Chapter 686: Chapter 63: Clichés
In the Research Institute, Miel and Mia woke up, their expressions rather troubled.
“Miel,” Mia whispered, “your complexion looks terrible.”
“Stop it, I had several nightmares last night,” Miel said wearily.
“Me too!” Mia exclaimed, “I dreamt I was trapped in the Sunken Palace beneath Constantinople, with malevolent hounds roaming above ground!”
“I…” Miel opened her mouth and said, “somewhat the same.”
Actually, she had dreamed of Aske and other girls from the team taking turns getting married, and she, exhausted, attended each wedding, watching them happily exchange rings and kiss the Squad Leader, almost running out of tears.
“It seems neither of you slept well.” Aske, sitting in a chair nearby, pulled out a slender can of alcohol and cups from under the table, “Though minors shouldn’t drink, I think a sip might comfort you.”
“What does being underage have to do with it? I often drink at the Thief Guild,” Mia instantly grabbed the can, expertly poured herself a drink, and sniffed, “Aged whiskey, where did you get this?”
“From the warehouse,” Aske said.
“Hehe,” Mia took a sip and her face immediately flushed red.
“That’s enough, you can’t drink more.” Aske snatched the can away from her.
Even troubled by spiritual erosion from the Abyss, a sip of liquor was enough to ease the mental pressure — after all, Mia wasn’t mature enough to have self-control.
“Give it back to me!” Mia quickly lunged at him, clinging to his shoulders trying to reach the can. Aske held the can high, causing Mia to cling tightly to his body, rubbing against him…
“Mia!” Miel suddenly got angry, stepped forward, and pulled her down. Just as Mia turned her head, she couldn’t help but let out a hiccup from the alcohol, causing Miel to quickly pinch her nose.
“Aske, are we going to keep staying here?” she asked, feeling a bit uncomfortable.
“Of course, we are in the Abyss,” Aske replied, “The safest plan is to wait here in the research institute for rescue, or wait until Mia fully masters the Ripple Sword.”
“Wait for Mia to master the Ripple Sword?” Miel could not help but laugh and cry at the same time, looking at Mia, who was tipsy beside her, “Can she do it?”
“I believe Mia has an outstanding talent in this area,” Aske replied, “Perhaps you could observe the future to see if my judgment is correct.”
“Alright.” Miel began to observe the future. After a moment, she suddenly noticed something odd.
“Hey, Aske, something’s not right,” the half-elf girl said cautiously, “The spiritual erosions from the Abyss are going to increase dramatically over the next few days…”
“That’s because of the coating,” a mechanical electronic voice sounded from the doorway, and the synthetic human Kapei had entered the room unnoticed, “When this research institute was built, a coating was applied to the exterior to isolate the Abyss’ erosion.”
“However, after more than 1700 years of natural aging, those coatings have now disintegrated completely, so you’re still susceptible to the Abyss’ spiritual erosion here… Unfortunately, the Abyss tides have entered the rising phase. In the next half month, the Abyss’ erosion will steadily increase until it peaks.”
“Is there any way to solve it?” Miel asked.
“For you humans, there is no permanent solution,” Kapei replied, “Even the coating materials stored in the warehouse were not treated for long-term preservation like the food cans, so they have also decayed completely.”
“However, you can alleviate the mental damage from the erosion by taking medications. I gave you some diazepam tablets this morning, but it seems you didn’t take them?”
“I think it’s better not to take medication randomly, especially when there is no doctor present,” Aske said as he stared at it.
“It’s your choice, visitor,” Kapei’s eyes seemed to flicker with a red glow, then he turned and left.
When the room’s door closed again, Miel turned to Aske and asked in a lowered voice:
“Aske… is there something wrong with this synthetic human?”
“Clearly there is,” Aske replied, his gaze fixed on the door. “It’s just that we currently don’t know if it’s friendly or malevolent.”
Miel sighed, thinking that if Nora were here, she could immediately confirm if the medication was safe; even without Nora, if Medea were here, she could quickly discern if the other party was malevolent.
It seemed they had no choice but to seek Minerva’s help.
So, she activated the Eden Fruit again and summoned the Banshee Queen from the parallel world.
“Diazepam tablets?” Minerva weighed the medicine bottle in her hand and said, “I’m not knowledgeable about scientific medication, but I know this is the Abyss’s lowest level. Relying solely on medication to resist spiritual erosion is simply impossible.”
“Even the Observer organization has to wear full-coverage anti-erosion equipment at this location at all times, and they must regularly take medication and undergo psychological evaluations and treatment.”
“So, you’re saying that synthetic human lied to us?” Miel guessed. “These medications aren’t very useful to us?”
“It’s just that relying on medication alone is far from enough,” Minerva answered. “As for whether the medication is real or fake, and its intentions for giving it to you… I can’t guess.”
“If you’re worried, I can just destroy it directly, so you won’t have to be overly cautious and guarded.”
“Let’s not trouble you to take action just yet,” Aske said calmly. “After all, it has lived here for more than 1700 years. If it bears no malice toward us, then keeping it alive is far more valuable, especially in terms of intelligence.”
“Perhaps I could try using my Curse Ability to control it,” Minerva said uncertainly. “Make it reveal all the information it knows.”
“That can be an alternative plan,” Aske said. “Before that, we need to do something first.”
“What is it?”
“We need to wake Mia up.” Aske nodded toward Mia, who had collapsed on the table, seemingly drunk.
Seriously, Mia’s alcohol tolerance is so poor, yet she boasted about how often she used to drink… Miel was speechless.
Minerva floated gently to her side, not needing to use any Curse Ability, but simply placing her finger on little Mia’s neck. Mia quickly shivered and slowly came to.
“So next, do we continue to wait and probe this synthetic human?” Miel asked.
“Yes,” Aske replied. “I’ll handle getting information out of it.”
“Miel, you’re responsible for observing the future, especially after I ask each question. You need to foresee and record all possible responses it might give. The answers you provide will determine the next questions I ask it.”
“Mia, your task is to master the Ripple Sword as quickly as possible; I need you to devote all your time to practicing. Remember, all your time, and I will supervise you daily.”
“Ah?” Mia’s head immediately drooped.