From the frantic perspective of the evil spawn, she could finally understand the state that Sister Haida had described as "the tower is swaying." The building truly pulsed like a living thing, squirming akin to a hydrozoan polyp.
"—"
When the Ant-Scale Door disciple's viewpoint approached the Sands of Slumber Bell Tower to a certain distance, Vivian suddenly heard "singing" at an inadvertent moment.
It was a melodious humming of a female voice, harmonious in rhythm and beautiful in timbre, like a lullaby meant to lull someone to sleep.
She could sense that this fanatic's chaotic emotions were experiencing unprecedented enjoyment and calmness... all manic desires were soothed and calmed by the humming sound.
It wasn't the grand resonance of a symphony; the singing was merely faint, extremely soft human humming.
But the emotion it contained was so tranquil, so serene, that one couldn't help but sink into it. Forgetting all worries and obsessions, one only wanted to continue listening quietly.
As if placed amidst the emerald waves of the sea, the warm ocean current now transformed into a cradle. And the bright, full moon hanging in the sky was the gentle gaze of that singer. Indeed, it was so... the surging of the tide is, fundamentally, the moon's breath.
Even though the review of the Ant-Scale Door disciple's memory had ended, Vivian still hadn't fully returned to herself from that distant melody.
"CAW!" A loud, dissonant note abruptly rang out.
It was Munin's cry.
Its voice awakened Vivian from her immersed state, startling her. She immediately sat up straight.
Seeing that she had already exited the earlier state of inspired insight, Fran also asked about her real feelings with a slight smile.
"Did you hear the singing of the Sands of Slumber Bell Tower, Vivian? How did it feel?"
"...Peaceful, and ethereal. As if all restlessness had been soothed."
Vivian dispelled the lingering sense of trance from her thoughts and recounted her recent experience.
It was a kind of soul-level pacification; it seemed all desires were forgotten... even including the instinct for survival.
In that moment, she seemed to no longer even fear death. She only wanted to continue listening, regardless of what consequences it might bring.
"Perfect. After hearing it once, I've also learned how to sing this song. I'll try next time to see if it can work on Abyssal Sea aberrations."
Fran herself possessed the talent ability [Shepherd's Song], allowing her singing to carry a special effect that catalyzes emotions. However, there weren't many opportunities for her to use this art, so she hadn't utilized it much up to now.
As she spoke, she withdrew her hand from the wrists of the two and turned to look at Haida.
"Sister Haida, what was your impression?"
This Sister's psychic perception was much more acute than that of an ordinary secret cult disciple, and she was adept at capturing special information from such phenomena. She might be able to detect easily overlooked details from the singing of the Sands of Slumber Bell Tower.
Upon hearing this, Haida closed her eyes briefly to recollect before slowly speaking.
"Loneliness."
"Her voice carries a very intense sense of loneliness, like a call into the distance from something that has strayed from the flock."
She didn't mention other things because any emotions she could sense from that singing, Dr. Fran probably wouldn't have missed either.
Hearing the sister's reply, Fran's interest in the Stellar Abyss Society was clearly piqued.
"It seems the Stellar Abyss Society's secrets about the Bell Tower aren't unfounded rumors. Since there really is singing there, then the disappearance cases might also be true..."
She gently rubbed her fingertips, seeming to have thought of something else.
"Hmm... The deity the Stellar Abyss Society itself worships might hold authority related to the moon, and the title for their high-ranking members is 'Tide-Listener'. As for the vampire followers of the Molting Moon, they are called 'Moon-Listeners'."
"What a coincidence. Perhaps there's some connection between the moon and the act of listening."
Fran's amber eyes narrowed slightly, her pale eyelashes gently converging.
Coming out for a stroll from Norlington from time to time was truly refreshing for both mind and body. Interesting surprises almost came one after another, hardly leaving room for boredom.
Hearing Fran mention Moon-Listeners, a slight sharpness flashed through Haida's gray-amber eyes, as if she suddenly remembered something.
"Moon-Listeners... Dr. Fran, I remember the cult of the Moon's Favored is located in Gormouth."
"Oh, yes."
Fran answered lightly.
"Let me think, there was indeed a patient named Rosalia before. Coincidentally, she's also in Gormouth; we could go learn more... However, the Elder Council of the Moon's Favored is located in the capital, Moldway, which is a bit far from Foy Port. We can go there after some time."
Rosalia's profession was investigative journalist, often needing to travel between different cities for work. But Fran wasn't worried about finding her.
That child had drunk her blood; a small 'gift' from her existed in her subconscious... Luyala could rely on this psychic connection to infiltrate her dreams and thus deliver a letter.
By now, Haida had mostly digested the memory glimpsed from the Ant-Scale Door disciple's mind, and she subsequently raised a question.
"Judging from that memory, is the Stellar Abyss Society using the singing of the Sands of Slumber Bell Tower to control these Ant-Scale Door monsters?"
"Very likely." Fran agreed with her viewpoint.
As long as the Stellar Abyss Society's decision-makers had any sense, they wouldn't truly form a cooperative relationship with the already fallen church. But if it's just tentative mutual exploitation... they might not refuse.
Even so, it was an extremely dangerous act.
"By the way, Dr. Fran. Did you obtain the information you wanted from the Six-Eyed Crow's Full Moon gathering today?"
Haida was relatively concerned about the situation related to the Six-Eyed Crow cult, as it was connected to the Nightmare Guest.
Although the task of hunting that guy was assigned only to Bartley to execute, as a Secrets-Hunter, she possessed an almost innate enthusiasm for this kind of hunt. And she didn't mind giving her colleague some help within her capabilities.
"Heh... indeed, the harvest was quite substantial."
Fran's lips curved slightly, revealing a meaningful smile.
"Currently, I've already learned the background of the 'Nightmare Guest' from a Raven-Feather High Priest. His real name is 'Lyons Horton', a renegade Snatcher who has already betrayed the cult, mastering several dangerous lost secret arts."
"Lyons should be part of the same group of thieves who previously went to the Whiskered Tree ruins, but compared to his comrades, he obtained something special. And it was precisely this unusual gain that caused his desires to begin expanding uncontrollably..."
She paused here briefly, pondering for a moment before continuing with the rest.
"According to the Raven-Feather High Priest, that guy should currently be hiding in the fallen city 'Morien', diligently preparing for an ascension ritual."
Hearing this, Vivian couldn't help but purse her lips.
Such detailed information... and obtained in just one night. Being completely defeated in intelligence work by a doctor made this Confidential Division agent feel somewhat ashamed, inexplicably feeling a sense of discouragement.
Haida, however, wasn't surprised by this; she had never doubted this doctor's ability to acquire information.
In the face of Fran, most people would unwittingly open their hearts to her. Being frank and completely unguarded, revealing everything they know...
"In that case, should we go directly to the fallen city now to pursue him?"
In response to the sister's question, Fran appeared unhurried.
"I plan to schedule this after going to Moldway. After all, we don't fully understand the situation in Gormouth yet. Moreover, that guy was injured by the relic [S-066 Faded to Pure White] and won't be able to recover his psychic energy for a long time."
"Alright."
Haida did not raise any objections. When it came to such decisions, this sister held a strangely near-unconditional trust in Fran.
She had already witnessed Fran's arrangements and strategies. Although the methods were bizarre and unpredictable, they always seemed to lead to the "optimal solution" in the end.
"Oh, speaking of which, I also obtained a little something from the Six-Eyed Crow cult's 'Full Moon Auction'."
As if remembering something, Fran took out a pitch-black, round gemstone from the pocket of her white coat, holding it lightly between her fingertips.
The gemstone's texture was clear and transparent, emanating a faint, gentle psychic aura.
The common knowledge manual for Burial Attendants recorded a list of special spirit-infused materials, so Haida quickly recognized that what Fran held was a Crow's Eye Stone. This was a specialty of the Six-Eyed Crow cult, generally only circulating within their ranks.
"Dr. Fran... How did you obtain it?"
As she said this, her gray-hazel eyes narrowed slightly, as if recalling certain past events.
"What kind of question is that?"
Fran pursed her lips, giving a light hum of displeasure.
"Since it was the Six-Eyed Crow's auction gathering, of course, it was bought. As a physician with impeccable credibility, I've always believed in fair trade."
Indeed, that was the case. Her earlier statement at the gathering about "the ancient method of acquiring things" didn't refer to the Six-Eyed Crow cult's old profession, but to bartering...
"I see... Sorry, Dr. Fran, that was presumptuous of me."
Although she could sense Fran wasn't truly angry, Haida still apologized according to her habit.
Meanwhile, Munin on Vivian's shoulder stared intently at the gemstone, even quite humanly swallowing saliva several times. As if what lay before it wasn't a gemstone, but some kind of delicious delicacy.
Relying on the Calling Bird's instincts, it could sense that this Crow's Eye Stone was rich in the psychic elements it required.
Vivian felt the same. However, being human, she didn't show her emotions too directly. She just stole a glance and then forced herself not to look again.
"Hmm... Although I don't mind giving this little thing as a gift, I need to do some research on it for now. I'll give it to you all to play with after some time."
Noticing Munin's undisguised gaze, Fran stepped forward and stroked its feathers to soothe it a bit.
"Caw."
Munin flapped its wings a few times, accepting this explanation.
After all, it had contributed quite a few feathers for Fran's several appearances; it deserved some basic nutritional subsidy...
The exchange of information regarding both parties' actions was complete, and it was now past midnight, only two or three hours away from dawn.
Under Fran's guidance, Haida and Vivian went to a spare room in the clinic to rest.
Although the guest room wasn't as comfortable as the main store in Norlington, simple beds and bedding were provided, and it was clean and tidy enough.
...
After seeing the two to their respective rooms, Fran slowly walked out of the clinic, carrying her medical kit, and stepped into Fog Street.
Although it was late, she still had some work to complete.
Passing through the hazy, distant, gloomy fog, Fran returned to the collection room of the Norlington main store. This journey took about ten minutes, equivalent to most of a day's physical activity for this doctor who wasn't good at physical labor.
Walking through the collection room's corridor, she arrived in front of the container holding the Time-Aphid and lightly tapped the transparent wall to wake it.
"Mr. Aphid, are you asleep?"
The Time-Aphid curled its body tightly, showing no intention of acknowledging her.
After realizing it could neither escape nor die, it had almost completely closed itself off. Although it hadn't truly entered dormancy, it no longer reacted to any external stimuli.
"So cold. And I came here to feed you."
Fran didn't mind the Time-Aphid's attitude; she just reached out and placed a segment of a wooden, tender twig into the life-support device next to the container. Through the pipes, this tender twig soon landed on the Time-Aphid's head.
This made the Time-Aphid, which had been stubbornly refusing to react, increasingly irritable.
It was a moth that could devour everything, born from the chaos of temporal currents, having tasted and torn apart countless material worlds. Yet now, it was imprisoned here like a prisoner, unable to escape even with all its might.
Its pride and arrogance seemed worthless; its temporal psychic essence, enough to attract the covetousness of deities, had also been cracked. This made the Time-Aphid feel an emotion beyond appetite for the first time... a strong sense of self-doubt.
And the "feeding" mentioned by this monstrous woman before it was probably just another reaction test experiment, or simply "humiliation".
The Time-Aphid had initially intended to resist to the end with an uncooperative attitude, but it soon caught the scent of a long-lost sweetness wafting near it. It was the fragrance of fresh plants, almost intoxicating.
It abruptly raised its body, looking at the tender twig beside it.
After warily glancing at Fran twice, confirming she didn't seem inclined to interfere, the Time-Aphid opened its mouthparts and chewed on that segment of the tree branch at the fastest speed. After finishing, it curled back up.
"Various physical indicators and psychic energy have shown slight improvements. Indeed, the Six-Eyed Crow's 'Evergreen Twig' and the branches of the Temporal Banyan share the same origin."
Fran looked at the changing values on the life-support instrument nearby, confirming her thoughts.
" 'Sharing the same origin' might not be accurate. It should be said, 'completely identical'. The Evergreen Twig is likely one of the spoils taken by the thieves who came to the Whiskered Tree ruins."
"But the fact that the Six-Eyed Crow cult would be so extravagant as to put it up for sale... perhaps they've mastered cultivation techniques like propagation, achieving preliminary mass production."
Judging from the price and the Ash Scar High Priest's demeanor, although the Evergreen Twig was considered precious to the Six-Eyed Crow cult, it definitely wasn't scarce. They either possessed a large stockpile or mastered related production techniques.
Recalling the signs of harvesting beside the "Shadow of the Future" fruit in the library ruins, Fran roughly guessed their gains.
The Ancient Banyan's fruit was undoubtedly a flawless or even higher-quality sacred artifact. If the Six-Eyed Crow cult truly possessed another one... then her goal became very clear.
As her thoughts flowed quietly, her amber eyes also calmly shifted, a trace of excitement rising within them.
"Coincidentally, the Ash Scar High Priest delivered an invitation to the First Perch... The presiding authority there should know the location of the 'Oak-Shadow Nest'."
"Hmm~ I really hope the next full moon comes quickly."
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