With a squelch.
The pen tip pierced the butler's arm.
The Doctor asked the butler.
"Were you hurt?"
The butler nodded.
"I suffered some minor injuries!"
Having obtained the result he wanted, the Doctor rang the bell and recalled the butler.
"It seems S292's flesh and blood really can harm anomalous beings!"
In an instant, countless plans sprang into the Doctor's mind.
Meanwhile, Lu Xiao remained in his containment room, eating and drinking well.
When he had nothing to do, he went to chat with the Prison Doctor. Life was quite comfortable.
"My friend! My appetite hasn't been very good lately!"
Lu Xiao was a little troubled.
The Prison Doctor's voice came from within his beak.
"Don't worry, my friend. It's just that your curse has been suppressed, so you no longer need to eat large amounts to sustain your energy expenditure!"
Hearing the Prison Doctor's diagnosis, Lu Xiao breathed a sigh of relief.
He had thought he was sick again.
Lately, he had felt himself eating less and less.
Especially when he stayed in his room without going out, he could now only eat one large bucket of rice per meal, when he used to eat three.
"By the way, where's Mr. Ivan? I haven't seen him lately!"
Lu Xiao suddenly remembered why he had come.
"I'd like to thank Mr. Ivan in person!"
The Prison Doctor said.
"Then let me take you to him!"
"Thank you, my friend!"
Soon, the Prison Doctor brought Lu Xiao to Ivan's containment room.
Lu Xiao glanced at the small screen on the wall.
[Sequence 081 - Bone Carver] [Containment class: S] [Target abilities: puppet creation, carving, alchemy] [Containment requirements: do not provoke him!] [Combat ability: watch your bones when fighting him!] [PS: a toymaker from the Middle Ages whose carved dolls were beloved by children! Though they were all carved from human bones!] [PS: he possesses exquisite carving skills and extensive knowledge of alchemy! With these methods, he can create powerful puppets!] [PS: no transactions of any kind can be conducted with this target!]
The Prison Doctor also looked at the small screen and said to Lu Xiao.
"Ivan is a highly skilled carver. The dolls he made during his lifetime were beloved by children!"
"But after learning that those dolls were carved from human bones, those ignorant fools took frenzied revenge on Ivan!"
"They tied Ivan to the gallows and tortured him with the most extreme punishments!"
"In the end, they even separated his flesh from his bones!"
Hearing the Prison Doctor's words, Lu Xiao sighed.
"What a shame! Mr. Ivan was clearly a craftsman worthy of respect!"
The Prison Doctor wholeheartedly agreed with Lu Xiao.
"He only wanted to bring people joy. What a pity!"
Then the Prison Doctor rang the doorbell.
A moment later, the door opened.
Ivan was crouching in front of an enormous skeleton.
Lu Xiao looked around.
The room was piled with carvings of all kinds, some human-shaped and others beast-shaped.
Compared with his and the Prison Doctor's bare containment rooms, Ivan's felt much more lived-in.
A single red carpet covered the floor, seemingly made from some creature's hide.
Just then, Ivan turned to look at the two at the door.
"What brings you here?"
Ivan's voice came from inside the Prison Doctor's body. Clearly, he was addressing the Prison Doctor.
The Prison Doctor pointed to Lu Xiao beside him.
"Ivan, my friend would like to thank you in person!"
Lu Xiao hurriedly nodded and said.
"Mr. Ivan, thank you for performing that surgery on me. I feel wonderful now!"
The soul flames in Ivan's eye sockets flickered, and then his voice came from inside Lu Xiao's body.
"You're welcome! I completed a great work of art on your body!"
The Prison Doctor said.
"May we come in and sit for a while?"
"Please come in!"
As Lu Xiao walked across the red carpet, a strange sensation came through his feet, as though he were stepping on flesh and blood. It felt rather thrilling.
Ivan pointed to two chairs.
"Please sit!"
The two chairs were carved from unidentified bones, their seats padded with a layer of finely textured leather.
Their backs still looked like bare bones.
Lu Xiao sat down and found it very comfortable.
At the same time, a faint fragrance wafted to his nose.
Lu Xiao could not tell what the scent came from, but it smelled very pleasant.
Meanwhile, Ivan's voice echoed through the room.
"My friend! What do you think of my collection?"
The surrounding bone carvings all vibrated in unison, giving voice to Ivan's words.
Lu Xiao glanced over them and immediately gave a thumbs-up.
"They're all exquisite works of art! I must say, Mr. Ivan, your carving skills have reached perfection!"
Hearing Lu Xiao's words, the soul flames in Ivan's eye sockets flickered violently again.
"Unfortunately, people don't acknowledge my art!"
Ivan's voice rang out.
Lu Xiao comforted him.
"Mr. Ivan, good works of art are bound to face criticism!"
"Obviously, it's because they don't understand art!"
As he spoke, he looked at the Prison Doctor.
"Just like Mr. Prison Doctor. His medical skills are always questioned!"
"And yet you and I both know that Mr. Prison Doctor is actually a great physician!"
The Prison Doctor's beak opened and closed. For a moment, he did not know what to say.
For a moment, both the Prison Doctor and Ivan looked at Lu Xiao.
A smile appeared on Lu Xiao's face.
"Mr. Prison Doctor is the greatest physician I've ever met. His conviction puts even me to shame!"
"And you, Mr. Ivan, are the most skilled sculptor I've ever met!"
"Look at these exquisite works of art! They're so dazzling! They ought to be displayed in an art museum!"
These words deeply moved both the Prison Doctor and Ivan.
Especially Ivan.
In his hollow eye sockets, emerald-green soul flames flickered violently, and his body trembled nonstop with excitement.
The clacking of bones echoed through the room.
"But they brutally killed me!"
"They forgot that the dolls I carved with my own hands had once been among their children's burial goods!"
"I only wanted to bring the children a little joy!"
His voice was filled with profound regret.
Lu Xiao consoled him.
"Mr. Ivan, I don't think you should be the one feeling regret!"
"Those foolish people are the ones who should feel regret!"
"It was their foolishness that cost them a great artist!"
Hearing Lu Xiao's words, Ivan stood there for a long time.
"Thank you! My friend, your words have made me feel much better!"
"Though I never blamed those people, that incident truly left me with profound regret!"
The Prison Doctor also spoke up then.
"Ivan, I'm so happy to see you emerge from the shadow in your heart!"
"I'm happy too!"
"My friend, I've decided to give you a little gift!"
The voice came from inside Lu Xiao's body.
Before you continue