Mina

The continuous rain finally stopped, but Gelimu Port was now shrouded in a cold, damp gray mist.

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

The clinic door was pounded so loudly it shook, and Brent's voice, carrying a hint of a sob, came from outside: "Doctor Lu! Open the door!"

Lu Yuan frowned and opened the door.

Brent was soaked to the bone, rushing in while carrying... Mina, who was wrapped in a large coat.

His eyes were bloodshot like those of a startled beast, and he nearly collapsed to the floor the moment he entered.

"Save her... Doctor Lu... ...Mina is not going to make it!"

Lu Yuan didn't waste words; he stepped aside to let them in and closed the door behind him.

Brent placed ...Mina on a chair.

Where was the well-behaved little girl he had seen before?

She was curled into a ball, frantically clawing at her own ears. Her nails had even torn the skin, and blood was trickling down her earlobes.

Her eyes were rolled back, and her mouth continuously emitted incoherent screams and whispers:

"Stop singing... it hurts... go away!"

Lu Yuan's eyes narrowed.

He strode forward and held down ...Mina's flailing arms.

The next moment, gray and white text instantly surfaced above the girl's head:

【Target: ...Mina (Spirituality Rampage)】

【Status: Severe Mental Contamination / Auditory Overload】

【Talent Analysis: Echo of All Things. The individual possesses naturally high perception and remains uncontaminated, allowing them to hear the whispers of various entities and locate the source of 'foulness' through sound.】

【Warning: Currently lacking protection, she is like a feast drifting in the ocean, easily attracting predators.】

'An incredible talent...'

Lu Yuan watched the lines of text, his gaze shifting slightly.

In this Gelimu Port filled with mist and the unknown, if he could have an 'existence' that could provide early warnings or even locate the Eerie, his survival rate would increase significantly.

Especially regarding the source of his Strange Dreams; if he could rely on ...Mina to help find it, the probability of being cured would be much higher.

Thinking of this, Lu Yuan gave Brent an order and then turned toward the alchemical table.

"Hold her down, don't let her move."

Lu Yuan's Specialized Research ability was already active.

The knowledge he had previously acquired began to automatically arrange and combine in his mind, finally deducing a brand-new solution.

【Formula Generated: Targeted Spirituality Blocker (Improved)】

【Principle: Uses peace flower to soothe the brain and mercury powder to forcibly 'settle' spirituality. Combined with a high-concentration sedative, it can forcibly close the subject's five senses and spiritual channels.】

【Estimated Success Rate: 78%】

【Remarks: This is a customized formula and is not suitable for others.】

With a success rate of nearly eighty percent, it was enough for Lu Yuan to try. Without further hesitation, he took out a dried peace flower, pinched a bit of mercury powder between his fingers, and finally mixed in half a tube of high-concentration sedative.

As it heated up, the liquid inside the flask turned into a stagnant, deep gray.

Pharmacology: +2

With the increase in skill experience, Lu Yuan knew he had succeeded.

"Pry her mouth open."

Lu Yuan walked over holding the flask.

Brent steeled himself and tremblingly pried open his sister's clenched teeth.

After ensuring the temperature was safe, Lu Yuan poured the gray medicinal liquid inside.

The effect was immediate.

Within a few short minutes, ...Mina's tense body went limp. Her hands, which had been clawing at her ears, fell weakly to her sides, and her rapid breathing gradually stabilized.

She fell into a deep sleep and would not be troubled by those voices for the time being.

Watching Mina finally sleeping peacefully, Brent's frayed nerves finally snapped. He slumped into the chair, the look of terror in his eyes fading slightly.

Lu Yuan didn't rush to speak. He slowly wiped the flask in his hand, and only when Brent's breathing had calmed down did he say,

"This medicine will only let her sleep. If the source isn't resolved when she wakes up, she will be in even more pain than before."

Lu Yuan turned around to face Brent. "Reasonably speaking, the medicine I gave you last time should have suppressed it for a while. Why did it flare up so violently this time? What happened?"

Brent's body stiffened. He didn't answer Lu Yuan's question about the illness.

Instead, he remained silent for a long time before standing up and kneeling, his forehead hitting the floor with a heavy thud.

"Doctor Lu! Let Mina stay here! I beg you!"

He looked up, his eyes bloodshot as he pleaded incoherently, "Let her be your servant, or she can clean! Just let her hide in the clinic! Don't throw her out!"

Lu Yuan frowned. Brent's mental state was very off. How had he gone from a sharp kid to this in just a few days?

Looking at the terrified youth, Lu Yuan finally spoke.

"I think you should explain yourself clearly. This is a clinic, not a daycare."

"Furthermore, if you are worried about her situation, I can give you a few bottles of medicine to take back. Why must she stay here?"

"We can't go back... we can't go back..."

Brent looked up, his eyes filled with despair. "If I take Mina back, she will be taken away! Just like... just like Little Tom next door!"

"Taken away?" Lu Yuan keenly caught the keyword. "By whom?"

"It's the Church... those priests!"

Brent swallowed hard, his voice instinctively dropping lower.

"Over the last few days, those people from the Church have been wandering the docks and the slums, saying they are looking for children 'favored by Angels' to take back to the cathedral to live in comfort."

"That's also why I didn't dare take Mina out."

At this point, Brent's voice took on a hint of relief.

"Just yesterday afternoon, the priests found their way to the floor of our low-rent building."

"They were carrying a Bible, and that book was sinister! Whenever it got near certain children, the cover would flash with red light."

"At the time, only Mina and Little Tom from next door were nearby! But that book lit up!"

"I was terrified. While they were still upstairs, I took Mina and jumped out the back window... If we hadn't run, I'm afraid Mina would have been taken too..."

"Doctor Lu, she's my only family left... please help me, okay?"

Brent's voice was full of pleading, and his eyes were filled with fear.

"Only here... Doctor Lu, you are a consultant for the Nightwatchers, and this district is Nightwatchers' territory! Even the Church wouldn't dare directly barge into a Nightwatchers' clinic to search for people!"

After hearing this, Lu Yuan tapped his finger lightly on the table, a look of realization flashing in his eyes.

So that was it.

Stirred by her uncle's death, Mina had just awakened her talent, and those people from the Church had already sniffed her out.

That glowing Bible was clearly an alchemical item used to locate children with talents like Mina's.

The so-called 'favor of Angels' was nothing more than an excuse to mask their kidnapping of children.

This certainly fit his impression of the Holy Church.

A bunch of vultures who devoured people whole.

This also explained why Brent was like a startled bird, wanting to cram his sister into the clinic.

He had no one to rely on in the slums. Facing such a behemoth, his only hope for survival was to find an even sturdier backer.

And Lu Yuan was currently that backer. He might not be invincible, but he was certainly the strongest support Brent could find.

Most importantly, taking in ...Mina would be beneficial to both himself and the Nightwatchers.

It would also serve as a way to spite those people from the Church, so why not?