Chapter 468 [Blood-Vein Rock Comprehensive Operating Table]

Alton found an oddly shaped platform.

Its overall shape resembled a flattened recliner, or perhaps a movable single bed.

It was about the width of an adult's arm and seven or eight chi long. The strange thing was that, compared to a normal bed, this one was much higher—reaching a normal person's waist, as if designed that way on purpose.

The surface was crafted entirely from cold, white marble with a fine, icy texture. Dark red natural patterns resembling blood vessels covered the top, meandering smoothly down the sides.

It was supported by three brass-colored pillars forged from an unknown metal. They had clearly been well-maintained; their surfaces were smooth and free of any rust.

Notably, several metal contraptions were attached to both sides of the marble platform.

A slender, curved metal rod extended from the head of the bed. A highly polished circular copper disc hung from its end, designed to be adjusted to any angle.

Another rotatable metal arm stretched out from the middle, holding a shallow, circular silver tray. The tray's surface was covered in fine scratches.

Several pairs of metal buckles padded with soft leather were embedded along the sides of the platform. The leather bore numerous friction marks.

Compared to the various bizarre objects the six-person party had encountered on their way here—and unlike those ruined, alien buildings that seemed to have fused into the rock walls—this platform had miraculously maintained its complete shape.

It had luckily avoided merging with anything else and simply sat there quietly.

Yet its strange style perfectly matched the other objects, proving it likely hadn't been left by the original inhabitants. Instead, it had arrived along with those buildings that were clipped into the stone walls like a glitch.

"Some kind of torture device, maybe?" Lorraine guessed as she stepped closer to inspect it.

Her fingers brushed lightly across the center of the platform. Along with the icy touch of the marble, she felt a distinct inward curve.

The depression was exquisitely designed, just large enough to hold an adult's body. However, lying on it wouldn't be comfortable; the sunken position would instead create an oppressive sense of imprisonment.

"These straps must be used to secure the prisoner's body," the red-haired captain of the Blade of Vengeance Ship said. She looked at the leather-padded metal buckles on both sides and tried flipping them up from the base. With a click, the buckles and locks connected. It was easy to imagine a victim lying on the platform, strapped down by the rings.

"And this tray sticking out over here—is that for holding the torture tools?" the barbarian, Aken, added from the side.

With Lorraine's "torture device" theory, all the bizarre designs on the platform suddenly seemed to have a logical explanation.

Xia Nan stood behind the group without speaking.

Yet his expression grew increasingly strange.

'A torture device?'

Based on his memories and experiences from his past life, this platform that so closely resembled a single bed looked less like a torture device and more like a vintage operating table.

A second later, as he focused his attention on the platform, the Attribute Panel materialized in the empty air beside him, confirming his suspicion.

...

[Blood-Vein Rock Comprehensive Operating Table]

Type: Operating Table

Grade: /

Effects:

1. +3% Precision Operation Success Rate;

2. +15% Operator Arm Stability;

3. -10% Patient Blood Loss;

4. +5% Hand-Eye Coordination;

5. -15% Surgical Infection Rate.

Description:

An elite operating table crafted from precious Blood-Vein Rock. Only Golden Circle Grade experts are qualified to request one from the Medical Association. It can improve the success rate of surgeries to a certain extent.

Note:

"What we prolong is life, not suffering."

—Medical Association, Ethics Research Office

...

Xia Nan hadn't been a doctor in his past life, so he wasn't sure how practical this operating table was.

But judging solely by the five bonus effects listed on his Attribute Panel, it was absolutely an excellent item.

If compared to the quality tiers of enchanted equipment on the Aifala Continent, having this many effects meant it had to be a piece of blue-tier gear at the very least.

This was exactly the value of his Golden Finger—the Attribute Panel.

While his companions—Class Holders with infinitely more adventuring experience than him—were still guessing at the table's purpose, Xia Nan could clearly and completely see its specific attributes and special bonuses.

He had even gleaned the operating table's origin from the details in the [Description] and [Note] sections.

"Blood-Vein Rock," "Golden Circle Grade expert," "Medical Association."

Xia Nan was certain that in the nearly two years since his transmigration, he had never heard of these terms.

Whether it was the material called "Blood-Vein Rock" or an organization like the "Medical Association," neither had ever reached his ears.

This further cemented his certainty that the operating table was a product of the Secret Realm.

"Does anyone recognize this symbol?" Hein, the druid, asked. She pointed to a palm-sized emblem carved into the side of the table, looking as though she'd discovered something.

The design depicted a stethoscope hanging vertically downward.

Naturally, no one present recognized a symbol from another world. Only Xia Nan guessed that it might be the crest of this so-called "Medical Association."

For some reason, Lorraine had been extremely focused on the operating table when she first saw it. She had leaned in to study it closely for a long time, her eyes fixed particularly on the metal pillars supporting it.

But after her inspection, obvious disappointment washed over her face. It seemed this wasn't what she was looking for.

Xia Nan keenly observed the shift in his temporary captain's expression. In his mind, he faintly connected her reaction to her sudden decision to cut her vacation short and take a bounty heading for the Twin Oceans.

Her reason was the same as Edson's—they had both discovered otherworldly artifacts on the black market. But why was she disappointed?

Or rather, what exactly was she looking for?

He had already asked her about this directly before, but Lorraine hadn't answered.

Now, her strange reaction to the operating table gave Xia Nan a few theories.

"So... these buildings and items all came from the ancient ruins mentioned in the commission?" Oken scratched his bald head, his voice muffled and full of confusion.

"Maybe?" Hein turned to glance at the half-ruined tower nearby, looking equally bewildered. "After all, this stuff doesn't look like anything the villagers here could have built, and I've never heard anyone mention it before. It obviously appeared recently. Who knows if it has anything to do with those Sahuagin."

The mission details from the Association had already stated that suspected ancient ruins had appeared near Twin Canyon. Seeing these exotic architectural constructs in the cavern naturally drew that connection.

However, the information they had gathered was limited. Discussing it like this obviously wouldn't yield any answers.

After carefully searching the vicinity one more time, they planned to leave and venture deeper in.

Without the information provided by the Attribute Panel, and with no real doctors in the group, no one other than Xia Nan noticed the operating table's special effects.

Xia Nan hesitated.

The Attribute Panel was a secret he could never reveal. He certainly wouldn't rashly open his mouth and explain the table's unique properties to his temporary teammates, as that would massively increase his risk of exposure.

On the other hand, he wasn't a doctor and had no regular need for surgeries. Furthermore, given the operating table's massive size and weight, there was no way he could carry it around.

With [Tears of Spring Breath] in hand, even if he needed healing, the two spells enchanted on the gear would be more than enough.

Practically speaking, this operating table was fundamentally useless to Xia Nan—except for selling it.

But just like in the extraction shooters of his past life, when backpack space was abundant, time was plentiful, and there were no immediate dangers, who could resist taking a genuinely valuable Rare item instead of leaving it behind?

He thought for a moment, organized his words, and finally spoke up. "I have a feeling this thing isn't simple."

After spending so many days on the Blade of Vengeance Ship, Xia Nan's persona among his teammates had gradually solidified.

He was a powerful, silent, and aloof mobile Swordsman whose Perception was even sharper than Hein's, a druid.

Under these circumstances, as long as he didn't foolishly volunteer the table's exact effects and merely pointed out that it was worth paying attention to, he wouldn't stir up any unnecessary trouble.

Sure enough, hearing Xia Nan say this, the group immediately turned their attention back. Without a shred of doubt, they began re-examining the operating table.

Hum—

An emerald-green light coalesced on the staff in Hein's hands.

She didn't use any specific spell. She simply gathered magic particles, gripped her staff, and pointed it forward.

The orb of emerald light drifted out unhurriedly before dissolving into countless rapidly fading motes of light in the air.

It was clear to see that an invisible force field seemed to surround the table sitting quietly in the corner. As the naturally falling and fading magic light approached the table, it suddenly became chaotic, as if disrupted by an air current.

"It really isn't an ordinary item," Hein said, frowning slightly as she carefully observed the swirling path of the magic light.

"This Execution Platform must have some special effect; otherwise, the magic particles around it wouldn't move like that."

If Xia Nan hadn't tipped them off, they might have actually missed this hidden bounty.

Lorraine nodded at Xia Nan, thought for a moment, and made her decision. "This thing is too heavy, and now isn't the time to move it. Let's leave it for now. Once we figure out what happened in the canyon, we'll haul it back to the ship and study it carefully later."

Hearing this, Xia Nan kept his expression neutral, though he breathed a sigh of relief.

While calculating how much money it could fetch once they hauled it back to Barracuda Bay, he moved his feet to maintain formation and continued onward with his teammates.

As expected, they found no survivors in the living quarters.

Just like the slaughtered and ruined fishing village on Hare Island, the islanders' daily supplies—which normally would have been looted—were left completely untouched. Yet their bodies were all gone, leaving only bloody drag marks smeared across the ground.

It was easy to foresee that the corpses of these residents were currently piled up in some massive, hastily dug pit in Twin Canyon.

Lorraine's expression was icy.

Perhaps her identity as an adventurer meant she didn't care about anything outside the mission, but she was still human in the end.

Seeing those repulsive, disgusting mutants slaughter her own kind, anyone with even a shred of empathy couldn't remain entirely unmoved.

Refusing to let her emotions cloud her judgment, she directed her teammates to thoroughly inspect their surroundings.

Thanks to this, Xia Nan managed to spot some peculiarities within the cavernous living quarters.

No bodies were found, but the signs of struggle were glaring:

A crude harpoon leaned against the wall, its handle covered in dark brown handprints and splattered brownish-red blood; a chipped sickle lay on the ground, its edge stained with bloody minced flesh, human skin, and hair.

Aside from the drag marks, the floor was dotted with small divots kicked up by feet, along with indentations left by pressing knees and elbows.

Someone with duller Perception or a lack of combat experience might not find this strange, writing it off as traces of the villagers fighting the fishmen.

However, a closer look and a bit of thought revealed the truth.

The most obvious clues were the pitchforks and sickles stained with brownish-red blood.

After all, the blood of Sahuagin was fluorescent blue.

Any adventurer with experience fighting these creatures knew this perfectly well.

Which meant that these harpoons and sickles hadn't wounded fishmen, but some other creature—most likely the villagers themselves. The weapons Sahuagin wielded were never this crude.

Beyond the drag marks, the indentations on the ground left by humans wrestling also supported this.

"So you mean the villagers here were already slaughtering each other before the fishmen attacked?" Sasha asked in confusion, the fluffy tail behind him swaying gently.

"Judging from the tracks, yes," Hein nodded slightly. "But we can't rule out other possibilities. For example, passing pirates might have attacked the residents of Twin Canyon, but before they could collect their spoils, they were ambushed by the fishmen."

"There's another thing," Lorraine added, finding it increasingly bizarre. "From what I know, this village in Twin Canyon has over a century of history. It has always been stable, with no vicious incidents. They couldn't have just started massacring each other for no reason, especially not right when we accepted the mission to come here. I suspect the villagers' abnormal behavior might be connected to the buildings we saw on our way here. Perhaps something warped their minds."

If Lorraine's guess was right, the inexplicably frenzied Spiral-Toothed Shark School their group had encountered in the storm earlier would also make sense.

However...

As he pondered this, a low, hoarse "galu" echoed from the tunnel entrance ahead, cutting off Xia Nan's train of thought.

(End of Chapter)