On the Ark.

"Hime, Saria!"

As soon as Ifrit, the little fire dragon, got off the vehicle, she ran towards Himer and Saria. Himer immediately hugged Ifrit, trying to lift her up, but Ifrit was a head taller than her, and the Liberi race wasn't known for its strength. So she was almost knocked over by the excited Ifrit. Fortunately, Saria, who was standing behind her, took a step forward and caught Himer and Ifrit with one hand, then warned, "Ifrit, don't fool around. Be careful not to hurt Himer."

Even though Saria had taught her a lesson, Ifrit was still very happy: "As long as I don't act recklessly, I won't hurt Himer."

Himer stood up straight, smiling broadly as she rubbed Ifrit's head, though she had to stand on tiptoe slightly, making her look like a doting mother.

Meanwhile, the same scenario was unfolding on the other side, only this time the actors changed from Ifrit, Saria, and Himeru to Nightingale, Shining, and Nearl. Nightingale, however, was far less boisterous than Ifrit; she simply walked quietly to Shining and Nearl's side and said, "I'm back." Shining gently hugged her, while Nearl stood behind them with a broad smile.

The scene was so surreal that Lin Ye felt a little disoriented, reminding him of his past life when his parents greeted him in the same way when he returned home from university for vacation. He hadn't felt much about it then, but now he wanted to experience it properly, yet he no longer had the chance.

"Dr. Lin Ye." Saria led Ifrit and Himer over first, nodded to Lin Ye, and said, "Thank you for taking care of Ifrit. Ifrit has been a troublemaker for you these past few days."

"It's alright," Lin Ye said with a smile. "It's only three days in total, and there's no trouble at all. Ifrit is quite well-behaved."

Although Lin Ye would bring up Himeru whenever Ifrit caused trouble, saying things like, "If you don't behave, I'll tell your mom," he actually wasn't very good at tattling. Firstly, while Ifrit was mischievous, she hadn't really caused any real trouble; her biting was always just symbolic. Secondly, children generally dislike people who constantly tattle on their parents, and Lin Ye didn't want to be disliked by Ifrit.

So when he told Saria that "Ifrit is very well-behaved," Ifrit, who was nestled in Himer's arms, turned her head to look at Lin Ye, seemingly curling her lips in disdain, but her bright eyes were full of smiles.

Himer gently stroked Ifrit's head and said, "Only you think Ifrit is a good girl. Entrusting Ifrit to you was definitely the right choice."

"It's not that exaggerated." Lin Ye looked at Himer and Saria with interest and said in a teasing tone, "Besides, there's no need to entrust Ifrit to me or anything like that. As long as you and Saria make up, that's the best care for Ifrit, right, Ifrit?"

Ifrit nodded repeatedly. At that moment, she felt that Lin Ye, who was always so shameless, didn't seem so shameless anymore.

Hemer didn't directly respond to Lin Ye's words, because her face was already red. So she just lowered her head, then patted Ifrit's head and whispered, "Ifrit, don't cause trouble."

Saria, on the other hand, was much more composed: "I had some misunderstandings with Himeru before, but those misunderstandings have now been cleared up. I will never leave her and Ifrit again. I will dedicate my life to protecting them, so please rest assured."

Himer's cheeks flushed even redder, while Ifrit's smile widened.

Although Lin Ye was also smiling, he still felt somewhat confused.

Why should I feel at ease? I'm not like Old Lin next door...

At this moment, Shining and Nearl also came over with Nightingale. Shining, of course, didn't need to say much; she and Lin Ye were old friends and there was no need for too much formality. But she still smiled and said, "Lin Ye, thank you for your trouble, Liz."

"I already said, there's no trouble."

Shining nodded: "It's nothing, I was just being polite, after all, we're already so familiar with each other."

Lin Ye: "..."

You Sarkaz people really do have a unique way of speaking. But what she said does make sense. Unlike Himer and Saria, she had been helping Lin Ye ever since he joined Rhodes Island. Even after Lin Ye met Skadi, she never stopped helping him. For example, her "Dogmatic Stance" was already one of Lin Ye's trump cards.

Nearl also came up to express her gratitude. Although there were quite a few misunderstandings between Lin Ye and Nearl when they first joined Rhodes Island, they have all been resolved now. Nearl also said that she would be happy to help Lin Ye whenever he needed it, so there was no need to worry too much. After all, he knew that Nearl wasn't the kind of person who was particularly good with words; actions were the strongest power of the "Radiant Knights."

After a brief exchange of pleasantries, Himeru and Saria took Ifrit away, while Shining and Nearl took Nightingale. This made Lin Ye feel more and more like an elementary school teacher waiting for parents to pick up their children from school, or rather, a daycare director, although he didn't feel any dissatisfaction about it, and even found it somewhat amusing. After all, Ifrit and Nightingale were much cuter than real unruly children, at least in terms of being pleasing to the eye; unruly children couldn't compare to them.

After they left, only Lin Ye and Lappland remained in the parking lot. Skadi, who had never been fond of socializing, took her things and left while Lin Ye was talking to the others. Lappland waited for a while, so after everyone else had left, only Lin Ye and Lappland were left staring at each other.

"What?" Lin Ye asked Lappland, "Are you going back to live at the training ground?"

Lappland nodded: "Yes."

“…Although I’ve said this many times, I’ll say it again,” Lin Ye said. “Even if you don’t want to stay in the dormitory, you can stay on my floor. There are plenty of empty rooms there, so there’s absolutely no need to sleep in the training ground.”

"No need, the training ground is more comfortable." Lappland slung her luggage over her shoulder, turned and left, waving as she did so. "See you later, next time something interesting happens, just come find me at the training ground."

Watching Lappland leave, Lin Ye sighed softly. Even now, he still couldn't quite understand Lappland's personality and her inexplicable stubbornness. But thinking about it carefully, things were much better than when they first met, and there was no need to dwell on it too much. There would be plenty of opportunities to get to know her in the future; there was no rush.

Thinking of this, Lin Ye gathered his belongings and walked out of the parking lot. However, just as he stepped out of the parking lot, a familiar female voice sounded behind him: "Lin Ye, over here."

Lin Ye turned around and was surprised to find it was Kal'tsit: "What are you doing here?"

At this moment, Kal'tsit was standing with her arms crossed and her back against the wall. When she saw Lin Ye looking over, she straightened up slightly and said, "Of course I'm waiting for you."

"wait for me?"

"Who else could it be?" Kal'tsit walked towards Lin Ye. "I thought you would come out with Skadi, but it turns out she's alone."

Lin Ye hadn't expected Kal'tsit to bring this up, so he explained briefly. After listening, Kal'tsit nodded slightly: "I see. They've all come? It seems you've done a good job. Whether it's Himeru, Saria, Shining, or Nearl, they're all very reluctant to hand Ifrit and Nightingale over to others."

Lin Ye smiled and said, "Because I'm their doctor."

Hearing Lin Ye's words, Kal'tsit smiled slightly, a fleeting smile that Lin Ye caught. This surprised him, because in his memory, Kal'tsit was also someone who rarely smiled... no, it should be said that she had never smiled. Moreover, she was different from Skadi, who most of the time had no expression, or a very indifferent expression, as if she didn't care about anything.

Kal'tsit, on the other hand, is one of Rhodes Island's highest-ranking members. It's impossible for her to be indifferent to everything; on the contrary, she cares deeply about many things. Although she may not express it outwardly, it's evident from her frequently furrowed brow, always bearing an expression of concern for the nation and its people. This makes her otherwise youthful and delicate features appear somewhat mature.

"Hmm?" Kal'tsit noticed Lin Ye's gaze and raised an eyebrow. "What are you looking at?"

"No, nothing." Lin Ye immediately averted his gaze and shook his head. Kal'tsit was, after all, his superior, and staring at his superior was clearly impolite, so he changed the subject at the right time, "So, you came all this way to pick me up, is there something you need?"

“Of course.” Kal’tsit didn’t seem to care too much. She said directly, “Dr. Warfarin’s research has yielded results.”

"Dr. Warfarin?" Lin Ye didn't react at first, but after seeing Kal'tsit's meaningful expression, he understood. "You mean..."

“Go and see,” Kal'tsit said calmly. “Warfarin is very agitated. I’m only here to make sure you don’t get devoured by her.”

……

……

Author's BB: +1 chapter owed, -1 chapter owed, still owes 21 chapters.

Chapter 405 The Price of Curing Oripathy (3K)

Lin Ye initially thought Kal'tsit's statement was a bit exaggerated. He thought that even if Warfarin had poor self-control, she couldn't possibly pounce on him and swallow him whole, right? After all, before going to Jim Town, Warfarin, who knew about the special nature of his blood, didn't do anything to him other than taking a little more blood.

However, he was wrong. Before he even entered the office building, he saw Warfarin jump out of the window and rush towards Lin Ye with a full set of blood-drawing equipment. Lin Ye's face turned green. Fortunately, Kal'tsit stepped in front of Lin Ye in time and held Warfarin's head down, preventing Lin Ye from being tackled by her.

"Hey, Kal'tsit, what are you doing?!" Warfarin tried to get around Kal'tsit. "Hurry up and help me! Grab the guy behind you before he gets away!"

Kal'tsit said with a hint of helplessness, "Warfarin, calm down."

"How can I calm down!" Warfarin exclaimed. "I haven't eaten for two days..."

At that moment, Lin Ye's face turned from green to white. Looking at Warfarin's hungry expression, Lin Ye already wanted to slip away. He felt that if he didn't run now, Warfarin would drain him dry in ten minutes… no, suck him dry. Fortunately, Warfarin's next sentence made Lin Ye realize it was a misunderstanding.

"I haven't eaten for two days, and I've been spending all my time in the lab, but the research has stalled!" Warfarin said. "Now that he's here, I can finally continue my research. Kal'tsit, let me go!"

Oh, it was just research.

Lin Ye breathed a sigh of relief.

Kal'tsit said, "Lin Ye is back, so don't worry. He's not going to run away. You're not in a good mental state right now, so you can't do any research. You should rest and eat first."

“No need!” Warfarin said. “Don’t underestimate the physique of us Blood Demons. I’m in great spirits right now, just a little hungry. It’s okay, as long as Lin Ye comes over and lets me take a bite, just a small bite, I’ll be satisfied!”

Lin Ye, who had finally managed to relax, gasped again. He felt his situation was incredibly difficult. At that moment, he seemed to finally understand Master Xuanzang's predicament—every demon coveted his body!

Scumbag!

He silently complained to himself.

Kal'tsit, being Kal'tsit, managed to calm Warfarin down after some time. Looking at Warfarin's entire set of blood-drawing tools and that enormous blood vessel, Lin Ye's heart clenched; he couldn't even imagine what would have happened if he had come alone. Fortunately, Kal'tsit knew Warfarin well enough to prevent a "tragedy" from occurring.

But Lin Ye couldn't escape the fate of having his blood drawn. As soon as he entered the lab, Warfarin grabbed him and, with Kal'tsit's tacit approval, drew a vial of blood. Lin Ye could only resign himself to his fate, watching as the excited Warfarin inserted the needle into his vein, then, while drawing blood, said, "Tsk tsk tsk, the blood of a former human is so fragrant, I can smell it even from that distance..."

"Ahem." Kal'tsit coughed twice, then tapped the table and said in a helpless tone, "Dr. Warfarin, please consider Dr. Lin Ye's feelings."

"Hmm? How did he feel?" Warfarin tilted her head, somewhat puzzled. "When I said he smelled really good, wasn't that a compliment?"

I've never heard of using "fragrance" to describe a man, especially blood.

Lin Ye complained inwardly, but didn't say it aloud.

Whether it was because Kal'tsit was present or for some other reason, Warfarin didn't draw much blood from Lin Ye this time, far from enough to make him feel dizzy and lightheaded afterward. Seeing that Warfarin had finished drawing blood, Kal'tsit spoke again: "Dr. Lin Ye, I called you here precisely to tell you that we have made great progress in our research on your blood."

Lin Ye pressed a cotton swab against the wound: "You already mentioned that it has yielded significant results, right?"

Kal'tsit nodded, but before she could speak, Warfarin interrupted her: "Hey, hey, hey, I think it would be better if I introduced the results, right? After all, this is the result of several sleepless nights, and you weren't even back then."

“I know, that’s exactly what I wanted you to do,” Kal’tsit said. “Then you can introduce him to Doctor Lin Ye.”

Warfarin shook her head smugly; despite being hundreds of years old, she still had the temperament of a young girl. Under Lin Ye's gaze, she took out a small vial of reagent from her pocket and then shook it in front of Lin Ye: "This is it."

"what is this?"

“This is the result,” Warfarin said. “I call it, ‘L-type drug type one.’”

"'L-Drug Type 1'..." Lin Ye remembered that Warfarin named the special cells in her blood that could engulf viruses "L-cells," and this drug in front of him was named "L-Drug," which meant...

Lin Ye didn't speak, but the expression on his face betrayed his true feelings.

"Hehe, you've already guessed it, haven't you? That's right, this is a drug made using the 'L cells' in your blood."

Lin Ye immediately asked excitedly, "It can already cure Oripathy?"

“Oh, not quite.” Warfarin shook her head. “Or rather, far from it.”

"...Huh? What do you mean?"

"It means there's no such thing as instant success in this world," Warfarin rolled her eyes. "If I really could develop a cure for Oripathy using only the little bit of blood you left behind, would I still be working for Rhodes Island here?"

Kal'tsit coughed twice more, but Warfarin ignored it. In Rhodes Island, most operators held Kal'tsit in awe, but Warfarin was clearly an exception. After all, she was one of Rhodes Island's veterans and had lived for so many years; in terms of seniority, Kal'tsit was just a younger sister to her.

"Isn't it a medicine that can cure Oripathy?" Lin Ye felt a little disappointed. "Then what is it?"

"Hey, hey, hey, your expressions change way too fast! Can you please stop? You're making me feel so unfulfilled." Warfarin rubbed her forehead, seemingly a little helpless. "That's why communicating with laymen like you is so difficult. I know that if I just release this research, a whole bunch of professionals will flock here to call me 'The Queen of Medicine'..."

"Cough cough cough..." Kal'tsit's coughing grew louder.

"I was just using a metaphor," Warfarin shrugged.

Lin Ye, who was listening from the side, found it rather amusing. The Vampire Queen? Come to think of it, she really is. Wait, why am I thinking about that again?

Lin Ye shook his head, clearing the inexplicable thoughts from his mind, and then asked Warfarin, "So what exactly is this potion...?"

“If we use this terminology to describe drugs that combat ‘Oripathy,’ then there’s nothing wrong with it,” Warfarin said.

"A drug to combat 'Oripathy'?"

"Yes." Warfarin took another reagent out of her pocket and tossed it to Lin Ye. "Look, do you recognize this drug?"

Lin Ye took it, examined it carefully, and felt that it looked somewhat familiar.

"This is currently the most widely used anti-Ore disease agent on the market, called 'Life Reagent Type III'," Warfarin said. "You've probably seen it before; it's sold in many places. Its efficacy is average, but the price isn't low. After all, it's a product of Rhine Lab, and it has very Rhine Lab's characteristics."

After hearing Warfarin's explanation, Lin Ye finally understood why it looked familiar. Indeed, he had heard about this drug many times back in Chernobog. The reason why the infected in Chernobog were constantly rioting was precisely because the Chernobog government was unwilling to provide this drug to them.

"Is this medicine effective?" Lin Ye asked.

"What kind of effect are you referring to?" Warfarin asked. "If it's a complete cure for Oripathy, then forget it, there's no way to cure Oripathy on the market right now. If it's just slowing down the spread of the virus, then this drug can barely be considered satisfactory. Although Rhine Lab has all sorts of problems, its technology is still very mature. The drug that Rhodes Island is currently using is an improvement on this drug."

Lin Ye nodded: "I see. So this 'Type L' is similar to Rhine Lab's 'Life Reagent'?"