After speaking, Haida couldn't help but glance at Fran discreetly.
This doctor girl before her, whose hair was still wet, was probably more versed in these matters than many heterodox priests she had seen... One could glimpse some clues from her possession of a full four volumes of the Red Cup's Skin Creed.
But on the other hand, she also possessed unbelievable stability. Not only did this person read those heterodox creeds nonchalantly, she could even write concise annotations beside them...
"Judging from the current situation, Sigrid can transition between three states: 'human body,' 'alchemical state,' and 'sword form.' Under the Sun-Forging system, conventional rituals and secret arts cannot achieve this effect."
"The shard of the Primal Sun bestowed upon her unique mystical properties, and I have been researching its principles recently."
Fran placed those few pages of manuscript back on the bookshelf, her amber eyes carrying a hint of intoxication.
In just a few days of research, the Parsing Rate for [Forbidden Alchemy] increased from 21% to 24%. It shows how excellent Sigrid is as experimental material...
"Dr. Fran, I've repaired the forging chamber that was more than half melted. The damage was likely caused by excessive heat from simultaneously operating multiple 'Molten Gold Rituals' with different names..."
Sigrid came into the main hall from the corridor, joy radiating between her brows, her cheeks and clothes smudged with a few streaks of black soot.
"Thank you for your hard work."
Fran turned to her, clearly quite satisfied with this newly hired maid.
Although Sigrid knew nothing about cooking and was a fugitive from the Sun-Forgers Cult with a sensitive status, unable to replace her for grocery shopping, and even sometimes needed looking after...
But she was talented in forging, alchemy, and machinery. With just a little guidance, she could repair complex modern equipment.
Fran tapped her lips, glanced at her memo, and found the most recent item among the many awaiting execution.
"Hmm... Speaking of which, I need to organize my collection room and 'First Pharmacy' recently. Is Sister Haida interested in helping? You can also incidentally tour my collections."
"Gladly."
Without much thought, Haida promptly agreed to Fran's request.
Helping others with tasks within one's capabilities is within the laws upheld by the Secrets-Hunters; Haida had no reason to decline.
...And she was indeed somewhat interested in Fran's collections.
--
Inside the collection room.
The wooden door inscribed with complex patterns stood like a chasm dividing two worlds.
Outside the door, Fog Street Clinic was like a Peach Blossom Spring left untouched by the mortal world, fresh and bright, even the air carrying the faint fragrance of osmanthus plants.
But inside the door, it was dark and cold, vast to the point of surprise. Countless quartz cabinets bearing numbered labels were arranged in an orderly, staggered manner.
There were things like enormous backbones resembling dragons or phoenixes, desiccated, withered humanoid corpses, or silver heavy armor engraved with sword-and-shield and skull motifs.
As soft, bright pale-yellow light lamps lit up one by one, the cold, lonely feeling gradually dissipated. The vast collection room was finally no longer filled with that deep, oppressive feeling.
"So magnificent..."
Sigrid's lips parted slightly, letting out a somewhat dazed sigh. Haida had a similar feeling, but her expression of emotion was more reserved, so she chose silence.
"Most are fees from house calls. Some I cannot research deeply yet, and rash disassembly would damage their integrity... So I can only preserve them for now. What a shame."
The light tapping of Fran's thick-soled shoes echoed in the collection room.
Like an excellent tour guide, she meticulously introduced her collections to the two, skillfully skipping over several oddly-shaped, broken corpses among them.
--
A piece of twisted flesh covered in scattered tubes slowly crawled in the shadows between cabinets. Its shape resembled a brain, but looking inside through the broken parts revealed precise mechanical structures.
That was a "Dreamweaver" created using magnetic field technology.
The Dreamweaver originally only had the effect of developing the user's magnetic field potential. But during one of Fran's interaction experiments, the test subject's mind inversely invaded this instrument. Although Fran later destroyed the subject's body, its spirit was preserved...
He carefully lay dormant in the Dreamweaver, gradually accumulating strength and flesh. One day, the power he accumulated reached the threshold for movement... and his escape plan began.
Fran tidied the collection room once or twice a year. Only during these times was there a possibility of leaving this icy, despairing space.
Damn, that woman dared to stuff me into different bodies for experiments time and again... What the hell, how could I suffer such humiliation? Wait till I regain my body and strength, I'll definitely tear you to pieces...
Suddenly, his perspective abruptly rose, instantly leaving that deep black shadow that could bring him a sense of security.
This flesh-wrapped Dreamweaver was picked up by a slender, suture-lined hand. Then a pair of clear amber eyes came directly close before it, only a hair's breadth away.
Fuck, what's going on? How did she discover me?
"It seems the virtual personality experiment for this stage has satisfactory completion. It truly believes it's a living being used as an experimental subject..."
Fran examined this Dreamweaver instrument, initiated formatting, and casually placed it back into the transparent quartz cabinet.
"Dr. Fran, is this wetware?"
Haida pondered for a moment, ultimately unable to resist asking.
...She witnessed the entire process of Fran picking up a brain that was crawling on the ground and casually placing it back into the transparent quartz cabinet.
The whole process was familiar and smooth, seemingly long accustomed to it, like putting an escaped hamster back into its cage.
"Not exactly. Although close, the difference between the two is actually not small."
Seeing Haida was interested in the Dreamweaver, Fran took out this sticky, wrinkled brain again, beginning a detailed explanation.
"Conventional wetware involves adding fleshy neural structures to mechanical constructs. But this little thing is a mechanical construct that acts on the human body. It's actually 'dryware.'"
As she spoke, her fingertip lightly flicked, parting the brain tissue covering the shell, revealing the precise and complex mechanical construction within.
"And this brain tissue comes from its original assembler. Probably a trace left during disassembly, which proliferated over time to its current volume."
After the demonstration, Fran placed the Dreamweaver back in the cabinet, then took a handkerchief from her pocket to wipe the slippery tissue fluid from between her fingers.
Sigrid imagined the scene of this thing attached to a brain... Even though her life form was completely alchemized, she still felt a trace of physical discomfort.
"Can something of this volume really be stuffed into a person's brain? I thought if such equipment existed, it would be miniature..."
"Don't doubt yourself, Sigrid. Your idea is correct. The vast majority of mechanical implants do indeed exist as miniature chips. This instrument is just rather special."
Fran seemed to have lost interest in this Dreamweaver, quickly leading the two past this cabinet towards deeper areas.
Several memory fragments and thought patterns left by the original assembler within the Dreamweaver constituted its database framework. The AI, after being tamed by the deep learning program Fran wrote... generated a hybrid "self-awareness."
But this thing was just mass-produced; previously only small fry had used it... To Fran, it was merely a tool for data testing. The outcome of being discarded and dismantled was almost predetermined.
Fran moved along briskly, soon stopping before a cabinet holding silver armor, looking at the broken part on the transparent mirror surface.
"The glass on the cabinet is partly broken. Can Sigrid try to repair it?"
"Yes! Please wait a moment..."
Sigrid nodded in agreement, coming before the cracks spreading like a spiderweb.
She placed her palm tightly against the broken part. A trace of faint, red-hot light lit up from the center of her palm, rapidly spreading across the entire piece of glass.
After double melting and reshaping, the cracks inside the mirror surface soon vanished without a trace. The entire display cabinet became as good as new.
Haida quietly observed Sigrid completing her work with a serious expression, gaining a deeper understanding of this Sun-Forging artisan.
Besides the high-heat ability from the "Primal Sun" shard, she also used a Sun-Forging system shaping secret art. Otherwise, the entire cabinet would have collapsed during the remelting process. This required meticulous control.
Watching the cracks disappear from the cabinet, Fran slightly narrowed her eyes, with a strange sense of satisfaction.
"Ahh... That feels better."
She had been thinking about this for months, but finding changing the glass too troublesome had made her unable to decide to do it.
"Dr. Fran, is this armor for people to wear... or can it drive itself autonomously like golems?"
Haida looked up, gazing at this pale-silver armor far exceeding conventional size.
It resembled some knight's full armor, adorned with swords and shields, books and skulls... Even standing before this empty shell without a wearer, she could still feel a deep, heavy oppressive feeling.
Like a pale-silver mountain, or an armored deity.
"Mmm~ This thing could indeed be modified for autonomous driving, but more often it's for people to wear. However, it has strict physique requirements and some other rigid conditions."
Fran lightly knocked on the cabinet glass, producing two crisp, clean sounds.
"The users of this armor are called 'Grey Knights,' adept at exorcising demons and resisting corruption. Thankfully, you should never encounter them. Believe me, that's not a good thing..."
"Why is that?"
Sigrid was somewhat curious about this.
According to Fran's description, these people were somewhat similar to the definition of Secrets-Hunters, perhaps also from an "orthodox cult"... So why would encountering them be not good?
"They exist in a darker and more despairing world. Every mortal could be a potential breeding ground for corruption, and their existence requires secrecy. Therefore... while exorcising demons, they also cleanse mortals who witnessed them."
Fran looked at this power armor that had been silent for years but remained new, seeming to recall some interesting memories.
"'Mortal'?"
Haida keenly caught the key point in Fran's wording.
"So, the users of this armor are no longer within the category of mortals, hence they slaughter without restraint... Is that correct?"
"You could say that, but they can still be killed by purely physical means. Though called demi-gods, they haven't departed from human nature."
If someone suffered irreversible corruption, Secrets-Hunters would also decisively grant them death to prevent deepening and spreading of contamination. Therefore, Haida could understand the Grey Knights' methods to some extent.
Of course, understanding doesn't mean approval... From any angle, being silenced merely for witnessing is indeed too harsh.
"Dr. Fran, how did the glass on the cabinet break?"
"Early on, I tried writing a set of autonomous combat programs, and wanted to test it with this armor, but it went out of control. Although the control valve successfully disengaged all its power, it also damaged my glass before stopping..."
Fran's expression showed slight regret, but soon returned to a smiling one.
The wind flowing within the collection room was like trailing silk threads, delicate and carrying a hint of cool chill.
As they gradually entered the interior of the entire space, the three arrived at the area needing tidying. It was a damaged area; several broken quartz cabinets were reduced to fragments scattered on the ground, the surroundings almost ruined.
"An enemy?... Did one of Dr. Fran's collections escape?"
Haida took out the power sword "Nirvana" from behind her, lightly wiping the blade edge with two fingers, vigilantly and cautiously observing the shadows under the yellow lights.
"Relax. The culprit that breached containment has already been neutralized. I really just asked you two to help me tidy up the damaged garbage..."
Fran somewhat embarrassedly lightly scratched her cheek, reaching out to lower Haida's straight sword that might strike out at any moment. Then she took out two vacuum cleaners from the corner to the side.
For this person, any physical labor that couldn't be solved with [Drive Away Dust and Filth] was uniformly considered "life-threatening."
Construction debris of unknown material, broken glass from the cabinets, ashes and residue all over the ground... It took Sigrid and Haida about two hours to clean it all up completely.
Fran stood obediently to the side, quietly smiling, providing all support except help.
These construction fragments were surprisingly heavy. Even with Haida's surgically strengthened muscles, it was somewhat strenuous. Fortunately, with Sigrid's help, the whole process didn't take too much time.
--
As the clear, pale-yellow lights extinguished one by one, the vast collection room returned to darkness and silence... The three returned to the main hall of Fog Street Clinic.
The collection room restored to neatness, Fran's mood seemed good.
Her glossy eyes were slightly narrowed, revealing a sliver of amber between her interwoven, pale white eyelashes.
Haida sat back on the velvet sofa, adjusting her somewhat short breathing. But she didn't truly feel tired; this was probably just daily training intensity for her.
Sigrid pursed her lips. Fran's many collections brought no small shock to her worldview. Compared to her collection room, the Norlington Central Museum was practically like a kindergarten handicraft display area...
"Speaking of which, I haven't had breakfast, even though it's already afternoon... Let's have some pastries for afternoon tea to make do and wait for dinner."
Adhering to the basic principle of making one less meal if possible, Fran decided to wait until dinner for her culinary demonstration. Her regular pastry setup included glutinous rice and sugary items, as well as peach shortbread and cookies that were relatively filling, sufficient to tide her over for one meal.
Furthermore, eating wasn't a rigid requirement for Fran, nor was sleep.
Thud! thud!
Irregular knocking on the door sounded, making Fran, who had just entered the kitchen, pause.
In the vast majority of cases, Fog Street Clinic had no visitors. Those who could come to this district either held tokens she gave or were house call targets...
The next moment, her monthly house call was triggered.
[Dear Dr. Fran, the August monthly house call has been triggered. The target is 'Glazed Fawn'—'Luyala.' Please begin treatment soon. The target is predicted to die from deep erosion within 10 minutes.]
"Baa."
A little fawn with fur the color of frost stumbled through the door, its four slender hooves trembling occasionally, seemingly unable to even stand steadily.
Luyala came to Fran's side, swayed slightly, then fell sideways into her embrace, curling up and trembling continuously.
"Little one, injured even worse than last time. What on earth did you provoke... Also, it seems like only sheep say 'baa.' Shouldn't deer calls be 'nay'?"
+++
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