The eccentric doctor never makes a misdiagnosis!

Page 206

"Living in the deep sea, what else can we eat besides fish? Even fish can only eat fish."

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soup!!

Chapter Ninety-Eight: Those Who Love the Strange

Mordwell, Prince Gunther's hidden residence.

Compared to other royal nobles who spent considerable time and money decorating their residences, Gunther's mansion was much more understated and simple. Although the overall decoration of the prince's main residence could still be described as luxurious, it had a more casual feel to it.

It's not that it's neglected, but it seems to be merely a symbolic building used to highlight its status, rather than a true "home".

Gunther devoted more of his energy to the "hidden residences" throughout Mordway. These residences were furnished with extraordinary luxury and offered the highest levels of security and privacy.

At this moment, Gunther was reclining on a wide, soft couch made of genuine leather, his gaze lingering on the crimson wine swirling in a quartz goblet.

"Lord Gunther, please have another drink."

A maid took his wine glass and gently and respectfully brought it to his lips.

The maid, dressed in a thin blouse, spoke obediently and had a well-proportioned and beautiful figure. Her body seemed to have been custom-made, with not a single ounce of fat visible above her waist and abdomen.

But... what rested on her neck was not a human head. It was the head of a bizarre python.

"Oh...you're as thoughtful as ever, Leireira."

Gunther drank the wine down her throat, and in the candlelight, he could see the shimmering scales on the back of the hand of the maid who had become Lerella's hand.

The reason he built these hidden mansions was so that he could enjoy the service of foreign girls without any hidden dangers.

Furthermore, this guy has an extremely wide range of hobbies and tolerances, including both orcs and humanoids.

It has nothing to do with beauty or ugliness; it is mainly determined by the mystical value contained in the other party.

The fold resembles Lei Ruila. Although her serpentine head could shatter the aesthetic standards of most ordinary people, the reason it takes this form is mainly because of the ant scales that remain in her bloodline.

After that deity fell into corruption, even favor became a curse.

Therefore, the maid was taken away by Gunther from the fishing village where she had been subjected to discrimination, and subsequently received his almost meticulous "pampering".

Of course… Gunther's methods for acquiring these special girls were not limited to this one. In fact, as long as he got what he wanted, he didn't care about the specific methods. Even if it was theft, fraud, robbery, or purchasing from certain individuals.

"Speaking of which, that merchant guild that's full of Northbrooks from Loretown... their May 'tax' should be arriving soon, right?"

Gunther pondered for a moment, then said casually.

As he spoke, the prince even stretched his legs with a rather relaxed air. Another attendant quickly stepped forward and skillfully began massaging his leg muscles.

The waiter was pale and handsome, and appeared to be no more than 15 years old. He had eight eyes, which were distributed on both sides of his forehead like those of some kind of spider, and his palms also had spider-like hairs... Moreover, he was not female.

In fact, Gunther simply dislikes "people." As long as something isn't human, this guy has almost no taboos.

Seeing that the prince had thought of this matter, Leireila responded as if she had been prepared. She also gestured to the heavily armored prince's guard beside her.

"Yes, sir. They are already waiting outside the Hidden Mansion."

“Alright, bring them in. I really want to see what surprises those despicable kidnappers have in store…”

As Gunther gave the order, several guards opened the main hall of the Hidden Mansion and led in a line of men in black robes.

"Your Highness, it is a great honor to have an audience with you. As always, we have brought you a 'gift,' and we hope you will be satisfied."

The leader removed the hood of his black robe and bowed respectfully.

He wore a familiar-looking black visor, obscuring his face. It looked...like something from a funeral home.

"No need for pleasantries, Thoros. Let me introduce what you've brought."

“You only brought one ‘tax’ document this time. If it doesn’t satisfy me… hey, you know what will happen.”

Gunther had no time for pleasantries; all he cared about at that moment was the quality of the goods brought by these traitors of the Hunters.

"I have absolute confidence in this... She won't let you down."

As he spoke, the slave trader known as Solous chuckled twice and reached out to lift the black cloth covering the body and face of a thin little girl beside him.

The girl was slender, but her eyes were filled with a ferocious and manic intensity that seemed to materialize. The moment her vision returned, she bent over, letting out a harsh growl.

If it weren't for the metal shackles on her ankles and arms, she probably would have already attacked the people around her.

“Oh… Solomon, I think I understand where your confidence comes from.”

Gunther gazed at the girl with almost dreamy eyes, his expression full of amazement and admiration.

Her limbs have retractable, sharp claws, her torso is covered in a patterned, downy fur, and her mouth contains protruding conical teeth… these are obvious feline characteristics. She is closer to a tiger than a leopard or lion.

"The fusion of human form and feline nature is so harmonious, and there are no traces of inferior alchemy... It's too beautiful. How did you obtain her?"

Seeing Prince Günther's high spirits, Thoros began to explain at a leisurely pace.

"According to the Hunters' records, before the God of Hunting became the sole sword wielder, there were other deities in this realm during the Dust Order era. And the feline creatures that possess mysterious powers are His creations."

"And this child is a byproduct of our mentor's pursuit of that deity's power. Rest assured, her characteristics are inherited from 'gestation,' not a random blending of bio-alchemy."

"However, she has a rather bad temper, which will depend on your superb skills, Your Highness. I believe you can make her quiet and obedient."

Gunther chuckled softly after receiving a satisfactory answer, then slightly opened his mouth.

Lei Ruila, who was standing nearby, immediately understood and picked up a green grape that was still wet with water droplets, and carefully put it into his mouth.

"You needn't trouble yourself with that. You may leave now; I happen to be in a particularly good mood tonight..."

As Gunther spoke, his barely suppressed excitement was palpable. What could be more exciting than taming a wild "kitten"?

"I shall take my leave now. I hope Your Highness will have a pleasant time."

Having completed his "offering" to the royal court, Solous then left with a group of people.

"Ho-"

The bound cat-like girl growled incessantly from her throat, trying to intimidate the unsettling strangers. But her threats were like a stray cat bluffing, utterly incapable of instilling fear.

"My child, I am not your enemy. Although you may not understand now, you will soon realize... I will bring you unprecedented joy and pleasure."

Gunther offered a word of comfort in a calm tone.

However, just as he was about to further tame this newly acquired plaything, a royal guard hurriedly walked in from outside the door.

“Your Highness, the High Priest of the Star Abyss Society, ‘Favier,’ has come to pay a visit… He has also brought a whole squad of armed Star Adjudicators.”

"Oh?" (The rest of the text appears to be gibberish and unrelated to the initial question.)

Gunther frowned upon hearing this, and his expression suddenly darkened.

"The high priest is leading the group, and he's even bringing soldiers with him. Are those guys planning a coup?"

"Alright, Lei Ruila, take this child away first. I need to see what tricks the people from Xingyuan Academy are up to. Let the guards of the Hidden Palace prepare in advance."

"Yes."

Upon receiving the order, the maid with the snake-like head took the cat-like girl away.

A moment later, a middle-aged man with a neatly trimmed mustache walked in. He had deep-set eyes and a long, thin face, which might easily give people a stereotypical and stubborn impression.

Seemingly to show his sincerity, Faville did not carry any weapons and entered the Hidden Palace alone.

“Mr. Favrell, you should know... I don’t like seeing you outside of the full moon, and I hate having my mood ruined even more. I hope you didn’t just decide to drop by on a whim.”

Gunther swirled the wine in his crystal glass and spoke with a veiled threat.

"Prince Gunther, there is something I need to inform you of."

Favier paid no heed to the prince's displeasure, his attitude and expression remaining as rigid and harsh as ever.

"Modway's Sleeping Sand Clock Tower has been stolen."

"Hmph. You've always been so proud of the clock tower's security measures, yet it was still burglarized? Tell me, what was stolen..."

After saying this, Gunther suddenly seemed to realize something, and his mental state became urgent, his face turning pale.

Before Favel could answer, he asked a follow-up question on his own.

"Could it be... that Lady Siodia escaped?"

The thought that this pure-blooded nobleman of the Heir clan might escape the Ridge Prison and that he would have little chance to contact him again filled Gunther with a sense of despondency.

That creature is a mythical being that has existed since the Age of Dust, the perfect being I've always dreamed of...

“No,” Favier said coldly.

Upon hearing his denial, Gunther's mood improved slightly, and his tense nerves relaxed a little.

The sound continued until the listener uttered his second sentence.

“It was much worse than that; the entire underwater city-state’s secret realm had vanished. Now Mordway’s Sleeping Sand Bell Tower was just a useless empty shell.”

Three. "Cough! Cough!"

Gunther's forehead veins throbbed like snakes as he coughed violently, unconsciously crushing the crystal glass of wine in his hand.

As a powerful prince with considerable shrewdness and composure, he should have appeared more composed, remaining unfazed even when faced with natural disasters. However, what Faville said was so shocking that he was completely unable to remain calm.

"You're saying the entire secret realm has vanished? How is that possible? That was the remains of an entire underwater city..."

“‘Disappeared’ is not quite accurate; it should be said that it was stolen.”

Favier added.

"Not only did they leave a notice, but they also gave advance notice of their next target for theft. According to the person who left the notice, 'Vivian,' she will go to the Six-Eyed Raven Cult during the full moon this month to take away one of their hidden treasures."

"In addition, they are said to have infiltrated the clock tower by impersonating your messengers, Your Highness."

"I?"

Gunther was almost immersed in the euphoria of Shitia's escape, and hearing that those people were still using his name only fueled his anger.

After taking several deep breaths, he managed to regain some composure.

"Phew... Since that arrogant guy dared to leave a notice, you go and contact the Six-Eyed Raven thieves and prepare to capture him in advance. Also, I will transfer a few batches of elite troops from the Prince's Palace Guard to you."

"Also, I have a few special relics in my inventory, you can take them with you."

Seeing the prince, who was almost out of control, Faville bowed and thanked him according to the etiquette of the Tide Listeners.

“Thank you for your generosity, Prince Günther. And please don’t worry, you’re not the only one angry about this…”

"The head of the association also attaches great importance to this matter. If it weren't for the fact that there were indeed traces of mental interference in the spirit of the guards on patrol the night before, most of them would have been executed."

Gunther, however, seemed completely unwilling to listen to any of this, and just gritted his teeth anxiously.

"I don't care whether you killed those scapegoats or not, I just want you to bring back that member of the Abyss Clan. You have no idea what her bloodline means to the entire Galonson Royal Court..."

9. Halfway through his sentence, he suddenly realized his slip of the tongue. His eyes narrowed, and he fell silent.

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Foy City.

In order to help the "Hermit" lady investigate the strange phenomena of the Sleeping Sand Bell Tower, the inchworm has recently spent a lot of time and effort.

First, using the traditional skills of the Moth Disciples, he fabricated a resume claiming he had worked for several years as a reporter at a foreign newspaper. He then used this resume to apply for and join Foy's local newspaper as a reporter.

3. With this identity as a cover, he began to conduct visits and investigations discreetly, gradually learning about the disappearances related to the Sleeping Sand Bell Tower.

From the people in some fishing villages, the inchworm learned that children did indeed disappear every few years. But besides that, he also received another important piece of information…

Sometimes, the missing children come back.

Moreover, a significant proportion of the children who went missing have returned, almost seven or eight out of ten. Only a very small number completely disappear without a trace.

"If it weren't for the hermit lady's suggestion, I probably wouldn't have noticed this strange thing even if I had lived in Foy for another ten years..."

The inchworm, who was compiling information at the newspaper office, muttered to itself with a slight sigh.

He was new to the area and hadn't yet had access to the newspaper's more in-depth research materials. However, by reviewing past issues, he discovered that an investigative journalist named Rosalie had been covering the section on the fallen city of Morion.

The investigative journalist left behind a lot of valuable information, and some of it led the inchworm to connect the disappearance of the Sleeping Sand Bell Tower with the strange phenomena of the fallen city.

As thoughts raced, a chilling conjecture emerged.

Could it be that the tragedy of the fallen city wasn't purely a natural disaster, but rather some kind of "man-made calamity"? The Star Abyss Society's actions are far too suspicious; heaven knows what they're doing inside the Sleeping Sand Bell Tower...

I still have too little information at hand, and this kind of superficial information that can be found in past periodicals is probably not even worth the attention of the Hermit Lady.

To demonstrate sufficient loyalty to her, he had to resort to the riskiest option.