Most of these dishes still retained the warmth of having just come out of the oven, steaming with the faint aroma of cooking.
Through Sphinx's information transmission, Fran already knew what had just happened. One had to admit, Munin's quick thinking had indeed saved her a lot of trouble.
Otherwise, the attendant would have been forcibly controlled by the chimera spine "Sphinx" the moment she entered the room, to prevent her from screaming or fleeing.
If things had developed that way, she would have had to take out her pocket watch and make the attendant lady forget this unpleasant memory...
"Cough... Cough, cough!"
Along with Haida's awakening came several bouts of incessant coughing.
The wounds left by the mirror maiden in the dream had transformed into an erosive, bone-chilling coldness that gnawed at the spirit. This wasn't a physical ailment like a cold, so her superhuman physique couldn't help resist its effects.
Fran walked to Haida's bedside, took the nun's arm, and began meticulously examining the places where she had been cut in the dream.
"Intense winter spirituality. It seems that mirror maiden wasn't boasting... If the fight had continued, even if you had ultimately won, you would have likely died from the subsequent erosion."
"However, this kind of ailment isn't troublesome for me. A broad-spectrum drug can solve it."
Saying this, she took out a green capsule and brought over the cup of floral tea from the meal to assist with swallowing.
"Thank you."
After swallowing the medicine, Haida's condition visibly improved. Her slightly pale lips gradually regained their color.
However, this only curbed the deepening of the erosion for now. The winter spirituality would still take some time to be completely purified. Moreover, her current state didn't hinder combat. Or rather, a battle that could stimulate her body's vitality might actually speed up the recovery process.
While resting and waiting for the drug's effects to further deepen, she began asking the questions she hadn't had time to voice earlier in Room 408.
"Dr. Fran, there are a few things I still don't understand."
"Please, go ahead."
Unbeknownst to all, Fran had already put on her round-framed, silver-rimmed glasses, ready to provide answers.
Noticing this, Vivian, along with Munin on her shoulder, quietly edged closer, like children preparing for a bedtime story.
Haida then voiced her points of confusion.
"What exactly did the mirror maiden mean when she said to me, 'After becoming one of the dead, try to ascend blades like a hedge of blades. Perhaps, you will become us'?"
"Oh, that's quite simple to understand."
Fran raised her slender index finger, pointing it in the air as if it were a teacher's pointer.
"You also saw the sanctuary 'Blade Staircase' in that silver mirror and should have some impression of it. Simply put, the dead who ascend it will become new mirror maidens. And if a living being can traverse the staircase, they can receive the enlightenment of the Lamp's radiance."
"Becoming a mirror maiden transforms oneself into a pure dream creature, while still retaining the ability to climb to higher ranks."
"The one we encountered was probably transformed from Karmion's eyeball... That eyeball simultaneously possessed the traits of the dead and winter spirituality. All it needed was a vessel capable of ascending the Blade Staircase to complete the metamorphosis of its life form."
At this point, Fran couldn't help but curl the corner of her lips, revealing a hint of a smile.
"Using this method to look for loopholes... It seems Karmion was indeed driven mad by his impending demise."
Haida murmured in contemplation, having already grasped the meaning.
"I see."
The reason the mirror maiden said those words was more an acknowledgment of her, akin to an invitation.
Having settled her thoughts, she proceeded to her second question.
"What exactly was Karmion's diary entry trying to convey? He also mentioned Grand Magus Gloria's failure..."
Upon hearing this, Fran offered an evaluation tinged with some emotion.
"Oh, Karmion was indeed a sharp fellow."
"Although he was called a demon monk and madman by most cult followers, he saw what others overlooked from this unique perspective, discovering the rewriting of the Ascension principles. But precisely because of this, he ultimately fell into despair."
"'Splitting the Self' was his final struggle. But he still couldn't escape death, only leaving more traces in the form of relics."
At this point, Vivian suddenly grew curious about what state that eyeball was currently in. Although Dr. Fran had stored it away, that was in the dream, so it shouldn't exist in reality, logically speaking.
"Dr. Fran, Karmion's eyeball only exists in the dream. How did you preserve it?"
She voiced her doubt.
"Simple. In the form of 'spirituality,' residing within my thoughts."
Fran explained with a smile, then brought her index finger close to her left eyelid and gave her own eyeball a flick.
With this motion, her amber-colored eye rotated from the front to the back, revealing a pupil as crimson as blood.
The color was vivid and eerie, like a blood-soaked crimson corundum.
---
The ritual of Splitting the Self is called Leap Month.
It wasn't a discovery or creation of some mystic researcher, but rather a clumsy imitation of an ancient deity.
Legend has it that the deity representing the Forged Sun, during the Age of Dust Order, split that Primal Sun suspended in the firmament.
To split and dismember is destruction and oblivion, but also rewriting and rebirth.
And this is the origin of Karmion's "Convergence Theory" viewpoint.
The secret arts and rituals used by cult followers in the mortal world can all find their source in ancient lore. So how can they claim they aren't "imitating"? Like mynah birds mimicking speech, they can only rigidly replicate the actions without understanding their meaning.
Thinking of this, Fran couldn't help but narrow her eyes slightly, raising a hand to adjust the silver-rimmed glasses on the bridge of her nose.
At the same time, she casually flipped the rotated eyeball back to its original position, returning her pupils to their gentle, translucent amber color.
In fact, Karmion and she shared a certain similarity in some respects.
He used Leap Month on himself to prolong his existence and evade the fate of complete annihilation, ultimately fracturing into several relics. She, on the other hand, severed part of her personality to resist the madness that proliferated with time.
Although their goals were vastly different, both acted driven by a certain obsession.
Haida took a slender white quill pen and concisely recorded what Fran had said earlier in her personal notebook.
Now she had a general understanding of Karmion's situation, the reason for the mirror maiden's appearance, and the broken Ant Door.
But simultaneously, new questions sprouted in her mind.
"Dr. Fran, there are still some things I don't quite understand."
"Karmion was an ancient from the Lost Age. When he was still alive, the Dreamslumber Flowers Hotel hadn't been built yet. Foy City might not have even existed. Why would the dream he used to store important things appear in Room 408?"
"Good question."
Fran expressed approval, having clearly pondered this as well.
"Regarding this point, I haven't reached a definitive conclusion either... However, there is a plausible conjecture."
"Perhaps Karmion's tomb is buried beneath the Dreamslumber Flowers Hotel, and some ritual is erected within it, providing an anchor point for the existence of Room 408 in the dream."
"Of course, it's also possible that the dream manifests as the form of a study. After all, most dreams are fleeting fantasies. And the study was probably the place Carimion was most deeply impressed by before his death."
Saying this, she lifted her hands with a hint of weariness, stretched her waist, and slowly let out a yawn.
Although she had traveled for the better part of a day and then had a dangerous direct encounter with a mirror maiden, Fran wasn't actually sleepy.
The reason for yawning was mainly because of the repeated use of [Crown-Thief] in the dream, which consumed too much spirituality.
Having used this talent almost non-stop since retrieving it, her proficiency was now close to advancing. She just needed to undergo a sufficiently demanding house call or complete a special advancement task to achieve the promotion.
[Crown-Thief (Talent)]
[Quality: Perfect]
Effect: Evolved from 'Legendary Thief.' Whether tangible or intangible, as long as 'contact' is made, an attempt can be made to steal it. Due to a certain doctor's diligent and unceasing use, this talent is now ready for further evolution.]
[Note: "Welcome, all... You shall each have a place in my meticulously arranged museum!" — Still the unnamed Necron Overlord.]
—
[Study Progress: Proficient Level (Proficiency: 100%). Continued improvement requires breaking through a stage bottleneck.]
[Option One: Complete any house call with a completion rating of Abyss (Apollyon) or higher.]
[Option Two: While having publicly announced your intentions in advance, steal a treasure rated as Flawless or higher right under everyone's watchful eyes.]
__
Seeing Fran show signs of tiredness, Haida did not continue her questioning.
Moreover, the mysteries and anomalies within Room 408 had already been unraveled; there wasn't really anything left to ask.
Fran took off her silver-rimmed glasses, folded them, and placed them back in the medical kit. Then she posed a question to the nun beside her.
"Haida, do you know what the most important thing is right now?"
"The most important thing?" Haida pondered upon hearing this, thinking it over.
This was a rather broad question, difficult to answer accurately.
Her original purpose in applying for the annual transfer to Gormouth was to find the spiritual material needed for the ancient secret art [Mechanized Spirit]—namely, the grey matter of Abyssal Descendants. But this was a lengthy endeavor that might require investing the entire season.
Therefore, no one knew exactly what needed to be done... One could only slowly feel one's way forward.
"I'm not deliberately giving you a difficult riddle, am I? Dear Haida."
Fran gently raised her eyebrows, as if wanting the nun before her not to be so serious and to relax a bit.
"The most important thing right now is to have dinner first. If we leave it any longer, the seafood paella will get cold. Since we've finally gotten to try a foreign specialty, we should try to leave ourselves with a good impression."
Saying this, she walked towards the small dining table in the guest room, casually pulling over a chair and sitting down.
After Fran took her seat, Vivian promptly followed.
Her movements carried a kind of almost weightless nimbleness, as if she had been waiting for a while. After all, it was already evening when they disembarked, some six or seven hours since lunch.
The Munin on her shoulder quite reservedly tucked in its wings, slightly turning its head away, as if wanting to distance itself from its owner.
Hearing this, Haida was momentarily taken aback, then her expression quickly softened.
"That's true... it is dinnertime."
Saying this, she also came to the small table and quietly began her meal.
Fran picked up the silver-plated spoon, scooped a portion of seafood paella into her mouth, and chewed meticulously and elegantly.
The texture of the crab meat was fine and tender. Although coated in piping hot sauce, it still retained a hint of the fresh sweetness of seafood.
The cheese from Moldway, having been baked in the oven, turned a slightly golden brown, coating the crisply fried bacon, emitting a rich and fragrant aroma.
"Crab, tiger prawns, smoked sea bream, Moldway cheese... and bacon slices. The ingredients are very fresh. Although the oven's temperature was slightly too high, it doesn't much affect the overall flavor."
Fran had always had the habit of critiquing and commenting on meals, so listing the ingredients used in this paella came naturally and effortlessly to her.
Previously, at the Hanover Manor, when Krul served the dishes, even though he had heated the plates, she could still find flaws from other aspects that forced him to redo them.
After all, her goal then was to find fault, not to dine.
Soon, as the plate holding the paella became empty, Fran finished her evening meal.
"The chef at the Dreamslumber Flowers Hotel indeed has good skills. It doesn't fail its reputation... or its room price."
She rested her cheek on one hand, her tone carrying a touch of sentiment.
A triple room like this, complete with evening meals, costs around 60 Gormouth silver. For the average working class, this could indeed be considered a luxurious expense.
And Haida's mission budget wasn't large. If they stayed here every day... it probably wouldn't last a month.
"Tomorrow I will look for reasonably priced lodging."
Since Haida was the one who paid for the room, she of course knew the hotel's price wasn't suitable for a long stay. Although the group would likely only be in Gormouth for three months, it was still best to find a place that was sufficiently safe and hidden.
This was the inconvenience of not having a Secrets-Hunter branch... If the Blade-Hanging Training Ground in Foy City hadn't been withdrawn, not only would they not have to worry about accommodation, but they could also get equipment resupply and help from local hunters.
"Looking for lodging?"
Fran tilted her head slightly, her amber eyes sparkling with a bit of amusement.
"Why can't we just stay at the Dreamslumber Flowers Hotel?"
"But the price..."
Vivian had also seen Haida pay with a check and knew the cost here.
Resting for a few days was fine, but staying long-term would lead to uncontrollable expenses... The mission budget also needed to cover various material supplies later on; it might not be enough.
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