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Page 191
From the perspective of the frenzied evil, she finally understood what Sister Heda meant by "the tower swaying." The building did indeed pulsate like a living thing, crawling like a hydra.
"—"
As the Antscale Disciples approached the Sleeping Sand Bell Tower from a certain distance, Vivian suddenly heard "singing" at an unexpected moment.
It was a melodious female voice humming, with harmonious rhythm and beautiful timbre, like a lullaby to lull someone to sleep.
She could sense an unprecedented sense of enjoyment and peace emerging from the fanatic's chaotic emotions... All his manic desires were soothed and calmed down by the humming.
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soup!
Chapter 83 Moon and Tide
It wasn't a grand symphony; the singing was just a very faint human humming.
But the emotions it contains are so calm, so peaceful, that it's impossible not to be drawn into them. Forget all your worries and obsessions, and just want to continue listening quietly.
Like being immersed in the azure waves of the ocean, the warm currents become a cradle. And the bright full moon hanging in the sky is the gentle gaze of that singer. Indeed... the ebb and flow of the tides are the breath of the moon.
Even though the viewing of the ant-scale disciple's memories had ended, Vivian was still not recovered from the distant melody.
"Gah!" A loud, discordant note suddenly rang out.
That was Mu Ning's cry.
Its voice startled Vivian from her reverie, making her sit up abruptly.
Seeing that she had already snapped out of her previous burst of inspiration, Fran asked her with a slight smile how she truly felt.
"Did you hear the song from the Sleeping Sand Bell Tower, Vivian? How does it feel?"
"...calm, and ethereal. As if all the restlessness had been calmed down."
Vivian shook off the lingering sense of disorientation and began to recount her feelings from just now.
It was a kind of solace that reached the very soul, as if all desires were forgotten... including even the instinct for survival.
At that moment, she seemed to have lost even the fear of death. She only wanted to continue listening, regardless of the consequences.
"Perfect timing! I learned how to sing this song after listening to it once. I'll try it next time to see if it works on the evil creatures of the Abyss."
Fran possesses the innate ability of "Song of the Shepherd," which allows her to imbue her singing with a special emotional stimulating effect. However, she doesn't have many opportunities to use this skill, so she hasn't used it much so far.
As she spoke, she withdrew her hands from their wrists and turned to look at Haida.
"Sister Haida, how are you feeling?"
This nun's spiritual awareness was far more acute than that of ordinary esoteric practitioners, and she was adept at gleaning special information from such things. She might be able to perceive something easily overlooked in the chanting of the Sleeping Sand Bell Tower.
Haida closed her eyes and pondered for a moment after hearing this, before slowly speaking.
"Loneliness."
"Her voice contained a profound sense of loneliness, like a solitary creature calling out to the distant horizon." (Noon)
She mentioned nothing else, because Dr. Fran would surely have captured the same emotions she felt from those various songs. VII
Upon hearing the nun's reply, Fran clearly became somewhat interested in the Star Abyss Society.
"So it seems the Star Abyss Society's secrets about the clock tower aren't just baseless rumors. Since there really is singing there, the disappearances might also be true..."
She gently rubbed her fingertips, as if this made her think of something else.
"Hmm... The deity worshipped by the Star Abyss Society may hold authority related to the moon, and their high-ranking members are called 'Tide Listeners'. The vampire followers of the Moon of Metamorphosis are called 'Moon Listeners'."
"What a coincidence. Perhaps there's some connection between the moon and the act of listening."
Fran's amber eyes narrowed slightly, and his pale white eyelashes curled gently.
Taking a walk outside Norrington every now and then is truly refreshing, with interesting surprises coming one after another, so you're almost never bored.
Upon hearing Fran mention the Moon Listener, Haida's gray-chestnut eyes narrowed slightly, as if she had suddenly remembered something.
“Moon Listener… Dr. Fran, I remember that the cult of the Moonkin is located in Gormouth.”
"Oh yes."
Fran readily agreed.
“Let me think. There was indeed a patient named Rosalie before. She happens to be in Gormouth, so I can go and find out some information… However, the Elder Council of the Moon Familia is located in the capital, Mordway, which is a bit far from Foy. I can go there later.”
Rosalie works as an investigative journalist, which often requires her to travel between different cities. However, Fran isn't worried about not being able to find her.
The child drank her blood and subconsciously carried a small gift from her... Luyala could use this spiritual connection to enter her dreams and deliver messages.
By this time, Haida had almost finished digesting the memories she had just glimpsed from the minds of the Ant Scale disciples, and she then raised a question.
"Judging from that memory, the Star Abyss Society was using the songs of the Sleeping Sand Bell Tower to control these monsters of the Ant Scale Gate?"
“Very likely.” Fran agreed with her.
As long as the Star Abyss Society's decision-makers have any sense, they won't actually form a cooperative relationship with the corrupted church. But if it's just a superficial act of mutual exploitation... they might not refuse.
Even so, this is still an extremely dangerous act.
"By the way, Dr. Fran. Did you obtain the information you wanted at the Six-Eyed Raven's Full Moon Gathering today?"
I am particularly concerned about the situation regarding the Six-Eyed Raven Cult of Haida, as it is related to the Nightmare Guest.
Although the task of hunting down that guy was assigned only to Bartley, as a hunter, she had an almost innate passion for this kind of hunt and didn't mind helping her colleagues in any way she could.
"Hey... that's quite a haul."
Fran curled his lips slightly, revealing a meaningful smile.
"I have learned about the Nightmare Guest's background from a Ravenfeather High Priest. His real name is Lyons Horton, a plunderer who has apostasy and possesses several dangerous lost arcane arts."
“Lyons should be the same group of thieves who went to the Xushu Ruins before, but compared to his comrades, he obtained something special. It was this unusual gain that caused his desires to swell uncontrollably…”
She paused briefly at this point, and after a moment's thought, she continued with the rest of the story.
"According to High Priest Ravenfeather, that guy should be hiding in the fallen city of Morion right now, working hard to prepare for the ascension ceremony."
Vivian pursed her lips upon hearing this.
Such detailed information… and obtained in just one night. Being utterly defeated in intelligence work by a doctor left this Secret Service agent somewhat ashamed and inexplicably feeling a blow.
Heda wasn't surprised by this; she had never doubted the doctor's ability to obtain information.
Most people, without realizing it, will open up to Fran. They will frankly and unguardedly reveal everything they know...
"In that case, should we head straight to the fallen city to pursue them?"
Fran did not seem in a hurry to answer the nun's question.
“I plan to schedule this matter after going to Mordway. After all, we don’t fully understand the situation in Golmouth yet. Besides, that guy was injured by the relic [S-66 faded to pure white] and will not be able to recover his spirituality for a long time.”
"it is good."
Heda did not raise any objections. In making this zero-category decision, the nun inexplicably had an almost unconditional trust in Fran.
She had witnessed Fran's arrangements and schemes. Although the methods were bizarre and unpredictable, they all seemed to ultimately lead to the "optimal solution."
“Oh, speaking of which, I also got a little thing in the Six-Eyed Raven Cult’s ‘Full Moon Auction’.”
As if he had thought of something, Fran took out a round, jet-black gem from the pocket of his white coat and lightly placed it on his fingertip.
The gemstone has a clear and transparent texture, exuding a subtle and gentle spirituality.
The funeral maids' handbook contained a list of special spiritual materials, so Haida quickly recognized that Fran held a Raven's Eye Stone. This was a unique product of the Six-Eyed Raven Cult, generally circulating only within their ranks.
"Dr. Fran...how did you get it?"
As she spoke of this, her gray-brown eyes narrowed slightly, as if she were recalling some past events.
"What's the problem?"
Fran pursed his lips and gave a soft snort, seemingly displeased.
“Since it’s a bidding event for the Six-Eyed Raven, of course I bought it. As a doctor with no reputation issues, I’ve always believed in fair trade.”
And that was indeed the case. Her earlier statement at the gathering about "ancient methods of acquiring things" didn't refer to the Six-Eyed Raven Cult's traditional practices, but rather to bartering…
“I see… I’m sorry, Dr. Fran, I was being presumptuous.”
Although she could sense that Fran wasn't really angry, Haida still apologized as she always did.
Meanwhile, Mu Ning, perched on Vivian's shoulder, stared intently at the gem, even making several human-like swallowing motions. It was as if what lay before him wasn't a gem, but some delicious delicacy.
With its instincts as a callbird, it could sense that the raven's eye stone was rich in the spiritual elements it needed.
Vivian did the same. However, being human, she didn't directly express her emotions. She only glanced at it discreetly, then forced herself not to look again.
"Hmm... While I wouldn't mind giving this little thing as a gift, I still need to do some research on it. I'll give it to you to play with in a while."
Noticing Mu Ning's undisguised gaze, Fran stepped forward and stroked its wings, offering some reassurance.
"Gah."
Mu Ning flapped his wings a few times and accepted the explanation.
After all, it contributed quite a few feathers to Fran's appearances, so it deserves some basic nutritional supplements...
The intelligence exchange between the two sides has been completed, and it is now midnight, with only two or three hours left before dawn.
Led by Fran, Haida and Vivian arrived at an unused room in the clinic to rest.
Although the rooms weren't as comfortable as those at the Norlington main hotel, they were equipped with simple bedding and were clean and tidy enough.
……
After escorting the two to their respective rooms, Fran carried his medicine box and slowly walked out of the clinic, stepping into the foggy street.
Although it was late, she still had some work to finish.
Passing through the distant, hazy mist, Fran returned to the collection room of the Norrington main store. The journey took about ten minutes, equivalent to most of a day's exercise for this doctor who was not good at physical labor.
She walked through the corridor of the collection room and came to the container that imprisoned the Time Aphid. She gently tapped the transparent container wall to wake it up.
"Mr. Aphid, are you asleep?"
The Time Aphid curled up tightly, showing no sign of paying any attention to her.
After realizing that it could neither escape nor die, it almost completely shut itself off. Although it did not truly enter a state of hibernation, it no longer responded to any external stimuli.
"How indifferent! I came here to feed you."
Fran paid no attention to the Time Aphid's attitude, simply raising his hand to place a piece of woody twig into the life support device next to the container. Through the pipes, the twig quickly landed on the Time Aphid's head.
This made the Time Aphid, who had been trying to remain silent, even more agitated.
It is a vermin capable of devouring everything, born from the turbulent currents of time, tasting and tearing apart countless material worlds. Yet now it is locked here like a prisoner, unable to escape no matter how hard it tries.
His arrogance and hubris seemed utterly worthless, and even the temporal essence that would have attracted the covetous eyes of the gods had been broken. This caused the Time Aphid to experience emotions beyond mere appetite for the first time... namely, intense self-doubt.
The "feeding" mentioned by this monstrous woman was probably some kind of reaction test experiment, or simply "humiliation".
The aphid initially intended to resist by refusing to cooperate, but it soon caught a whiff of a long-lost sweet scent wafting around it. It was the fragrance of fresh plants, almost intoxicating.
It suddenly stood up and looked at the tender branch beside it.
After giving Fran a wary look and confirming that she didn't seem inclined to interfere, the Time Aphid opened its mouthparts and began chewing on the branch as quickly as possible. It then retracted its mouthparts after finishing.
"My physical indicators and spirituality have all been slightly enhanced. Sure enough, the 'immortal branch' of the Six-Eyed Raven and the branches of the Ancient Banyan Tree of Time are from the same source."
Fran looked at the changing values on the life support equipment next to him and confirmed his suspicions.
"The description of 'from the same source' may not be accurate. It should be said that they are 'completely identical.' The Everlasting Branch should be one of the spoils taken by the thieves who once came to the ruins of the Tree of Immortality."
"However, the Six-Eyed Raven Cult is so extravagant as to sell it... Perhaps they have mastered cultivation techniques such as cuttings and have achieved initial mass production."
Judging from the price and the expression of the Ash Scar High Priest, while the Everlasting Branch is valuable to the Six-Eyed Raven Cult, it is by no means scarce. They either possess a large stockpile or have mastered the relevant production technology.
Recalling the signs of harvesting next to the "Shadow of the Future" fruit in the ruins of the library, Fran roughly guessed what they had gotten.
The ancient banyan fruit is undoubtedly a flawless or even higher quality sacred object. If the Six-Eyed Raven Order truly possesses another one... then my goal is very clear.
Her thoughts flowed quietly, and her amber eyes shimmered calmly, a hint of excitement rising within them.
“Coincidentally, the High Priest Greys sent an invitation to the First Habitat… The presiding officer there should know the location of the ‘Oak Shadow Nest’.”
"Hmm~ I really hope the next full moon comes soon."
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