The eccentric doctor never makes a misdiagnosis!

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Like a child sitting quietly beside an anthill, observing the ants' movements. Perhaps she'll offer some food on a whim, or perhaps she'll give a name to one or two special ants... but that's ultimately a bird's-eye view from a higher perspective.

Around 9:00 AM, Flamer realized that her humanity had become increasingly thinner with the passage of time. Empathy was still something she could easily achieve, as was feeling what others felt.

However, she is no longer moved by it.

"Woo..."

Memories, along with inexplicable emotions, surged up, and little Flamel suddenly couldn't help but purse his lips, his eyes welling up with moisture and redness.

Unlike Fran, she can show her vulnerability without any restraint.

...She might be the only remaining "sadness" in that doctor's personality model, which had not yet shed its mortal nature.

"Perhaps I shouldn't have brought these things up."

Heda reached out and gently stroked Flamel's head to comfort him.

Oh, such opportunities are rare, and it would be a real shame not to seize them. Although this doctor does often transform into a child during her quarterly outpatient clinics, she retains her full mental capacity most of the time and doesn't actually act like a little girl.

"No, Sister Sister, this has nothing to do with you."

Little Flamel took several deep breaths, and the inexplicable sorrow gradually subsided.

"Just thinking about the past makes me lose control of myself..."

As this self-awareness deepens, Fran's memories are rapidly flooding into her mind. However, she remains just one fragment of her personality, and this will not change even after acquiring the memories.

After this little incident came to a temporary end, the three encountered their first special masked dancer at the end of the museum's exhibition hall.

"The Red Demon".

He was dressed in a greyish-white robe and wore a deep red demon mask. His expression was neither a smile nor an anger.

"Thirty-five points, twenty-five points left, hey..."

He was different from those moon-burned beings who were like dolls; Haida could sense that as he spoke, the eyes hidden beneath the mask were watching her.

　罢｜∥珷≠陆路弎驷￥∽肆陑雨《∥涵： However, he seemed to only be able to say this one sentence, and there was no response to any other attempts at communication.

"Some kind of time-related clue, or perhaps a puzzle?"

Haida frowned slightly, finding it difficult to sort out her thoughts for a moment.

Just as the nun turned to look for other special masked dancers, she saw a woman wearing a priest's tiara who had somehow appeared before Sigrid and was kneeling in a posture that could be described as pious.

"This is……"

Upon seeing this, Haida narrowed her eyes.

The masked dancer, dressed in priestly robes, reached out as if to touch Sigrid, but ultimately stopped just inches away.

The other person's behavior was less polite and more respectful, as if a servant had met the master he served every day but had never seen, so he looked so careful that he was even worried that if his breathing was not in rhythm, it would be a kind of blasphemy.

There was no need for any meticulous reasoning; her identity was already obvious.

"The Priestess of the Sun".

Even though this identity was just an entertainment-oriented costume for a masquerade ball, for some reason, she seemed to have been endowed with certain qualities... to the point that she actively followed the scent of the sun to get closer.

The priestess seemed to want to sing hymns and prayers, but all her actions were cut off before she could put them into practice. In the end, she only uttered the revelation of the riddle through her lips, which were not covered by her half-mask.

"Truth lies between one and two."

After speaking, she looked at Sigrid with an expression full of piety and hope, and said nothing more, as if she had turned into a living statue.

His expression was quite complex.

Like a numb person who has been stumbling through a dark and arduous journey for a long time, finally glimpsing the distant yet warm sunlight, even if the price is her own demise. Demise is also a liberation, and perhaps this is exactly what she wanted.

Sigrid tried to ask something else, but Wu simply clasped his hands together and responded with a joyful smile, even wanting to bow down again.

This made the craftswoman a little embarrassed...

To be honest, she had never really been good at word puzzles involving numbers and time, and if she were alone, she would probably have had to rack her brains for a while. But fortunately, Sister Heda was there, and with Dr. Fran unable to act as an external brain, she was undoubtedly the most reliable person.

"Is the truth somewhere between one and two?"

Heda also heard the priestess's ramblings, but after repeating them briefly, she stopped pondering their meaning.

There's no need to force an examination of the incomplete information; perhaps we need to find the last "Happy Mask Salesman" to establish a logical connection between these three sentences.

And this is a hint at the answer to the riddle, but she doesn't even know what the riddle actually is yet.

With her keen eye for architectural space, Heda led the two toward the center of the Bohemian Museum, avoiding as many twisted and folded paths as possible along the way.

At the center are two upward spiral staircases, while a masked dancer wearing a full-face smiling mask has been waiting for some time on the side.

"Happy Mask Salesperson".

He glanced casually up the steps, then slowly walked towards Haida and uttered his suggestion.

"It is currently the sulfur season in the triangle."

Haida listened intently, taking a short time to confirm that this was the only sentence the other party could provide.

The good news is that all three clues have been collected.

The bad news was that these three hints sounded rather ambiguous at first glance, and it was difficult to understand their true meaning from the literal words alone. However, relying on her experience as a funeral maid in criminal investigation, Haida almost instantly determined the next course of action.

She tilted her head back, her gaze traveling up the spiral staircase beside her, until her grey-chestnut eyes finally settled on an old-fashioned brass clock on the second floor.

Puzzles related to the number nine are almost always related to the clock in the scene... especially since it is placed in such a conspicuous position.

After observing the brass pendulum for a while, Haida's originally solemn expression gradually relaxed.

My line of reasoning is not flawed.

This brass clock has no second hand, and both the hour and minute hands are stationary. In addition, it features a unique seasonal hand, presumably used to indicate different seasons.

"Sister Haida, do you have any clues?"

Seeing that she was staring at the clock face, Sigrid went up to her with some curiosity and asked her about it.

"Ah."

Haida nodded slightly, then gently raised her index finger and adjusted the positions of the hour and minute hands.

"If it's really as I think, then this puzzle seems a bit too straightforward, not as complicated as I thought."

"despair."

The seasonal hand was set to the triangular mark representing the sulfur season.

The hour hand was moved to the center of the 1 o'clock and 2 o'clock marks.

The position of the minute hand was somewhat ambiguous. The nun tried the 25th, 30th, and 35th minutes, and finally, at the 35th minute, the entire clock emitted the mechanical gear noise of starting up.

Located in the center of the museum, the secret passage leading to the white bunker has been opened.

"Oh...were those three masked dancers hinting at the clock's markings?"

Sigrid has never been interested in puzzles.

That was a field that only the disciples of the Lamp and Moth, as well as the White Cup researchers, would delve into, but that didn't mean she was truly dull-witted. After seeing Heda's solution, she quickly grasped the underlying logic.

"The sulfur season of the triangle" represents the time of year that should be chosen at this moment; "Truth between one and two" represents the hour hand being in the middle of the time between one and two o'clock; and "twenty-five and thirty-five" represents the minute hand being near twenty-five and thirty-five.

A chilling aura emanated from within the secret passage. Although she didn't sense any escaping spirit, Haida still vaguely felt that something unsettling was brewing within, and that once she stepped inside, her end would be inevitable.

The symphonic ensemble of a musical drama often follows a series of elaborate build-ups, while the real ending often arrives unexpectedly.

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soup!

Chapter 58 Pocket Cat [The Final Sacrifice]

The sole purpose of this trip to the Bohemian Museum is to find the White Bunker and awaken the mechanical god "Logic." The gate to the underground tunnels is now open, but Heda hesitates about whether to step inside.

Decisive judgment is an indispensable quality for hunters, but it must be based on careful consideration; otherwise, it is nothing more than foolish enthusiasm.

With her keen intuition and the biological instincts of a Black Devourer, Haida was able to sense the ominous presence looming ahead.

Even though the two sides had not yet faced each other directly, she still felt an indescribable sense of oppression.

The source of this pressure far exceeds those flawed so-called "new gods." Although there is no concrete evidence, it is merely a kind of intuition. However, the power and status possessed by that mechanical god have undoubtedly reached the magnificent and unfathomable realm of perfection.

Of course, she wasn't afraid.

The reason for pausing briefly was simply to further consider the details of the subsequent actions. The final deadline for the Last Sacrifice was the following dawn, and "avoidance" was no longer an option; like a bowstring taut, it had to be released.

Just as the nun was observing the museum's secret tunnels, a somewhat furtive figure slowly approached from the side of the exhibition hall.

"who are you?"

When the man approached within ten paces, Haida suddenly turned around, and in an instant, she drew her sidearm from her waist and aimed it at him.

"Oh dear, hello, what an unexpected stranger. Isn't today a wonderful day? My abrupt visit may have caused you trouble, and that was certainly not my intention. I hope you can forgive me."

The visitor apologized in a tone that was almost obsequious, and maintained an appropriate distance, not approaching again.

He was wearing a dark purple shirt jacket, of medium build, and appeared to be male.

Qi described it that way because this guy was wearing a smiling cat-face mask.

The term "hood" is more accurate than "mask." The slightly rough velvet hood completely covered the head, and the person was also wearing leather boots and long gloves, so that not a single patch of skin was exposed.

Usukaida narrowed her eyes and silently scrutinized the cat-faced man who had suddenly appeared.

Both their manners and words were extremely polite. But it was a different kind of "politeness"... For example, the butler Jeeves outside the museum displayed more of the proper manners and humility expected of a waiter.

The person in front of me, on the other hand, was mainly characterized by "slick talk," like a jester who was posing as a gentleman.

3. “State your name, identity, and purpose.”

Lu Haida asked questions crisply in a routine interrogation tone, clearly not intending to engage in meaningless exchanges following the other party's linguistic rhythm.

"Your attire makes you look like a nun, but your manner of speaking is more like a police officer, or perhaps a judge or other legal professional. I admire your cool yet pragmatic words so much, how could I not cooperate with you?"

"You can just call me Pocket Cat. I'm a merchant who specializes in selling rare and unusual items to those who need them. Trust me, I'll definitely make sure you get your money's worth. You can see how deep my pockets are..."

When he said this, he naturally changed his address to Haida from "you" to "you (formal)," displaying the enthusiasm and obsequiousness that ordinary vendors show when meeting law enforcement officers.

While the Pocket Cat was talking, Haida would occasionally sniff the surrounding air and catch some clues.

This guy's attire and clothing were perfectly suited to the masquerade ball at the Bohemian Museum, yet he wasn't a typical Moonburner. At least, I didn't smell any strange odor from his festering, oozing skin on him.

Sigrid, with her heightened perception of moonlight, noticed the Pocket Cat's special characteristics.

He showed no signs of light burns, but his connection to the moon god Rael was far stronger than that of any other person previously seen suffering from the moon's scorching heat. Judging from this, he might be some kind of deliberately fabricated incarnation, similar in nature to a divine servant.

"Traders? Come to think of it, I did collect some currency when I was looking for supplies..."

Sigrid rummaged through her bulging skirt pockets and pulled out a few Presville coins, or shillings.

Considering that the city was nearly half destroyed in the final sacrifice, it would be difficult to find a place to trade, so she didn't take much. She only kept a few exquisitely crafted pieces as collectibles because of her love for exotic metal artifacts.

“Aiya~ Jiu〃his∵】You§Sisan℃≡Shui?ZhuAnqUN:”

Upon seeing the silver shillings, Pocket Cat simply narrowed his eyes slowly, then raised his hand to conceal the sly smile that he could hardly contain on his face.

“Indeed, some things can only be bought with real money… Many people in Presville take this as gospel. However, I may be a little different from them. I do not crave any form of gold or silver or treasure; they have no value to me.”

"I will trade items for human children..."

"Just like the two adorable little guys behind them."

At this point, Pocket Cat performed a simple initial greeting, gazing intently at Flamel.

"Hello, I especially love your beautiful face, your amber eyes that are like a cat's, just like mine, and your slender, white ankles. How wonderful, you're like a work of art, more priceless than the exhibits in this museum."

"Gentlemen, how about I offer you a price you can't refuse? Only open tonight, okay? Exchange this adorable little girl for one of my treasures... oh, two, three isn't out of the question either..."

He rubbed his hands together, making no attempt to conceal his fervor and intent, and began to slowly approach.

"Impossible," Haida replied crisply.

After that, she put the Hunter's standard firearm back into her waistband, then drew her power sword "Nirvana" and pointed the blade directly at her opponent.

If the previous warnings were merely warnings, then this one is now a pure determination to eradicate them.

"Oh, ah, this is so disappointing, Sister. Are you sure you want this? Of course, my offer will continue. As long as it's tonight, I'll welcome your change of heart anytime..."

Pocket Cat's mask-like face, so human-like, revealed a hint of regret.