Blood Moon Country, Kaimeng City.
Freya, clad in a white lab coat, pouted as she walked out of Xifulin's consultation room and briskly left the Biological Implants Department with her head down. All along the way, other doctors and nurses whispered among themselves as they watched her. No one greeted her, as though an invisible barrier of the mind separated them.
The Veela did not mind, however. Compared to their coldness, Xifulin's scolding just now stung her far more.
Though she had not yet graduated, she was already an apprentice psychological healer at Kaimeng Affiliated Hospital and a student of Xifulin. Her field of study, however, was not the mind faction, but the illusion faction.
From their inception, mind and illusion had shared deep ties. Yet while the mind faction was almost completely suppressed and barred within the Blood Moon, the illusion faction was an immensely popular, red-hot branch of sorcery. Not to mention the enormous demand for illusionists from film and drama studios, the increasingly popular virtual game known as the "Second World" inside the Curtain had been practically built from the ground up by illusionists. Illusionists' salaries climbed with every passing year, and the talent market could never get enough of them.
Even "Mind's Eye" Madara, the founder of the mind faction, probably never imagined that the illusion faction, which originated merely as a subsidiary offshoot, would one day prove far more productive than the mind faction itself.
In the medical field, the illusion faction's standing rose by leaps and bounds each year as well. This was not because it was used to cure diseases, but because it touched upon greater interests and a far more brilliant future—
Freya arrived at Serena's ward, only to see a warning in red lettering against a black background hanging on the door:
"This ward houses only one patient, Serena Bright, appearing as a young girl 1.3 meters tall with long silvery-white hair streaked with wine-red, wearing a blue-and-white striped patient gown. When entering the ward for meal delivery, dressing changes, cleaning, or any other matter, strictly observe the following rules:
"1. Only one person may enter the ward at any given time. If you see two people already inside the ward, do not enter.
"2. Keep the patient's appearance firmly in mind. If you see that the patient's appearance does not match the description, leave immediately and notify Healer Xifulin.
"3. If you open the ward door and see the patient outside the ward attempting to enter with you, leave the hospital at maximum speed (jumping out a window is recommended).
"4. If you immediately feel someone pushing you into the ward upon opening the door, regardless of who it is, you must immediately leap out of the ward's window.
"5. If you feel unwell inside the ward or see obvious distortion in the room's physical structure, please leave. If you are unable to move, you may imagine yourself already standing outside the ward. Once someone else opens the door, you may turn around and leave (please do not imagine yourself pushing anyone else into the ward).
"This hospital is extremely safe. Any accidents are purely personal issues."
The Veela pushed open the door and peered inside. Seeing Serena lying in bed reading a book, she immediately lunged forward and hugged the doll girl. "Serena~"
"Sister Freya!" Serena affectionately returned the embrace, nuzzling her cheek against Freya's. She knew the Veela loved such intimacy. "Wait, hold on!"
Freya looked at Serena in surprise. Putting her hands on her hips, Serena put on a solemn front. "Hello, Miss. While I don't know what you've been through, sadness is strictly prohibited in my presence. You look super cute today, too!"
"Huh?" The Veela blinked. "I thought I hid it so well."
"When you've stayed in this room as long as I have, you can sense every little shift in the air." Serena took Freya's hands and swung them back and forth. "The moment you stepped in, the air was flooded with the scent of sorrow."
Yes, you saw correctly: the current Serena already had hands—though only within this ward.
After discovering that Serena had lacked limb neurons from the very beginning, Xifulin altered her treatment strategy. Currently popular biological implants were all built upon extensions of neurons; an implant without a neural connection was nothing more than a soulless heap of scrap metal.
Thus, the only implants suitable for Serena belonged to the newest frontier pursued by all Four Great Research Institutes: phantasmal implants.
If biological implants were like cutting off a person's hand to replace it with a multi-tool knife, then phantasmal implants meant making someone believe the multi-tool under their armpit was their third hand—without removing any existing organs.
It was a far crazier and far more promising endeavor. After all, what a human could control was limited to four limbs, five sensory organs, and the internal organs. No matter how advanced biological implants became, there were only twenty equipment slots at most; the soul could not recognize any more than that. But if phantasmal implants could be developed, humans could possess three heads, six arms, a hundred eyes, and a thousand ears. Without question, it would mark yet another revolution in sorcery—three heads meant triple the learning efficiency, a prospect that made even sorcerers drool!
Yet phantasmal implants had always progressed at a snail's pace, and the root of the problem lay in the word "phantasmal." How could you describe color to the blind? How could you make the deaf hear thunder? How could someone imagine controlling an organ that had never existed in the first place?
However, Serena's rare condition happened to provide Xifulin with the perfect breakthrough. While it was exceedingly difficult for a normal person to imagine having a third hand, what if a doll were to imagine possessing limbs?
Consequently, this ward had been arranged into a miraculous rift between reality and illusion, where Serena's fantasies could manifest into reality. Everything had proceeded smoothly; Serena soon imagined herself possessing a pair of hands. Before long, her legs would likely appear as well, after which miracle surgery would fix them permanently in place, making Serena the world's very first recipient of phantasmal implants.
Such treatment was undeniably exorbitant, but Xifulin had deep-rooted backing, and Serena's case was genuinely one of a kind, so the research institute spared no expense and let Xifulin squander funds as she pleased. Even so, this method carried risks—none for Serena herself, but it was hard to say for anyone else entering the room.
Because Serena's imagination became reality, whenever whimsical thoughts crossed her mind, the ward would transform into an unpredictable, bizarre domain. The notice outside the door was, in truth, an accumulation of lessons learned from multiple accidents.
Although Serena's condition was now very stable, hardly anyone aside from Freya and a scarce few others ever entered the ward to visit her.
"Teacher Xifulin scolded me..."
"What did she scold you for?" Serena found it odd. She had the impression that Xifulin was actually quite fond of Freya.
"She scolded me for having an irregular sleep schedule..." The Veela threw her hands up in exasperation. "I have no idea how she found out I entered the Void Realm after midnight last night. She said I wasn't cherishing the Blood Moon's blessing, that ten o'clock was the prime time to log into the Void Realm... Wait, could my teacher be spying on me?!"
Serena guessed, "Could it be that she saw you logging into the Curtain past eleven?"
"That's possible too..." The Veela tilted her head.
Serena asked curiously, "Don't you usually log into the Void Realm at ten? Why were you so late last night?"
"Last night..." Freya's face flushed red, and a silly grin spread across her lips. "Hehe..."
Ever since she picked up the copy of the diary that day, the Veela had claimed it on the spot. After following the updates for several days, she was entirely certain it was Yaxiu's diary, and that wicked man—wherever he was—kept right on updating it.
Through the diary copy, Freya was able to observe Yaxiu's entire prison break from a first-person perspective. She knew he had been bullied right after entering prison by a male Veela named Igola, and she knew he had been acquainted with a woman named Death Frenzy Sword Princess from the very beginning...
Death Frenzy Sword Princess!
Tsk, tsk, tsk!
What an obnoxious name!
Deeply vexed as Freya was, she could only helplessly watch as Yaxiu sailed across the Void Realm with Sword Princess. Last night, Yaxiu had updated up to the point where he underwent his first Blood Moon Trial and revealed a vulnerable side in front of Sword Princess. The Veela had wished she could take Sword Princess's place to comfort Yaxiu thoroughly, and then, and then...
Watching the pink bubbles floating from Freya's head, Serena thought to herself that this Veela's mental power was truly formidable. Though this room was primarily governed by her own thoughts, others could faintly influence the illusion energy here as well—the stronger their mind, the greater the influence.
If Gerard were to step into this room, Serena would not be able to harm a single strand of his white hair even if she gave it her all.
And for you, Freya, to actually reminisce about your casting fuel right in front of an innocent young girl... the Soul of Phantasmal Freedom would surely think you have immense potential.
After chatting for a while, it was time for Freya to head home. Before parting, Serena asked, "Are the others still bullying you?"
"How could they?" The Veela shook her head repeatedly. "My teacher is Xifulin, after all..."
"They're secretly ostracizing you, though, right?"
Freya offered no denial.
As an ungraduated Veela, even if she was already a sorcerer, there was no way she could be hired directly into Kaimeng Affiliated Hospital; she would normally have had to undergo several years of standardized training at other rural or town hospitals first. It was entirely through Xifulin pulling strings that she had been brought in and accepted as a student. Naturally, Freya drew criticism from other healers. Even without blatant discrimination, the atmosphere of exclusion was impossible to dispel.
Still, the Veela didn't really care.
Serena pondered for a moment, then had Freya hold out a finger, which she promptly bit down on until it bled!
The Veela tried to pull back in pain, but Serena held on tight, licking the wound with her tongue.
"That will do," Serena said earnestly. "You now carry my aura. No one will bully you again."
Highly displeased, Freya flicked Serena on the forehead, but she did not truly blame her, assuming it was merely a little girl's blessing. "Well, thank you then."
Leaving the ward, the Veela thought to herself that she would have to enter the Void Realm punctually tonight and leave reading the diary copy for the morning.
Logging into the Void Realm on time was a good thing anyway, as she would be able to see the little bat.
Ever since she collided with the little bat after emerging from the Vortex, the Veela ran into it every night she went to the Void Realm. The only time she had missed it was last night, when she was two hours late.
Freya suspected she had triggered some mechanic of the Void Realm, because not only did the little bat follow her every night, it even cast miracles to help in battle.
Yet even if the little bat couldn't help, Freya was very fond of it—having a pet travel alongside her across the vast white mist of the Sea of Knowledge was simply wonderful.
At the thought, the Veela grew even more annoyed with Sword Princess. Why was it her! Why wasn't it me! I want to keep Yaxiu as my pet!
***
Meanwhile, after Freya left the ward, Serena's smile faded. Her hands slowly dissolved into nothingness, and she lay on the bed like a doll.
Undergoing treatment was naturally an expedient measure; she would never allow herself to truly possess limbs. "Loss" was the manifestation of the Eternal Tribulation; the moment she was tainted by "Possession," she would completely lose the gaze of the Four Pillar Gods.
As for why she had blessed Freya just now, the reason was simple: Freya was already her handpicked chief cadre of the Four Pillar Cult.
Indeed, although Serena had failed to convert the Veela thus far, it was not her fault.
It was the fault of the Four Pillar Gods.
Ever since arriving in the Blood Moon Country, Serena had found that nothing went her way. She had even ended up as a rare case under intensive observation in a hospital; it was as though fate itself was preventing her from spreading faith and harvesting souls. After giving it some thought, she felt the root cause was simply that the Four Pillar Gods were giving her too little support.
It was only natural for a Touch to be ostracized by fate, just as a body's immune system automatically destroyed germs. Previously, however, a Touch had the Four Pillar Gods' help to obscure the trajectory of fate, allowing their work to proceed smoothly.
Serena was utterly convinced that the Four Pillar Gods were currently glued to Yaxiu Heath's live broadcast, which was why they had neglected to support her work in the Blood Moon Country.
However, such days would soon be a thing of the past.
Calculating the time, the Eternal Tribulation had been wound around Yaxiu for a month now, which meant—
Yaxiu's death tribulation was already an established link in the future.
How could someone who wasn't even a Touch possibly defy me, an actual Touch?
Once they witnessed Yaxiu's death, the Four Pillar Gods would naturally turn their gaze back upon lovely Serena, and then the little Veela would obediently become her chief cadre.
***
"Scheme Board Rank 1: Yaxiu's Kingdom Resurrection Ritual."
Lisi instinctively clutched the hem of Yaxiu's shirt, while Annan and Qinna snapped their heads toward him at once.
Yaxiu himself, on the other hand, felt very little.
Following the pattern of the previous nine schemes, anyone featured in a scheme's name was undoubtedly dead. But this wasn't the first time Yaxiu had brushed shoulders with the Grim Reaper. If there really were a reaper exclusively handling his affairs, the reaper's shoulders would probably be riddled with chronic bursitis by now.
Not to mention, he was an outsider. Could the death woven by your Gospel still claim the dog life of a Blood Moon man?
In comparison, he was more curious about who wanted to resurrect him.
Yet unlike the previous nine schemes, the Kingdom Resurrection Ritual did not list a mastermind. Instead, it jumped straight into the visual record—
"'Great Abyss-Gazing Rust Crow, the good follow you, and the wicked adore you! The light yearns for you, and the darkness longs for you! You are a being beyond all, the color that God painted upon all creation!'"
Yaxiu could finally hold his composure no longer.
Chapter 408