Under normal circumstances, dreams are illusory and illogical.
Redundant emotions, echoes of thoughts, and the empty, elusive revelations of fate... How could one expect such a chaotic weave to be orderly?
Before Fran could finish her thought, she felt a nudge at the small of her back. Turning, she saw Luyala gently butting her with those crystalline antlers.
"Nah!"
"Very good. It seems you've learned to call like a normal deer. I'm pleased."
Fran reached out to pet her, but then heard faint, rustling sounds coming from the street-side drainage channel.
Accompanied by the noise, dozens of dark brown cockroaches fluttered out, wings beating.
"Good thing that things in the dream can't touch me. This gauze robe is brand new..."
Ignoring the swarm of sewer insects flying toward her, she walked straight to the drainage channel opening, her amber eyes utterly calm.
Scrape-scrape-scrape-scrape-scrape...
Fran heard a faint yet grating sound. Like chewing, but closer to the left-right grinding of upper and lower molars.
"Teeth grinding?"
She approached the sewer entrance and peered into the shadow of the iron grate... A rat poked its head out.
But its pupils were cloudy and unfocused, clearly already dead.
The next moment, the rat was yanked back into the shadows. The chewing sound resumed briefly, then fell silent once more.
"It seems the sewer has a diner not very particular about food quality. Clearly, it's not the 'man-eating crocodile' from the rumors..."
Due to their inherent physiological structure, crocodiles cannot move their jaws sideways, making "teeth grinding" impossible.
Fran wanted to search for more clues from this drain, but a mist had begun to gather without her noticing.
"Time to leave?"
"Nah."
Luyala's figure gradually grew indistinct, seeming to signal the dream's imminent end.
"That's reasonable. Belinda is just an ordinary occult enthusiast. Her dream can't provide much information. Getting this level of insight is already sufficient."
As her consciousness sank, she gradually detached from the dream and returned to the Calcite Room of the Mirror of Enlightenment Club.
"Alright, now to wait for Mrs. Belinda to wake up."
---
"Mmm..."
Belinda woke on the grey velvet bed, rubbing her bleary eyes to dispel some of the drowsiness.
"I actually fell asleep without even realizing it! It's amazing, Miss Fran!" She looked at Fran, who was reading a book nearby, with a mix of surprise and anticipation.
"So... regarding that recent incident at the academy, did you receive any revelations?"
Fran closed the Originium-State Biological Spectrum, her eyes holding a hint of something inscrutable.
"The information I obtained wasn't much. However, I can at least determine the thing in the sewers isn't a 'man-eating crocodile.'"
She then curled her moist lips, baring a molar on one side, and produced a grating grinding sound between her teeth.
Scrape-scrape-scrape-scrape-scrape...
"Right?"
"Yes! That's the sound! Incredible! Is this 'dream divination'?"
Belinda's vague memories were instantly awakened. In her astonishment, her gaze toward Fran even held a trace of admiration.
"Just some insignificant tricks." Fran humbly accepted the praise, then continued explaining her unfinished divination result.
"Creatures capable of flexibly moving their jaws sideways aren't common. At least, they're not usual residents of the sewers."
"But, coincidentally, there is one type of creature with flexible jaws that can easily produce such sounds. It's very common, found everywhere around you and me... That's right. It's a human."
"...Human?"
Hearing Fran's answer, Belinda felt an inexplicable chill.
"You mean... what's hiding in the sewers is a person?"
The thought that there might have been a pair of eyes watching her from under that metal street drain... sent waves of icy dread creeping up her spine.
"This is just divination. I don't guarantee complete accuracy. Enlightenment follows; the revelations fate gives are always hazy and indistinct."
Fran neither confirmed nor denied. Ambiguous phrasing and an elusive attitude are a fortune teller's required skills.
Not taking responsibility for the answers you give is also part of our trade. If you don't like it, don't play...
"To peer further into fate, the price demanded isn't just half a silver coin... Of course, don't misunderstand. I'm not referring to more money."
"Beyond money, you might lose other things."
"Oh, I'm sorry, that was presumptuous of me..."
Mrs. Belinda noticed her words might have overstepped some unspoken rule and instinctively covered her mouth.
She had read some historical occult texts on "precognition" and knew that sometimes demanding explicit answers from a diviner could be an affront.
"No need to apologize. After all, I didn't say anything, did I?" Fran waved her hand modestly.
She wasn't a real diviner, after all. Putting on this act was just to immerse herself in the role. One must admit, being an enigma-speaker is truly addictive...
"Thank you for your tolerance, Miss Fran."
Seeing Fran's unchanged expression, Belinda breathed a small sigh of relief.
"But... how exactly should dream divination be conducted? What else do I need to learn?"
While lying on the grey velvet bed, she had felt completely, utterly relaxed, as if floating on clouds.
That state was intoxicating and surreal. She was vaguely aware she was in a dream, yet her thoughts couldn't coalesce at all. And upon waking, she couldn't recall the scenes in the mirror at all.
What do you need to learn? Nothing. You just need a mythical creature that can help you reach the deepest layers of dreams...
Though that was the truth, Fran certainly couldn't say it.
She lightly lifted the hem of her gown in a small curtsy.
"You can start with the most basic 'simple rituals.' Using some spiritually resonant materials to establish a connection between you and the client's dream."
"I've prepared a list of ingredients for a potion for you. They are all common, but when combined in specific proportions, they become effective."
Belinda took the list, a flicker of delight in her eyes.
"The key to entering dreams is actually a potion?"
"A beginner's spirit isn't strong enough to support the bridge connecting to dreams. Naturally, some assistance is required."
Though excited about the ingredient list, Belinda, as a lecturer at Norlington Central Academy, hadn't lost her basic caution and judgment.
"But... is it safe?" Belinda lowered her head slightly, asking somewhat sheepishly.
"It's a beginner-level potion. Both the ingredients and the formula are harmless. You can have it verified by the White Cup or the Secrets-Hunters. Though doing so might incur a fine for regulation violation."
"I see. Then... how much should I pay you?"
"The list is free. As for the divination fee, we agreed on that at the start." Fran explained dismissively, then stretched.
Frequent dream-walking imposes a certain mental burden on a person. Though she didn't mind, the hour was indeed growing late.
"Well, that concludes today's business. I should be heading back..."
"Miss Fran, thank you for your guidance."
After bidding farewell to Belinda, Fran pulled down the hood of her gauze robe, opened the door, and prepared to leave the Mirror of Enlightenment Club.
Just as she was about to step into the corridor, Dorothy, who had been waiting there for some time, called out to her.
"Miss Fran. You gave Mrs. Belinda the formula for a 'dream-connecting' potion?"
"Mhm. I don't mind sharing some knowledge with eager learners."
Looking into Fran's utterly sincere amber eyes, Dorothy placed a hand on her forehead, seeming somewhat exasperated.
"Even if it's a beginner-level formula, spreading occult knowledge to ordinary people violates the Secrets-Hunter Creed. As a doctor hired by those hunters, you must know that, right?"
"She is employed by Norlington Central Academy and is under the protection of the White Cup cult. That differentiates her from the Secrets-Hunters' definition of 'ordinary people.'"
Fran was well-versed in rules and regulations. In terms of creeds, not even Dorothy, a mere Mirror-Wiper, nor even Haida, a Burial Attendant, might know more than she did. Answering such questions came naturally.
"Besides, this is currently the most widely circulated, safest spiritual-infusion potion on the Ahanta black market. It can even be used as a conventional sleep aid."
"...Fine."
Dorothy didn't press the issue further. She was concerned about something else.
"I'd like to know your regular schedule for visiting the club, so Dawn can arrange appointments and clients."
"The first Sunday of every month. I'm usually quite busy otherwise."
Fran's explanation was quite persuasive.
For the hunters of the Burial Court, injuries and death were routine. The burden on related medical personnel was correspondingly heavy, not to mention her official duties also included "coroner."
Dorothy would never imagine that the person before her only made house calls once a month, for just one patient... All other medical activities were purely out of "personal interest."
And for Fran, one experience as a diviner was enough.
The reason she agreed to come periodically in the future was mainly to maintain contact with the two Error-Purgers, Child and Terence. She was very interested in the lost era that created Child...
Having received the proposed schedule, Dorothy nodded.
"Good. Comrade, welcome to the Mirror of Enlightenment next time. May the light of enlightenment always shine upon you."
---
The most notable drawback of dream divination is probably the significant amount of time that passes unnoticed between sleeping and waking.
Fran had arrived at the Mirror of Enlightenment Club in the morning; by the time she returned to Fog Street Clinic, it was evening.
She pushed open the clinic door, took off the Mirror-Wiper's gauze robe, tossed her medicine box onto the table, and then threw herself heavily onto the sofa in the main hall, sinking into the soft velvet cushions.
"Sigh, sleeping too much in one day is also tiring."
Fran's pale, frost-like eyelashes fluttered slightly as she gazed out the window at the sky.
The crimson sunset, having shed its light and heat, was about to sink into twilight. It was time to prepare dinner again.
"Divination is indeed fun. Should I make a Prayer-Hand specifically for divination..."
Besides deeply enjoying the role of a diviner, this trip had yielded some extra gains.
For instance, her Parsing Rate for [Clinical Psychology] increased from 20.3% to 22.3%, a 2% rise... Perhaps in the system module's cognition, entering others' dreams counted as a psychological behavior.
Furthermore, during the recent period, Fran had finished reading the previously acquired Mechanized Biology, the Rhine Lab Experimental Manual, and the newly obtained Originium-State Biological Spectrum.
This had led to a certain degree of increase in her Parsing Rates.
[Terra Medicine (5% → 15%)]
[Mechanized Biology (7.1% → 17.1%)]
[40k Medicine (37.5% → 40.5%) Overflow of 0.5%. Further improvement requires breaking through a stage-specific bottleneck.]
"The technological bottleneck for 40k Medicine came really fast... Let's formulate a breakthrough plan."
Fran sighed, having anticipated this.
Although she had already completed the relevant breakthrough planning earlier, she still intended to glance at the system module's recommendations for reference.
[Plan One: While ensuring the experimental subject's survival, complete a full Primaris Space Marine augmentation procedure. This procedure requires optimizing implantation techniques to avoid genetic flaws.]
[Plan Two: Complete the advanced experiment described in the fragmentary texts of the Haemonculi 'Black Cornucopians' school. Craft a biological device perfectly integrated with oneself, requiring the use of at least three different technological systems.]
[Plan Three: Obtain a technology manual of 'Flawless' quality within the 40k system.]
---
"Plan Three can be ruled out directly. The flawless-quality Mechanized Biology from the Necrons was headache-inducing enough. Getting another flawless-quality tech manual would have me preparing for hair transplant surgery..."
Of course, that was just a quip. If one really appeared, someone with Fran's personality would never refuse it.
But the consultation fee from that Abyss-level success earlier was only "Flawless." Expecting to casually obtain a flawless-quality tech manual was indeed somewhat unrealistic.
"Plan One depends on Haida's opinion. But the medical plan I devised for her omitted several useless organs, failing to meet the 'complete' craftsmanship requirement. Hmm... Can't force it. Suitability is most important."
+++
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