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Page 321
Good day. lin
Fran, arm in arm with Heida, stepped onto the gangway, then lightly trod onto the deck.
Instead of getting straight to the point as usual, she blinked gently and asked Utus about his recent situation.
"Professor Utus, you seem to be in a good mood. Has anything interesting happened lately?"
"Ha, it's really no big deal..." Liu
Utus scratched his cheek, but a smile had already spread across his lips.
The inchworm narrowed its eyes slightly, revealing a hint of helplessness in its expression. It had probably heard this topic more than once on the Leviathan.
"A few days ago, when I was near Norrington, I caught a full-sized dugong tuna. That big guy was really strong; it almost snapped my oceanographic fishing line... and it almost pulled me into the sea too."
"Luckily, I switched to a rod specifically designed for large individuals, otherwise this guy might have broken the rod."
Utus then eagerly began to recount his experiences from the previous few days.
His pride is not without reason; the duran tuna off the coast of Norrington is almost a giant among its kind, with some individuals weighing over half a ton. In most cases, it is caught using fishing nets, and there is a significant risk of the nets breaking.
For most sea anglers, catching a mature durum tuna is an achievement they can boast about for half their lives.
"Oh, as expected of a professor in the Department of Oceanography, you are quite knowledgeable in the field of sea fishing."
Fran was generous with her praise; she never spoiled a fisherman's enthusiasm for showing off his catch. Come to think of it, it had been a long time since she'd engaged in any recreational activities like fishing…
If you have some free time, you could give it a try.
"I cut several pieces of the belly of that durum tuna; it's even fatter than the ones from Golmouth. I've already sealed it away for preservation; consider it a souvenir."
Although he was somewhat distracted by the unexpected catch, Utus did not forget the main business. After receiving praise, he contentedly steered the conversation back to the main topic.
"Of course, besides this... I think you two will be more interested in the other two gifts."
"Please come with me."
After speaking, he led Fran and Heida towards the interior compartments of the Leviathan. The group soon arrived at the steel-cast cells on the middle deck, where Clapham, the sole survivor of the Northern Blade, had been imprisoned.
He survived after treatment by the ship's medical staff.
However, due to irreversible spinal cord injury, this guy is now paralyzed from the neck down, having lost sensation below the head. The good news is that he can still eat, but he is unable to control his excretions, and he can't even commit suicide.
"Ho..."
Drooling hung from the corners of his mouth, and only a deathly despair could be seen in the slits of his eyes, squeezed by his bloated fat.
"We owe our ability to anticipate and counter these broken blades to Mr. Inchworm. Although these guys can't threaten the crew, if they cause casualties among the passengers... we'll be in a difficult situation."
Utus turned on the lamp in the ceiling and then took the lead in mentioning the inchworm's contribution.
Fran showed little interest in these hunters' traitors, but Haida, who was traveling with him, was clearly very concerned. Almost the instant she saw him, the nun lowered her eyes, a cold glint flashing in them.
"Live bodies...that's fine too."
"The Secret Service has not captured and tortured a living Northern Blade in a long time. I'm sure Lady Silver Feather Hydra will be very pleased."
Although Clapham is now behaving like a complete madman, this is generally a kind of self-protective mechanism of consciousness... Even a true madman can still break down again under secondary stimulation.
However, for someone who has lost most of their senses and hope of survival, the deterrent effect of punishment is greatly diminished. If necessary, Heda might first ask Fran to heal him before beginning the actual torture.
"Professor Utus, Funeral Court personnel will be taking him in today. The reward will be paid by bank draft, check, or cash. In addition to the living body, any other severed corpses or heads will also be included in the payment."
Haida, speaking fluently in an official tone, explained the subsequent procedures to Utus.
"Perfect timing, we were planning to stop here for a while anyway."
When the topic of the bounty came up, Utus smiled slightly.
It must be said that these traitors among the hunters were far too hospitable, not only contributing a ship ticket each but also adding their own bounty. The only regrettable thing was that they hadn't bought their return tickets in advance.
After completing the discussions regarding the handover of the Northern Blade, he turned and walked towards another cell. A graceful leopard cat, its body a bronze-brown hue with a subtle metallic sheen, lay quietly inside.
"The last person I'll show you is this uninvited guest who sneaked onto the ship."
"She was the target of that group of Remnant Blades, and used some tricks to hide in the Levia. During containment, she briefly took human form, and was probably a saber-toothed creature that was created."
Utus seemed somewhat troubled at this point.
"This little one is quite badly injured and very uncooperative. I did consider setting aside an empty guest room for her, but in her condition at the time, she would probably scratch the whole room. I had no choice but to keep her locked up for now."
"Our medical staff tried to treat her, but she was resistant to anesthetic drugs. To avoid accidentally injuring her, I had to hold her by the back of the neck and give her some basic treatment myself."
As he spoke, the professor from the Department of Oceanography rolled up his sleeve, revealing his arm with faint scratches.
As a descendant of the Heir, even stray bullets or the fangs of ordinary Abyssal monsters might not be able to pierce his scales. But this saber-toothed creature, resembling a leopard cat, did it with ease using its claws.
"Oh~"
Fran licked the corner of his lips with the tip of his tongue, then clasped his hands together and gently rubbed them between his palms.
"It seems like it's been a long time since I've encountered a patient who likes to resist fiercely... I hope you can maintain your current energy throughout and not disappoint me."
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soup!
Chapter Twenty: Slaughtering Forge
"despair."
As Utus inserted the key into the cell door lock, a slight clicking sound immediately came from the lock cylinder.
Fran walked in slowly, with Haida following closely behind.
Although she knew the patient was not very friendly, out of a doctor's professional ethics, she still tried her best to maintain a non-intrusive behavior and remained gentle and quiet throughout the process.
It was as if an experienced old hunter was stealthily approaching his prey.
Sensing the commotion outside the door, the saber-toothed creature huddled in the corner twitched its ears, then cautiously opened its eyes.
Fran tilted his head slightly, gazing intently at the little creature that resembled a leopard cat.
After just one eye contact, she already had a fairly intuitive understanding of the patient's mental state. Clearly, she was the type who lacked a sense of security; any form of contact could trigger her instinctive self-protective behavior, which was probably related to her life experiences.
Fran kept his distance, carefully observing the wounds of the saber-toothed creature.
A sharp instrument wound, located on the side of the abdomen, the dermis has been torn open, and there is some muscle damage. Visually, no internal organs appear to be injured, otherwise the blood loss shouldn't be this much. However, this isn't necessarily the case; as a creation of the Blade type, her body may possess extraordinary resilience and physiological endurance.
Utus had already received some emergency treatment, and some medicine powder was still faintly visible on the wound.
He intended to simply bandage the wound, but the patient was extremely uncooperative, repeatedly tearing the bandage with his claws as soon as it was applied. Although the oceanographic professor was extremely patient in his academic research, he couldn't help but feel somewhat annoyed by this behavior.
However, seeing that the saber-toothed creature still had the strength to fight back, it shouldn't die anytime soon... So he stopped insisting on bandaging it, but he would pay more attention to its condition when feeding it every day, in case it suddenly became unhappy and died suddenly.
Utus tends to the marine aquariums on the Leviathan. Having seen too many creatures that were lively one day and belly up the next, he is now extremely cautious about whatever he keeps, almost to the point of being overly careful.
After standing quietly and examining it for a moment, the announcement of the monthly house call rang in Fran's ears.
[Dear Dr. Fran, the monthly outpatient appointment for September has been triggered. The target is the saber-toothed creature 'Bebesa Larezer'.]
【该病8人罹患“5创伤7后应激障碍（6中度）”，“6狂躁症（轻3度）4”，“拘禁综4合征2（中度）”，以及“开放性外伤（锈蚀诅咒）”。】
The patient is not in immediate danger, but is gradually weakening. Please complete the treatment process within this month.
"Compared to the physical injuries, this little guy's mental illness is even more serious. This long list of psychological problems is almost comparable to what happened to Ms. Shitia back then... Let me think about where to start."
Fran gently touched her lower lip, slowly and deliberately explaining her condition.
"Let's try to communicate normally first."
As she spoke, the doctor approached the saber-toothed creature, Bebesa, as gently as possible, and then gracefully bent down once they were close enough. That said, she didn't really have high hopes... felines are generally not very intelligent, and there's considerable individual variation.
Exceptionally well-behaved individuals are not uncommon, but individuals who lack human nature also exist widely.
"-ha!"
Just as Fran maintained his current posture, reaching out his hand a certain distance, Bebesa suddenly arched her back, letting out low growls. Compared to her defiant intimidation of Utus, this action was purely out of fear.
Although the doctor before her wore a gentle smile, his amber eyes, brimming with interest, reminded her of some less-than-pleasant memories. Besides, Fran himself also instilled a subconscious sense of oppression in her.
It was an instinctive unease, difficult to describe in words.
"Oh, what a pity. It seems we still need to resort to coercive measures."
Seeing this, Fran clasped his hands together slightly and sighed softly, but seemed unsurprised. Although the scene before him perfectly matched the stereotypes about certain felines, considering Bebesa's experience, it wasn't entirely unreasonable to be a little forgiving.
Fortunately, she is very patient with her patients.
Upon hearing the word "coercive measures," Bebesa immediately extended her front paws, poised to attack and then escape.
Just as the saber-toothed creature was about to turn its ideas into practice, Mio suddenly felt a cold gaze lock onto her, which triggered a chilling fear that went deep into her bones and even to the very depths of her soul.
Qi was unaware that Sister Haida, who was standing next to Fran, had placed her hand on the hilt of the power sword "Nirvana." Her gray-chestnut eyes were calm and undisturbed as she gazed at Bebesa, her gaze deep and unfathomable.
For a fleeting moment, the saber-toothed creature even considered leaping away, dragging its wounded body. But among the many scenarios her intuition foresaw, failure and death seemed to be the only outcome, and no amount of struggle could defy their arrival.
She had vaguely sensed this feeling before, back at the very beginning of her life, when she glimpsed the war-loving Grand Duke of Saffor in the still-warm cradle of the forge. But the nun before her gave off an even stranger impression…
Art is as if beneath her human skin lies something terrifying, residing at a higher level of the food chain.
While Bebesa was still stunned by Heida's watchful gaze, Fran had already stepped forward, grabbed her by the back of the neck, lifted her up, weighed her in his hand, and then put her back down after a brief examination.
Her body was only slightly larger than that of an average leopard cat, and her body fat percentage was significantly lower, so doing this was not difficult for her.
"In my impression, most saber-toothed creatures possess human-level intelligence, but you seem unable to understand the specific meaning of sentences... you only react to certain words."
After a moment's thought, Fran came up with a conjecture and immediately began to verify it.
“Little cat suffering from a terrible disease, I have no intention of offending you. But why have you come here? And why are you being pursued by the traitorous blades of the North?”
This time, she spoke Loretonian, maintaining her usual beautiful intonation.
Upon hearing Fran's words, Bebesa's brass-colored eyes narrowed slightly, as if she were deep in thought. This was the first time she had shown a human-like expression since boarding the Leviathan, making her seem less like a pure beast.
Fran's earlier conjecture was confirmed at this moment.
Bebesa does possess near-human intelligence, but perhaps due to her limited education, she doesn't understand Common Tongue very well, only exhibiting conditioned reflexes to one or two words. Of course, even in Loreton, she probably wouldn't understand everything.
In comparison, Miss Detrica of Foy, although a thief, at least has the ability to communicate normally and is literate.
Gazing at the scene before him, Utus, who had been observing from the side, twirling his chin, narrowed his eyes slightly. He had initially thought that this saber-toothed creature's refusal to communicate was due to low intelligence, self-isolation, or some kind of psychological trauma…
But now it seems that she simply cannot understand the Common Language.
This time, when faced with Fran's questioning, Bebeza did not show the aggressive tendencies she usually did. However, her attitude did not soften at all; her expression remained full of fear and suspicion, as if she might erupt at any moment.
However, under Sister Heda's gaze, the saber-toothed creature remained well-behaved for the time being.
"...I don't need any help, charity...or cheap pity, human beings."
Bebeza opened her mouth slowly and awkwardly, uttering a short passage in Loreton. Her words were almost entirely composed of words, with virtually no grammatical embellishment, but the meaning was quite straightforward.
Upon hearing this, Fran's lips curled slightly, revealing a smile that could almost be described as radiant.
"Oh, that's great. Although the process was a bit difficult, at least basic communication has been established. If you truly lacked communication skills, then it would be quite difficult to even begin addressing your mental illness." (Jiu)
Although she was smiling, Haida had already keenly sensed that the doctor's true feelings were probably not as joyful as they appeared.
Sometimes, Fran respects other people's choices, but she doesn't actually like being rejected.
“Bebesa, are you aware of your current physical condition? Why is your strength gradually waning? Why is your heartbeat weakening? Why haven't the wounds from half a month ago healed yet? Your corrosion has penetrated to the bone marrow.”
“I can let you go now, little cat. In a month or two, your corpse will be in Norrington’s filthy sewers, swarming with maggots and rotting.”
"Or perhaps, you inherently crave death?" Wu
Compared to Bebesa's far from fluent Loreton, the doctor's speech was much more fluent and rhythmic. However, she still tried to use plain language to prevent the other person from being unable to understand her.
Faced with those amber eyes that shone with a burning light, Bebesa instinctively shrank back.
"At least, that was the ending I chose."
"My brothers and sisters, born from the same furnace, have all been torn apart, skinned, and their bones soaked, becoming ornaments to adorn weapons and armor. In the place where we were created, all that can be seen is a forest of corpses, the remains of my kind hanging there."
"The humans of Saffowo crave our bodies and power, but how are you any different?"
She spoke so fluently that Fran raised an eyebrow, showing a rare hint of surprise.
"Little cat... did you learn and imitate this passage on the spot, or did it come from someone else's teaching?"
At this moment, Bebesa's choice of words once again became awkward.
"These are the last words that one of my 'brothers' taught me before he was taken away."
"Not long after, I saw his fangs and eyes on the hilt of Grand Duke Saffovo's sword."