The eccentric doctor never makes a misdiagnosis!

Page 247

Once she left the small cubicle and stood before the ancient Yisu wood door to Prince Gunther's bedroom, Shitia finally gathered her thoughts, which had been wandering too far into the distance. Seeing her momentarily silent, Fran humbly inquired.

"Ms. Shitia, could you explain in detail the solution to avoid triggering this ritual? I'm also quite interested in it."

Being diligent and inquisitive was one of this doctor's habits; even she had things she didn't fully understand. Rather than feigning profundity with ambiguity... it was better to honestly reveal her confusion and then humbly seek answers.

"of course."

In response, Xitia lightly raised her index finger and touched the door with her fingertip. As a wisp of pale, string-like spiritual energy spread like ripples, her deciphering began.

"The Quiet Zone is essentially a sensitive trigger; any form of disturbance will activate its alert. It can only be turned off using a designated 'key' to prevent it from affecting the user."

"The fundamental flaw in its principle lies here, and it will not disappear even after subsequent rewriting. The so-called key is just a special wisp of lunar phase spirit. Even if it has been encrypted with multiple layers, if you carefully observe the specific shape of the key's interlocking point in the ritual array, it is not difficult to forge."

Almost every master of mystic arts who constructs rituals leaves behind some form of "backdoor program" for themselves, and Xitia was no exception. As the wisp of spiritual energy she summoned continued to diffuse and change shape, it eventually perfectly matched the ritual array.

"despair."

With a soft creak, the security measures in the [Quiet Zone] were deactivated.

The entire process proceeded without encountering even the slightest difficulty or bottleneck; everything was natural and smooth, as if water had simply flowed into a channel. After all, it was a ritual array created by Shiodia herself, so even if there were subsequent modifications, it could still be mastered and disassembled in a matter of moments.

“Elemental elements that can interfere or block will trigger an alert, but those used for unlocking will not. Therefore, as long as they are disguised as a key-like form, they can avoid being identified and then further intrude… I see.”

Having witnessed the entire process firsthand, Fran also understood Shitia's solution. ⊙〕∶＝＞∥－

"Um, Ms. Vivian... and who is this?"

Detricia's eyes showed a hint of surprise at the sudden appearance of Shitia.

It wasn't that she was surprised by the appearance of other people; after all, Lady Vivian's secret technique, "Mist Within the Door," could easily transport people away without any apparent limitations. The only requirement might simply be finding a door…

To her surprise, the woman in front of her had a striking appearance and demeanor.

She was tall and slender with a graceful demeanor and delicate, soft classical beauty in her features, like a flawless work of art... Most importantly, she had ethereal and indifferent azure eyes, tassels like the long train of a gown, and a pale blue glint at the corners of her eyes.

Even without concrete evidence, Detrick's instincts told her that the woman before her was a "non-human being" from the deep sea.

“She is one of my patients… or rather, a friend. You can call her Shitia.”

Fran briefly explained Detrica's doubts.

“Hello…Ms. Shitia,” Detrick greeted her somewhat awkwardly.

"Hello, young raider."

Xitia nodded slightly in response.

Most esoteric Buddhist disciples with enlightened spiritual awareness would instinctively feel a slight sense of unease upon first encountering her. This stems from an almost innate, subconscious fear of ancient mythical creatures.

Perhaps to make Detricka more open, Shitia thought for a moment and then talked about an old friend of hers from the Six-Eyed Raven Cult.

“Speaking of which, I used to know a raven-feathered priest named ‘Tamamo.’ He had a rather wicked personality and his hobby was to transform into various different forms and mingle among people. Does Miss Detrica know him?”

"Pearl..."

Upon hearing the name, Detricka's eyes twitched slightly, and her expression stiffened unnaturally.

“I’ve seen this name in the Order’s Chronicle, Volume Seven. It seems he was the Raven Feather Apostle who came closest to the prototype at the end of the Lost Age, but he later perished due to the failure of his ascension ceremony.”

"Even someone as adept at concealment as him couldn't escape the effects of the 'War of Death'..."

Upon hearing Detricka's reply, Sydia closed her eyes slightly and sighed silently. Even though she was used to witnessing death, the passing of her loved ones still stirred a sense of sadness within her.

Scythia's attitude and tone caused Detrica to fall silent.

This woman knew a Raven Feather Apostle from a lost era, and at the time they met, he was merely a high priest. Does this mean she was born in a lost era and, after escaping the end-of-era catastrophe, lived through the entire "Beginning Millennium"?

This "person" is also a patient of Ms. Vivian, and even treats her with great respect... Just who is she?

The thief was somewhat confused.

She suddenly realized that when Ms. Vivian introduced herself as an agent of the Secret Service during their first meeting, she was probably just joking with her... or perhaps it was just one of her many identities.

But as Fran entered the bedroom in the side hall to begin his inspection, Detricka could only suppress her doubts and follow him in.

Thinking about it further is useless... What does it matter to me if I'm just an informant looking for information, what does my employer's identity have to do with me? Besides, she probably won't meet anyone more generous than Ms. Vivian in her life.

"The silk floss from Attilion, the antique clock from Norrington, and the local red coral ornaments from Golmouth... As expected of a prince, even in his secluded residence, he is so extravagant. He has put a lot of effort into the decorations and ornaments, and he has not skimped on 'enjoyment' at all."

Fran looked around the bedroom with a hint of admiration, then walked straight to the wooden storage cabinet next to the bed.

She reached out and pulled open the first shelf of the cabinet, revealing several neatly stacked wooden tea boxes. Although there were no labels, judging from the aroma... it was Golmouth's most prized "Winter Buds." Moreover, it was a special supply from the Royal Court of Gellonson.

“Hmm, wild tea leaves. It seems nobody wants them, it's a shame to leave them here.”

As she spoke, she quickly stuffed all the wooden boxes into the medicine chest.

Fran might not have been interested in other things. But since he had seen these everyday necessities that suited his taste, he had no choice but to accept them reluctantly... As the wealthiest man in Mordway, Gunther probably wouldn't care.

After that, she opened the second shelf of the locker.

Dozens of gemstones of various kinds were placed here: agate, opal, jade, jasper, malachite... and even many of them were spiritual materials. But they were all placed haphazardly, like marbles in a child's drawer.

In the center of this floor, there is a wooden jewelry box that looks exceptionally eye-catching.

Upon opening it, they discovered that it contained not a gemstone, but a small, translucent, azure-blue scale. A quick comparison with the nearby Xidia revealed that the scale clearly originated from the remnants of the Heir race.

“Gunther’s perverse sense of humor, that guy’s always had this kind of quirk.”

Shitia expressed her disgust at this, and after obtaining Fran's consent, retrieved the scale that belonged to her fellow countryman.

Detrika looked at Fran with excited, pleading, and hopeful eyes. After she nodded, the raider immediately opened his bag and collected all the gems.

Fran had previously heard Louisa, the information broker who worshipped moths, say that "the six-eyed raven's predators have never been able to resist anything that flashes." Now it seems that this is indeed true; it was no exaggeration.

As for the third level... after opening it, Fran narrowed his eyes, his expression becoming somewhat strange.

Inside were leather whips, candles, rose oil diffusers, a gag, and some rather embarrassingly shaped gadgets. Oh, he even studded some of these things with gems… It was far too inappropriate for children to show.

The next day, there were things that were not suitable for children to see. Luckily, Vivian wasn't here, otherwise we would have had to cover her eyes.

Lingfran pursed his lips and neatly closed the drawer.

As soon as Ling looked up, her gaze immediately focused on a court dagger hanging on the wall. It was an exquisitely crafted ceremonial sword, seemingly etched with some kind of prayer.

However, the Listeners have very limited research on the inscription etching process for weapons, so this sword may not have been made by them.

"Let's take the tumor off and examine it."

After confirming that there were no additional security measures at the sword rack, Fran took down the short sword and examined it in his hand.

"Hmm, the guard was added later, it's not original, and the sword itself shows signs of wear and tear. It's most likely a captured item."

"As for the prayer... it is the second-class mid-level arcane art of the Hunter of Mysteries, [Engraving Holy Wounds]. This is also a very practical lost arcane art, which can continuously add 'Holy Wounds' to oneself during battle, thereby enhancing physical strength and perception. The only minor drawback is that the user is somewhat prone to dying from excessive blood loss."

“Dear Sister Heda, I suppose you wouldn’t refuse to take back a Funeral Court relic?”

"cough."

Haida raised her hand to cover her lips and coughed lightly.

“Since it is ‘returning the item to its rightful owner,’ I should accept it.”

Out of the decorum expected of a funeral maid and the principles of worldly discipline, she would neither engage in nor deign to steal. However, she would also not interfere, as it was, after all, an acceptable part of the natural workings of society.

But if it's about "recovering relics of the cult," then that's another story...

In the end, she accepted the court short sword, skillfully twirled it, and then put it into the empty sheath at her waist.

Aside from that, there wasn't anything else in the bedroom that warranted much attention. Clearly, Gunther didn't keep letters or diaries, and perhaps out of the caution expected of royalty… he hadn't even left any paper records about himself.

Having amassed a bag full of gems, Detrick was almost overwhelmed with happiness. In her tipsy state, her steps became somewhat unsteady, as if she were walking on clouds. It took her several deep breaths to gradually regain her composure.

Realizing she was somewhat lost in thought, she secretly glanced up at Fran beside her, as if to see if she had noticed her lapse in composure. Instead, she met the doctor's amber eyes, which held a hint of a smile.

“Um, Ms. Vivian, shall we continue to explore further? Although we’ve only reached the bedroom in the side hall, it seems we’ve already made a great deal of progress.”

To hide her embarrassment, she then asked about her next steps.

Having experienced the mishap of trying to pull off another heist on the Leviathan because she felt she was on fire, only to get caught red-handed... Miss Thief now highly values ​​the work philosophy of knowing when to quit while you're ahead.

Of course, Fran wouldn't end her trip so hastily. She wanted to further investigate the nature of the forbidden experiments conducted by the Star Abyss Academy through Prince Gunther.

"This is just the first room, don't be impatient, Miss Detrica. There are a total of 5857 "⊥66=；3≤4～·4№♀贰瑜∷寒|~: areas like this with 'Quiet Zones' throughout the entire Hidden Mansion. Don't you want to visit them all? Besides, it's still noon, there's still plenty of time... isn't there?"

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Soup! (Gradually burns out, turning into snow-white ash)

Chapter 143 The Hidden Room

After "exploring" Prince Gunther's side room bedroom, the group proceeded to other special rooms equipped with "Quiet Zone" rituals. These included the main room bedroom, the observation deck, the library, and the "training" room used to teach the acquired alien species obedience.

Surprisingly, most of the valuable items here had already been collected in advance, leaving very few remaining. However, Fran found a set of dozens of "Crescent Moon Coins" minted by Mordway in a small box in the master bedroom. Judging from the year of issue, they were even ancient coins from over a hundred years ago.

As for carpets, paintings, or ceramic vases—art pieces with higher added value—Detrika was somewhat tempted, but seeing that no one else seemed inclined to buy them, she ultimately refrained from doing so.

After all, they are inconvenient to carry, and most of them bear the insignia of the Royal Court of Gaelonsen, which could easily cause trouble for the seller in the subsequent resale process.

Under normal circumstances, she could entrust items that were inconvenient to trade directly to the cult, allowing the experienced Ravenfeather High Priests to take them to a foreign land and sell them. Although it would take some time and require her to share some of the profits, it would still be a considerable windfall.

But it's obviously impossible to do that now.

After all, this was tantamount to directly informing the Order that she had pulled off a major heist at Prince Günther's residence, and she couldn't explain how she had done it. No one would believe she could have accomplished all of this alone. If investigated further, it would inevitably involve Lady Vivian and her identity as the "Hermit," which would bring her endless trouble in the future.

However, the dozens of gems she had already acquired were more than enough for Detricka, and she had no other desires. Now, she only wanted to leave the Prince's mansion as soon as possible and return to the Six-Eyed Raven Order's secret stronghold to hide.

"Hmm..." Search

While pondering, she suddenly thought of something strange that didn't quite make sense, and immediately asked Fran beside her about it.

"Ms. Vivian, why is Prince Gunther's bedroom in the side hall so luxuriously decorated, with not only jewelry and expensive household items, but even antique relics used as ornaments... yet the master bedroom in the main hall seems rather empty?"

Gunther's master bedroom was, of course, equally lavishly furnished, but the chests and drawers were all empty; there was practically nothing worth taking, which was quite surprising.

"That's not hard to understand."

Fran answered the question quite fluently, as if he had already figured out the reason beforehand.

"For him, the master bedroom in the main hall was probably just for resting, more of a product of formalism. The small bedroom in the side hall, however, was decorated very carefully, bearing many unique 'traces of daily life,' and was equipped with a lot of everyday items." —Ling

"Some people don't like to leave all the trivial matters of their lives to waiters; they need a little private space of their own. There are many specific uses for this, such as for enjoyment, meditation, storing beloved treasures, or seeking a sense of security from being left alone."

As she said this, she unconsciously raised her hand and lightly touched her lower lip, imagining Prince Gunther's expression after seeing his "secret little room" had been visited. Oh... it would be quite an experience.

"So that's how it is..." Wu

Although still somewhat unclear, Detrica had a general understanding of Prince Günther's psychology. However, as a mere raider thief struggling to make ends meet, empathizing with Mordway's regent prince was clearly a bit difficult for her.

At this moment, the group was in the library.

This place contains old historical records and newspapers compiled into volumes. It is voluminous and disorganized, with an enormous quantity of documents. However, no texts related to esoteric rituals or records that might contain royal secrets were found among them.

When she first entered the library, Detrick had a rather difficult time finding any valuable books.

After trying for twenty seconds, she gave up.

The obscure script, arranged like ants in a line, the occasional use of rare words from a lost era, and the dictionary-like thickness of the book made the young thief realize that her knowledge was incompatible with this job. In fact, she was illiterate before joining the Six-Eyed Raven Cult.

For Detrick, even prenatal education was a luxury, let alone early childhood education or regular schooling.

Her mother was merely a lowly prostitute on the shores of Foy Harbor, who died young from a recurrence of her old ailment in the winter; her father was one of those unknown clients. However, compared to others of similar background, she was considered lucky…

After all, most of their "kind" are drowned at birth; the lucky ones are hastily buried, while the unlucky ones will probably become fish food in the deep sea.

Just then, Xitia, who was carefully examining the bookshelf, frowned slightly, as if she had made a discovery.

"The library has a hidden door, triggered by a sea serpent ornament on the bookshelf. Although somewhat old-fashioned, the design is still quite ingenious. Even the dissipating spiritual energy from the ritual node in the [Tranquil Zone] is concealed..."

“If I hadn’t gained ultimate control of the ceremony, it probably would have been ignored.”

After forging the key to open the side bedroom, she casually directed her spirit to infiltrate the ritual array in reverse, eventually gaining complete control. Therefore, even though she didn't discover the secret door, she still detected an abnormal flow of spiritual energy.

"Ms. Shitia, is it a hidden room?"

Detrick asked with some curiosity. Her initial slight discouragement at not understanding the books in the library was quickly replaced by excitement.

This is a hidden room in Prince Gunther's residence! Who wouldn't be curious about what treasures this most powerful nobleman in the Geronsen court might be hiding? Of course, no matter how rare the item, I wouldn't covet it; that would be far too greedy.

Even just a glance would be enough...

“That’s right.” Shitia nodded slightly, confirming this.

Her azure eyes flickered slightly, as if she were pondering how to open the hidden door concealed behind the bookshelf wall. Although the [Quiet Zone] had been secured, this only prevented the alarm from being triggered; further puzzle-solving was required to open it.

“Ms. Shitia, now that you have gained control of that ritual, does that mean… no matter what happens, the alarm won’t be triggered?”