Sorcerer’s Handbook

Chapter 226: You Were a Woman All Along?!

So fast!

Ashe gasped in surprise. Harvey’s act of flicking away his cigarette butt was incredibly sudden. The butt fell to the ground in less than a second, yet Banjeet not only reacted in time, but also shot out an ice spike with speed that was almost invisible to the naked eye, and with alarming accuracy—considering it was aimed at a falling cigarette butt that was already burnt out, smaller than a fingertip!

If Banjeet were to use this move in a close-range assault, Ashe was certain he wouldn’t be able to react in time and would have to rely on “Primal Instincts” to dodge.

He also had a hunch about Harvey’s intentions. Harvey’s outburst first thing in the morning was naturally not just about the Corpse—after all, he had spent over a year in Shattered Lake Prison without indulging in carnal desires. Arriving in the Gospel Kingdom just a few days ago, it was unlikely he would be so impatient. He was a pervert, not a Bewitcher; his desires weren’t that strong.

Harvey’s real aim was to tear apart Annan’s hypocritical facade.

Annan claimed to respect and care for them, but his actions were effectively imprisoning them, cutting off all their communications, and blocking all their exits. Ashe and the others had taken note and could understand the reasons, but that didn’t mean they accepted them.

The Con Artist hadn’t lashed out yet because he wanted to gather more information. In his day-to-day interactions, he even maintained a superficial relationship with Annan, waiting to catch him off guard before making his move; while the Cult Leader hadn’t lashed out simply because he hadn’t grown tired of the food here yet. However, having the same dish for breakfast two days in a row, the former Death row inmate who hadn’t repeated a meal for half a month in Shattered Lake Prison was starting to have some complaints.

Harvey brought their conflicts to light, effectively cornering Annan. Annan had only two options: the first was to tear away his ‘good boss’ Mask and reveal the true face of a Slave master.

No more pretending, it’s all out in the open now, all three of you will become my dogs!

And the second option…

“Mr. Harvey wishes to select fresh Corpse materials, what about you? Do you have any requests?”

Igor was unapologetic: “This Kingdom also has a Curtain for the exchange of knowledge. I desire access to log into the Curtain, and preferably, a large-screen multimedia Curtain login device.”

“I want money,” Ashe said bluntly. “I played a virtual game yesterday and realized that without spending money, there are no experience boosts, increased drop rates, starter sets, or daily check-in rewards. You need to put in at least a bit of money for a good gaming experience.”

“I want lots of clothes, plushies, candies, and, and—more,” Lise counted on her fingers, making her wishes.

“I’ve heard all your requests,” Annan said. “Some are reasonable, others are outrageous, but as your boss, I can fulfill them all—”

“As long as you can beat me in the game.”

“Game? What game?” Igor speculated with maximum malice about Annan’s plot. “A complex local game unique to the Gospel Kingdom?”

“No, no, no, this game is not complicated at all, and it’s very favorable to the side with more people.”

Purple Moth lightly flicked her earring, making a crisp sound.

“As long as you know your companions well enough.”

That’s it, everyone thought.

At Kaimon College Affiliated Hospital.

As the light in the operating room switched from red to green, a slender Crow Medic came out, and the assistant who had been waiting outside for a long time immediately went up to meet her: “Dr. Sivirin, how did the surgery go?”

“The surgery was a success.” Sivirin removed her Crow Mask and hood, pulling out her long hair that was tucked inside her coat. “His failed life is over now.”

“I’ve preserved the vital organs with a Miracle, let the Department of Corpse Management know to come pick up the Corpse. Speaking of which, there are really a lot of people who have no social value while alive; I’ve only been here a few days and have already performed three Life Restart surgeries.”

“Dr. Sivirin, you’re surprised because you’re young,” the assistant said with a smile. “There are far too many people like that. They’re neither willing to undergo bio-modification to work nor willing to take risks to earn money. They don’t even have an acquaintance to borrow money from, just loiter in the park all day, wasting time, licking the flavor off candy wrappers they find in the trash… Only a small portion get the chance to be sent to the hospital. These vagrants are quite cunning, and the volunteers can’t keep up with cleaning them out.”

Following the “Fernand Snow incident,” Sivirin decided to end her Blood Embrace Ritual and leave Shattered Lake Prison. However, she didn’t plan to return to the Grand Research Institute immediately. Instead, she chose to intern at a hospital with the goal of advancing both her Water Faction and Blood Magic practices to the Gold Tier before going back.

This time, she didn’t hide her identity. She presented her Scholar credentials from one of the four major institutes with confidence. The hospital was naturally eager to assist a Princess in her studies and placed her in the hospital’s most popular position—the Fourth Emergency Department.

Each hospital has four emergency departments, categorized by patient type. The first three are not the focus here; the Fourth Emergency Department specializes in catering to individuals with poor social credit, past criminal records, and who are unable to have low emergency fees deducted from their bank accounts.

Like the Department of Corpse Management, the Fourth Emergency Department is a ‘privileged department’ that only Medics of the sacred bloodline can join. The job of the Fourth Emergency Department is simple—determine if the patient has any value to save. If they do, they are treated; if not, they are sent to the Department of Corpse Management.

How is a patient’s value determined? Through Memory Extraction.

As you may have surmised, the Fourth Emergency Department isn’t just for training Medics in medical skills; it’s also an effective study room for rapidly training in the Mind Faction.

This is why in the Blood Moon Kingdom, there are no training methods for the Mind Faction—sacred bloodline Sorcerers don’t need those slow conventional learning methods. They use spirits to forcibly extract memories from others. Even if it damages the patient, the Sorcerer gains a wealth of mind experience, allowing the Mind Faction to progress rapidly.

It’s like not learning any driving knowledge and going straight to driving a car. After totaling a few dozen vehicles, you’d essentially become a professional hitman on the road. While the Fourth Emergency Department isn’t as extreme, merely after three Memory Extractions, Sivirin’s Mind Faction abilities had significantly advanced into the Silver Rank, showcasing the efficiency of her learning.

However, don’t be mistaken—the Fourth Emergency Department isn’t a department that kills; most of the time, it operates as a normal emergency ward without causing death.

Because Sorcerers of the sacred bloodline must not only extract but also browse and analyze the memories of patients, there are many dimensions to consider. For instance, does the patient have the ability to work, could they become a burden to others thereby reducing their work efficiency, or could they become an object of disdain to elevate someone else’s sense of superiority in life… The analysis is multifaceted. Sometimes, even if the patient is deemed worthless, as long as they can enhance the gaming experience of others, the Fourth Emergency Department may opt to save them.

It is only when an individual’s social ties are utterly destroyed and they hold no value to others or to society that the Fourth Emergency Department will perform a ‘Life Restart’ procedure on them.

There is no risk in doing so.

Those who are uncared for naturally have no one concerned about their life or death.

Evidently, Sivirin was lucky, encountering such ‘rare specimens’ three times in a row, allowing her to use Memory Extraction without any reservations.

Due to these benefits, Sorcerers eagerly flock to the Fourth Emergency Department. However, there is a Loophole in this efficient waste disposal system—homeless individuals don’t just wander into hospitals of their own accord. Who is responsible for picking up this ‘garbage’?

The ‘Volunteers’ that Sivirin mentioned are those eco-conscious individuals who willingly take to the streets to pick up trash, driven by a zeal for public welfare.

Perhaps there is some encouragement from the sacred bloodline or perhaps not, but there is always a segment of the population that chooses to venture out at night, specifically to seek out homeless individuals unwilling to take out loans for work and use them for violent catharsis. Unfortunately, they often cannot cross the psychological barrier and stop short of killing, hence the existence of the Fourth Emergency Department.

The presence of these Volunteers has significantly cleaned up the city environment. However, the more astute homeless individuals have learned to strategically relocate, resulting in the Sewer rats being hit with a demotion in status.

Nevertheless, the Government Affairs Hall will soon install iron barriers and a series of Restriction measures in the sewers—deserters are not tolerated on this urban battlefield.

“Dr. Sivirin, there is a patient waiting in your office for a scheduled Biological Prosthesis transformation.”

“Biological Prosthesis transformation?” Sivirin was puzzled, “Aren’t there better qualified individuals in the hospital… Oh, I see now.”

Certainly, the hospital harbored Bio-modification physicians with more expertise than Sivirin, so this patient was specifically presented to the Princess of the sacred bloodline for practice—if patient assignments were truly based on technical proficiency, wouldn’t Sivirin be left sitting on the bench for a year?

Should the hospital dare to leave Sivirin benched, it wouldn’t be long before her Senior Brothers and Senior Sisters would have the hospital’s upper management hanging from the rafters.

However, as soon as Sivirin entered her office, she immediately discarded her previous conjecture—the hospital wasn’t paying her a courtesy, it was clearly tossing a hot potato her way!

Inside the office sat two people: a tall man dressed in a hunter’s coat, his right hand adorned with a Sin Hunter Half-sleeve, white-haired and blood-eyed, his face etched with age and indifference; and a lovely girl in a wheelchair, dressed in an elaborate gown, lacking hands and feet, resembling an unfinished doll.

“Hello, I am Gerard Wessminster, Hunter Number 307791,” the white-haired man said. “This is Selina Bright.”

“I am Sivirin Gwenn.” Sivirin squatted down, looking at Selina: “May I ask why a Blood Mad Hunter is bringing a minor for treatment? Or are you, Mr. Hunter, also moonlighting as a Guardian from the Nursery?”

Selina spoke timidly, “Hello, Senior Sister.”

“Hello, Selina,” Sivirin said, gently patting Selina’s head, her eyes brimming with pitiful tenderness. “Your name is as beautiful as mine.”

Selina thought to herself, this woman is shameless.

“She is not a child from the Nursery.”

“Then whose child is she?”

“My child.”

Sivirin turned to look at Gerard, stepped back to close the office door, then leaned against it, her forehead in her hand, her face full of confusion.

“(☉_☉) Wait, are you saying… you used to be a woman?”

Gerard stood up: “May I request a different doctor?”