At this moment, Haida unfastened the clasp at the waist of her nun's robe, fully exposing her pale abdomen and the wounds on her ribs.
Meanwhile, Fran was bent over, using tweezers to clean the plasma and foreign matter around her wounds with a cotton ball.
Although Haida could occasionally feel some unwelcome caresses on her oblique muscles, Fran's skill in treating external injuries was indeed impeccable. She glanced at Howen, who was writhing and struggling on the ground, and then asked,
"Doctor Fran, is this penitent... just a 'half priest'?"
"Yes, that's correct."
Fran finished cleaning the wound and nodded in confirmation.
She didn't perform any additional suturing but simply wrapped the area with a homemade bandage. The wound had already closed on its own, waiting for natural healing. Haida's coagulation and muscle repair abilities were far beyond those of an ordinary person.
"Sister Haida is still as perceptive as ever. Can you tell me how you determined that?"
"He's weaker than I expected a complete priest to be. Although he can somewhat ignore physical damage, he hasn't displayed the imposed suppression."
Hayda explained her point of view.
She did not know about the main sacrifice, before encountering the dancer Saines is her first encounter with the rank of cultists.
"It's not that weak. The ascetic was blessed with the red cup if he was given enough time to repair the receiving
The damaged body, he can be fully transformed into half a "holy heir." I just interrupted the process."
Fran packed her used medical equipment back into a small medicine chest, ready to be sterilized when she returned to the Fog Street clinic.
Although Hoven has become a writhing white nerve, but Hayda is still not at ease with it.
The resilience of the cultists through their fervent faith is unimaginable, and it is better to destroy them once they are deprived of their ability to act.
At present, she does not carry ritual materials, which cannot be used to neutralize the incapacitated evil heir through the three rituals of "dissolving evil things". The damage from shooting and cutting is limited, even if it is inscribed with the Mystery Hunter's prayer, it only hurts him.
Yeah, Vivian's probably already using Secret Court to contact the support unit. Keep your eyes open from here.
Vivian is also relieved, slowly came to the side of two people. Although it feels like nothing has been done, it is still too hard for me to participate in such a dangerous event.
At the same time, she was mildly curious about the drug Fran had just taken.
"Dr. Fran, is it true that the drug you just used can reverse people's senses?"
"No."
Her answer was terse and unexpected. Vivian was confused for a moment.
"Then why is Hoven like this? Didn't he become so because he couldn't adapt to the transition between pain and pleasure?"
Fran heard that Vivian was interested in her medicine and immediately explained it to her.
"Medicine has its limits, Miss Vivian. Although I am not incapable of formulating to turn pain into pleasure
Preparations, but that also takes time... And I did not prepare such drugs in advance, and the scene began to mix obviously again
Less than that."
She was patient and deliberate, her hands full of stitches interlocked slightly.
Vivian felt a chill and asked, "So... What did you inject into him
Huh?"
"Flattering medicine.""Ahem!
Fran blinked his amber eyes and maintained a harmless expression.
This response made both Heda and Vivian look at Fran with a cryptic gaze, and they fell into silence. However, Fran seemed indifferent to their reactions, continuing to explain the principle on her own.
"First, we use drugs to forcibly induce pleasure in the ascetic, then guide and suggest further with language and the 'swinging heart clock,' making him believe that all his pain will completely transform into pleasure."
"Once this simple common sense alteration is complete, he will be crushed by the pain he's accustomed to."
"I see..."
Vivian now understood why Fran always carried a pocket watch. She had been trying to influence the main priest mentally from the very beginning.
"But, is it okay to say this out loud... Wouldn't it be ineffective if he hears it?"
"The patient currently lacks the ability to process auditory information. And even if he could regain consciousness... we could just have Sister Heda keep beating him to prevent the final sanctification."
Fran waved slightly, indicating there was no need for concern.
"I have an important house call today, so I'll be leaving now. I look forward to seeing you next time. Hmm... if I'm not mistaken, the Red Cup's attack has just begun; you should be on high alert."
With that, Fran pulled out her brass pocket watch to check the time.
Vivian felt an inexplicable chill; the horrific state of the ascetic was still vivid in her mind, and now she had an odd psychological shadow over the act of checking the time...
At that moment, Fran's smile froze slightly.
She had been so engrossed in explaining the medical plan that she had lost track of time... in just a few seconds, it would be midnight!
"Uh... I forgot to set an alarm around 11:50, and now I'm in big trouble."
The murky, chaotic gray mist was like a giant invisible mouth, instantly engulfing Fran's slender figure.
Hedda noticed that this time, Fran hadn't specifically looked for a door; instead, the mist seemed alive, actively appearing and swirling around her.
Dr. Fran had mentioned that she had an important house call to make soon... What kind of patient and illness could she consider "important"? Was this anomaly of the gray mist related to that?
As Hedda pondered, the swirling mist had already wrapped around her ankles unnoticed... By the time she realized this, all the surrounding scenery had vanished, leaving only a hazy, pure gray.
The gray mist had taken her away too...
Thus, Fran and Hedda disappeared from the spot together, leaving Vivian behind, who was both shocked and bewildered.
She glanced at the empty Feast Club and then at the ascetic Hoven, who lay on the ground like a curled-up larva, momentarily speechless.
About two minutes later, Vivian regained her composure.
"It seems like Dr. Fran's mist has malfunctioned, taking Sister Hedda with it? How am I supposed to explain this to the colleagues who will come for support? And..."
She looked bit by bit at Hoven on the ground.
At this moment, his body had collapsed in exhaustion, the alien nerves sustained by pain were now weakly contracting under the influx of endless pleasure, like a plant about to wither.
"Am I supposed to stay here with this guy until support arrives? By the God of the Hunt..."
...
"Ah! What is this... No!"
The "other half" of Hoven, who was walking, suddenly stretched out his hands from under his red robe, clutching his head tightly and screaming in agony.
This caused several ascetic assistants standing nearby to reveal expressions of surprise and doubt.
The chief priest was a blessed one, having received divine grace. No matter how unimaginable the pain was, he would always accept it willingly, embracing it with joy... But why was there such fear on his face at this moment?
"No, this is just a mental influence... just a mental influence!"
Hovens exhaled heavily, his body trembling, as he raised his hand and stabbed the chest of a nearby ascetic.
Pale nerves surged out from the gaps in the bones, drilling into the body of the ascetic assistant, and within twenty seconds, had completely hollowed out his internal organs and flesh, leaving behind only a bloody, intact skin.
"Chief Priest, what has happened? The 'half-body' you sent to the ruins of the Glutton Club has encountered a problem?"
"The White Cup cult's fraud! Her potion doesn't actually have the ability to reverse sensations... She was gradually affecting my mind through some artifact!"
Hovens' condition visibly improved after devouring a person's flesh and blood, but the lingering intense pleasure that had previously seeped through still left him with lingering fear.
Even for a "Suffering Wanderer" who constantly endured pain and torment, let alone a dancer... she would likely drown in the previous blissful sensation.
"I must kill her before she can exert her influence next time... No, if the 'Drinker' were to descend today, none of this would matter... Both the Fool and the Chief Hunter would sacrifice themselves here."
He inserted his hand deep into his skull, pulling out a few brain-like nerves to make himself forget the addictive, deadly pleasure. Then, he forced his somewhat numb legs to continue moving forward.
["Cross-Quarter Clinic" has begun. You are about to head to the "Borderland". This time, it's a two-person mission. Your assistant is "Mourner's Maid" Hilda Moira.]
[Patient: "Faded" Eweny, who is consumed by fear.]
[Patient's file: Eweny is a remade modern soul. Although she has never truly experienced the real world, she understands what "players" represent. That's why she has fallen into despair.]
[Symptoms: Severe late-stage personality dissolution syndrome.]
[Warning: Do you really think you can cure her? Or do you think you've already cured her? Foolish!]
[Begin the treatment process.]
The sky, shrouded in a dull haze, stood between the majestic and ruined high walls and towers... and the golden tree that climbed to the center of the world, its branches and leaves reaching the stars.
It was unfamiliar yet familiar.
This was the southernmost part of the Borderland, the "Nimugfo" region.
"I came here last time to treat another patient... who was it again? My memory is a bit fuzzy, I'll have to check my notes when I get back to the clinic..."
Fran touched her lips, looking puzzled. She usually had a good memory and wouldn't forget things easily.
"And this time, I've also dragged Sister Hilda into this..."
Fran looked at Hilda, who was still disoriented from the cross-dimensional dizziness, with a hint of apology. She clasped her hands together, maintaining an awkward yet polite smile.
"What... is this place?"
Hilda slowly got up from the soft grass, rubbing her still slightly aching brow, and then looked at Fran with a puzzled and sharp gaze.
"Dr. Fran, please explain the current situation to me."
"Dear Sister Hilda, this is a result of a clinic accident, and everything is due to my mistake... Now we are in a realm that is beyond the ordinary sense of 'another world'. Of course, this place has its own name, and you can call it the 'Borderland'."
Fran approached Hilda, her amber-colored eyes clear and transparent, looking sincere and well-behaved.
The current situation couldn't be explained away with nonsense... so she might as well try to charm her way out of it.
"...I understand."
Hilda was silent for about five minutes before she fully accepted the situation. A deep sense of unreality arose, but her rationality told her that this was logical.
After all, the magnificent tree that reached the stars, radiating a golden glow that inspired devotion, was undeniable proof of the divine...
If the gods from other realms existed, then it was likely that unknown other worlds existed as well... she just hadn't expected to set foot in one herself.
Seeing that Hilda had calmed down, Fran extended an invitation to her.
"Although your presence here is due to my mistake... but this treatment may require an experienced assistant.
I wonder if Sister Hilda would be willing to accept the employment of the Fog Street Clinic as a 'Nursing Director'?"
Hilda narrowed her eyes, feeling that she had said something similar not long ago...
"Okay."
She didn't haggle, but instead accepted the offer quite readily. After all, the only person who could take her away from this place was probably Fran.
"Alright, from now on, Sister Hilda's medical services will be free of charge. After all, you are the Nursing Director of the Fog Street Clinic. As for the compensation..."
Fran raised an eyebrow and thought for a while, seeming to be having a hard time making a decision. She took some time to finally make up her mind.
"I will choose one of my collections to give to you."
"Collection?" Hilda clearly didn't understand what Fran's collection represented.
"I haven't decided on a specific one yet. But please keep expecting, I'm quite good at choosing gifts..."
Fran's expression of difficulty when thinking about the compensation flashed by, and then she smiled again.
"Today's patient should be very interesting... it's rare to find material that can be called 'severe late-stage'. As for the common knowledge of the Borderland, I'll explain it to you simply on the way."
Hilda nodded, and then asked: "But how long will we be staying here? The Red Cup's attack has probably just begun... but I'm afraid we won't be able to make it back in time."
In her understanding, a clinic visit of this difficulty and scope could last for ten days or even half a month... by the time she returned to Norlington, the attack would already be over.
"The duration of the clinic visit will be longer than you think, but the good news is... you won't miss the attack. No matter how long we stay here, only ten minutes will have passed in Vivian's world."
Fran patiently explained the rules and settings of the clinic visit.
"You can think of it as a difference in time flow, or you can consider it a predetermined rule. It doesn't matter, because time is just an illusion."
"With only ten minutes, indeed nothing will be delayed."
Hilda nodded slightly. Although she didn't understand the meaning of Fran's last sentence, the first half of the sentence was very clear to her.
"Now, let's start this clinic visit..."