"Sigrid?"
Although the person before her bore almost no resemblance in appearance to that Sun-Forgers Cult artisan girl, due to a familiar sense of aura, Haida instinctively called out that name.
"Yes. It's me... Miss Haida is truly sharp. I thought a disguise of this level wouldn't be recognized upon first sight."
The surprise in Sigrid's eyes flashed briefly. She then took the power sword [Nirvana] and, with a trace of reluctance, handed it to Haida. Her expression was almost like an aged father entrusting his daughter to a worthy suitor.
"It is indeed that sword... Does it have a name?"
Haida felt the unique heaviness of the hilt, her breath inexplicably becoming somewhat heavier.
"'Nirvana.' Representing remelting and rebirth."
Fran lightly clasped her hands, giving a concise introduction. Haida then gripped the hilt with both hands, pivoting from her waist and abdomen, slowly and intently adopting a greatsword starting stance.
An indescribable sense of compatibility spread silently, like two hearts beating at different frequencies gradually syncing to the same rhythm.
"...Thank you, Dr. Fran."
Haida had inherited a somewhat aloof nature from a certain person, making her not very adept at social interactions. But her thanks now carried genuine sincerity.
"Sister Haida, there's no need for such formality. This is what I promised you earlier..."
Fran lightly interlaced her fingers, a faint, elusive smile touching her lips.
The act of "giving" is a bidirectional process. The recipient receives a gift, the giver gains corresponding satisfaction. It also adds more intangible chips in social interactions...
The burns left by the False Sun Sword on Haida had completely healed. Looking at this exceptionally healthy nun, a hint of regret subtly appeared in Fran's deep amber, gold-like eyes.
Of course, she was extremely patient, never rushing things.
Even if there was no suitable opportunity now, it didn't matter. Leisure time would allow her to further perfect her medical plans for modification surgeries. For example, the "Superior Raven Guard" technology she hadn't fully mastered yet, which could make organ integration processes nearly harmonious and harmless.
And currently, besides Haida, she had another very worthwhile patient by her side... Sigrid, who had just signed a contract with her. Miss Artisan's body, completely composed of alchemy, might provide new inspiration in the discipline of [Forbidden Alchemy].
Overall... Fran would live comfortably and fulfillingly for a long time to come.
--
Passing through the chaotic, hazy, turbid mists of separation, Sigrid pushed open a door standing in the center of the mist realm. The next moment, she traversed the door to the rooftop of the Sun-Forging Spire, arriving at the top bell tower of this tallest building in the East District.
The pedestrians on the streets were as tiny and distant as ants, the surrounding buildings all within sight below, even the flowing clouds and birds seemed to exist only on the same level as her. The only things possibly taller than her were the sun in the sky.
Sigrid took a deep, intoxicating breath.
Whenever feeling troubled or depressed, she would come to this spire top bell tower. Here, she could be the first to see the dawn sun leaping from the morning light and most directly witness dusk sinking into the deep curtain.
"~"
Fran stood with her arms crossed, leaning against the doorframe, humming a soft, soothing melody.
"Since you've waited here so long, why not meet her? Mr. Solm."
She turned her head lightly, looking towards the "Corona Rider" hidden in the shadows to the side.
Solm rubbed his somewhat hastily made iron helmet, seeming somewhat embarrassed at being caught red-handed. But he then relaxed, revealing a frank, cheerful smile.
"Mysterious Dr. Fran. Judging by Sigrid's expression, she should be doing well. And she's safe with you, at least much safer than with me."
"Hmm... Are you truly at ease letting Sigrid stay by my side?"
Fran was somewhat curious about Solm's attitude... His degree of free-spiritedness was considered an oddity even within the Sun-Forgers Cult, yet he wasn't unpleasant.
"If I had to say, I am actually a bit worried."
Solm sighed lightly, his attitude very honest.
"But I truly have no better way. In the eyes of the cult's main temple, she is now completely equivalent to a dangerous Category One casting, which could go out of control at any moment. At the same time, even I myself doubt... whether my current actions are indulgence and acquiescence."
"Perhaps I should forcibly contain her, preventing her from committing unforgivable heavy crimes in the future."
Fran nodded quite approvingly, clearly appreciating the rationality Solm displayed. As someone bearing the honorific title of "Corona Rider," he couldn't possibly be a purely naive good person.
"Your reasons for taking action are quite sufficient. So why did you change your mind?"
"It's hard to describe. But... I can still sense her passion towards the sun. This makes me more inclined to believe her."
"Furthermore, the Secrets-Hunters are far more averse to out-of-control and unstable factors than the Sun-Forgers Cult. Since you have gained their trust, perhaps I shouldn't be too harsh either..."
Solm's tone became cheerful and sincere again.
"Thank you for your open-mindedness, Mr. Solm."
Fran elegantly gave a slight bow.
"You are the one who treated and protected Sigrid; I should thank you. However, if you encounter the other 'Corona Riders,' it's best not to have contact with them... It would be dangerous."
At the end, Solm's tone carried a touch of seriousness.
"Don't worry, I won't make such a low-level mistake. And..."
Fran blinked coquettishly, seeming not to mind.
The unspoken thought was, "And, I haven't collected a specimen of the 'Corona Rider' rank yet."
Come to think of it, her research into alchemy had indeed slackened these past few years. Since "Falling Sun Rider" Anderson could load a large amount of alchemical tissue into his body, perhaps higher-ranking clergy also had...
But Sigrid's research value was still higher, as she was, on a material level, a pure alchemical creation.
"Dr. Fran, thank you for bringing me here... Let's go back. Staying too long might cause trouble for Mr. Solm."
Sigrid came to Fran's side, her expression showing relief and relaxation.
"Yes." Fran agreed, then paused slightly, seeming suddenly puzzled.
"Speaking of which, August is almost half over, and the monthly house call hasn't arrived yet..."
————————
In the main hall of Fog Street Clinic, Haida sat upright on the soft velvet sofa, holding one of the three Ash Creeds of the Secrets-Hunter Cult, "Aphoristic Silence."
Studying the secret art system was tedious and intricate. To steal enough power from the realms of stars and delusional dreams to affect reality... besides vast amounts of mystical knowledge, it sometimes required special inspiration and talent.
Merely mastering the Category Two, lower-tier secret art [Tear the Secret Rite] had taken Haida nearly a year.
During this time, she not only had to memorize those vast and obscure secret knowledges, like a sea of mist, but also try to understand their principles, only then qualifying to attempt constructing a stable secret art model in her mind.
"Please have some tea, Sister Haida. Dr. Fran has been somewhat tired lately and is still resting... probably until noon?"
Sigrid, now dressed in exquisite and dignified maid attire, carefully placed a cup of Attilan black tea on the table.
She seemed somewhat restrained. After all, the person before her was a Burial attendant of the Secrets-Hunters, and she herself was highly wanted in Norlington... For the two of them to be alone together so harmoniously felt strange.
"I understand."
Haida nodded slightly, indicating she knew.
After some time together, she discovered Fran had two sets of schedules. The first was healthy and regular, from morning reading to afternoon tea, everything meticulously planned, absolutely no omissions.
The second was transforming into a Snorlax, burrowing into bed for high-intensity sleep... usually compensatory rest after overexerting labor.
Haida then picked up the cup of steaming black tea. As her thin lips were about to touch the rim, she paused slightly, her expression suddenly becoming subtle.
The tea leaves in the cup carried a rich roasted aroma, that unique and expensive flavor from the Sand-Flow Nation... Clearly, this tea was from Lady Solani.
Come to think of it, Fran did habitually take away some innocuous souvenirs from various house call locations.
"What's wrong, Sister Haida? Did I brew it poorly?"
Seeing Haida suddenly stop, Sigrid came to her side with concern, her hands placed somewhat at a loss on her abdomen.
"My tea-brewing skills are far inferior to Dr. Fran's. Please forgive me; let me brew another cup."
"That's not necessary. It's not your problem; I was just thinking about something and got distracted."
After a brief but intense internal struggle, Haida overcame her psychological discomfort and drank the black tea in one go. It was indeed the familiar taste, exactly the same as the cup she had at Solani's place.
"Then I won't disturb Sister Haida further. The forging chamber sustained some damage after one use; I need to repair it..."
"Go ahead, please don't mind me. I just have the habit of coming here to read."
With permission granted, Sigrid gave a slight bow and walked towards the forging chamber deep in the corridor. Haida returned her gaze to the "Aphoristic Silence" in her hands.
The three Ash Creeds of the Secrets-Hunter Cult were "Aphoristic Silence," "Abiding in Dust Order," and "Penetrating False Separation."
These three books had no difference in status or rank; novice-level hunters could borrow them from the library.
The copy in Haida's hands naturally came from Fran's bookshelf. It was nearly twice as thick as the identically-named book in the Secrets-Hunter library, carrying a deep, ancient feel. Bringing it closer, one could smell the complex scents of myrrh, saltpeter, and blood.
"As expected, the books Dr. Fran collects are all 'originals'... How on earth did she manage that?"
Haida still remembered the last time reading the original of the Red Cup's "Ascending Heart's Blood" during her previous visit to Fog Street Clinic.
Every phrase, even every punctuation mark, contained the taboos of the flesh's origin. If not for the annotations Fran wrote beside them, which somewhat diluted the mental interference attached to the text... she probably would have fallen as a Red Cup fanatic halfway through.
Compared to that, the cult's internally sanitized, co-opted, and edited version of "Crimson Visage" was practically a healthy preschooler's reader...
[Limited-time Alarm Module Triggered. Current time: 12:30 PM.]
"Doo—"
A light, melodious flute sound rang out. Fran's bedroom door opened accordingly, and Fran, wearing thin pajamas, stepped out.
Her pale white hair was slightly messy, the braid at her temples not as neatly and delicately woven as usual, clearly just awakened.
"Although I feel I haven't slept enough, I must get up when the alarm rings... Sleeping too long will also make one listless."
She extended her suture-lined fingers to rub her slightly bluish eye circles, her voice carrying a soft, lazy weariness.
Oh, by the way, her alarm ringtone was the Pokemon Flute performance version. If a trainer was blocked by a certain slumbering giant, then they needed to use this item to awaken it...
Fran glanced at the empty white porcelain cup on the table, then walked into the main hall wearing fluffy slippers.
"Good day, Sister Haida. Hmm... I assume Sigrid has received you on my behalf. She's a child who takes her work seriously, though sometimes she demands too much of herself."
"Dr. Fran hired her?" Haida closed the book, inquiring about Sigrid's recent situation.
"Yes. Sigrid arrived at Fog Street during her escape due to some coincidence. She just happened to have nowhere to go, and I just happened to be lacking a maid, so I signed a contract with her."
"...That's good too." Haida nodded.
Although the Secrets-Hunter Cult was investigating Sigrid's whereabouts, it was only out of concern for Norlington's safety. If her dangerousness could be confirmed as controlled, then further investigation wouldn't be necessary.
After all, strictly speaking, this wasn't their own family's business; the Sun-Forgers Cult should be the anxious ones.
Although Solm appeared open-minded and magnanimous, that was only because he was the oddball among the Corona Riders... Normally, the Sun-Forging higher-ups were mostly stubborn old things.
"Sister Haida is reading 'Aphoristic Silence'? This Ash Creed is indeed interesting. Since you read the Red Cup's Skin Creed last time... it's indeed time to read some proper things to stabilize your mental state."
As she spoke, Fran raised her hands, stretching her slender waist, seeming to want to dispel the fatigue brought by waking up.
"I'm going to take a shower. Please wait a moment, Sister Haida. Receiving guests like this isn't very polite."
Fran tugged at the thin collar of her pajamas, a glimpse of her fair neck showing, then walked towards the bathroom. The sound of splashing water rose and fell. Soon, the routine washing after waking was complete.
She changed into her iconic white coat; the weariness on her face had completely disappeared, replaced by a spirited, professional-service smile.
"What has Dr. Fran been busy with lately?"
In Haida's impression, Fran usually activated the second set of schedule after particularly mentally and physically exhausting house calls.
But the Sun-Forgers Cult incident was nearly half a month ago, and recently Norlington seemed to have no other major events...
"Hmm... Researching the composition of Sigrid's body."
Fran took out several stacks of already-filled experiment records from the bookshelf on one side of the main hall, put on her silver-rimmed round glasses, and began reading.
"I recall mentioning before that the living person Anderson and Malz saw in the golden statue in the alchemy room was actually a temporary replica I created. Sigrid's true physical body had already turned to ash in the alchemical process."
"The body she uses now is a pure alchemical creation, composed of a shard of the 'Primal Sun' and Philosopher's Stone... How does such a body, almost entirely inorganic, operate? How can a vessel without wetware exist to carry thought and soul?"
"My research into [Forbidden Alchemy] has stagnated for a long time; I just happen to be able to pick up this interesting subject again recently."
Haida detected an almost fervent excitement in Fran's elaboration, momentarily prompting a light cough and silence.
After brief consideration, she spoke again.
"Dr. Fran. What is 'wetware'? Although I often hear you mention it, I'm still somewhat unclear about its definition."
"...That's a bit difficult to explain."
Fran pursed her lips, the smile at the corner of her mouth seeming to stiffen momentarily.
"Generally, the term 'wetware' refers to the human brain and nervous system. Some mechanical constructs use separate neural organs as a control center to obtain human-like neural reactions and decision-making capabilities."
"I see... I think I understand now."
+++
T/N: Hey readers~! New Translator here! Before I say anything, I'd first like to thank the original author for creating this wonderful story. Without them, I wouldn't have the chance to share this adventure with you. I hope my translation does justice to their work, and that together, we can enjoy this story.
With that said, I'm happy to let you know I'll be uploading daily chapters. And for those who wish to support my work and gain early access, I've set up a Patreon where advanced chapters will be available.
[email protected]/PeakTL