The beaked waiter sent Xia Lin outside the mansion.
"It's late at night, please be careful."
The waiter bowed, turned around and disappeared behind the door.
Xia Lin stood on the street and took a deep breath.
The moment I left the villa, the heavy stone weighing on my chest finally fell to the ground.
The doctor's look just now was so scary.
(I will never come here for medical treatment again, even to death.)
Xia Lin swore secretly in his heart.
(No matter who this doctor is, you should stay away from him.)
Xia Lin straightened his collar and prepared to walk to the carriage parking area.
Just as he was passing by a neatly trimmed bush.
A faint familiar wave touched his perception.
"Come out."
Xia Lin stopped and said, "I've already seen you."
The trees made a rustling sound.
A few seconds later, a figure wearing a long black robe slowly moved out.
Ruiwen.
She still looked like that, with her head lowered, huddled in the robe that seemed to be able to hold two of her, trying to reduce her sense of presence as much as possible.
But when she raised her head, a hint of excitement flashed in her black and white swirling eyes?
"You--discovered it?"
She spoke a little faster than usual.
"No one has ever been able to find me when I didn't want to be found."
"Maybe... because... it's been linked?"
"Hey!" Xia Lin raised his forehead, "Don't use such strange words!"
"That's what it says in the book." Ruiwen tilted his head, seeming a little confused by his reaction, "The link... isn't it right?"
This is actually true.
The connection between body and energy established in the closet seems to have left some kind of "mark"-like sequelae between him and this Death Soul Sprite suture monster.
As long as she is nearby, Xia Lin can feel that unique cold breath.
"Yes, yes, but," Xia Lin took a deep breath, "Forget it, you have something to do with me?"
Ruiwen nodded.
"Want to... chat."
"What are you talking about?"
"What did the doctor... tell you...?" Ruiwen's voice became a little nervous, "About... my matter."
Xia Lin looked at her uneasy eyes and suddenly felt a little distressed.
This girl, or this "spliced body", obviously has the strength of level 12 Witch, but she lives so cautiously and has such low self-esteem.
"He said you are very brave but also very lonely." Xia Lin said gently, "He hopes that I can often come to accompany you."
"Only... these?"
"And he praised you for your extraordinary talent." Xia Lin shrugged, "Although you have physical defects, it does not prevent you from becoming an excellent Witch."
"Really?"
Ruiwen's eyes lit up instantly, and the swirling patterns rotated faster.
"Doctor----is indeed the best." She lowered her head, twisting the edge of her robe unconsciously with her fingers, her tone full of admiration, "He never----dislikes me. Even though I----are always broken."
"Do you break it often?" Xia Lin asked tentatively.
Ruiwen turned around and motioned to Xia Lin to follow her.
The two of them did not leave the villa too far, walking along the shadow of the wall.
"Sutures ---- have a life span." She said softly, "And ---- my parts ---- will also age. The doctor ---- has to perform surgery on me every once in a while to replace the ---- necrotic flesh."
"Sometimes----the operation is very painful. But I can't scream----because it will disturb the doctor----thinking."
Xia Lin My scalp feels numb when I hear it.
"Then what do you usually do in the hospital?"
"Working----helping to move corpses----cleaning----" Ruiwen counted on his fingers, "the remaining time----"
It's very boring. I can only read books--or play with those bird beaks."
"Bird's beak?"
"It's those waiters." Ruiwen pointed to a man in black wearing a bird's beak mask standing guard at the door of the villa in the distance, "They----although they don't speak--are very interesting. Sometimes----I will take them apart----and put them back together----
They won't be angry either."
"----"Xia Lin felt a little churning in his stomach.
Xia Lin coughed and quickly changed the subject. "By the way, you said you are Witch? In addition to casting spells, does Witch have any special abilities?"
Ruiwen blinked, seemingly unable to keep up with this sudden turn of events.
But she still answered honestly, "Yes... a lot."
"For example?"
"For example... this... was... given to you before."
Ruiwen stretched out his hand and gently touched Xia Lin's forehead with his fingertips.
A warm energy surged in.
[Blessing]
"If you ---- do something next ----" Ruiwen said softly, "You will ---- go very smoothly."
The system prompt appeared in his mind:
[Effect: In the next 1 minute, all your Attack Roll, Saving Throw, Ability Check, Skill Check can roll the dice twice and get the better result.]
"This... is amazing!" Xia Lin said in surprise.
"And... this."
Ruiwen stretched out his hand again, this time gently pressing on Xia Lin's chest.
A faint black light flashed.
"If ---- is an enemy ----" Ruiwen's voice became deeper, "It wants to hit you ---- it will be unlucky."
[Ward Off Misfortune]
[Effect: In the next 1 minute, for all hostile rolls against you, the enemy must roll the dice twice and take the worse result.]
When attacking, take the good one; when defending, the enemy takes the bad one.
The combination of these two buffs can almost double the combat effectiveness.
"Witch...'s special ability." Ruiwen said calmly, but there was a little bit of pride in his tone, "The Lord of Sanctuary.
..Jingliu... given."
"Is there any more?" Xia Lin asked curiously.
"And... this."
Ruiwen raised his hands, and his ten slender fingers shimmered in the moonlight.
The next second.
Her nails started growing like crazy.
The originally neatly manicured nails turned into ten black and sharp Claw in just a few seconds, each one five or six centimeters long, shining with a metallic cold light under the moonlight.
[Long Claws]
"It can... be used as a weapon." Ruiwen said, and waved it in the air a few times.
A "swish, swish" sound broke through the air, and the sharpness of the claws was probably no less than a Fine+ quality dagger.
"And..."
Ruiwen suddenly approached Xia Lin, a hint of cunning flashed in those swirling eyes. "You can try it next time... when you connect..."
"Don't! Don't!" He waved his hand quickly, "You should stop reading those weird books! What nonsense have you learned!"
"The book says----this is called----sentiment." Ruiwen tilted his head, looking innocent.
"What kind of crappy book----" Xia Lin held his forehead helplessly, "This book was also given to you by the doctor?"
"Yeah." Ruiwen nodded and took back Claw, "The doctor----has a lot of books. But some books----the beaks gave them to me."
She took out a shabby booklet from her arms, with twisted body symbols painted on the cover.
"The beaks sometimes give me things that they liked before. Although many of the stories are very obscure, I can't understand them."
Xia Lin frowned.
Beak waiter?
Those people wore masks from beginning to end, did not say a single unnecessary word, and had a very low sense of presence, just like...
"Those beaked waiters----" Xia Lin asked pretending to be careless, "Who are they? I think they never take off their masks or speak."
Ruiwen tilted his head, seeming to be thinking about how to explain.
"They----" Ruiwen lowered his voice and leaned close to Xia Lin's ear, "Actually, they are all dead."
"The doctor is a very powerful puppet master. The doctor said... making puppets... requires special... materials. So... I sometimes... help... collect them."
"Some are--unrescued, ownerless patients--and some are--bad guys looking for trouble--"
When she said this, she suddenly realized that she had let something slip.
A flash of panic flashed in those swirling eyes, and his voice became even lower. "I... shouldn't say it... the doctor said... it's a secret..."
"It's okay." Xia Lin waved his hand, "I won't tell others."
But his heart exploded.
(Those waiters? Are they puppets? Are the origins of these puppets really what Ruiwen said?)
Xia Lin dare not continue thinking about it.
But he knew that he had another piece of evidence for his suspicion of this doctor.
"Xia Lin?"
Ruiwen's voice brought him back to reality.
"You... look... not so good."
"It's okay." Xia Lin took a deep breath and forced himself to calm down, "I just suddenly felt that the doctor's hobby is quite special."
"Well... the doctor... is very powerful." Ruiwen's voice was full of admiration, "Not only is he... good at medical... alchemy... he is also very strong... and can... make puppets... and... he is the first person... who doesn't dislike me."
"He... saved me."
Ruiwen lowered his head and his voice became softer. "If... there was no doctor... I would have been... treated as a monster... and burned to death."
Xia Lin looked at her appearance, and suddenly felt a little complicated.
Coupled with all the previous omens, he was now almost certain that Dr. Azma was definitely not a saint.
However, he cannot tell Ruiwen directly.
For Ruiwen, Azma is her whole world. Her inferiority complex and lack of sense of existence make her cling to the only life-saving straw, even if it is stained with blood.
"Ruiwen."
Xia Lin looked into her eyes and said in a serious tone, "The doctor is indeed very powerful. But you are also very powerful."
"Huh?" Ruiwen was stunned.
"You are not just a doctor's assistant, nor just a spliced body." Xia Lin pointed to the hand she had just performed the magic on, "You have your own power and your own thinking. The joke you just made - although a bit cold, is very interesting."
"Try to look at yourself more, instead of just looking at the doctor's back."
Xia Lin smiled, "You don't need a doctor's approval to prove the value of your existence. At least in my opinion, you are a very special friend."
Ruiwen stood there blankly.
The swirling pupils stopped rotating, as if they were caught in some huge impact.
"Special----friend----"
She murmured to herself, and a faint blush appeared on her pale face.
"Friend----"
Under the moonlight, Ruiwen stared blankly at Xia Lin.
A long time.
She lowered her head and said with a hint of trembling in her voice, "I... remember."
"Yeah." Xia Lin smiled, "Take your time, don't be in a hurry."
The atmosphere was quiet for a few seconds.
Then.
Ruiwen suddenly moved.
She stepped forward and clamped Xia Lin's thigh directly.
Although the two of them were standing, she put her arms around Xia Lin's neck, hanging on him like a koala.
That familiar, astonishing softness and weight came over me again without reservation.
"Hey! What are you doing?!" Xia Lin quickly raised his hands to show his innocence, "This is outside! You will be seen!"
Ruiwen got closer to his face.
The tips of their noses almost touched.
She stared at Xia Lin with her unruffled eyes, and said in a voice with a touch of electricity, "Want to do it again?"
"Pfft."
A sound like air leakage came from Ruiwen's mouth.
She is laughing.
"Just kidding."
She let go of her hand, jumped off Xia Lin lightly, and straightened her somewhat messy robe.
"The book says--this is called--flirting."
Ruiwen tilted his head and looked at the blushing Xia Lin, with a sly look in his eyes. "You just said that you should take a closer look at yourself."
"I think----I am quite happy now."
After saying that, she pulled up her hood again, covering her face that had just learned to "smile".
"You learned--so damn fast."
"Yeah." Ruiwen nodded, then turned around, "I... went back. The doctor... will be worried."
"Wait."
"What else?"
Xia Lin hesitated for a moment, then said, "Next time, if you have any health or other problems, come see me."
"Doctors are not the only ones who can help you."
6"
Ruiwen was stunned for a few seconds.
"Hmm."
After saying that, her figure began to become transparent.
[High-level Invisibility Spell].
After a few seconds, she completely disappeared into the night.
At the same time.
A black luxury carriage is driving on Nirose's Holy Light Avenue.
The coat of arms of Scales and Sword is printed on the outer wall of the carriage, which is the exclusive vehicle of Imperial Tribunal.
The carriage is covered with thick velvet carpet, and Crystal Lamp exudes a soft light.
Calderon took off the intimidating Iron Mask mask, revealing a face that was a bit old but still angular. He was holding a glass of red wine in his hand and seemed to be in a good mood.
"Sky, you performed very well tonight."
Grand Inquisitor swung his wine glass and looked at the silver-haired female subordinate sitting opposite, with a rare hint of admiration in his tone. "Dress well and respond appropriately. The eyes of those aristocratic old men have changed when they look at you. You finally began to understand that as a member of the Starcrest Family, showing your face sometimes is more valuable than cutting ten Cultist in the sewer."
"You have given me enough face by accompanying me to the party tonight. I will also report truthfully to Xinghui Duke."
"This is what I should do, Mr. Grand Inquisitor."
Sky sat opposite and answered politely.
But her eyes were a little wandering.
My mind is full of Xia Lin and Ruiwen.
(Ruiwen... What happened?)
(Xia Lin said she was fine... but I didn't even see her...)
(and...)
She remembered Xia Lin's absent-minded look when he came back.
She specially changed into a new dress just to show him.
As a result, this guy didn't even look at it!
(Asshole...)
Sky The more he thought about it, the angrier he became, and he couldn't help but squeeze out a curse word from between his teeth.
"What?"
Calderon suddenly frowned.
"... Huh?" Sky was stunned for a moment, and then realized that he had accidentally spoken out what was on his mind.
"No... it's nothing!" She quickly answered, "I mean... bastards...Cultist! Yes! Those Cultist are really bastards!"
Calderon was silent for a moment, looking at her with complicated eyes.
"Good business." He did not expose this botched use of the toilet, "Recently, I plan to give Mina·Tongling more opportunities.
What do you think?"
"You are right, Your Excellency Grand Inquisitor." Sky immediately returned to his serious expression, "You can't be judged just because of a single achievement.
She is willing to be promoted. More tests are needed to determine whether she is really capable of taking on more important responsibilities."
She spoke righteously, but she was secretly happy in her heart.
(The plan went smoothly...)
(As long as Mina continues to perform meritorious services, she can enter the inner circle...)
(At that time, I will be able to obtain more resources and love through her...)
"What about Levi?" Calderon suddenly asked, "What do you think of him?"
She was silent for a few seconds, and then said matter-of-factly, "He is very strong. And he performs tasks very efficiently."
"That's all?"
"His fighting style is relatively radical." Sky thought for a moment, "But in missions like clearing Cultist, this style is actually very effective."
"You don't care that he abandoned you back then?"
Calderon's voice became more serious.
Sky Take a deep breath.
"I don't think that's abandonment, Mr. Grand Inquisitor."
She answered seriously, "That is the correct implementation of Article 17 of the "Inquisition Combat Regulations" - when teammates are in a certain death situation, give priority to evacuating and requesting support."
"His choice at the time was rational."
"Moreover," Sky paused, "He is already very harmful. Even worse than me."
When she said this, her tone was calm and without any resentment.
Calderon stared at her for a long time.
In the end, he just sighed.
"You are a good boy, Sky."
He put on the mask again and sighed inwardly.
"It would be nice if you were not from the Xinghui Wu tribe."