บท 43: 43 - Projection
Under the dedicated efforts of the sailors, the large sailboat sailed across the turbulent sea, coming to a halt at a partially destroyed dock.
Feeling the scorching hot air, although Laut had prepared himself mentally, he couldn't help but shiver as he gazed up close at the port that had turned into ruins. The smile on his face became even more eager.
"Laut, you've finally arrived. I thought you might have successfully crossed the sea by now," Lynn, along with Jenny and the unconscious Dove, boarded the sailboat with the wooden planks placed down heavily.
"Hahaha, Wizard, you jest... How could that be possible? It's just that the plans changed temporarily, and we didn't receive your follow-up orders, so we had to drift on this sea while waiting," Laut chuckled, calmly explaining.
Lynn didn't expose their intentions. There wasn't much friendship between them and the Ship Gang to begin with. Their temporary cooperation was solely based on the threat from the Church and their common goal of crossing the sea to reach the Wizard's territory.
So even though he suspected they might have abandoned him and fled, Lynn wasn't angry.
"Laut, is there a physician on this ship?" Jenny interjected, urgently asking as she looked at Dove, who remained unconscious.
Laut, after glancing at the unconscious Dove, immediately realized the severity of the situation. He instructed his assistant to fetch the ship's physician. He had prepared various herbs to deal with any unexpected situations during the sea voyage.
However, after the ship's physician examined Dove, he shook his head in helplessness. "The injuries this lady witch has sustained aren't severe, but her current condition may be due to other issues."
Upon hearing this, Jenny immediately thought of the time Dove had used the "Soul Wail" to attack Archbishop Anluke, which resulted in a backlash on her own soul. This was likely a spiritual trauma.
Seeing that the ship's physician was unable to help, the silver-haired witch turned to Lynn, her last glimmer of hope in her eyes.
'071,' Lynn silently called out in his mind.
[Preliminary diagnosis:
Target has suffered severe mental trauma.
Recommend immediate transfer to the Federal Medical Center for professional neurological examination.]
Lynn felt somewhat helpless. He needed to get back there, and while the Federation had advanced technology, their knowledge of consciousness and soul studies was limited. Most of that information was classified and not something someone like him had the authority to access or review.
So, under the hopeful gaze of the witch, Lynn reluctantly shook his head.
Dove, a thirteen or fourteen-year-old girl, curled up her body, her eyes tightly closed, lips slightly parted, her breathing becoming more rapid. As her lips moved in a murmuring fashion, she unconsciously called out the names of her family. Her voice grew weaker, and her hands trembled incessantly as if trying to grasp something elusive.
Jenny held Dove tightly, tears glistening in her sapphire eyes.
Lynn watched this scene and sighed. He couldn't do everything, but he took a step forward, gently holding Dove's trembling hand, offering her a bit of comfort.
[Unknown energy detected.
Extract?]
Suddenly, a system notification sounded in Lynn's mind. He hesitated for a moment as he watched the girl's vitality gradually fade away, then, after much thought, silently recited in his mind.
"Yes."
In the perceptive gaze, an almost imperceptible glow flowed through Dove's arm and into her body, stopping after about half a minute.
[Special energy absorbed, estimated to be convertible into a 12% energy reserve. Do you wish to use it immediately?]
"No." Lynn immediately responded in his mind.
While he didn't know what the fluorescent substance absorbed by the AI was, one thing he was certain of was that it had already recorded the magic power. So he could exclude that, leaving the possibility of... the soul?
A mysterious guess flickered in Lynn's mind. Over the past few days, many people had died in front of him, and he had been the one responsible for many killings. This was the first time the AI had provided a prompt.
Was there something unique about Dove?
Lynn felt a mix of emotions, along with deep curiosity. However, the situation changed again as Jenny, holding Dove, suddenly collapsed.
Everyone present was startled. Laut even shot a glare at the physician, urging him to do something quickly. If this wizard were to become angry, they would all be in deep trouble.
After a frantic examination, the result finally brought relief to everyone. Jenny had merely passed out due to exhaustion and extreme grief.
Laut immediately ordered a few maids to take Jenny below decks to rest, then turned his gaze to Dove, who was lying on the ground. He cautiously inquired, "What should we do with this lady witch?"
Lynn didn't reply. He knelt down and placed his hand on Dove's abdomen. A freezing ice crystal appeared around her, eventually forming a massive ice coffin that encased her.
Although he currently had no means to save her, in the Wizard's territory, there might be wizards proficient in various mystical magics who could help.
"Look, the fires in the Harbor Town seem to have gone out." A sailor suddenly shouted loudly.
Laut and the others immediately turned to look. In the time they had been delayed, the sailboat had already sailed out of the harbour and into the Sea of Mist. But even from a distance, they could clearly see the red flames in the sky above Harbor Town slowly fading.
The Church's reinforcements must have arrived. Lynn quickly thought of this. Archbishop Anluke hadn't been able to do anything with white phosphorus before, so the ones capable of resolving the crisis in Harbor Town must be higher-ranking clergy.
The next moment, a colossal goddess illusion, large enough to cover the entire city, appeared in the sky above Harbor Town. Her crystalline and transparent body shone brilliantly under the light of the silver moon, irresistibly compelling people to approach, kneel, and confess their sins before her.
Is that Aila?
Lynn suppressed the shock in his heart, while Laut and the others trembled in fear, burying their heads on the deck.
The goddess's face, impossible to discern, gradually turned her gaze towards them.
Fortunately, at that moment, the dense fog around them had surged up, and the entire sailboat disappeared from the surface of the sea.
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