Schneider did not go to the hospital; his problems were beyond the scope of ordinary doctors.
When Xia De and the Old Priest met him in the doctor's bedroom on the third floor of the clinic, he was leaning weakly against the headboard, dressed in pajamas, talking with Miss Annette and Miss Louisa, who had arrived earlier.
There were also two chairs by the bed, clearly prepared for the two gentlemen.
The doctor's bedroom was laid out very similarly to the deceased Sparrow Detective's bedroom, with a four-poster bed with drapes placed against the wall, surrounded by bookshelves, a wardrobe, and a desk.
Even the lotus-mouth gas lamp on the desk looked very similar, though the doctor's clearly seemed more expensive.
Xia De noticed the gear knob on the side of the metal fixture, which meant the lamp could be finely adjusted for brightness, a typical example of machinery from this Steam Age.
"You're here."
Bill Schneider looked at the Priest and the Detective entering, his face pale; he tried to sit up straight but unfortunately failed.
Miss Annette and Miss Louisa also stood up to greet the two; the former merely exchanged glances with Xia De, as if their conversation last night hadn't happened, while the latter appeared to have fully recovered her health; the girls were much luckier than the doctor.
As Xia De chose a chair and sat down, his eyes swept the room but found no gifts, indicating that the female Diviner and the Writer had also come to visit the patient empty-handed, a discovery that pleased Xia De.
"I'm glad to see you all here."
The doctor said in a low voice, watching Xia De and the Priest sit down.
"Bill, don't talk.
How is he doing now?"
Priest Augustus asked Miss Annette, and the brown-haired lady replied with some vexation:
"He forcibly used Sublimation Words without any preparation; the physical damage is manageable, your potion can fix that.
Strangely, there was no sign of lifespan decay, but his mind and soul suffered extraordinary damage."
Xia De thought of the smell of sulfur he had detected at the time, and the injured doctor gave an awkward smile; fortunately, no one questioned him on that matter.
"Then, the only methods I can think of that can completely harmlessly resolve this issue are holy water No.
2 or holy water No. 1."
Priest Augustus said; he was the most skilled in potion concoction within the group and also served as the group's healer.
After all, although Schneider was a doctor, he was a Psychologist.
"holy water?"
It was the first time Xia De had heard this specific term; Miss Louisa quietly explained to him:
"The Natural Church's Holy See possesses a set of five relics, ranging from Poet Grade to Angel-level, said to be five angel statues.
Soaking them in dew can transform the dew into holy water with different effects, known as holy water No.
5 to No.
1.
The holy water original liquid itself is a very effective potion and has a strong exorcising effect.
After proper blending, it can also be used to concoct various other potions.
Among them, holy water No.
1 is not circulated externally, while holy water No.
2, by agreement with the Five Gods Church, is standard issue for Orthodox Church Ring術士 teams.
For injuries like the doctor's, which require healing of the soul, only similar potions can cure them.
Otherwise, it would require even more precious potions or relics."
"Is there any stock in the local black market recently?"
Priest Augustus asked worriedly, sitting hunched over in his chair.
Miss Louisa quietly explained again:
"It is said that the expensive holy water occasionally appearing in the local black market is all released and sold by the Church."
"Not at the moment, but I've contacted a friend in Carson Rick; he has some stock, but it will take at least a month to ship over."
Miss Annette replied.
"Are there any other methods?"
Xia De also joined the conversation, but Priest Augustus shook his head:
"If Bill rests, he probably won't be able to get out of bed until the end of the year.
Our group used to possess a Document-level healing relic that could cure the soul, the Physician's Severed Hand, but unfortunately, it was lost last year during a conflict with others.
The academy might be able to find a way, but the academy's methods usually tend to be... very expensive.
This isn't an ordinary injury; even your vampire ring cannot heal injuries to the soul and mind."
"The vampire ring was destroyed; yesterday, facing the shadow of the evil god, both relics on me were destroyed."
Xia De said regretfully.
"That's normal, Xia De, you are truly brave."
The doctor managed to force a smile at Xia De:
"You saved all of us at Lakeview Manor."
"Some special healing Miracles, curses, or divine spells can also heal wounds to the soul and mind, but none of us are proficient in such abilities."
Priest Augustus added.
"Among the free Miracles given to me by the academy, Cindy's Silver Moon Gift should be a healing ability, specializing in healing the mind and soul, and I learned it last night."
Xia De said, confident in this ability due to his Divine Radiance state and increased understanding of the Silver Moon.
Unfortunately, this ability could only be used at night.
The whispered voice reminded him, "Divine Radiance does not make you omnipotent; I think you would need to at least advance to Three Ring to use Miracles effectively on the doctor's condition."
"Cindy's Silver Moon Grace..."
The Writer, Miss Louisa, thought for a moment; now, besides the severely injured doctor, the Four Ring Writer was the strongest in the group:
"This should work, but you are only a Ring術士; I don't think the effect would be very significant.
Otherwise, there wouldn't be a need for holy water No.
2 or No.
1."
Her opinion aligned with the woman's voice in Xia De's head.
Miss Louisa then instructed again:
"Then we still need to find other ways.
Annette, go check with Old John later.
Priest, please inquire whether the Natural Church will release the next batch of holy water soon.
After I go back, I'll reread that ancient fairy tale 'The Healing Spring' a few times to see if I can acquire a healing Miracle.
As for you, Detective... don't show your face for the next few days."
All four looked at Xia De, who hesitated for a moment before bringing up the topic himself:
"That final Silver Moon Slash that night..."
"No need to explain, everyone has their secrets.
Besides, it's also thanks to you that Lasoya was killed, otherwise our identities would have been exposed.
In fact, we would now be facing the pursuit of Mercury Blood, and perhaps also the Blood Spirit School; the Priest mentioned this in a letter."
Schneider said, leaning against the bedside table.
He coughed, and Priest Augustus quickly handed him a teacup.
It wasn't tea, but some dark medicine with a minty smell.
"What exactly is the Blood Spirit School?
I've heard of this organization more than once recently, but I don't know much about it."
Xia De asked again, and Miss Annette, who came from the Prophet Association, provided more information:
"Some data indicates that the Blood Spirit School can even be traced back to before the lost third epoch.
This organization specializes in flesh abilities and was quite active during the fifth epoch, the Age of Witches.
They attempted to purify blood..."
The female Diviner paused, considering whether she should continue:
"...to evolve humanity.
These people believe that our current sixth epoch is the lost Bronze Age, and only by purifying blood until it turns golden, tracing back to the most primitive power of human bloodlines in the ancient epochs, can humanity achieve its ultimate evolution and become 'Golden Humans'.
Of course, there is no evidence to prove these claims."
"Not only that, due to extensive human experimentation, massacres, and destructive activities, the Blood Spirit School is hunted by both secular forces and the Five Gods Church.
Decades ago, the main body of the organization moved to the New World.
In the Delarion Kingdom of the Old Continent, only a few strongholds remain."
Miss Louisa said.
"Also, there is a Thirteen Ring Sorcerer in the Blood Spirit School, the 78-year-old Weeping Blood Hermons.
He is very powerful; if he hadn't been ambushed and severely wounded by the Orthodox Church thirty years ago when he was a Twelve Ring, the Blood Spirit School wouldn't have been so low-key in recent decades."
The Priest also said; the other members of the group seemed to have different levels of understanding about this organization.