After leaving the ruins, Sharon used some secret methods of the Rose School of Thought to process Rafter Pound's thrilling memories from tonight and cleaned up the related traces.
Back in the office at the Gun Factory, Lorne sat alone in his chair.
"From the look of it, the most precious thing in those ruins should be that 'blasphemy card'—"
"The rest are the Beyonder characteristics left behind by the two unlucky heirs of the Pound Family after their deaths."
"Sigh—what a loss! If I'd known, I would have discussed it with that evil spirit and taken those two characteristics along with me—" Lorne couldn't help but slap his thigh in regret.
"But the most critical issue now is how to deal with that three-in-one evil spirit—"
"First, I'll use cement and steel bars to completely seal the entrance. Anyway, I have the Master Key, I can go in whenever I want—"
""
"Afterward, I'll first find a way to investigate the background of this so-called 'Medici'—then, I'll look for some Mystical Items that can restrain or even deal with that evil spirit—"
Lorne knew very well that whether he chose to cooperate with the evil spirit or turn against it later, having equivalent strength was an important basis for negotiation. With the other party's suspected demigod level, he would at least need to obtain power from the "Sun" domain at the demigod level to possibly purify it completely.
"Is there a Pathway that can control ghosts?"
"If I could capture it safely instead of destroying it directly, things would be much more convenient—"
"That guy—is simply a living, fourth epoch occult library—"
"Wait—an ancient high-level existence, only a remnant soul left, still trapped in a certain place—why is there suddenly a very strong sense of déjà vu—"
"I somehow feel like I'm finding myself a portable 'Grandpa' mentor—"
Backlund, a certain secret stronghold.
"Not bad, Miss Megose. Your condition today is very good and stable."
A blonde lady wearing a simple long dress, with most of her body wrapped in thick bandages, was being kept in a large transparent room made of special glass.
With a face full of sorrow, she looked at the man in a white lab coat before her, whose temperament was somewhere between a scholar and a doctor, and asked softly—
"Mr. 7 of Hearts—when can I go back—it's already—" Her lips trembled slightly, and her gaze lowered.
"I've already been here—for a long time—"
"Miss Megose." 7 of Hearts put down the record sheet he was filling out, a professional smile forced onto his face.
"Please rest assured, once we are certain you have fully recovered your health, we will naturally let you go home."
"But—but I already feel like my body has recovered," Megose's voice carried a hint of urgency and a sob, "and I've been here for several months. My parents must be very anxious and worried about me—"
A few months ago, she had suddenly woken up from a long coma. Upon waking, she found her entire body wrapped in bandages and herself locked in this strange glass room.
The first person she saw was the man before her, Mr. 7 of Hearts, who claimed to be her attending physician. He told her she had a strange disease that required strict isolation.
In the time that followed, she was locked here every day, receiving various strange treatments she had never heard of before.
"Then, what about my child?" She seemed to suddenly remember something, her hands subconsciously protecting her lower abdomen, her eyes reflecting maternal light and confusion, "He—"
"That wasn't a child." 7 of Hearts interrupted her sharply.
"That was an extremely dangerous malignant tumor, formed by an accumulation of highly infectious bacteria. We have successfully surgically removed it from your body."
"Then—then can I write a letter home—" Megose pleaded.
"I'm sorry, Miss Megose. According to isolation regulations, these actions are not permitted until your isolation period has completely ended," 7 of Hearts said in a regretful tone.
"This is also for the safety of your family."
Hearing this, Megose seemed to have all her strength drained away. She lowered her head deeply and stopped speaking, only her shoulders trembling slightly.
"However, your hometown is Tingen, right?" 7 of Hearts' tone shifted and became kind again, like a professional Psychiatrist probing and soothing a patient's emotions. "I can provide you with some recent Tingen newspapers so you can learn about the situation back home. You can also talk to me about things in Tingen."
"Okay—thank you." Megose thanked him in a low voice, her tone devoid of much joy.
Leaving the isolation room, 7 of Hearts met a colleague wearing black gloves in the corridor. "How is the target's recent situation?" Black Spade 6 asked.
"I still find it unbelievable even now—" 7 of Hearts put down the report in his hand and sighed from the bottom of his heart.
"How did she, an ordinary woman without any Beyonder abilities, withstand the Divine Descent of the 'True Creator'—"
"In three hundred years, I've never even heard of a case like hers—"
"What I also find unbelievable," Black Spade 6 smiled and patted his colleague's shoulder, "is that you actually'saved' her from that—well, indescribable state, and made her look human again on the outside."
"It wasn't me; that Sealed Artifact transferred from above played the major role. The Sanguine also sent people over to help—"
"I was only responsible for executing the treatment plan and keeping observation records."
"Furthermore, her internal state has long been a mess; she can't be considered a normal person at all," 7 of Hearts corrected in a flat tone.
"Sanguine? Life-Giver?"
"Mhm." 7 of Hearts nodded. "But even so, it's still a miracle—"
"I did some research. Besides that corrupt power, there was another very special high-level power within the target's body initially. It was this power that, to a certain extent, hindered the spread of the corrupt power and partially canceled out the divinity descended by the 'True Creator'—"
"It was precisely because these two powers perished together that she was lucky enough not to die immediately—"
"Later, after a series of complex 'disinfections' and treatment by that 'Life-Giver', her body and her fragmented soul were barely pieced together."
"A normal person—no, even a Mid-Sequence Beyonder would have almost certainly died after going through this entire process. I didn't expect that she actually—"
"A miracle, huh—so, how do you plan to handle her next?" Black Spade 6 asked.
"What else can be done? Keep her locked up and continue the research," 7 of Hearts curled his lip.
"Even if she truly recovers to normal, it's impossible to let her go. You know the confidentiality regulations."
"Over in Tingen, that incident has long been defined as an accident. An aging gas pipe leak caused a massive explosion—"
"She has become one of the many victims of that accident, the kind whose body was blown to bits."
"However, if she suddenly went back alive and well now, she might scare those people from the Church to death on the spot, haha." Black Spade 6 imagined the scene and couldn't help but laugh.
"Coming back to it, if she really is fine, what does the higher-up plan to do?"
"That's impossible. She definitely has problems; it's just that the issues haven't manifested yet. Pollution involving the level of a true god cannot be rooted out so easily," 7 of Hearts said with certainty.
"I'm saying what if? What if she really is fine?"
"Wipe her memory and send her to some remote area to be an ordinary clerk. Or have her do odd jobs at an orphanage or charity we control. Regardless, corresponding surveillance is absolutely indispensable."
"Then—what about the thing in her belly?" Black Spade 6 asked curiously.
"That disgusting stillborn?"
"'That disgusting stillborn'?" 7 of Hearts frowned. "It has been sealed using multiple joint Sealed Artifacts and is currently in a stable state. However—"
He looked around, then lowered his voice and said mysteriously, "I heard—the higher-ups seem to plan on selling it?"
"Selling it?! Who would want such a thing!" Black Spade 6 was astonished.
"The Storm Church, the Eternal Blazing Sun Church, or the Church of Knowledge and Wisdom—someone will always need it. It just depends on who offers the highest price."
"After all, it's a High-Sequence characteristic with divinity. Setting aside the danger, the thing itself is extremely rare."
"Then you'd better be careful," Black Spade 6 reminded. "Recent intelligence shows that those Lunatics from the Aurora Order are making significant moves, seemingly plotting something. Moreover, Backlund isn't peaceful right now—"
"The higher-ups already plan to move the important items from this stronghold first to avoid any accidents."
"That stillborn will likely be taken away too."
"Accidents—a vessel for the 'True Creator's' Divine Descent is indeed all too prone to accidents," 7 of Hearts remarked, then joked.
"If those Lunatics from the Aurora Order pull off another Divine Descent in Backlund, things would really be in deep trouble."