The eccentric doctor never makes a misdiagnosis!

Page 351

Of course, that would never be now.

"Peng!"

The mayor, wielding a silver dagger-like blade, plunged it straight into Sigrid's eye socket, as if intending to gouge out her beautiful golden eyeball and then swallow it to savor it.

His movements were swift and heavy, and the air could be heard whistling as his arms swung.

Sigrid has little experience in close-quarters combat. Even with her superhuman physique, "dodging" is still a rather unfamiliar action for her... after all, she is often the one who is used to strike the enemy.

But then she raised her hand and, in an instant, met the silver knife head-on with her forearm.

Amidst the clanging of metal and the flash of blazing light, Sigrid could even feel tiny sparks from the molten metal splashing onto her cheek.

Like a light drizzle, it brings a faint, cool sensation.

The mayor opened his distorted, collapsed eyes wide, his anger replaced by confusion, and finally by astonishment.

A girl of normal build took a direct hit from his own blade without any apparent defensive movement? That damned feel wasn't flesh and blood; it was a cast-iron statue, freshly heated in a blast furnace...

He looked at the knife in his hand with some disbelief.

The tip of the sharp weapon, capable of easily slicing through flesh and bone, had melted and bent limply from the impact, rendering it unusable. Drops of liquid silver shavings splattered onto the mayor's wrist, but he paid no heed to the pain.

"Blood as hot as fire, skin tougher than steel, golden eyes, and golden hair on your head that's far more beautiful than any Bremen blondie... I should have known sooner that you weren't human. What are you?"

"Mechanical experiments made by military lunatics? No, what else can they do besides glue meat onto iron and create a bunch of disgusting freaks?"

The mayor's eyes were bloodshot, and a gurgling sound could be heard from his throat.

The person before him was beyond the reach of his imagination, and perhaps connected to those unspeakable, sublime beings. This made him indifferent to the other party's previous offense; if possible, he would even be willing to seek reconciliation.

However, when he met those gleaming, molten gold eyes, he knew that the other person's mind had been made up when they stepped into the restaurant again, and there was no room for negotiation.

“A guy like you must taste terrible… I don’t have the habit of putting iron in my mouth, especially since you’re almost melting. Even if you poured all the cooking wine in the mansion on you, the temperature might not come down.”

The mayor spoke threateningly, trying his best to maintain his imposing manner.

Sigrid did not respond, but silently and rapidly approached. The air twisted and contorted under the scorching heat, and the surrounding scenery gradually became distorted in the swirling heat waves. With a flash of light, her figure suddenly disappeared from the mayor's sight.

where is it?

The mayor looked around, while simultaneously trying to move away from his spot.

Unbeknownst to them, a thin layer of molten metal had begun to flow across the ground—metal artifacts melted by the Sun-Casting Gold-Melting Rig. These included candlesticks, steel bars, and iron covers used for decoration.

They were quickly melted and molded into barbed chains, which tightly bound the mayor's legs.

Sigrid, who had concealed herself, was now in the mayor's sight... but what he saw was not a woman, but a blazing straight sword that had plunged straight into his chest.

Before the pain could even strike, the immense heat had already utterly destroyed his body and mind.

"call."

The golden-red flames flickered silently as Sigrid was reshaped into human form.

As for the mayor, a highly carbonized cavity was clearly visible in the center of his broad chest, with gray-black dust occasionally peeling off from it. As for his spine and internal organs... the former had been cut off and burned, while the latter was probably quite well-cooked.

However, transforming into a "pseudo-sun" and attacking without a sword wielder takes a toll on Sigrid.

Since waking up on the train, she has used about one-fifth of her stored energy.

While it is far from falling into decline, it has exceeded the balance between expenditure and replenishment.

If Dr. Fran were nearby, even if the sword wasn't gripping its hilt, he would use some kind of spiritual tendril to supply power, ensuring the pseudo-sun's energy remained abundant. Sigrid wasn't actually concerned about her own depletion; she was simply worried…

He worried that he couldn't protect the young Fran.

Thinking of this, she turned to look at Flamel.

The other party was clearly very obedient. After being warned by Sigrid, he obediently hid outside the restaurant door. Only after seeing that the fight was over did he jog into the room covered with burn marks.

"...Sister Sigrid, are you hurt anywhere?"

片刻踌躇后，1弗拉梅尔关0切的0凑上近前，7并颇为认真地6想要检9查一1下匠4师小姐的身体3情况。6№`

Sigrid smiled warmly at her words, then deftly twirled around, displaying her body to her. As a creation worthy of being called a Holy Heir, she clearly didn't deserve to be scarred by this level of combat.

"Rest assured, Flamel, I will not be truly injured until the very last moment before the light and heat are exhausted."

Before their conversation had ended, a wisp of mysterious spirit quietly emerged from the gap in the mayor's body.

In its natural state, the soul essence is invisible and has no physical properties, yet at this moment, a certain light can be seen constantly flickering.

It's as if someone submerged underwater glimpses the shimmering light of distant ocean waves, untouchable and ethereal.

"This is?"

Vision is a fundamental skill that every practitioner of esoteric arts must learn, and Sigrid clearly possesses a thorough understanding of it. But even without using this skill, she could observe this unusual spiritual entity with her naked eye.

"The mayor's soul."

Flamel pursed his lips slightly and offered an explanation.

However, it was a fairly obvious answer, and even if she hadn't answered, Sigrid wouldn't have mistaken it for something else.

Flamel approached the wisp of soul slowly, as if she wanted to do something, but this caused her face to turn pale visibly. Fine, translucent sweat seeped from her forehead and temples, then slid down silently.

"Sister Sigrid, please give me back what the Lady of the Mist gave you."

"okay, I get it."

Although she subconsciously treated Flamel as an ordinary little girl, Sigrid would still readily comply when Flamel made a formal request. Otherwise, most elders would never dare to hand over an entire bottle of vodka to a child…

Considering Flamel's current condition made it difficult for her to open the bottle, Sigrid first removed the cork used for sealing before handing the bottle to her.

Her actions after taking the bottle caused Sigrid to open her eyes slightly.

Zhao Flamel did not sip or take a small sip; instead, she tilted her slender neck upward and, with a bold and unrestrained manner, poured the entire bottle of vodka into her lips, completely disregarding the liquid that dripped down her clothes. Even the trembling in her throat as she struggled to swallow was clearly visible.

"Flamemer, that..."

Sigrid called out the other person's name and whispered a reminder.

Minors' organs and brains are not yet fully developed, so drinking alcohol without restraint is obviously very harmful.

Although the little girl in front of me is probably quite far from the concept of "minor", she is indeed very weak and such a large amount of alcohol may cause damage to her body.

When the bottle was empty, a rosy blush rose on Flamel's face, and her eyes became slightly intoxicated.

Sigrid immediately stepped forward to help him up, but before she could even place her hand on his, she felt his limp body fall into her arms. The movement was peaceful and tender, like a feline finding a warm and comfortable hiding place.

After a few breaths, Flamel opened his eyes with some difficulty.

“I should have known that the ‘old self’ would keep all her bad intentions bottled up in this inconspicuous corner… The consultation plan specifically mentioned that personality diagnosis would only be conducted during the annual consultations, but it did not say that there would be no preconditions beforehand.”

Her breath was rapid and warm, and Sigrid could clearly feel the intoxicating breath on her neck and cheeks, even though they were only inches apart.

"Using alcohol to temporarily forget one's sorrow is an ironic way of escaping, yet strangely reasonable."

3. At this point, she swayed slightly and stretched out her arms, gently wrapping them around Sigrid's waist and giving her a hug.

"Thank you for your hard work, Sigrid. It must be difficult to take care of a little one who likes to cry, right? As an independent split personality, this one of me is particularly prone to crying, and my health doesn't seem to be very good either. Please forgive me."

"Phew... You're still as warm as ever, it's making me a little sleepy."

The tone and manner of speaking were so familiar.

Without needing any further explanation, almost the instant she heard the other person speak, Sigrid's previously tense nerves relaxed uncontrollably. Although somewhat drunk, the other person was undoubtedly Dr. Fran.

"Dr. Fran, are you aware of what happened before? Would you like me to describe it?"

"No need."

Fran swung her slender index finger and then began to describe her current situation.

"As long as I can return to my current state, my memories as little 'Flameme' will be synchronized immediately. Also, if my younger and incomplete self calls you 'older sister,' please accept it without any guilt."

"After all, such opportunities are rare."

"But if you need me to, I can still call you that even now, but only for this house call."

-

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soup!

Chapter Fifty-Four: Mad Sacrifice, Conspiracy, Logic [The Final Sacrifice]

After a harmless little joke with Sigrid, Fran quickly steered the conversation to the main topic. However, due to the excessive alcohol consumption, her thinking was a bit hazy, and she needed more time to organize her thoughts logically.

After all, this body is currently no different from that of a little girl.

"Let me think, what should I do now..."

She tilted her head back slightly, her amber eyes revealing a hint of contemplation, but mostly a sense of languor and intoxication.

"Yes, we need to deal with the 'mayor's' soul first."

A moment later, Fran retrieved the answer from his somewhat hazy memory.

With Sigrid's help, she rose unsteadily and staggered toward the mayor's massive body, which had completely lost all signs of life.

The wisp of gray soul that had been separated from her own body seemed to be drawn by some kind of inspiration, floating and landing in her palm.

"The frivolity that people display in social situations is sometimes a sign of a lack of manners and patience, and sometimes it is just a kind of disguise used to show off. This is a soul that collapsed under unbearable pressure. He released his twisted desires and thus became the 'mayor'."

"Or perhaps, is it that the alienated external world has replaced his true inner self?"

Fran gently closed his fingers, and the originally ball-shaped soul transformed into a spherical crystal.

Compared to the ordinary soulstone obtained from the decaying priest, it still retains some of its own characteristics, but the tormented subjective consciousness within it no longer exists. Named after these characteristics, it can be called "Suffocated Soul".

Fran handed the already formed soul stone to Sigrid and then instructed her on how to handle similar situations in the future.

"If you encounter similar special souls again, you can use alchemy to give them a portable physical form, so you won't have to make me drink a whole bottle of vodka again... I feel like I might throw up at any moment."

"The Lady in the Mist mentioned the concept of 'contestants' when responding to the Old Gods' Rings, and the special souls we're collecting on this trip originate from them. But do we really need to do this? The revelation that guy provided might just be some kind of mischievous misdirection."

"To enter the hollow tower of the Preshiville Temple district and complete the final stage of the Last Sacrifice, the death of all participants except oneself is a necessary condition. Although there is another way to end the ceremony without entering the hollow tower, the risk of doing so is too high..."

This doctor rarely contradicts herself when thinking about problems. She is usually very discerning and can choose the most feasible option from many similar or contradictory alternatives and execute it without hesitation.

But now, her frail body and the disorientation caused by nerve paralysis are hindering her thinking.

Fran's "self" surfaced precisely because she was in a state of conscious confusion. Once the intoxication subsided and her mind began to clear, her thoughts would once again be dominated by Little Flamel, that is, the fragment of her past personality.

After a few breaths of silence, she stopped dwelling on the previous question and instead explained the current situation to San Sigrid.

“Sigrid, based on what you’ve seen and explored in the past half day, you’ve already grasped some information about this place, but it’s not comprehensive.”

"Let me take this opportunity to briefly explain the key points of this house call..."

Fran instinctively reached down, seemingly trying to retrieve his round-framed glasses from the pocket of his doctor's coat so he could put them on and begin his lecture. However, he was currently wearing a classic long dress with no storage function, so he naturally found nothing.

"The disaster that occurred in Preshville is called the 'End of the Sacrifice'."

“You can think of it as a ritual that gathers souls and gathers strength. The living in the entire city are trapped in it, waiting to be sacrificed in the scorching moonlight... It won’t be long before death follows, as soon as the dawn of the fourth day arrives.”

"As for the so-called contestants, they are actually just some slightly unique sacrifices, and the mayor we encountered was one of them. To end all this, you either have to kill all the contestants except yourself and become the final 'winner.' That's the preferred option."

"Either go to Presville's underground fortress and activate the mechanical god 'Logic,' which is the second option."

She spoke quickly and in short, abrupt sentences, but her enunciation remained clear.

"As for the specific next steps..."

Fran raised his hand to gently touch his forehead, suppressing the burning sensation of the wine about to rise in his throat. After taking several deep breaths, he continued speaking.

"First, go to downtown Presville to find the raven carcass the man in black mentioned earlier, and then place it as a sacrifice on the new divine ring. I have a feeling this is very important."

“Generally speaking, this action would summon a new god representing ‘torture’ in this worldview… but the situation may change because of our arrival. I don’t know the specifics of the outcome, Sigrid, you must be prepared to face the enemy.”

She told Sigrid almost everything she knew and all the related plans in one go, including each step and the general direction. The amount of information was so large that it took Sigrid some time to fully digest it.

Fortunately, as an alchemical being, the craftswoman has an extraordinary memory, so she doesn't forget half of what she hears.

Her amber-colored eyes gradually became hazy, as if she were about to fall asleep, but she quickly roused herself.

"Sigrid, is there anything you want to ask?"

"It would be best if the questions were brief. I can't maintain this state for long; I don't have the time to tell a detailed bedtime story."

Upon hearing this, Sigrid nodded slightly to indicate that she understood, and then inquired about the "secondary option" that Fran had just mentioned.

"Dr. Fran, please tell me more about the God of Machines."

"You said that activating Him would end this ceremony. Is there some kind of prerequisite? Or what kind of price must be paid?"