A Strange Illness

“What happened?” the black-robed woman asked nervously, seeing the bizarre scene.

“I'm sorry... big sister, I accidentally broke the potion bottle...” Solana said.

“Whew...” Hearing that it was only a broken potion bottle, the black-robed woman was visibly relieved. She gently comforted her, “It's fine, it's fine. It doesn't matter. Worst case, I'll just buy another one later.”

Taking a few deep breaths, she added, “Oh, move over a bit first. Let me clean this up.”

As she spoke, the black-robed woman picked up a short broom from the corner, squatted down, and carefully swept the glass shards together.

Then, with a look of distress, she used a coarse rag to gently soak up the black liquid from the floor, carefully wringing it into a small porcelain bowl.

Solana took two steps back. She pursed her lips, hesitated for a moment, and asked in a low voice, “Big sister... was that bottle of potion very expensive?”

The black-robed woman's movements paused slightly, but she quickly resumed wringing the rag as if nothing had happened, saying without looking up:

“It's not expensive, not expensive. It's just a bit hard to find. You can't really buy it in ordinary places.”

Not easily bought in ordinary places? It seems this potion isn't simple. No wonder she had been able to force back those bizarre flesh buds with the potion just now...

“What is it used for?” Solana asked.

“Hmm... it's to treat my younger brother's illness!” The black-robed woman did not treat her like a stranger, naturally continuing, “You must be an outsider, right?”

Solana nodded.

The black-robed woman sighed and continued:

“Three years ago, a plague broke out here in Leytin City. Many people ended up contracting strange illnesses because of it. Some would attack others like madmen, while others would grow bizarre scales and flesh buds on their bodies. Most of the infected didn't survive, and those who were lucky enough to live have to spend the rest of their lives in pain, even being driven away by others. My brother is one of them. That's the exact reason why we moved to the slums...”

“Of course, I didn't catch this strange illness, so I still travel back and forth between the slums and the city proper quite often. I just can't let the people from the Church see me too much. Well... actually, it's not that big of a deal. After all, I've been spotted by the Church's Saintess several times already, and nothing happened...”

“So... that potion can suppress the madness, as well as those bizarre scales and flesh buds?” Solana asked.

The black-robed woman thought for a moment and said:

“Nope! They're called anti-aberration potions. You should be able to guess what they do from the name, right? They're mainly used to resist those bizarre flesh buds and tumors!”

“Oh, by the way, I still have some things to take care of. I'll tell you more in detail later!”

“Okay...”

Solana gave an obedient reply, her mind beginning to calculate regarding the potion.

Anti-aberration potions... Right, she remembered where she had seen them before!

When she went to the black market's underground exchange before, she had heard that they sold this kind of potion there. It was just that she had wiped out that place later on, and it happened to be shut down by the authorities.

Speaking of which, she had impersonated a member of the Abyssal Order back then, which had caused some conflict between the two orders. Could she use the Blood Order to investigate the Abyssal Order?

Yes, this might serve as a breakthrough.

Having finished tidying up, the black-robed woman walked over to the bed and began checking on her brother's condition.

Leaning forward slightly, she stared unblinkingly at the young man lying before her. She first reached out to check his breathing, letting out a soft sigh of relief only after confirming it was steady.

Immediately after, the black-robed woman picked up a linen cloth soaked in cold water from the bronze basin by the bedside. Ignoring the flesh buds and scales on her brother's face, she gently wiped the sweat from his forehead.

Because she was leaning over, her shoulders were straining a bit, making her posture look somewhat awkward, but she was exceptionally focused.

The young man kept his eyes closed the entire time, yet he seemed to sense this silent care, a peaceful and serene expression gradually appearing on his face.

Solana did not want to disturb them, so she just watched the two of them quietly.

At some point, an inexplicable emotion welled up in her heart again, as if she, too, had once experienced a time when she was cared for like this.

However, the moment she thought about it, an even more complex wave of sorrow and powerlessness weighed down on her chest like a massive boulder, making it hard to breathe.

At the same time, she felt a faint, lingering sense of loneliness spread throughout her body.

But she quickly suppressed these emotions one by one, refusing to be swayed by them.

It wasn't until the morning sun rose from the horizon once more, shedding a ray of sunlight, that Solana realized most of the night had already passed.

At this moment, the black-robed woman walked over, wiping the sweat from her forehead as she asked:

“Do you have anything else you want to ask?”

“You care a lot about your brother?”

The black-robed woman only gave a soft hum of agreement, but her gaze never left the young man, which seemed to be her silent answer.

Perhaps because her heart was wavering again, Solana did not press further on this topic.

Instead, she suddenly recalled the terrifying scene she had witnessed earlier and asked:

“Are those flesh buds the source of his pain?”

“Yes, that's right. Based on my observations over the years, those bizarre flesh buds grow alongside the scales. The more scales there are, the denser those bizarre flesh buds become, as if they were born as one.”

The black-robed woman took a breath and continued, “The scales aren't very harmful; in fact, they have a sort of protective effect. But those flesh buds constantly try to pierce through the skin or squirm relentlessly around it. It's very painful.”

“Have they ever actually pierced through the skin?” Solana asked.

“Yes, but it's extremely rare. Usually, it only happens when there is another aberrant within a certain range. If it does happen, the potion can be used in time to suppress it,” the black-robed woman said.

But thinking back to the bizarre scene of the flesh buds crawling frantically toward her, she couldn't help but feel that something was not quite right.