The eccentric doctor never makes a misdiagnosis!

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“Ms. Louisa, your story seems no different from that of a street vendor.”

As he spoke, Fran yawned, and the tailbone of his fused spine swayed slightly.

"Perhaps I should consider using a more forceful method of collection..."

"and many more!"

Although Louisa didn't quite understand what "brutal" meant, she knew it wasn't a good thing. The woman's hands were strangely segmented, likely possessing a hidden rank above the high priest.

It is likely an "Apostle" of the sixth tier, or even a "prototype" of an even higher level...

Thinking of this, she continued the second half of her sentence.

"But later, the Star Abyss Society erected the 'Clock Tower,' and the curse of the Abyss Sea fell silent as a result. Those towers are the Star Abyss Society's greatest secret, and no one knows the secrets within them."

"However, some rumors say that captivating singing can sometimes be heard around the clock tower. And that singing seems to trigger disappearances."

As expected of an information broker, Louisa certainly knows how to pique people's interest. This explanation successfully aroused Fran's interest.

Are there any specific examples?

"Someone once asked me to find out the whereabouts of their child. But I encountered resistance and warnings from the Star Abyss Society, so there was no follow-up."

Louisa tried her best to draw the attention of the person in front of her to the Star Abyss Society. If she provoked those scholars, she might be able to find a chance to escape.

"That's it..."

Fran rubbed his fingertips, already having the idea of ​​going to the clock tower to spy.

"Is that all you know about the Curse of the Abyss?"

"Those secrets are firmly guarded by the Xingyuan Society. Although I am an information broker, I know I cannot pry into information that could endanger my life..."

Louisa tried her best to sound honest, but her hoarse voice only sounded strange.

"Um……"

Fran slowly looked at the other's face hidden in the black robe, his eyes like amber lights, clear yet elusive.

“Ms. Louisa, can you smell it? There seems to be a peculiar scent in the air.”

"what?"

Louisa clearly didn't understand what she meant and was momentarily taken aback. Her expression grew increasingly confused.

It is said that the higher one climbs the hidden staircase, the more dangerous it becomes. (The rest of the text appears to be unrelated and possibly machine-generated gibberish.)

She initially thought it was just a joke, but upon seeing the doctor in front of her, she realized that the person who proposed the theory truly had profound insights.

"You said... what kind of aura is it?"

To avoid offending her, Louisa went along with the conversation.

"It smells like 'lies.' So strong, it's nauseating."

Fran smiled and sighed softly. Then he extended the limbs of the Sphinx from his own vertebrae. The steel-like limbs brushed against Louisa's cheek as if by accident, leaving a shallow scar.

Only now did she see clearly what it was that had been binding her all along.

Black, steely bone emerged from its fleshy shell, seemingly cast from metal, yet retaining the agility and nimbleness of a living being. How to describe it? A hydra, a tiger spider, or a feathered serpent? It seems to bear traces of many ancient creatures.

Though it is a terrifying thing, it also possesses a captivating beauty of transformation...

"You...you are a follower of moths?"

As she said this, Louisa could feel her throat trembling uncontrollably, seemingly driven by instinctive fear.

"Hey, Ms. Louisa, it seems I didn't give you permission to ask a question?"

If it's torture, this is the time to punish. Common methods include breaking an arm, delivering a heavy blow to the abdomen, or other methods that can inflict intense pain.

But Fran did nothing; he simply looked at Louisa calmly, his smile unchanged.

After all, she was conducting a routine inquiry with the patient, and using overly harsh methods would violate her medical ethics.

"I'm very sorry, I overstepped my bounds. Um... I do know some things about the Xingyuan Society... but most of them are unverifiable rumors, and some of them may be absurd."

Upon seeing the Sphinx in person, Louisa's tone took on a strange air of respect.

"It concerns the gods. Or perhaps you prefer to call it 'the God of the Day'?"

"Go ahead."

Fran did not respond to her probing, but simply let her continue.

"It is said that the so-called curse of the Abyss Sea actually comes from the deity 'Abyss Well' worshipped by the Star Abyss Society. He perished in the Lost Age or even earlier, and the malevolent echoes before his banishment transformed into curses that entangle the mortal world."

"In other words, what those scholars are now venerating... is a great corpse."

When she spoke of those colossal statues that hung high in the sky, Louisa's voice became soft, as if she were afraid of being heard by something unseen.

But looking around, all that seemed to be the swirling mist was a hazy expanse.

After listening, Fran gently lifted his chin and fell into thought.

"Whether it's true or false, your information is indeed valuable enough to justify the consultation fee."

"However, I have a few questions I'd like to know. Hmm... are there any particularly valuable relics currently existing in the various cults of Foy?"

“Relics…”

This question was completely unrelated to the previous content and was quite a leap from it; it took Louisa some time to sort out her thoughts.

"The Star Abyss Society possesses many treasures unearthed from underwater ruins, mostly stored in the main hall's warehouse. However, if we're talking about which order is most enthusiastic about collecting these things... it would probably be the Six-Eyed Raven."

"They've always had a weakness for things that flash."

Fran only asked the question casually and did not pursue it further.

"Very good, your consultation fee has been collected."

"Then... may I leave now? Or is there anything else you can help me with?"

Louisa's attitude is completely different from what it was at the beginning.

Although the doctor in front of us did not show any spirituality from beginning to end, all the information indicated that she was a high-ranking disciple of the Moth Cult.

Compared to ordinary priests, they may have risen to a higher position.

To be able to relish the alluring "Cicada-shaped Song" Liu, to be able to shed a beautiful new life from an old skin, that keen insight into lies and concealment...

And there was a faint wisp of white downy hair on her forehead, like the whiskers of a silkworm moth.

Although she stubbornly identifies herself as a doctor, that may just be some kind of quirk.

"Wait a minute? Since it's a 'house call,' the goal should be to restore the patient's health..."

Fran silently and slowly observed Louisa, and the Sphinx with its inlaid spine immediately understood and stretched out its limbs, tearing away the tattered black robe covering her.

Beneath the black robe was a hunched and strangely shaped body.

Louisa's skin was mostly covered by a mottled carapace, with a texture and sheen similar to chitin. Small barbels were visible around her mouth, which resembled the chewing mouthparts of some kind of lacewing rather than human lips.

"What a daring attempt. To advance to the fourth tier, they actually transplanted the flesh and blood of a Holy Heir, and yet they didn't die..."

Fran greatly admired this experimental attitude of using himself as the material.

However, even if the transplant is successful... it does not mean that the danger is over.

"I apologize for making this a laughing stock. But this is the only way for me. If I don't take this step soon, I'll be old and dying."

Louisa appeared somewhat uneasy under Fran's supervision.

She knew very well that true transformation came from within, from skin to bone, like a moth shedding its cocoon. But she had no time to wait for the transformation to unfold; she could only seek help from external sources.

Perhaps, the truly perfect form is like the doctor before us.

"Daring to try and willing to pay the price. That's very much the style of a fanatic from a lost era."

Fran gave a brief assessment, then silently took out his medicine box and began rummaging through it.

"But you're about to die."

This was merely a straightforward statement, yet it stirred a deep-seated fear within Louisa—a fear of utter annihilation.

“How could it be dead? My father has already become the High Priest, and neither his spirituality nor his power can be faked! Moreover, there are no signs of him going out of control, and he can exist for at least another hundred years…”

"century?"

Upon hearing her words, Fran raised her hand to cover her mouth, concealing the somewhat impolite smile on her lips.

“If you were to exist as an unconscious Holy Heir, it would be more than a hundred years. But the time you can maintain your own self... is probably less than a year.”

"The gifts of the shelled species are not so easy to obtain."

"No, this is a lie! You're deceiving me..."

Louisa, who had previously tended to be compliant, now displayed an almost reactive rage. Her carapace swelled up, resembling the wings of a cockroach. Or, to put it simply, a cockroach.

Without a doubt, this doctor is also a disciple of the moth, an apostle who weaves a feathered robe with chaos, longing, and deception. There is no reason why he would not covet the remains of this ancient mythical creature.

...and have no reason to tell me even a single truth!

Louisa tore at her own body, sacrificing a large chunk of flesh to break free from the restraints binding her spine and coccyx.

After that, she rushed off in the opposite direction from Fran without hesitation.

Fran did not give chase, but simply stood still, letting the other disappear into the boundless mist.

"Such a strong reaction. It seems to still have some rationality, but it's actually half-mad? It looks like we'll have to increase the dosage of the medication from now on."

Louisa fled with all her might, maximizing her spiritual awareness in an attempt to find a way to break through the secret realm.

Finally, she spotted a small opening in the gray fog and rushed through it without hesitation, like a moth drawn to a flame.

Through the mist, Louisa saw the view beyond the gap... it was still that gray, cold street, and the doctor was still standing in the middle of it. She even waved as if to say hello.

"Welcome back, Ms. Louisa."

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soup!

Chapter Seventy-One: The Moth's Cry Drives Madness

If Louisa had previously used information asymmetry to turn Bartley into a trapped beast, then now it is she herself who is imprisoned.

Seeing Louisa trembling all over, Fran patiently began to persuade her.

"Let me state upfront that I am not interested in heated doctor-patient conflicts. If you are willing to maintain a good attitude towards medical care, we can save you a lot of unnecessary steps."

Qi "..."

Liu Luisa did not reply, but stared at the person in front of her in silence and wariness.

Lu felt like she was about to collapse.

If a direct confrontation were to occur, she had absolutely no confidence that she could defeat the doctor. Her attempts to distract him with her cryptic whispering techniques were met with indifference; he seemed to treat it as mere background music, completely unconcerned.

They even went so far as to flee... This is the result of their attempt.

Louisa traveled swiftly through the boundless sea of ​​fog for a long time, but the gap she finally found led her back to where she started.

Unable to resist or escape, reality brought her only cold despair.

“My consciousness and spirit are perfectly stable; I don’t need any treatment. Besides, I’ve answered all your questions; you should let me go now…”

"It seems we haven't reached a similar deal."

Fran gently shook his index finger, disagreeing with this view.

“As I said, the questions you answered were part of your consultation fee. Now that you have paid, I must fulfill my responsibilities as a doctor.”

As she spoke, she gradually walked towards Louisa.

This disciple of the Moth Cult was engaged in a fierce internal struggle and was momentarily at a loss as to what to do.

Should she let herself be manipulated, or... fight back to the death? Before she could make up her mind, Fran had already approached.

"Your time to think is over. It's too late today, and I didn't really want to work overtime..."

She looked somewhat tired and glanced at the time with a pocket watch in her hand.

When? Louisa pondered in astonishment. She hadn't noticed the other person coming to her side or taking out the pocket watch at all; it seemed to have happened in an instant.

It was as if... there was a break in my consciousness, and a certain period of time was deleted.