Primordial One's Patient
Lugano, who was listening in, looked at Lumian with a puzzled expression, not understanding why he, who had just said he was going to leave, was now chatting leisurely with Pierre.
Wait a little longer, the Official Beyonder is coming!
Moreover, the more they know, the more intense the investigation will be later, and it might even provoke the Source of the Mad Sickness, causing it to target them now!
After thinking for about ten seconds, Pierre said uncertainly, "The Primordial One's Patient seemed to be a guest who rented a room in our Bar..."
"Outsider?" Lumian asked rather calmly.
Having already informed the Official Beyonder about the Mad Sickness through Franca and determined to find an opportunity to "Teleportation" away, his mind was no longer as tense as before. Therefore, he wanted to learn more about the Mad Sickness before leaving and find reasonable explanations for those contradictions.
This kind of intelligence gathering, problem analysis, and finding clues and answers is one of the ways to Acting the role of a "Conspirer." Since Lumian had nothing better to do, she took the opportunity to digest some Potion.
As for the potential Corruption this matter might cause, Lumian wasn't so worried:
Can information about Mad Sickness be compared to the sealed data of "0-01"?
Moreover, as long as you don't go crazy on the spot, you can ask your boss afterwards if there's any way to resolve the issue!
Pierre pondered for a few seconds, looking slightly bewildered, and said, "It should be... I don't remember her name, nor do I know where she came from. I only know that she suddenly went crazy, ran from the hotel upstairs to the Bar, tried to bite people, and barked like a dog."
The infected Outsider spread the Mad Sickness to Daddel? Then why did the townspeople not consider fleeing? Is that also a symptom of Mad Sickness? Lumian asked thoughtfully, "Did she bite anyone? What happened afterward?"
"It was caught before it could bite anyone else; we took care of it, caught it, and sent it to the health department," Pierre recalled.
"Did it get sent to the Department of Health? "Lumian nodded slowly.
"Will the Department of Health be the next to go crazy?"
"Yes, yes!" Pierre was very certain this time.
Lumian thought for a moment, then asked, "What did that guest look like?"
"A young woman, pale-faced, listless, with dull eyes. I... I don't remember exactly what she looked like..." Pierre couldn't help but raise his hand and rub his head.
Upon hearing this, Lumian suddenly had a thought:
If the Source of all the anomalies in Daddel is truly Madman, then many contradictions can be explained!
The Primordial One Source itself was insane, instinctively spreading its Mad Sickness, which involved the supernatural, to the surrounding area, so it didn't care whether it was a closed village or a bustling town as a transportation hub.
At the same time, driven by her subconscious, "she" would use this ability to spread extraordinary Mad Sickness to imply to the townspeople that they should not leave and to control all channels that might spread the matter. However, because she was in a state of madness herself, she did not think things through and failed to give the townspeople the order not to tell the Steam train passengers about her Mad Sickness.
Of course, it might not be that the considerations were insufficient. Lumian felt that it was more likely that the Madman's instinct would want to involve more people and infect them with the Mad Sickness. This led to the contradictory situation where, on the one hand, those who knew about the matter were not allowed to leave and were not allowed to seek help from the authorities, while on the other hand, the townspeople were not prohibited from discussing the Mad Sickness with passing travelers.
This is a limited and relatively safe way of transmission. Passengers who know about the Mad Sickness are essentially getting closer to the Source of the Plague. For example, Lugano's Fortune have changed, increasing his chances of contracting the Mad Sickness. He and Lumian had previously forgotten about the option of escaping, and the more they talked, the more they got stuck on the issue, strengthening their resolve to enter Daddel to investigate.
This is a precursor to Mad Sickness, a result of being unknowingly given a suggestion.
Thinking about this, Lumian suspected that the young woman might be a survivor from the village that had been wiped out earlier, a potential infected person who escaped the official cleanup operation.
She combined these memories with her Mad Sickness and spread them, so that the townspeople of Daddel knew that a village had experienced a similar Plague and suffered a complete purge by the authorities.
Normally, they don't have the qualifications to know about these kinds of things, nor do they have the means to do so!
Having made his initial deductions, Lumian looked at Pierre and Waiter Bar, and asked with a smile, "Where is that village you mentioned that was destroyed by the authorities because of the Mad Sickness?"
"It seems, it seems to be somewhere in the Upper Hornacis Province..." Pierre recalled the rumors he had heard.
Upper Hornacis Province... that's quite far from Upper Coastal Province, and there's no direct Steam train. You'd have to go through a few provinces on the West Coast of the Sea of Mist or transfer at Trier... How did you people, who hardly ever leave Daddel, hear about that rumor? Did some Wandering Poet or passenger from Upper Hornacis Province pass through this transportation hub? The more Lumian thought about it, the more inclined he became to his earlier speculation.
He didn't ask any more questions, and tentatively said to Pierre, "This Mad Sickness is very valuable for research. We will go to Darder to investigate the Source and try to cure you."
"But this will take some time to prepare, and besides, it's nighttime now."
"We'll enter Darder at daybreak and won't leave until the problem is solved."
Lumian repeatedly emphasized that he would "enter Darder" and "would not leave for the time being," in order to test Pierre's and Waiter Bar's reactions.
Their expressions shifted a few times, but they weren't as hysterical as before.
After a few seconds, Pierre said with a pleading look, "You must come to town tomorrow!"
"No problem," Lumian replied with a smile.
He is now even more certain that this is an instinctive contagion and influence, with no mechanism to cope with Change. As long as the key points are not touched, or even if one actively provides information to cooperate, the Source of the Mad Sickness can be effectively concealed.
Seeing Pierre and Waiter Bar heading towards another window of the Steam train, Lumian called out to them:
"Wait a moment."
After the two turned around in surprise, Lumian pointed to the table between the two sofas:
You can take the tableware away now.
Pierre and Waiter Bar looked blankly at the table, only to find it filled with empty plates and scraps of bones.
You've already finished eating? The delivery person hasn't left yet!
Pierre and Waiter Bar, though aware that they had lingered there longer than expected due to the matter of the Mad Sickness, still found it unrealistic.
They ate that fast!
Does this house a family that keeps three Lion?
Hiccup... The little boy Ludwig picked up a napkin and wiped his mouth, looking very satisfied.
After the two townspeople finished collecting their utensils, picked up their food boxes, and left the platform, Lumian smiled at Lugano, who was still standing there, and said, "Take another look, there's no need to rush."
I'm in a panic. How am I supposed to escape when the Official Beyonder arrive? Lugano's heart felt like it was being burned by fire.
Lumian observed his reaction and muttered silently:
He certainly behaved like a low- Sequence, Wild Beyonder... He didn't exhibit any of the special qualities of Ludwig... Was he really just an ordinary Wild Beyonder who had simply accepted a mission to follow me?
At the same time, Lumian focused his attention and checked Lugano's Fortune again, finding that the pale green marks had disappeared and there was no Calamity of Blood.
This means that the "Doctor" is no longer likely to be infected with the Mad Sickness, and should not be involved in the official operation to deal with the anomalies in Daddel.
After a while, Lumian heard a loud noise and saw the night outside suddenly become brighter.
It was light shining down from mid-air.
Lumian looked up and saw two enormous objects floating in the Evernight.
Those were two airships painted in dark gray, their propellers spinning wildly.
This was considerably smaller than the one Lumian had seen in Trier, and the concentrated light shone down from the lower front, focusing on the edge of Daddel.
At the same time, a large number of dogs barked once again throughout the town, and there seemed to be commotion in various places.
"Have the officials from the Fous Region arrived? "Lumian withdrew his gaze, awaiting the outcome.
Shouts, screams, gunshots, and various lights, represented by Sunlight, appeared intermittently and lasted for nearly an hour before completely subsiding.
Shortly after, a group of Police entered the private room and questioned Lumian and his accomplices, who had altered their appearances and were carrying fake Identity Documents, about the details of their interactions with the townspeople of Daddel.
Lumian didn't mention anything related to Mad Sickness, but he told the truth about everything else.
He was always ready to "Teleportation" Ludwig and Lugano away.
After Recording and comparing the tickets and Identity Documents, the Police left the carriage.
Lumian waited patiently until dawn before the Police returned, offering three Contract for them to sign.
The Contract states that last night's commotion stemmed from a special military operation, and everyone is obligated to maintain secrecy and not disclose it.
Does the fact that I leaked it before I signed it count? Lumian chuckled inwardly and calmly wrote down his pseudonym.
His false identity has only just been put into use and has no connection to any Mysticism yet.
Once the Police had exited the carriage, Lumian, having deliberately experienced the official procedures firsthand, grabbed Lugano and Ludwig by the shoulders and "Teleportation" away.
He was unsure whether the Contract signed under a false name would be discovered, so he had to mitigate the associated risks.
Just then, Lumian saw a tall figure emerge behind Lugano.
That was his Messenger, a charred corpse of "Penitent" Bainfel, his body Burning with Black Flame and dressed in a dark Clergy Robe.
Bainfel let a folded letter float toward Lumian.
Lugano was startled to find a piece of Paper peeking out. He instinctively looked behind him, and Lumian opened the letter and scanned its contents:
"Based on the feedback I've received, this appears to be an incident of Sealed Artifact escaping."
"The Sealed Artifact is in the form of a young woman. It first appeared in a Calamity in Upper Hornacis Province. Most of the time she is in a normal and bookish state, but she appears lifeless, Paleness and confused. However, once she enters a state of madness, she can gradually infect those around her with the same Mad Sickness. There is no definite pattern of transmission."
"Her state of mind was not always the same each time she went crazy, and the symptoms of her Mad Sickness were also different."
"In her normal state, although she is dazed and acts like a mindless Wraith, driven by instinct, she possesses a power akin to the power of words; whoever she speaks of 'death' will die..."