic of Munro" and could even accurately identify the author of a certain annotation... Her reaction was even faster than mine.

It seems I don't know her well enough...

"Judging from the contents of the notes and the condition of the room, Karmion used some kind of ritual to split himself apart and turned each part into a living relic."

Fran looked at the eyeball she had placed in the storage bag and gently shook it a few times. The pupil of the eyeball contracted slightly in response.

"As expected of a lost era that breeds monsters and madmen, they're capable of anything. What normal person would use such a creative idea on themselves?"

-%≠※□□〇}仲〖]QUn: As she spoke, she put the eyeball back into the medicine box, then looked at Luyala, who was still chewing. Her expression was almost one of enjoyment, as if what she was eating was not a shard of silver mirror, but some kind of juicy fruit.

"I wonder if you will be able to open the Gate of the Stag after you digest the fragments of this door. Of course... if you were to open it, it would be more appropriate to call it the Gate of the Doe."

As she spoke, she reached out and rummaged through the bookshelf in the room. Although the many books on the shelf looked very thick, they were all blank pages.

"Nothing is left. Is it because all the knowledge was stored in the 'scars'?"

Fran lightly touched his lower lip, looking thoughtful.

"There's nothing of value here anymore, let's leave."

"Ah."

Haida responded and then began preparations to escape the dream.

The wounds she sustained from her previous encounter with the girl in the mirror have stopped bleeding due to the chill, and further treatment can wait until she wakes up.

-

In reality, inside room 427.

The raven Munin stared at the steel sculpture extending from Fran's back for a moment, then slowly shifted its gaze to the ceiling, somewhat guiltily avoiding looking at it again.

For most wild beasts, direct eye contact is a sign of provocation. While it's unclear exactly what this creature is, it's best not to offend it.

It certainly doesn't want to die young because of something like "glancing at the other person too much"...

Of course, the chimera "Sphinx" wouldn't harm Munn; in fact, it was one of its own protected objects. After all, Fran's order was to "protect the living things in the room."

Just then, there was a knock on the door.

"Dear guest of room 427, your dinner has arrived. Would it be convenient for you to open the door and receive it?"

It was the voice of the waitress from before.

Because she received a small tip from Fujuran, she was the first to deliver the food after finishing preparing it in the kitchen.

Compared to Gore silver, Norrington silver coins are of much higher purity, weight, and design. Therefore, residents of Foy are quite enthusiastic about collecting this "foreign currency".

This sudden change left the Sphinx's action module in a difficult position.

The waiter outside probably meant no harm, but they still wouldn't let her into the room.

Undoubtedly, his presence would frighten her and could easily have disastrous consequences. Furthermore, his creator and two companions were currently in a dream state and were not in a position to be seen by others.

But how can we get this waiter to leave without leaving a trace?

"Guest?" The waiter asked again when there was no response.

Mu Ning glanced at the direction of the door, then looked back at the feathered serpent-like steel sculpture, and finally spoke slowly.

"Please leave it outside the door. I just finished showering and am still changing."

The voice that came from its throat was Vivian's.

"Ah... okay, please take it quickly, or it will get cold."

Hearing the sounds from inside, the waiter outside was relieved, placed the food on the counter next to the door, and left.

The specific effects of the [Singing Bird] technique can actually be glimpsed from its name. The bird that carries this technique possesses a faint spiritual body, a thought process similar to that of humans, and the ability to accurately imitate the voices of others.

Its actions drew the attention of the Sphinx.

Sensing the seemingly harmless gaze of the colossal creature, Mu Ning spread his wings with a touch of smugness. As it turned out, some things couldn't be solved by force alone…

Just then, the Sphinx curled up, its tailbone-like torso overlapping and fitting back into Fran's body.

The doctor then opened his eyes and woke up.

"I never expected that just staying in a hotel could yield such a reward... I really should go out and travel to other places from time to time."

Fran slipped her bare feet into the hotel slippers, then got out of bed, went to the door, opened it, and retrieved three complimentary dinners from the Dreamy Flower Hotel: seafood risotto, oyster chowder, a platter of crab legs and shellfish, and the herbal tea "Misty Sleep."