508 Patient Zero
Lugano, who had been listening, shot Lumian a puzzled glance. He couldn’t fathom why Lumian would strike up a casual conversation with Pierre just as they were on the verge of departing.
A few more monts, and the official Beyonders would make their entrance!
Besides, delving too deep into this matter could invite trouble down the road. They might end up under scrutiny, or worse, attract the attention of the Derangent’s source, prompting imdiate intervention!
Pierre pondered for more than ten seconds before uttering with uncertainty, “Patient Zero seed to be a guest renting a room at our bar…”
“Foreigner?” Lumian inquired with composure.
Having already briefed the official Beyonders about the Derangent through Franca and resolved to find an opportunity to “teleport” away later, Lumian was no longer as tense as before. Thus, before leaving, he aid to unravel more about Derangent and construct a plausible explanation for the inconsistencies.
This quest for information, problem analysis, and uncovering of clues and answers was all part of a Conspirer’s acting. With so idle ti on his hands, Lumian seized the chance to digest so of the potion.
Lumian wasn’t overly concerned about the potential repercussions of being privy to this situation.
Could the information on Derangent hold a candle to 0-01’s sealed intel?
Moreover, as long as he didn’t go berserk on the spot, he could later seek assistance from his superior to explore potential solutions!
Pierre contemplated for a few seconds, his expression reflecting confusion, and then he said, “Probably… I can’t recall her na, and I have no idea where she ca from. All I rember is that she suddenly lost her mind and dashed from the motel upstairs to the bar. She tried to bite people and barked like a dog.”
The infected foreigner spreading Derangent to Dardel? Then why were the townsfolk displaying no inclination to escape this place? Is this also a manifestation of Derangent? Lumian asked thoughtfully, “Did she manage to bite anyone? What happened to her?”
“We took care of her before she could sink her teeth into anyone. We apprehended her and handed her over to the health departnt,” Pierre recollected.
Sent to the health departnt? Lumian nodded slowly.
“Did the next person to succumb to madness co from the health departnt?”
“Yes, exactly!” Pierre affird this ti.
Lumian pondered for a mont and inquired, “What did the resident look like?”
“A young woman. Her face was a bit pale, and her eyes were vacant. I-I can’t recall her appearance…” Pierre couldn’t help but raise his palm and rub his head.
Upon hearing this, Lumian’s heart stirred.
If the root of all the abnormalities in Dardel indeed stemd from a deranged individual, many contradictions could find an explanation!
Patient Zero was already in a state of madness; instinctively, she would spread Derangent to those around her in a supernatural sense, regardless of whether it was an isolated village or a bustling town serving as a transportation hub.
Simultaneously, she would subconsciously employ her ability to disseminate the supernatural Derangent, dropping hints to the townsfolk that leaving wasn’t an option. She would control all channels that might carry the news. However, due to her madness and lack of thorough consideration, she didn’t explicitly order the townsfolk not to discuss Derangent with the steam locomotive passengers.
Certainly, it wasn’t necessarily due to a lack of thorough consideration. Lumian believed it was more plausible that the lunatic’s instincts desired to involve more people and infect them with Derangent. Consequently, people who were aware of this weren’t permitted to leave or seek help from the authorities. On the other hand, the prohibition didn’t prevent residents from discussing Derangent with passersby.
This was a limited and relatively safe thod of contagion. Passengers who knew about Derangent were akin to approaching the source of the plague. For instance, Lugano’s luck had turned, increasing the probability of contracting the disease. Lumian and he had forgotten the option of escaping. The more they communicated, the more desperate they beca, ultimately reaching a dead end. They were resolute in entering Dardel to investigate.
This was a precursor to becoming infected with Derangent. Unbeknownst to them, they had inadvertently received a ntal cue.
With this in mind, Lumian suspected that the young woman might be a survivor of the village that had previously been eradicated, a potential carrier who had escaped the authorities’ purge.
She had intertwined these mories with Derangent and disseminated them. That was how the residents of Dardel learned about a similar plague in a village wiped out by the authorities.
Typically, they lacked the qualifications or ans to know such things!
Having formulated this preliminary hypothesis, Lumian smiled and turned to Pierre and the bar waiter, asking, “Where is the village you ntioned that was destroyed by the authorities because of Derangent?”
“I-I think it’s sowhere in the Haut-Hornacis Province…” Pierre recalled the rumors he had heard.
Haut-Hornacis Province… That’s quite a distance from Upper Coastal Province. Moreover, there’s no direct steam locomotive; it requires a transfer through a few provinces in the West Midseashire Coast or Trier. How could you folks, who rarely leave Dardel, have heard such a rumor? Did a bard or passenger from Haut-Hornacis Province pass by this transportation hub? The more Lumian pondered, the more he leaned toward his hypothesis.
He refrained from pressing further and probed Pierre, “This Derangent holds significant research value. We’ll venture into Dardel to investigate its source and try to find a cure.
“However, preparations will take so ti. Moreover, it’s nightti.
“At dawn, we will step into Dardel. We won’t depart until we resolve the problem.”
Lumian stressed the phrases “will enter Dardel” and “will not leave for the ti being” to gauge Pierre and the bar waiter’s reactions.
Their expressions underwent several changes, and they were no longer as hysterical as before.
After a few monts, Pierre implored, “You must co to town tomorrow!”
“No problem,” Lumian replied with a reassuring smile.
He was now even more convinced that this was an instinctive infection and influence. There was no structured approach to handling the alterations. As long as he avoided triggering a crucial matter or even took the initiative to broach the topic of cooperation, he could effectively deceive the source of Derangent.
Observing Pierre and the bar waiter about to move toward the other windows of the steam locomotive, Lumian called out to them, “Wait a mont.”
After the two of them turned in surprise, Lumian gestured towards the table between the two sofas.
“You can take the cutlery away now.”
Pierre and the bar waiter glanced at the dining table in confusion, realizing that only remnants were left on the empty plates.
Had they finished eating already? The delivery n hadn’t even departed yet!
Pierre and the bar waiter were aware that they had spent a considerable amount of ti discussing the Derangent issue, but it still felt surreal.
Won’t they eating too quickly?
Was he feeding three lions?
Burp… Ludwig wiped his mouth with a tablecloth, a content expression on his face.
After the two townsfolk cleared away the cutlery, gathered their food boxes, and departed from the platform, Lumian smiled at Lugano and remarked, “Continue watching. Chill.”
I can’t chill. How are we to escape when the official Beyonders arrive? Lugano’s heart felt like it was being grilled.
Observing his reaction, Lumian muttered silently, He’s indeed acting like a wild Beyonder with a low Sequence and little knowledge… He doesn’t show anything special like Ludwig… Is he really an ordinary wild Beyonder who only accepted a mission to follow ?
Simultaneously, Lumian focused his attention and checked Lugano’s luck. He realized that the ghastly green traces had vanished, and there was no grisly calamity in store.
This ant that the Doctor no longer had the potential to contract Derangent, and he likely wouldn’t be embroiled in the officials’ operations to deal with Dardel’s abnormality later.
After a while, Lumian heard a loud noise and saw the night suddenly brighten outside.
Light stread down from midair.
Lumian looked up and noticed two colossal objects floating in the night.
They were two airships clad in dark gray paint, frantically spinning their paddles.
They were much smaller than the one Lumian had seen in Trier. The condensed light shone from their front and lower positions, converging on the edge of Dardel.
Simultaneously, the town erupted in a cacophony of barking once more, as if movent was taking place everywhere.
The officials from the Faust region are here? Lumian averted his gaze, awaiting the outco.
Shouts, cries, gunshots, and various beams of sunlight continued for nearly an hour before completely subsiding.
Before long, a team of police officers entered the private room, questioning the now disguised, fake identification-wielding Lumian and company’s interactions with Dardel’s residents.
Other than anything related to Derangent, Lumian told them everything honestly.
He was ready to “teleport” away with Ludwig and Lugano at any mont.
After recording and comparing tickets and identification, the police officers left the carriage.
Lumian patiently waited until dawn. The police officers returned, presenting three contracts and requesting their signatures.
The contract explained that the disturbance from the previous night had resulted from a special military operation, and everyone was obligated to keep it confidential.
Does what I revealed before my signature count? Lumian chuckled inwardly and calmly signed with an alias.
His fake identity had just been activated, and it had minimal mystic connections.
After the police departed, Lumian, having intentionally gone through the official process firsthand, intended to grasp Lugano and Ludwig’s shoulders and “teleport” away.
Uncertain if the contract signed with an alias would be discovered, he aid to avoid potential risks.
At that mont, Lumian noticed a towering figure behind Lugano.
It was his ssenger, Penitent Baynfel, draped in a dark clergyman’s robe and surrounded by charred flas.
Baynfel sent a folded letter drifting towards Lumian.
Lugano was taken aback to see a piece of paper materialize. He instinctively glanced behind him, but Lumian opened the letter and perused its contents.
“Based on the feedback I received, this should be the escape of a Sealed Artifact.
“That Sealed Artifact resembles a young woman. It first surfaced during a catastrophe in Haut-Hornacis Province. Most of the ti, she remains in her normal state, appearing lifeless, pale, and muddle-headed. However, once she enters a state of madness, she gradually infects the surrounding people with the sa Derangent as her. There’s no definite transmission pattern.
“She might not be in the sa state every ti she goes mad. The sa goes for her Derangent symptoms.
“In her normal state, although she’s like an unintelligent ghost and acts on instinct, she possesses a power akin to the power of speech, where whatever she says cos true, and if she declares soone dead, they will die…”
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