[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-notes-on-kraft-anomalous-studies":3,"chapter-notes-on-kraft-anomalous-studies-notes-on-kraft-anomalous-studies-chapter-191":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","Notes on Kraft Anomalous Studies",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2283669,4467,"Chapter 191","notes-on-kraft-anomalous-studies-chapter-191",191,"\u003Cp>“Professor Kraft, you absolutely must try this.” Martin entered the partition, holding two large cups; a sweet, fizzy aroma and the music from outside flooded the space, then were cut off again by the wooden door.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He set the drinks down on the table where papers hadn’t encroached, picked up one cup, and sipped slowly. “I heard the owner made enough from this to buy a whole estate.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What is this?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Kraft moved the dangerous, dripping cup away from the pile of papers and held it to his nose to sniff.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was a light, naturally sweet alcohol, brewed from beer, infused with cool, fragrant leaf fragments and a thick sweetening agent; sparse bubbles occasionally rose from the pale golden liquid, forming a thick, snowy foam.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A layer of condensation had formed on the cup’s walls—those drips came from there.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Alcohol? Iced?” It looked expensive—it was summer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Honey beer. Only one place in Riverside sells it. Hope you like it—I haven’t met anyone who didn’t.” Martin blew away the foam and mint bits, took another sip, and gestured with the cup: “Go ahead.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A drink brought back from an off-campus vendor on a scorching day? It was nostalgic—even the fizzy, sweet taste felt familiar.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Thank you, but I shouldn’t drink before getting down to business.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Just a sip. This beer is light—it’s invigorating.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Fine. One sip.” Kraft lifted the cup. Few could refuse a fizzy sweet drink—he was a seasoned enthusiast.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The taste differed from his expectation: not overly sweet, but crisp and effervescent, like stepping out of a stifling room and onto the widest stretch of the Tem River, where a cool breeze swept in after rain—this was his best memory of Westmin.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He couldn’t help taking another sip. “It’s truly good. Tastes worth an estate.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“This place is awful—hot and noisy. That band? If the invitation hadn’t said so, I’d have thought it was a banquet.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Formal occasions need atmosphere. Can’t have it too quiet, can we?” Martin glanced at the papers. “Is this your speech draft?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No, of course not. These are Pittari’s—and they’re not even a speech draft.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Pittari? Why are his things here?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What do you mean ‘here’? These are documents requisitioned by the Riverside University Society for Tuberculosis and Rare Diseases, under the guise of a gathering, to preserve the academic reputation of deceased attendees and posthumously award honors.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Huh?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“As chair of the society, I’m reviewing these manuscripts to extract valuable information.” Kraft finished scanning the pages, still uneasy, held them up to the sunlight, examining the translucent paper for any unusual recording methods.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ah… ah?” Martin’s tone turned respectful, but other questions surfaced. “Besides you, who else will review these? After all, Pittari’s death involved heresy—could there be content unsuitable for disclosure?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No one else. Just me.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Then what about this society?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It’s a legitimate society with solid authorization.” Kraft offered no further explanation, disappointed, set the paper down, pulled out another sheet, and used the cup to wet his throat—talking too much in this heat left him parched.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Besides, I haven’t found anything ‘inappropriate’ openly displayed. This is already the third time I’ve gone through them—that’s why I brought them here.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Clear surgical records, operational insights—about the same level as our anatomy instructor. Oh no, human anatomy lecturer.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Mostly standard procedures, no major innovations or process improvements. Probably due to insufficient case exposure—even the surgeries took longer, with no follow-up.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Lacks uniqueness, small sample size—not the kind of thing you’d present at a gathering. Either he’s a lazybones like me who never writes until the last minute.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Martin didn’t understand the technical details, but one thing was clear: Kraft hadn’t found the evidence he wanted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Or someone took the part you’re looking for.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Correct. I asked the custodian.” Kraft chewed the last bits in his mouth, swallowed, then continued. “Brimmer came too—under the guise of an academic gathering. I don’t know if he took anything.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Must admit, this title is incredibly useful. The only regret is I wasn’t the first to use it.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“But Brimmer’s actions themselves reveal much. Whether he took anything or not, it shows that at the time, he believed Pittari had encountered something. That’s why I’m still wasting time on these scraps.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Any findings?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Of course.” Kraft glanced at the door, confirmed it was firmly shut—even if someone tried to eavesdrop outside, they’d hear only noise and the band’s intermittent music.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Pittari’s amputations were genuinely slow.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You mentioned that already.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“True, but a few were absurdly slow and overly precise: meticulous vascular control, using beak clamps to pull out each arterial end, ligating sutures—even small arteries. It took an excruciatingly long time.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Martin imagined the scene: picking out each severed vessel stump. “I’d use a cautery.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“That method benefits the patient’s prognosis, Martin. Cautery is faster, but scorched wounds heal poorly. His problem? The time it took. Can you imagine an amputation lasting long enough for the band outside to play five or six songs?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Twenty to thirty minutes—under general anesthesia, negligible. Just blink, and it’s over. Without anesthesia, it was almost certainly a blink—and never waking.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“That’s horrifying.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Indeed. Even iced anesthesia wouldn’t have helped much. It was horrifying.” Kraft spoke with deep meaning. “But that’s about to become history.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He gently shook the box at his feet; the glassware inside chimed like wind chimes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The music outside faded. The host’s announcement drowned out the noise; the cumbersome honorifics echoed and layered, as if a team was about to take the stage for an award.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...and Honorary Professor of Riverside University, Lecturer at Wendeng Harbor College, and also a knight who inherited the heroic bloodline of his ancestors, journeying from the distant northern kingdom to Westmin...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Uh, honestly, this is awkward. I didn’t realize it was my turn. See you in a bit—keep an eye on these papers.” Kraft clinked his cup with Martin’s and drained the last sip.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“May the angels bless your lips.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Thanks, but no thanks.” At the mention of angels, Kraft remembered the pendant still resting against his chest, glowing faintly red.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Don’t rush. From my experience, there’s still plenty of time before they get to this. Too early and you look desperate. Best to appear right on cue.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Oh, speaking of angels, I almost forgot to tell you—didn’t that weird guy say something before he died?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What did he say?” With days spent tending to the Duke’s and Yin Feng’s illnesses, Kraft had pushed the forest incident to the edge of his memory; he had to dig through recollection to recall it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>【...tell them, do not fear; I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be for all people...】\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I asked a trusted contact at Shenxue Academy—absolutely reliable. Asked what it meant.” Martin leaned back lazily in his chair, sipping his iced drink. Clearly, it wasn’t bad news.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It’s a quote from a saint who witnessed angels descending. Don’t worry—it’s not a curse. Thank goodness he didn’t say it was a heretic’s phrase, or I’d have been accused of blasphemy—he’d have fought me to the death.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The black-robed figure paused at the door. In his crystal-clear memory, the unrecognizable face still lingered—beneath the mottled fungal scales, the remnants of facial features twisted into a discernible expression of “surprise.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now, reflecting on it, that “surprise” contained no resentment toward death. Rather, it hinted at subtle delight—even fulfillment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The crawling creature’s carcass had long been dismembered by chaotic layers far away—he couldn’t have seen it. What he’d glimpsed in his final moments, faint as a breath, was likely a spiritual perception, limited to his immediate surroundings, unable to extend beyond the window.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Thank you. I appreciate you looking into this.” Kraft opened the door and stepped into the main hall, stepping into a roaring tide of sound.\u003C\u002Fp>",1296,"2026-06-20T02:15:55.761Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","29e2428f8a36d702ac9f0c05bea4913d99df82a7185217679caa082b40e3ea71","notes-on-kraft-anomalous-studies-chapter-192","notes-on-kraft-anomalous-studies-chapter-190",406,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fnotes-on-kraft-anomalous-studies-cover.jpg"]