Human-Faced Fruit

What a joke.

Over a hundred wounded people in need of first aid were gathered in the church, and more than twenty violent madmen were locked in the rooms.

All the professional nurses were swamped, unable to stop for a second, and even someone of Miss Valente’s status had rushed to the front line and ended up injured. At a time like this, someone causing trouble was bad enough, but they actually wanted to clear the area.

“Go tell that important figure that he is not welcome here.” The old woman sneered. Though physically frail, she radiated a natural authority. Thumping her double-headed snake scepter heavily against the floor, she barked at the men in black, “I do not care what kind of important figure he is. Either he walks in like an ordinary commoner—with zero special treatment—or he can get the hell out.”

What a formidable old lady.

Lynch had already felt upset over what happened to Miss Valente, though there was no one to blame. Hearing that they wanted to clear the area had made his temper flare. Listening to Mrs. Nightingale shut them down, Lynch almost applauded on the spot, restrained only by the somber setting.

The men in black retreated sulkily. Only then did the old woman offer an apologetic smile to Lynch and Officer Natalie. “I apologize for subjecting you to such an unpleasant scene.”

“Life isn't always full of pleasant things. There's no need to fear unpleasantness when you can just turn it into something pleasant, just like you did just now.” Lynch gave her a thumbs-up. “Though those people were probably just guards. The important figure demanding to clear the area might still come looking for trouble.”

“Heh, pay them no mind. They are inconsequential. However, I will probably be tied up in a moment, and I had originally intended to show you our progress.”

Lynch paused, recalled the old woman's attitude at the entrance earlier, and nodded thoughtfully. “Have you run into an issue?”

“You saw through it after all, child.” The old woman smiled awkwardly and said apologetically, “You have already taken immense risks and done far more than your share of work for this matter. To ask for your help for free again truly makes me feel embarrassed.”

“Haven't you all done plenty as well? Besides, there is compensation. Last time, that Lord of yours almost killed me—isn't that compensation enough? If I don't help this time and she refuses to show mercy next time, I'll be the one suffering in the end.”

“Huh?”

“Nothing, just a joke. I really don't mind helping with this, and I do share some responsibility.”

Lynch genuinely admired these believers who took the world's afflictions as their own mission. When facing danger, they truly dared to sacrifice themselves. Lynch knew he couldn't bring himself to be like them, but he didn't mind doing a bit more for them.

“I won't explain the specific development process; it is far too complex, and I doubt you are interested in truly understanding it. I'll get straight to the problem.” The old woman sighed and said apologetically, “In the process of developing the medicine, we need a mysterious plant called the human-faced fruit. It is a plant that existed in the Third Age. But nowadays, it is exceedingly rare to find. We have seeds, but artificial cultivation is also extremely difficult.”

“Why is that?”

“The environment has changed. The Third Age was the Dark Age, where the concentration of free-floating mysterious filth was much higher, providing great benefits to mysterious organisms. That was why the human-faced fruit could thrive. But by the Fifth Age, due to divine protection, the concentration of filth dropped significantly, making it difficult to find an environment suitable for cultivation.”

“What about creating an artificial environment?”

“We tried. But even when we artificially caused mystery relics to enter an uncontrolled state to raise the concentration of filth in the surrounding area, it still failed. Natural conditions and artificial ones are fundamentally different after all. I am afraid only the Dreamlands might hold the possibility of cultivating them.”

Lynch's hair stood on end. “You don't want me to go into the Dreamlands and pick a few back, do you?”

To him, that sounded just as absurd as someone back in his hometown slapping his shoulder and asking, Hey pal, how about taking a stroll through Hell?

【Yes.】

【However, you certainly won't return.】

While he was chastising his neighbor, the old woman stared at him for a few seconds with a look bordering on awe, then pointed at Lynch and asked Officer Natalie, “Is he always this imaginative?”

“Not really. Most of the time he is quite normal. It probably comes in phases.”

“Ahem, how could I actually think that? Just a joke.” Lynch gave an awkward chuckle. “Please continue, I won't interrupt.”

“We conducted many tests and finally found a viable method.” The old woman lowered her head and said, “While the outside world lacks the environment for the human-faced fruit to survive, the interior of mystery relics has it.”

Lynch was startled, finally understanding Mrs. Nightingale's train of thought.

Artificially forcing a mystery relic from the Third Age into an uncontrolled state, and then entering the relic's memories... There would certainly be human-faced fruits there. But... they couldn't be brought out, could they?

“Human-faced fruits in the memories indeed cannot be brought out. However, things from the outside can be taken in. If we bring seeds inside to cultivate, the grown fruit will still belong to the mortal world. Just like the items we carry in, they can be brought out with us.”

Lynch listened in a daze, unable to help reflecting on himself. It seems I'm not the only one with imagination; these professionals aren't lagging behind me at all.

Officer Natalie raised her brows as she listened, asking on Lynch's behalf, “However, cultivation should take a long time, right? Is there really enough time?”

“From sowing to maturity, the human-faced fruit only requires forty-eight hours. We have tested it, and it is feasible. It is just that the interior is relatively dangerous.”

Lynch asked in confusion, “Why use a relic with dangerous memories? While relics themselves are all dangerous, their memories might not necessarily be so, right?”

The old woman showed a peculiar expression again and smiled bitterly. “Child, how could there be a relic whose memories aren't dangerous? The memories of every single relic are extremely dangerous. Do not forget that all relics are born from the fear of living beings, and the memories of a relic reproduce that very process. If it weren't dangerous enough, how could it invoke the fear of living beings?”

Lynch sighed as well and asked, “Wait, since you tested it and proved it feasible, that means you already grew one. Why do you still need me?”

“Because the fruits they cultivated cannot be used.”

Mrs. Nightingale waved toward the side, and someone soon approached carrying a box. Nightingale opened it to reveal a purple fruit. Facial features remained visible upon it, eyes and brows distinct; aside from its size, it was almost indistinguishable from a normal human head.

“This is the fruit that person cultivated, but it is meaningless. We need this kind of fruit to conceptually extend your own existence. However, this one can only symbolize the person who cultivated it; it cannot extend your concept.”

“I see. The fruit's appearance matches the person who cultivated it, so I need to go in personally for forty-eight hours, grow the fruit with my own hands, and then suppress the relic's memory to bring the fruit out.”

Mrs. Nightingale blushed slightly and lowered her head, murmuring, “I apologize... The previous two testers failed to suppress the uncontrolled relic. They endured the most perilous moment in the memories and naturally withdrew once the memory concluded. I cannot guarantee that you will be able to suppress the relic once inside; you had best prepare for a natural withdrawal.”

“I understand.” Lynch looked at the lady officer, only to find her looking back at him, clearly recalling similar experiences. “I don't mind. I have had similar experiences in the past and am willing to give it a try. What are the specific steps?”

“Phew, thank you, child.” The old woman breathed a sigh of relief. “Today is certainly out of the question. Tomorrow...”

“I promised the Duke to attend his ball on the thirtieth. It would be best to work around that day.”

“Then let us set it for the first of next month. It works out well, as these few days will allow us to teach you how to cultivate the human-faced fruit and explain the conditions inside. Therefore, it would be best if you could come by every day over these next few days for lessons.”

Officer Natalie raised an eyebrow, glanced at Lynch, and shifted her gaze toward the busy figure on the other side of the room.

Whether by coincidence or not, the other figure's movements paused, and her gaze drifted over as well.

Unfortunately, before he could identify the source of the chill, voices sounded from outside the church as several men in black escorted two lavishly dressed individuals toward them.