Deep Sea Embers

The flying colored paper whirled over the roof of the academy, flew along the outer wall of the "tower" all the way to the observation platform at the highest point, and condensed into Lucrezia's figure on the edge of the platform.

The huge observation platform was very quiet, and no one could be seen.

Lucrezia frowned, carefully observing the situation on the top of the tower.

The instruments and devices specially used to record various astronomical data are still running automatically. The large-scale lens group is lifted by many complex mechanical arms to point the observation focus to the sky. The three groups of lenses with filter structures have been temporarily withdrawn. Below, it appears to be the result of manual adjustments.

There was no one on the platform—the original staff here may have evacuated in an emergency when the sun went out, but the working status of the lens device shows that someone did come here during the sun's extinction and observed the sun with the equipment here.

"...It was not wise to observe the sun under the circumstances at that time." Lucrezia couldn't help but whispered.

She began to look for the figure of Master Taran El near the lens device, and at this moment, a dropped pencil suddenly entered her field of vision.

She ran over immediately, and finally found the figure of the elf scholar among a pile of steam pressure pipes—Talan El was lying quietly on the ground with his eyes closed, as if he had fallen into a deep coma.

Lucrezia immediately stepped forward to confirm the condition of the elf scholar, and found that the other person's breathing was still stable, and he didn't seem to be in danger of life, but he lost consciousness for some reason. Immediately afterwards, she waved again in the air— — A large group of toy soldiers immediately ran out from the shadow under her feet, and rushed towards the unconscious university student in a neat line.

These toy soldiers surrounded Taran Aiir in an instant, and began to climb up and down to check the latter's body, just like checking the position, accompanied by rapid exchanges and reports in the middle, and with their activities, Luke The expression on Rezia's face also gradually changed.

No trauma, no physical assault, no signs of poisoning or curses.

The "Sea Witch" bent down, rolled the eyelids of the great scholar, and stretched out her hand to slap the other person's face unceremoniously, trying to wake up Taran El, but it didn't work.

"Looks like she just fell into an unexplained lethargy...huh?"

Lucrezia gave a puzzled "hmm" to herself, and she saw two toy soldiers move away one of Taran El's hands tightly clutched on his chest, and one of them was already about to be The scratched draft paper appeared in her field of vision.

"What is this……"

Lucrezia curiously picked up the piece of paper and flattened it casually, only to see that there was only a circular thing drawn on it with scribbled handwriting, and there were many complicated and messy lines inside the circle, she After distinguishing for a long time, I couldn't distinguish any regularity from those lines. I just felt that they were like branches spreading vertically and horizontally, or something closely arranged.

Obviously, the people who drew these patterns recorded these pictures in a very hasty and chaotic situation. There are many traces of hesitant smearing on the lines on the paper, which shows that the painters were not sure what they saw, or could not be accurate. Restore the truth of what you "witnessed".

Lucrezia looked at the things on the paper solemnly, squinted her eyes and looked up at the sun that had been relit at this moment, then lowered her head, looking at the pencil that fell on the ground not far away, and the tower. The "express" pressure pipes leading to the college beside Lan Eyre quickly restored the process of the elf scholar's collapse here——

This university scholar ran to the high tower when the sun was extinguished, and wanted to observe the details of the surface of anomaly 001 through this "condition" that could not be achieved no matter how many filters and lens groups were used. He successfully drew A sketch, and then wanted to send it to the college through the "Express Mail" system at the first time, but at this moment, some mysterious force "attacked" him, making him fall into a deep sleep in an instant—he was falling down At that moment, there should still be a little consciousness left, and the sketch tightly guarded by him can prove this...

But what exactly "attacked" him? A saboteur who infiltrated the tower? Or the mental pollution caused by observing the sun in its extinguished state?

Lucrezia shook her head—it shouldn't be a saboteur.

The reason is simple. After losing his resistance, Taran Aiur himself did not suffer further damage, nor was the "sketch" tightly protected in his hand taken away, nor were the various devices on the tower damaged. Signs - there shouldn't be any "intruders" who successfully infiltrated the tower after taking great risks just to put the elven scholar to sleep.

At this moment, a burst of noise from the elevator suddenly interrupted the "Sea Witch" from thinking.

She followed the prestige, just in time to see the elevator on the side of the tower platform open the gate, and several panic-stricken scholars from the Academy of Truth ran out from inside.

After seeing the "Sea Witch" standing on the top of the tower, these scholars were taken aback.

"Talan El observed the sun in an extinguished state, and now he has fallen into an unexplained coma - I suggest that you do a purification of all the facilities here, in case some people who have reflected the 'true appearance' of the vision 001 The lenses are also contaminated."

Lucrezia casually said to those scholars, and then raised the sketch in her hand.

"This is what he drew before he lost consciousness. I want to take it away to confirm whether it is contaminated. If there is no problem, I will give it to you."

After the words fell, she didn't care about the reactions of the scholars, so she turned around and walked towards the edge of the platform, and then suddenly turned into colorful pieces of paper flying in all directions, flying into the distance by the wind.

The scholars who rushed to the tower after hearing the student's report finally came to their senses at this time. Looking at the colored paper that had flown away, some couldn't help muttering softly: "This witch is really..."

"Come and go freely, she has always been like this," another person waved his hand, and walked towards Taran Ayer who was still lying on the ground, "Take the master to a safe place first."

"She took away the materials left by Master Taran Ayer... There will be no problem, right?" A younger anthropologist said with some concern, seeming a little uneasy about the "Sea Witch".

"Don't worry, although Ms. Lucrezia has a strange personality and does her own way, she has dealt with the Institute of Truth and the Explorers' Association a lot. She can be regarded as a...friend," a middle-aged scholar said while bending Putting Taran Ayer's arm on her waist, "She is the world's best border scholar and pollution combat expert. She has helped the college deal with many dangerous things. She will keep her promise... I'll go, why is he so heavy? ?”

"You eat junk food every day, stay up late and don't exercise, and you are so heavy."

"But I heard that the physique of the elves is different from other races. You have a long life span and a strong metabolic system. It is difficult to accumulate fat before you reach old age, and you rarely get sick..."

"He is talented and has tried his best, and he can't resist..."

...

In the city-state of Puland, somewhere in a medical facility opened by the government affairs department.

Heidi stood in the corridor, glanced at the patient who was lying quietly in the ward through the glass, and turned to ask the government affairs staff who brought her here: "What's the patient's condition?"

"Deep sleep, unable to wake up, without any signs of trauma or poisoning," the staff member in a dark blue uniform replied immediately, "The patient has no underlying diseases before, and has not been exposed to any potions or heresy beliefs that may cause this kind of sleepiness .”

"Your investigation is quite detailed?" Heidi said subconsciously, and then shook her head, "But I still have to say, I am a psychiatrist, not an internist, and I am good at solving mental and psychological problems. It’s not sleeping sickness, a sleeping person can’t receive psychological counseling—shouldn’t you find a professional doctor?”

"I've looked, Ms. Heidi, the doctor's conclusion is that the patient's drowsiness has nothing to do with the disease," the staff member shook his head, "After various examinations, we suspect..."

"...I understand," Heidi understood without waiting for the other party to finish, and nodded lightly, "the suspicion is related to mental pollution or mental abnormality, right? But as you said just now, the patient has not been exposed to this aspect sources of pollution."

"This is just the result of a preliminary investigation, but there are many ways of mental pollution, and it doesn't necessarily require that the person concerned has been in contact with anything. Maybe it's just a coincidence that he 'knew' some knowledge, or maybe..."

The staff member stopped suddenly when he said this, then raised his finger and pointed upwards, with a serious expression on his face.

"Maybe it has something to do with the extinguishment of the sun before—there is no evidence that the 12 hours of the extinction of the sun can affect ordinary people, but perhaps the first 'evidence' is in front of you."

"I understand, this is my responsibility," Heidi took a breath, picked up the medicine box and walked towards the door of the ward, but before pushing the door to enter, she suddenly turned around and reminded, "Don't let people come near here during the treatment." , if there is a supernatural phenomenon near this ward, notify the priests and guards here as soon as possible."

"Understood, Ms. Heidi."

Heidi nodded, opened the door and walked into the ward.

Disinfectant water mixed with holy oil and incense wafted into the nostrils. In the brightly lit spacious ward, the only patient was lying on the only bed.

Heidi silently recited the name of the God of Wisdom Laheem in her heart, checked the colored stone amulet on her wrist, and walked cautiously towards the hospital bed.

A girl with her eyes closed, who seemed to be in an uneasy dream, was lying there, motionless as if... the link between body and soul had been broken.

Before opening the medicine box, Heidi first observed the patient's face habitually.

"Elf?"