Chapter 208: That Is Not an Illness

"Where did you encounter that dog?"

"Was the corpse disposed of cleanly?"

Dunn, standing to the side, heard this and immediately asked.

"At, at Dongshi Street, I remember it very clearly!" Meilaer replied, her expression appearing somewhat nervous upon hearing Dunn's serious tone.

"As for the dog's corpse, I burned it, because at the time I felt the dog's behavior wasn't quite right, and fearing it might be carrying some kind of virus, I burned it clean with fire in a hidden corner of the sewer."

"I went to the hospital for a diagnosis afterward, and the doctors said I didn't have any illness."

"That isn't an illness," Yun Mu suddenly spoke up at this moment. "That is a Curse, a type of curse that can spread from one life to another."

"A, a Curse!?" Meilaer's complexion instantly turned deathly pale.

It seems that compared to some potentially existing, unknown germ, a curse from the realm of Mysticism is even more terrifying.

Yun Mu thought to herself.

"It's fine, you just need to drink blood when the curse flares up."

"Just like you did just now," she said softly to comfort the other person.

"What I just drank, was that blood?" Meilaer's expression looked somewhat puzzled; Yun Mu guessed she must be wondering why the taste of the blood was different from what she remembered.

"That was Blood Brew, a drink made from human blood; compared to fresh blood, it can more effectively slow down the Blood-Thirst State."

"When you aren't in a Blood-Thirst State, it tastes about the same as raw human blood; you wouldn't want to know the taste."

"By the way, the bottle of Blood Brew you just drank was brewed from my own blood~" Yun Mu lied with a bit of mischief. "Does my blood taste good?"

"Th, this..." The expression on Meilaer's face became somewhat strange, as if she didn't know what to say.

"Hahaha, just kidding, I was only trying to liven up the atmosphere." Seeing her like this, Yun Mu couldn't help but chuckle.

"I need to drink this stuff myself too, how could it possibly be brewed from my blood?"

"After all, no one can survive by drinking their own blood, right?"

Watching Meilaer, whose expression had eased up quite a bit, Yun Mu silently praised her own ability to comfort others in her heart.

Of course, perhaps it was just the special effects brought about by her titles and traits.

But that didn't matter; as long as it was effective, that was fine. She wasn't the type of person to be particularly concerned about such things.

To take a step back, were those titles and traits not things that belonged to her? "What do you mean by 'you also need to drink'?" After her nervous mood relaxed slightly, Meilaer looked at Yun Mu and asked with some confusion.

"That's right, just as you thought," she nodded affirmatively, a reassuring smile appearing on her face.

"It was about fourteen days ago that I was also infected with this curse, but I'm still living just fine now, so you can rest assured."

"At the very least, in the short term, this curse is not fatal."

"In the short term... that isn't exactly a reassuring thing to say."

Meilaer squeezed out a strained smile.

"Let's go somewhere else to talk."

At this moment, Dunn glanced around the surroundings and suddenly said.

He hadn't used his skill to lower his presence earlier, and the commotion on their side had already attracted the attention of quite a few people in the Black Market.

Especially Meilaer; when Yun Mu fed her the Blood Brew, she had removed the other's Mask, causing her face to be exposed.

Fortunately, there weren't many people on this small path, and it hadn't caused any disturbance.

In the Black Market, the vast majority of people knew to keep their distance from strangers, so there weren't any guys who actively crowded over to watch the spectacle.

Meilaer also reacted to Dunn's words at this time and hurriedly put on her Cat Mask in a panic.

"L, let's go somewhere else to talk!" she said.

She paused, then added: "I know a place, it's very safe."

Standing up from the ground, Meilaer turned to look at the two of them.

"If you don't mind, please follow me; I will lead the way for you two."

"..."

Yun Mu and Dunn, wearing their Grey Iron Masks, looked at each other, then both nodded, choosing to agree.

"That's great." Seeing the two of them agree, Meilaer was clearly relieved.

"Please follow me, you two." She turned and walked off into the distance.

"This is the place."

About thirty-five minutes later, Meilaer led Yun Mu and Dunn through the district where the Black Market was located, stepped into the sewers, and followed a hidden staircase to a canyon-like area where a large section of the underground riverbed was exposed after a collapse.

"This is..."

Yun Mu looked in amazement at the various houses and buildings constructed in layers across this canyon area; she hadn't expected that beneath Frostfall City, there would actually be such a place.

She felt that her predecessor had lived here for so many years, yet didn't even know one-tenth of the city's area.

Should one say that this place was truly large, or that the predecessor's living environment was just too wretched?

She thought with a sense of inexplicable emotion.

"This is the Dark River, it belongs to the Thieves Guild; our Frostfall City branch is right here," Meilaer introduced to the two.

"It really is a rare sight." Even Dunn, who lived in Winter City, couldn't help but marvel when seeing the scene before him.

After all, this style of architecture and terrain would likely be hard to encounter in any country.

Perhaps in a few hundred years, this place might even evolve into a tourist attraction or something.

"Let's talk here."

Taking the lift to the lowest level of the Dark River, Meilaer brought the two to an open-air restaurant.

She sat casually at a wooden table and chairs that were somewhat worn but wiped very clean, and looked at the goblin boss not far away:

"Boss, one portion of Mud Monster Stew, and one Giant Rat Meat Pie."

"Coming right up." The goblin boss sitting behind the counter perked up upon hearing Meilaer's words.

Mud Monster Stew, Giant Rat Meat Pie. Upon hearing the names of the dishes Meilaer ordered, the corners of Yun Mu's mouth twitched slightly.

Not to mention the Giant Rat Meat Pie; that thing is actually not much different from rat meat, and it can still be eaten if cleaned properly.

But the Mud Monster... can that thing really be eaten? And they're using it for stew.

A monster that is entirely wrapped in mud, its body constantly wriggling like gelatin.

Forgive her, she truly could not imagine the taste.

If one really had to eat a Mud Monster, she thought one should first wash the mud off its body, then find a way to make it spit out the impurities in its stomach, then add sugar, ice cubes, and jam to make it into something like... No, why is she actually thinking about how to eat this thing! Halfway through her thought, Yun Mu snapped back to reality.

"Is there anything you two would like to eat? After all, you saved me, so I'd like to treat you to something," Meilaer said softly as she pushed the menu toward the two of them.

"Let me see."

Prompted by the other party, Yun Mu also felt a bit hungry. She picked up the menu and looked carefully at the text on it.

She wanted to see if there was anything edible, something normal.

Charcoal Grilled Piranha, Giant Rat Meat Steak, Murloc Eyeball Skewer, Mud Monster Mushroom Stew... what kind of hellish things are these?

"I, I'm not hungry." After a moment of hesitation, Yun Mu silently put down the menu and pushed it away.

This is the first time she has actually refused when someone offered to treat her to a meal!

But, there was really no helping it.

How could anyone bring themselves to eat this stuff? "I'll have one serving of Magic Swamp Frog Stew, two servings of Murloc Eyeball Skewer, and one serving of Charcoal Grilled Mushroom Slices," Dunn said quietly at this moment.

He, he actually ordered! And in such a calm tone, too.

Could it be that I am the strange one?

Yun Mu looked at Dunn with an expression of disbelief.

"Um... while we wait for the food, could you explain the matter of the Curse in detail?" After finishing his order, Meilaer clasped her hands together and asked, looking at Yun Mu and Dunn.

"Of course, no problem." Hearing Meilaer's words, Yun Mu came back to her senses. She looked at the other party and said, "After all, that was our goal to begin with."

Anyway, that One-Eared Rat said the Identity Card he processed wouldn't be usable today, and it would take until tomorrow morning at the earliest.

Before that, she might as well deal with the problem of the Young Girl in front of her.

She thought.

"The curse on your body is called the Scarlet Curse, and its effects are..."

Yun Mu briefly explained to Meilaer the many troubles the Scarlet Curse would bring, as well as knowledge on how to deal with it.

This included the fact that drinking blood too many times, or stubbornly resisting the urge to drink blood, would eventually lead to the loss of one's sanity and becoming a Monster.

She felt there was no point in hiding this; it was better to be clear from the start to avoid potential misunderstandings later.

However, she only explained the effects of the Scarlet Curse to her; she did not mention Brenna, the Church, or that Scarlet Outer God.

Although she felt that Meilaer was likely not a bad person, a minimum level of vigilance was still necessary.

Besides, telling her these things wouldn't be of any use.

After all, she was just a 【Pickpocket】 professional who had only just become a First-tier Apprentice last night.

"So, whether I drink blood or not, in the end, I will die, is that it?" After listening to Yun Mu's explanation, Meilaer said with a trembling voice.

"... While not entirely, yes, that is indeed the high-probability outcome." After a moment of hesitation, Yun Mu nodded affirmatively.

Drinking blood while in a Blood-Thirst State carries a small probability of becoming a Bloodline.

And as long as one becomes a Bloodline, the Scarlet Curse will never enter the 【Apoptosis】 state.

But that is, after all, a low-probability event.

Pinning one's hope for survival on one's own luck is, to say the least, quite pitiful.

After thinking for a moment, she added: "Becoming a Transcendental can effectively reduce the side effects of drinking blood; the stronger your own strength, the slower the erosion of the Scarlet Curse."

The slower the erosion, the more times the Blood-Thirst State will be triggered, and conversely, the probability of being converted into a Bloodline will also rise.

"Before your life reaches Apoptosis, work hard to find a way to lift the curse!"

"... Mm." Encouraged by Yun Mu, Meilaer's mood improved significantly. She gave a bitter, light laugh, as if to cheer herself up, and said: "There will always be a way."

"Yes, there will always be a way," Yun Mu nodded and said.

Night, 19:35.

After Yun Mu and Dunn bid farewell to Meilaer, they left the Dark River and followed the route inside the sewer back to the streets of Frostfall City.

At this time, there was still half an hour left until eight o'clock at night, which was when Brenna was holding a meeting at Frost Bank.

"Let's go back and report this to Brenna."

"And listen to the investigation results of the others while we're at it."

After leaving the sewer, Dunn casually patted the dust off his body and said.

"Here, this is for you."

Yun Mu took off the Grey Iron Mask from her face and handed it back to Dunn.

"No need, you keep it for now; you'll use it again in the future." Dunn extended his palm and pushed the mask back.

"Alright."

Hearing Dunn say this, Yun Mu felt it made sense, so she casually took out a blank card and sealed the Grey Iron Mask into the painting.

Time was still relatively abundant, and neither she nor Dunn had any intention of taking a Steam Taxi; instead, they chose to walk toward the direction of Frost Bank.

It took less than twenty minutes for them to arrive in front of the Gate of Frost Bank.

Hmm, the familiar Barrier, the familiar illusory Gate.

Without any hesitation, Yun Mu stepped inside, and Dunn followed closely behind her.

"Looks like everyone is here."

In the lobby on the first floor, Brenna sat on the familiar counter, gently swinging her legs.

Her gaze swept across the room, and after confirming that everyone had arrived, she said: "Then let's begin the meeting."

"From left to right, let us start with the gentlemen from the Church."

"Has there been no substantial progress on the Church's side?" After listening to Edward's account, Brenna appeared slightly disappointed.

"Yes, although we persuaded Father Chelman, the high-ranking Church official behind him does not wish to see us." Edward looked somewhat helpless; he had indeed tried every possible method today.

But the fact that the other party refused to communicate with them was truly infuriating.

"Can we use violent means?" He looked at Brenna and asked.

"If possible, it is best not to do so."

You really dare to say that; using force on the Church's home turf, even for three Master-level Transcendental... it seems, perhaps, it really is possible? No, no, one cannot think like that.

They had not yet determined the location of the Anchor Point, and acting rashly would cause major problems.

"Find a way to tail Father Chelman; he is in frequent contact with the high-ranking Church official behind him, and perhaps you can trace the other party's identity through him."

"Uh, about that." Edward hesitated for a moment and said, "None of the three of us knows how to tail someone or use Stealth."

A Wave-Treading Knight, a Qi Painter, and a Conqueror Knight—no matter how you look at them, the three of them do not seem like people who know Stealth.

"... It is indeed true that I did not consider this thoroughly enough."

Brenna slightly touched her forehead and said, "I will have my Shadow Guard, Ai Yi, act with you; because of some past experiences, she possesses special divination methods that might be able to help you."

PS: The Thieves Guild is a super-organization with influence spread across the entire continent, but as technology has become increasingly advanced in modern times, it has gradually headed toward decline.

(End of chapter)