Urban District

Listening to the description of the secret medicine, Yi Chen fell into deep thought again,

But this time,

he was not pondering the concept of the secret medicine, or matters related to the Doctor or the clinic,

Instead, he combined the secret medicine with some of the descriptions and details of this mission and found something rather strange.

"Edmund, you said the raw materials for the secret medicine came from Sick Ones.

Then could the False Moon Incident that broke out in Vinal City have something to do with the development of the secret medicine?"

As soon as he said this,

Edmund abruptly froze and raised his index finger to his lips.

"William~ You can't just say things like that.

Besides, the information about the incident shown to us by the organization clearly stated that the Open Source Patient known as Moon Scar possessed concealment abilities that surpassed those of others of the same rank.

The 'False Moon Incident' broke out suddenly, without the local gentlemen or the clinic noticing anything."

Born into a great family, Edmund had been instilled with the ideals of Gentleman Studies from a young age, and he had also met Doctors who visited his family.

He firmly believed that those who could obtain clinic licenses were necessarily people of noble character, and could not have had any direct or indirect connection with such a vile incident.

"I was only guessing.

After all, you just said that refining the secret medicine required Sick Ones."

Edmund also realized that he might have overreacted. He adjusted his posture and explained some circumstances concerning the clinic.

"That's right. The core ingredients of the secret medicine do indeed come from Sick Ones.

However, the organization has clear regulations: these Sick Ones must come from 'hunting.'

After all, clinics are established by powerful Doctors,

and some gentlemen who have graduated from academies but are stuck before the Limit Membrane will choose to apply as clinic apprentices and gain the appropriate practical experience. Generally speaking, a clinic will have more than ten Gentleman Studies apprentices.

The apprentices 'pay their tuition' by conducting 'hunts' in the surrounding area and bringing valuable Sick Ones back to the clinic.

Besides providing raw materials for secret medicines, these hunted Sick Ones also possess research value and are of great significance to humanity's understanding of disease."

"Mm." Yi Chen continued asking, "Then why do clinics have to be built beside cities?"

"There are two reasons.

1. As a special armed department, the clinic itself works with the local gentlemen to ensure the city's safety and provide medical services to passing gentlemen.

In addition, the organization requires clinics to conduct random sampling among city residents at regular intervals and provide free physical examinations, further eliminating hidden diseases.

2. Based on all these years of experience fighting disease, humans are the species most vulnerable to the influence of disease, and the fastest to become diseased and develop.

This may be directly related to the fact that we humans possess self-awareness and a desire to explore the unknown.

Therefore, most clinics are established around cities. While ensuring the cities' safety, they can also obtain raw materials as quickly as possible."

"I understand now."

After their exchange, Yi Chen had gained quite a lot.

The special training over the past six months had left him no time to read.

He had also made up his mind that once the incident was over, he would go to the Grand Library between the academies to learn more about the world.

At that moment,

a faint stir came from his shoulder, reminding him of the 'friend' who had not shown itself for a long time.

Little Grape, you seem a little excited.

*How could I not be excited?

We spent a whole six months in that damned Teaching Building. Although the changes in your body are rather interesting, this Grape still wants to come outside and take a look.

My Inner Heart yearns for the outside world—for all kinds of novel, differently colored, uniquely flavored 'grapes.'

Fortunately, the mission you chose this time is very interesting. It actually involves an Open Source Patient.

There are traces of ancient records in my fragmented memories. If I could taste the grape on an Open Source Patient that contained that ancient aura, I wonder how incredible it would feel.*

The incident report given by Zion shouldn't be false. The true culprit behind the 'False Moon Incident' is already dead, so we won't encounter it... Besides, even if we really did, could we survive?

*In our current state, we would definitely die—and die horribly.

Sigh~ You're so boring. I was only fantasizing. As long as I can eat diseased grapes related to the Open Source Patient during this mission, I'll be satisfied.*

*Mm.

The grapes of every Sick One we kill during this mission are yours.

Since the mission is mainly focused on searching, your visual assistance, Little Grape, will be extremely important. Don't get lazy when the time comes.*

Three hours into the journey.

The carriage was about to arrive at Vinal City, the site where the False Moon Incident had once broken out.

The front window of the carriage opened,

and the coachman wearing a metal mask spoke for the first time:

"As a protective measure for the New Gentleman, I'll drive straight across Vinal City and take you directly to the foot of the Twilight Clinic.

Of course, you can also choose to take the relatively safer route around the outskirts."

"Let's go straight through the city."

Edmund made this decision for a simple reason: a carriage like this could isolate disease. Even if they encountered Sick Ones hiding in the urban area, they absolutely could not catch up.

Crossing the city would also allow them to roughly assess the danger of this mission.

"Then pay a little attention. If we encounter an attack from a Sick One, the carriage will accelerate to twice its current speed... Don't get thrown out. I won't stop and wait for any of you."

As he spoke, the carriage officially entered Vinal City.

This pitiful city that had suffered the 'False Moon Incident' had now become a ruin.

Almost every building bore traces of damage, both large and small. Some buildings had even collapsed completely, blocking the city roads across their entire width.

Even though two months had passed since the incident,

the air still carried the stench of decay and the reek of blood... Combined with the traces of bloodstains on the ground, lampposts, and buildings, it was almost as though the screams that had once echoed through every street and alley could still be heard.

It was difficult to imagine that such a normal city, with a population of more than ten thousand, stationed gentlemen, and a clinic keeping watch over it, had turned into a living hell in a single night.

At that moment,

Yi Chen deeply tasted the bitterness of disease—the flavor of despair.

Just as he stared absently at the constantly shifting streetscape,

a 'peeping detection' came through the visual window provided by Little Grape.

Oh, something is watching us from the shadows. Looks like there really are grapes to eat... But it hasn't come after us. It's only watching us from hiding. What a pity.

Yi Chen's thoughts were also pulled back by Little Grape.

Perhaps these fellows born from the moon only come out to move around at night?

That's very possible. I hope these fellows change at night and make the grapes even more delicious.

While communicating with Little Grape, Yi Chen also informed the team members of the situation.

Edmund asked, "Can you determine the number?"

"I can clearly sense no more than three Sources of Peeping, but I can't rule out some that I failed to detect, or Sick Ones hidden deep within the ruins and still dormant."

"Mm.

Our main area of activity is the clinic. As much as possible, avoid contact with the urban district afterward."

After half an hour of rapid travel,

the carriage smoothly left the urban district and followed a winding road into the countryside.

A small hospital-like building whose architectural style resembled Zion's was being built atop a nearby hill, right next to Vinal City.

This height was just enough for the Doctors and apprentices in the clinic to take in a general view of the urban area.