Book 3: Chapter 316: Hope in Despair

Entering the lower district once again, it was much quieter here than when she had first arrived. The severely infected had already been captured and restrained, and many of those with serious symptoms had already died. The number of residents here had decreased significantly, and the streets were extraordinarily desolate. Only around the time when people collected their daily food rations could one spot any figures at all.

Looking at the bleak street scene, Sylutia sighed, then continued deeper inside, searching for suitable candidates to test the tincture.

Because this was still an unrefined tincture, casually finding an ordinary person wouldn't be appropriate. It was best to find Transcendents with a certain level of strength. Not only would their physical condition be better, but they could also more clearly describe their sensations and report how the tincture was taking effect.

Sylutia walked around for a while. Although she encountered several infected individuals along the way, they were all extremely weak. She worried that rashly using an experimental tincture might cause their already fragile bodies to fail to withstand it, so she didn't approach them.

Searching aimlessly like this really wasn't the right approach.

She stopped in her tracks, then casually waved her hand. From the shadow behind her emerged a Fourth Tier Shadow-Walking Beast.

Compared to when she had first subdued it, this creature had grown much larger now. Even standing on all four legs, it towered over Sylutia.

Approaching the young woman, it bent down and lay at her feet. Only then could Sylutia's hand reach the Shadow-Walking Beast's head.

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After stroking it for a while, Sylutia conveyed her purpose to it. The Shadow-Walking Beast then stood up, transformed into a flowing black shadow, and charged into the street ahead.

This time, Sylutia didn't wander around aimlessly. Instead, she made her way to the lower district's plaza and sat by the fountain pool to wait.

A dozen or so minutes later, a man who was continuously struggling and shouting was carried over in the Shadow-Walking Beast's jaws.

"Let me go, you beast!" His strength was around the Third Tier, and his body was robust. Judging by his appearance, he had probably been an adventurer in the past.

After being set down by the Shadow-Walking Beast, he cursed loudly, but the fear and tension he had originally felt finally eased somewhat.

Climbing up from the ground, he saw the silver-haired young woman not far ahead and immediately spoke up.

"I was just wondering how a monster like this could suddenly appear in Worze District. So it really is raised by you." He had intended to berate and curse at her, but upon sensing the oppressive pressure of the rank emanating from Sylutia, his voice gradually faded.

Forget it. When you're under someone else's roof, you have to lower your head. This young lady who appeared out of nowhere in front of him was not someone he could afford to offend.

"Hello, I asked my Shadow-Walking Beast to find a Transcendent with decent strength. I apologize for bringing you here in this manner." Sylutia bowed in apology.

Her gentle and polite demeanor left the man somewhat bewildered, but seeing that Sylutia's attitude was quite good, his anger subsided a bit.

"So you know this isn't right. Honestly... forget it. A young lady like you, why would you be here?" The man was also somewhat curious about Sylutia's identity.

"My name is Sylutia, and I come from the Hidden Grove Alliance in the south. I'm one of the pharmacists participating in resolving this plague disaster." Sylutia introduced herself.

...

"So, you're looking for someone to test your medicine on? Preferably a Transcendent?" The man's voice was mocking.

"Something like this doesn't seem right at all, does it? What if the medicine doesn't work as intended? Who do I complain to then?"

"That's true." Sylutia didn't refute him and nodded in agreement.

"However, my tincture truly is effective. I wonder if you happen to know any Transcendents whose condition is more severe. I should be able to help, and the physicians in the city can all vouch for my identity. There's no need to worry about deception or fraud."

"Oh? That confident, are you?" The man crossed his arms and studied Sylutia.

Although the matter was a bit unusual, looking at this young woman, she didn't seem like the type of scammer. And even if she were a scammer, who would run into a plague zone at a time like this? He shook his head.

She was probably indeed here to test medicine. But he still didn't quite believe it would work. After all, she looked very young. As an adventurer, he knew that in professions like physicians, the older ones tended to be more skilled. He had plenty of simple life experience to draw from.

Still, he did happen to know a few companions whose conditions weren't good. Rather than watching them slowly descend into madness, it might as well be worth trying now. What if it actually worked?

"Come with me then. But for the actual medicine-testing process, I'll need to take the person to the gathering point where the city's physicians are assembled. We'll do it there. Otherwise, it'll still be hard to trust your identity."

"I understand. That's fine."

Seeing that the man had agreed, Sylutia felt relieved.

Afterward, the man led Sylutia deeper into the lower district. He first took her through a collapsed ruin, then wound through a complex underground passage, turning this way and that, until finally arriving at a concealed stronghold.

Quite a few people were gathered here, both men and women. What they had in common was that their strength was decent. None of them were ordinary people. All were Second to Third Tier Transcendents.

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"Jiaman, why did you bring someone back?" Seeing an unfamiliar face, the people here immediately became vigilant, and quite a few surrounded them.

Seeing the tense situation, Jiaman raised his hand to calm everyone down, then began to explain.

"This is a physician I found. She says she can treat Abesha."

"A physician?"

The people here looked at Sylutia with her silver hair. This young woman was dressed in a relatively plain physician's robe today, with a small medicine box at her side. She did indeed look the part of a physician. However, the problem was that Sylutia's appearance was frozen at around seventeen years old. She looked far too young and inexperienced, like someone who hadn't fully grown up yet.

"You didn't go and find some apprentice physician, did you?" Someone laughed mockingly.

"That won't do. Abesha's condition isn't good right now, but rashly finding an inexperienced physician might make things even worse."

"You say she's a physician. Does she have a professional certification?"

Well, Sylutia actually didn't have one. After all, she had mostly been involved in treatment through her capacity as a pharmacist, without the extensive practical experience that true physicians possessed.

Fortunately, after receiving the inheritance from the Silver Radiance Church, she had gained a considerable amount of medical theory knowledge from it. Even without complete practical training, she had long since left the ranks of novices and beginners. As long as she continued to train and practice, becoming a great physician like those in the history of the Silver Radiance Church was only a matter of time.

But saying all that now would only invite suspicion. Sylutia thought for a moment, then opened the medicine box at her side and took out a specialized tincture she had refined.

Indeed, this tincture was her original creation, and it was likely that only she could refine it to the highest quality.

[Clear Dew of the Bright Flame Flower] (Fifth Tier, Verdant Nectar, Luminous Moon)

"The clear liquid swirled within the glass tube. The cornflower immersed within emitted a faint golden glow like flames, staining the liquid with a holy radiance."

Originally, this was used to purify the corrosive erosion suffered while adventuring in the Shadow World. However, it also had excellent effects for dispelling curses and driving away plague viruses within a certain range. But if taken orally, an ordinary person wouldn't be able to withstand the burning force of its purification. Its effects were simply too powerful.

Even before the bottle cap had been opened, the refreshing aura emanating from it spread through the air, making everyone present feel as though their senses had been sharpened. The fog that had been clouding their minds also cleared considerably.

"What is this..."

"I've never seen a tincture like this before. Could this be a new medicine you've developed that can dispel the plague and cure the infected?" Someone asked excitedly and eagerly.

"Unfortunately, while it can purify the plague in the external environment, it isn't suitable for the plague virus inside the body." Sylutia shook her head.

In truth, she had also tried modifying the Clear Dew of the Bright Flame Flower. The final result could suppress the virus in an infected person to about one percent. Unfortunately, it still fell short, and this was also the theoretical limit. If the dosage was increased further, the patient would likely die from being incinerated by the purifying flames.

In the end, even if development succeeded, this tincture would still be difficult to popularize. Her current ability to cultivate Bright Flame Cornflowers was limited, and she couldn't use this as a raw material to treat millions of people.

Perhaps only after she grew to become a Fifth Tier gardener like her mother would she be able to effortlessly cultivate such a vast sea of cornflowers.

The newly developed Blood Copper Tincture was different. Although the production process was cumbersome, the good news was that its requirements for material quality were low. Once it succeeded, it could be rapidly promoted and mass-produced. That was the tincture that could truly resolve the plague.

Seeing this young woman display her abilities, the people here finally stopped blocking her way. Jiaman led Sylutia into a room underground.

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The lighting was dim. Sylutia saw a woman suffering from the illness, and beside her were several children in similarly poor condition. They looked to be around thirteen or fourteen years old, and their bodies were currently bound with straps to prevent them from thrashing about wildly.

Jiaman stepped forward, asked the attendant on duty about the situation, then introduced the patient to Sylutia.

"Abesha is our big sister. Back when she was an adventurer, she mentored quite a few newcomers. I also received help from her when I first entered the profession. Later, she got

</path> married and had children, then retired from that line of work. We thought she would live out a peaceful and fulfilling latter half of her life, but who would have thought she'd encounter the plague."

"I see." Sylutia stepped forward to diagnose the woman lying there.

She appeared to be around forty years old. Her face was pale, sweat beaded on her forehead, and her eyes were closed. However, her brows furrowed from time to time, and her body shifted restlessly, as though she were having a nightmare.

"Abesha has been drinking a calming potion made by the Apothecary in our team, which can somewhat suppress her nearly uncontrollable reason. Signs of mutation have already begun to appear inside her body. We noticed that strange fleshy tendrils had grown from an old injury on her arm, and the physicians later cut them off. But even so, her condition remains highly concerning." Jiaman explained further.

"I understand." Sylutia pressed her fingers against the woman's body, then used the resonance between Bloodline Aspects to sense the situation inside her.

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Her condition was indeed quite dire. If it weren't for the calming potion suppressing it, Abesha would probably have already gone mad and lost control upon waking.

Sylutia looked at the several children sleeping nearby. Although the aura emanating from them was still relatively stable, there was also a faint sense of twisted mutation about them. They had probably been infected as well, just to a lesser degree.

Time to begin the medicine trial. Sylutia put down her medicine box and told Jiaman behind her.

"I need a relatively quiet environment. Also, no one should come to disturb me during this time. If you're worried, you can stand guard here, but whatever you do, don't interfere, and try to remain as quiet as possible."

"Alright, I understand." Jiaman knew this was an urgent matter and didn't say anything more.

Afterward, Sylutia took out the Blood Copper Tincture, then produced a bottle of her own [Purifying Water of the Clear Spring] (Second Tier, Luminous Moon), and added the tincture into it to dilute.

After shaking it evenly, Sylutia looked at the nearly transparent solution, then produced a syringe, drew out a portion, and turned over Abesha's wrist. After a simple wipe, she located a vein and carefully injected the needle, slowly pushing the plunger. The colorless liquid entered Abesha's body.

At first, there was no reaction. Then, over the following period, Sylutia successively administered three vials of the tincture. After that, she stopped and quietly observed the situation.

At this point, the woman's body began showing signs of mild discomfort, though this was within Sylutia's expectations. She took out a bracelet from her medicine box and slipped it onto the woman's arm.

Before long, the bracelet emitted a faint blue glow. As time passed, the blood vessels near where the bracelet rested gradually darkened in color. At this point, Sylutia once again took out a needle, inserted it into the darkened area, and drew out murky black blood.

If one were to examine it under a microscope, they would find numerous fine, flocculent Metallic Complex Precipitates in the blood. After draining this black blood, Abesha's discomfort visibly improved.

At this point, Sylutia examined and diagnosed her again. The plague virus in her body had currently dropped to around sixty percent. Afterward, she began repeating the previous process.

Inject the tincture, wait and observe, then drain the black blood.

After four such cycles, Abesha's face was pale and she had become exceptionally weak. However, the aura of flesh-and-blood mutation that had previously existed on her body had now nearly disappeared.

The virus had currently been reduced to the level of two percent. Although Sylutia wanted to know whether continuing could eliminate all the plague virus, considering the patient's condition, it was no longer suitable to continue injecting at this time.

She took out another tincture meant for replenishment and recovery, and fed it to Abesha to help her regain her strength and blood. Additionally, she brought out a vial of the Gray Rhinoceros Moon Tincture that the physicians had previously been testing. Although this tincture couldn't eradicate the virus at its root, its nature was gentle. It was now perfect for suppressing the virus and preventing it from rebounding.

After waiting two days for Abesha's body to recover, the second round of treatment could then be administered.

If everything proceeded as expected, the woman should be completely free of the plague virus after the second treatment concluded.

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After finishing all of this, Sylutia temporarily packed up her things and wiped the fine beads of sweat from her forehead. Only then did she have the presence of mind to look around, only to discover that several people were standing behind her. They had been trying their best to hold their breath and stay silent while Sylutia was working, which was why they hadn't startled the focused healer.

"You all..." Sylutia felt a bit embarrassed. Although the treatment had been effective, it wasn't quite perfect yet. She wondered what kind of assessment these people would make.

However, that was just her own thought. In the eyes of these people, after Sylutia's treatment, Abesha could no longer sense even a trace of the plague's twisted aura at all. This was practically a miracle, leaving them all in awe.

"Miss Sylutia..." One of them spoke, his voice trembling with excitement.

"Could this be the new medicine that will save us from the plague? The hope for us to survive?" Their eyes looked at this young woman, tense and full of anticipation.

This... how should she answer? Although hope had already appeared, Sylutia still didn't have full confidence in her heart.

But if she said those obscure and difficult-to-understand words of refusal at this moment, it would probably make the people here feel miserable and despairing.

"It truly is effective, though it's still being refined. I believe the plague will ultimately be overcome, and what you're seeing now is indeed hope."

That was enough. These people automatically ignored the earlier words about it being "unrefined." All they knew was that they no longer had to silently wait for death here. From now on, they could live to walk out of this plague zone and start their lives anew.

A few minutes later, resounding cheers erupted throughout the entire underground stronghold. One by one, people who heard the news excitedly ran to spread the word to others. Those who were still struggling and fighting against the plague also had traces of joy appear on their faces, feeling that the days ahead were no longer an endless despair.

Caught up in this wave of extreme emotion, Sylutia was lifted up by the crowd. Everyone shouted her name, like fervent cultists lost in frenzy.

"Sylutia!"

The sound traveled through the underground, until it stirred the guards and wandering residents on the surface above.