Chapter 129: Sometimes recovering HP too fast is also a kind of debuff……

"The map of Yan State is way too short……" Yuecheng Liu had sensed it earlier; she didn't take the leave slip, but coldly asked, "So, Youzhen, what's the reason this time?"

"Uh… I'm going on a blind date!"

"But didn't you say last time that your blind date fell into a void and became a husk?"

"Ah, uh… yeah, yeah! So this time I'm going to clean up the husk she turned into!"

"……You've used that excuse before." Yuecheng Liu's voice rose a couple of notches, "Youzhen, I'll give you five seconds… If you don't quickly make up another one, I'll have to reject your leave request."

"Ahhh, don't be so heartless, Vice Section Chief!"

""Walking alone in the dark, fearing sudden obstacles, unable to comprehend others' descriptions of what they see and hear…""

"Dan Shu's voice grew ever more sorrowful; Xing could tell she wasn't just comforting the girl before her, but also comforting herself—the one who had walked alone in the dark for hundreds of years."

"Such a life for an immortal race must continue for nearly a thousand more years. She must learn to endure on her own, rather than fantasizing about anyone's rescue."

""Aren't you also helping her?" Xing looked toward Dan Shu."

""Yeah…… I really am trying to change the situation for someone like her." Dan Shu said calmly, "But before that, she must, like me, learn to endure the darkness."

""I… Dan Shu sis, I can rely on myself… only myself is reliable."

""Good, I hope you'll always remember this, forever." Dan Shu patted her little head, "This place is too dangerous, Xing—let's head back to Eternal Joy Heaven."

"Rune Continent."

"A thousand years of time—what a lengthy punishment……"

"By the pond at Progress Square, Victor, leaning on his hands, watched the children playing in the water not far away, his eyes full of envy: "Too bad I don't have a thousand years—I don't even have three… cough cough…"

"The more brilliant a person is, the more easily they drain their life's energy." Heimerdinger, though unwilling to see it, went over to comfort him: "But, Victor, the closer you get to this point, the less you can afford to give up."

"I've never given up, Professor."

"Gazing at the distant setting sun, the twilight's afterglow gave Victor's pallid complexion a slight flush: "I must endure on my own, rather than fantasizing about anyone's rescue."

"Miss Dan Shu's words gave me quite a bit of inspiration."

"But science isn't about locking oneself in a room to tinker alone; one's wisdom is ultimately limited." Heimerdinger shook his head, having seen far too many gifted talents die young, and aside from feeling regret, there's nothing he can do.

"Victor's condition is incurable; his fate has been set since childhood, hard to change—at least with the current medical standards of Piiertewofu, it cannot be altered."

"I know this is hard, Professor……"

"Victor recalled how, earlier that day, a drop of his coughing blood had fallen onto the rune powering the Hextech Gate, producing a mysterious reaction; using that idea, he might be able to attempt something bolder."

"He silently resolved to this thought—no one could help him, nor should he fantasize about anyone's rescue. Even if the council opposed it, or even if Jayce didn't support his approach… he would still persist with the experiment."

""After sending the little girl home, the two of them returned to Young Tree Pavilion."

""Thanks again for the help." Dan Shu said calmly, "People like us, who suffer from Heavenly Defect, inevitably face bullying in youth; even after enduring hardship and rising to the rank of Chief Alchemist, we remain powerless against many things."

""That's precisely why I said those things to her… they might sound harsh to you, but compared to what she'll face in the future, my words are merely a gentle breeze."

""Does the Immortal Vessel lack technology like prosthetic eyes?" Xing didn't quite understand."

""The physical condition of an immortal race is fixed from birth." Dan Shu shook her head gently, "Appearance, beauty or ugliness, intelligence, height—all are set in flesh and blood from the moment of birth. Many shortcomings that a mortal race could fix with devices or surgery are beyond remedy for the people of the Immortal Vessel."

""No matter what means are used or what implants are inserted, our bodies always revert to their original state. For an immortal race, Heavenly Defect is an eternal asceticism—there's no escaping it."

""My optic nerves are underdeveloped; I can only rely on implants for treatment, but the implants are quickly rejected by the Immortal Vessel's powerful regenerative ability… the process is worse than death."

""There are many similar cases… bone deformities, soft tissue loss, congenital heart disease, and so on."

"According to her, the ailments brought by Heavenly Defect are utterly incurable." The Eternal Life coiled around Baizhu's neck flicked out its bright tongue, making a "tsk tsk" sound."

"I never imagined that a patient's strong regenerative capacity could itself become a problem." Baizhu sighed, "What a vast world—nothing is too strange."

"However, Baizhu, I think there's an exception to what she said."

"Baizhu curiously took over the conversation: "Oh? Who?"

"You forgot Miss Fu Xuan of the Divination Bureau?" Eternal Life recalled, "I remember… the heavenly eye on her forehead isn't innate to the immortal race; it's more like an implant. Why, when we observe the Divination Official's daily affairs, do we see no sign of pain?"

"Eternal Life, you're also underestimating Miss Fu Taibu." Baizhu chuckled, "You forgot what Miss Qing Que said? Though the Divination Official lacks height, his abilities are top-notch."

"The heavenly eye matters greatly not only to her personally, but also to the whole Divination Bureau and the Luofu Immortal Vessel… given that, a strong-willed Fu Taibu wouldn't lightly give up her heavenly eye."

"Moreover, she's aiming to succeed as a general someday; anyone with such ambition wouldn't be an ordinary girl—and being able to endure pain that most can't tolerate is actually quite common."

"Mm… you're right about that. If I were given a heavenly eye to help me divine the future, I'd be willing to endure some suffering."

"Oh? Really?" Baizhu gave the little snake at his neck a meaningful smile."

""Hsss!" Eternal Life bristled under the stare, "I was just joking! Tch… really, no sense of humor at all—this sort of self‑sacrificing thing suits you better; as for me… heh, just follow along."

"——"

""How ironic…… many of the Abundance Folk—what are called Aberrant Creatures—don't suffer this affliction. Heh, as for Heavenly Defect, it's probably a curse prepared by the Longevity Plague Ancestor for traitors." Dan Shu sneered."

""Why don't Aberrant Creatures suffer from Heavenly Defect?" Xing was quite curious."