The eccentric doctor never makes a misdiagnosis!

"Sigrid?"

Although the person before her bore almost no resemblance to the craftswoman girl from the Sunforge Order in appearance, Haida instinctively called out the name due to a certain sense of familiarity with her aura.

"Yes. It's me... Miss Haida is very perceptive. I thought that with this level of disguise, I wouldn't be recognized so easily."

A flicker of surprise crossed Sigrid's eyes, and she quickly took down the power sword [Nirvana], handing it to Heida with a hint of reluctance. Her expression was almost like that of an elderly father entrusting his daughter to her worthy lover.

"It's definitely that sword... Does it have a name?"

Haida felt the unique heaviness on the sword hilt, and even her breathing became inexplicably heavier.

“'Nirvana' represents remelting and rebirth.”

Fran clasped his hands slightly together and gave a brief introduction. Haida then gripped the hilt of her sword with both hands, using her waist and abdomen as a pivot, and slowly and attentively assumed a greatsword starting stance.

An indescribable sense of harmony silently spread, like two hearts that originally beat at different frequencies gradually returning to the same rhythm.

"...Thank you, Dr. Fran."

Haida inherited Yaheng's indifferent nature to some extent, which made her not very good at interpersonal communication. But her thanks at this moment were truly sincere.

“Sister Haida, there’s no need to be so polite. This is something I promised you before…”

Fran crossed his fingers slightly, a faint smile playing on his lips.

The act of gift-giving is a two-way process: the recipient receives the gift, and the giver gains a sense of accomplishment. At the same time, it also adds intangible advantages to one's social interactions…

The burns left by the False Sun Sword on Haida's body have completely healed. Looking at this unusually healthy nun, Fran's amber-gold eyes revealed a hint of regret.

Of course, she is extremely patient and never in a hurry.

Even if there isn't a suitable opportunity right now, it doesn't matter; her free time allows her to further refine her medical plans for the reconstructive surgery. For example, the "Super Raven Guardian" technology, which she hasn't fully mastered yet, could make organ transplantation procedures nearly seamless and harmless.

Moreover, besides Heda, she currently has another patient who is very worthy of her research... namely, Sigrid, who just signed a contract with her. The artisan's body, entirely composed of alchemy, might offer her new insights into the field of [Forbidden Alchemy].

Overall... Fran will have a comfortable and fulfilling life for a long time to come.

-

Passing through the hazy, ethereal mist, Sigrid pushed open a door standing in the center of the misty realm. The next moment, she passed through the gate of the Sunforge Tower's rooftop and arrived at the top clock tower of this tallest building in the Eastern District.

The pedestrians on the street were as few as ants, and the surrounding buildings were all within sight. Even the drifting clouds and birds seemed to exist only on the same line as her. The only thing taller than her was probably the sun in the sky.

Sigrid took a deep breath, somewhat intoxicated.

Whenever she felt bored or depressed, she would go to the clock tower on the second floor. Here she could be the first to see the sunrise and the most direct view of dusk sinking into the night.

"~"

Fran crossed his arms, leaned against the doorframe, and hummed a soft, soothing tune.

"Since you've waited here for so long, why not just see her? Mr. Sommer."

She turned her head slightly and looked at the "Crow Rider" hidden in the shadows to one side.

Somur touched his somewhat sloppy iron helmet, seemingly embarrassed by being caught red-handed. But he quickly relaxed and broke into a hearty smile.

“Mysterious Dr. Fran, judging from Sigrid’s expression, she should be doing well. And she’s safe with you, at least much safer than with me.”

"Hmm...Are you really that comfortable letting Sigrid stay by my side?"

Fran was somewhat curious about Somur's attitude... This guy's carefree attitude was considered an anomaly even within the Sunforge Order, but he wasn't annoying at all.

"If I had to say something, I am actually a little worried."

Somur sighed softly, his attitude very frank.

“But I really have no better options. In the eyes of the Order’s main hall, she is now completely equivalent to a dangerous first-class casting, and could get out of control at any time. At the same time, even I am starting to doubt... whether my current actions are condoning and indulging her.”

"Perhaps I should forcibly detain her to prevent her from committing unforgivable crimes in the future."

Fran nodded in agreement, clearly appreciating the rationality displayed by Somur. As someone bestowed with the title "Rider of the Sun," he was certainly not a purely indiscriminately kind person.

"Your reasons for taking action were quite valid, so why did you change your mind?"

“It’s hard to describe. But… I can still feel her passion for the sun. That makes me more inclined to believe in her.”

"Furthermore, the Hunters are far more averse to things that are out of control and unstable than the Sunforge Order. Since you've earned their trust, perhaps I shouldn't be too harsh on you..."

Somur's tone returned to its cheerful and honest tone.

"Thank you for your understanding, Mr. Sommer."

Fran gave a graceful, slight bow. Lu

“You healed and protected Sigrid; I should be thanking you. However, if you encounter the other ‘Sun Riders,’ it’s best not to make contact with them… it could be dangerous.”

Towards the end, Somur's tone became somewhat solemn. IV

"Don't worry, I wouldn't make such a basic mistake. Besides..."

Fran Qiaoqian blinked, seemingly unconcerned.

What she didn't say was, "Furthermore, I haven't collected any specimens of the 'Corona Rider' rank yet."

To be honest, I've been somewhat lax in my research on alchemy these past few years. Since "Sun Rider" Anderson can implant a large amount of alchemical tissue within his body, perhaps higher-ranking clergy can as well...

However, Sigrid is still of greater research value, since she is a pure alchemical creation on a material level.

“Dr. Fran, thank you for bringing me here… Let’s go back. Staying too long will cause trouble for Mr. Sommer.”

Sigrid came to Fran's side, her expression one of relief and ease.

"Hmm." Fran responded, then paused slightly, seemingly puzzled.

"It's almost halfway through August, and the monthly house call still hasn't come..."

--------

Chapter Forty-Nine: Remuneration, Collections, and the Doctor

In the main hall of the Fog Street Clinic, Haida sat upright on a soft velvet sofa, holding in her hand one of the three Ash Texts of the Hunter Order, "Proverbs of Silence".

The study of the arcane system is tedious and cumbersome. To steal enough power from the realms of celestial bodies and dreams to influence reality... in addition to a vast amount of esoteric knowledge, sometimes a special inspiration and talent are also required.

It took Haida nearly a year to master just the second-class lower-level secret technique, the "Tearing Ritual."

During this period, she not only had to memorize the vast and mysterious knowledge, but also try to understand its principles before she was qualified to attempt to build a stable esoteric model in her mind.

"Please have some tea, Sister Haida. Dr. Fran has been working hard lately and is currently resting... He'll probably sleep until noon?"

Sigrid, dressed in an exquisite and dignified maid's outfit, carefully placed a cup of Attila tea on the table.

She seemed a little reserved, after all, the person in front of her was the Hunter's funeral attendant, while she herself was currently a wanted man in Norrington... It felt strange that the two of them were alone together in such harmony.

"I see."

Haida nodded slightly, indicating that she already knew.

After spending some time together, she discovered that Fran had two routines. The first was healthy and regular, from morning reading to afternoon tea, everything was planned perfectly without any omissions.

The second set involves transforming into Snorlax and taking a long, intense nap in bed... usually a retaliatory hibernation after exhausting oneself with excessive labor.

Haida then picked up the cup of red tea, which was steaming with hot vapor. Just as her thin lips were about to touch the edge, she paused slightly, and her expression suddenly became somewhat subtle.

The tea in the cup carried a rich, smoky aroma, a unique and expensive flavor from the land of quicksand... Clearly, this packet of tea came from Ms. Solani.

To be fair, Fran did have a habit of casually taking away some harmless souvenirs from his various clinic visits.

"What's wrong, Sister Haida? Did I make a bad soak?"

When Sigrid saw Heda suddenly stop, she came to her side with concern and placed her hands on her abdomen, somewhat at a loss.

"My tea-making skills are far inferior to Dr. Fran's, please forgive me, I'll make another cup."

"No need. It's not your fault, I was just thinking about something and got a little distracted."

After a brief but intense internal struggle, Haida overcame her discomfort and downed the cup of black tea in one gulp. It was indeed a familiar taste, exactly the same as the one she had at Solani's house.

“Then I won’t disturb Sister Heda any longer. The foundry is quite damaged after being used once, and I need to go and repair it…”

"Go ahead, please don't mind me. I just happen to come here to read."

Having received permission, Sigrid gave a slight bow and walked toward the foundry deep in the corridor. Heda, on the other hand, continued to keep her gaze fixed on the book "The Silent Proverbs" in her hands.

The three Ash Texts of the Hunter Order are "Proverbs and Silence", "Adherence to the Order of Dust", and "Discovering the Void".

These three books are identical in status and level, and any hunter at the apprentice level can borrow them from the library.

The book in Haida's hands naturally came from Fran's bookshelf. It was almost twice as thick as the book of the same name in the Hunter's Library, exuding a profound sense of antiquity. If you got a little closer, you could smell the complex aroma of myrrh, saltpeter, and blood.

"As expected, the books Dr. Fran has collected are all 'original texts'... How did she manage to do that?"

Haida remembered that when she last came to the Fog Street Clinic, she had looked through the original text of the Red Cup's "The Blood of Ascension".

Every field, even every punctuation mark, contains taboos rooted in the very source of flesh and blood. If it weren't for Fran's annotations beside the text, which somewhat diluted the mental intrusion attached to the words... I probably would have already succumbed to the fanaticism of the Red Cup halfway through reading it.

In comparison, the cult's self-censored and edited book, "The Scarlet Face," is practically a wholesome preschool book...

The timed alarm has been triggered; the current time is 12:30 PM.

"beep--"

A light and melodious flute tune began to play, and Fran's bedroom door opened in response. Fran, dressed in a thin nightgown, then stepped out.

Her light-colored hair was slightly messy, and the braids at her temples were not as neat and delicate as usual, clearly indicating that she had just woken up.

"Even though I don't feel like I've had enough sleep, I have to get up when the alarm goes off... Sleeping too long will make me feel tired."

She reached out her fingers, covered in stitches, and rubbed her slightly dark circles under her eyes, her voice carrying a soft, languid tone.

Oh, and by the way, her alarm clock rings with a version of the Pokémon Flute. If a trainer is blocked by a sleeping giant, they'll need to use this item to wake it up…

Fran glanced at the empty white porcelain teacup on the table, then stepped into the main hall in his fluffy slippers.

"Good day, Sister Heda. Hmm... I suppose Sigrid has already entertained you for me. She's a very hardworking girl, but sometimes she's a bit too demanding of herself."

"Dr. Fran hired her?" Haida closed her book and inquired about Sigrid's recent situation.

"Yes. Sigrid ended up in Fog City by chance during her escape. She happened to have nowhere to go, and I happened to be short of a maid, so I signed a contract with her."

“…That’s fine too.” Haida nodded.

Although the Order of the Hunters is searching for Sigrid's whereabouts, it is only out of concern for Norrington's safety. If it can be determined that her threat has been contained, then there is no need to investigate further.

After all, strictly speaking, this is not their own business; the one who should be worried is the Sun-Forging Cult.

Although Somur appeared open-minded and magnanimous, that was only because he was an oddball among the Sun Riders... Normally, the higher-ups of Sunforge were mostly old-fashioned and rigid.

"Sister Haida is reading 'The Silence of Proverbs'? This book of ashes is indeed very interesting. It just so happens that you read the book 'The Skin of the Red Cup' last time... You really should read something serious to stabilize your mental state."

As she spoke, Fran raised her hands and stretched her slender waist, as if trying to dispel the weariness brought on by getting up.

"I'm going to take a shower. Sister Haida, please wait a moment. It's not very polite to treat people like this."

Rufran tugged at the thin collar of her pajamas, revealing a glimpse of her fair neck, before heading towards the bathroom. The sound of running water rose and fell, and soon, her routine morning washing was complete.

She changed into her signature white coat, and the weariness on her face was completely gone, replaced by a bright and energetic business smile.

Yi: "What has Dr. Fran been busy with lately?"

In Haida's memory, Fran would usually switch to a second routine after a particularly tiring house call.

But nearly two weeks have passed since the Suncasting Order incident, and nothing else seems to have happened in Norrington recently...

Liu: "Hmm... I'm studying Sigrid's body structure."

Fran took several stacks of already filled experimental records from a bookshelf on one side of the main hall, put on his silver-rimmed round glasses, and began to read them.

“I remember saying before that the living person Anderson and Maltz saw in the golden statue in the alchemy room was actually a replica that I created temporarily. Sigrid’s real body had already turned to ashes in the alchemical process.”

"The body she is currently using is a pure alchemical creation, composed of fragments of the 'Primordial Sun' and the Philosopher's Stone... How can such a body, which is almost entirely inorganic, function? How can a shell without any wet parts bear thoughts and a soul?"

"My research on Forbidden Alchemy has been stagnant for a long time, but recently I've been able to pick up this interesting topic again."

Heda sensed an almost burning excitement in Fran's words, and for a moment she coughed lightly and fell silent.

After a moment's thought, she spoke again.

“Dr. Fran. What is ‘wet part’? Although I often hear you talk about it, I’m still a little unclear about its definition.”

"...This is a bit difficult to explain."

Fran pursed his lips, and the smile on his lips seemed to freeze for a moment.

"Generally speaking, the term 'wet component' refers to the human brain and nervous system. Some mechanical creations use separate neural organs as control centers in order to obtain human neural responses and decision-making abilities."

"I see... I think I understand now."