The location where Vera, Fayling, and Fayin currently found themselves was Oath City.
The reason for being here was simple: this place gathered the Kingdom's top potion masters, magic scholars, and temple priests.
And Vera was a patient who had suffered severe head trauma after a tragic battle.
Since that encounter, everything regarding the person "Sirian" in Vera's memory had been wiped clean as if out of thin air, leaving no trace.
This memory loss worried the twin sisters Fayling and Fayin greatly. They feared that one day Vera would wake up with his condition worsened, forgetting even about them completely.
After discussing it, the sisters decided to bring all their savings and come to the capital to seek medical help.
After adventuring for so many years, the three of them still had some savings.
The potion master examined him carefully: "This is not caused by external cranial trauma or residual toxins. My potions can do nothing."
The high-ranking priest shook his head: "I do not sense the aura of any curse."
Finally, under the guidance of others, the three found the Relic Association.
Although this organization established by mages and historians did not have clinics, due to their year-round study of various ancient relics, strange phenomena, and supernatural accidents, they often could provide unexpected solutions for intractable diseases that conventional means could not solve.
Receiving them was a middle-aged man wearing a dark blue scholar's robe with a calm temperament.
"Only the memory of a specific person has completely disappeared, while other memories, cognition, and personality remain intact?"
After receiving an affirmative answer from Fayling, he tapped his fingertips lightly on the table, showing confusion: "This is indeed odd. Whether it is physical brain damage or common mental interference magic, it is impossible to achieve such precise 'erasure.' Usually, it should be accompanied by large areas of memory confusion or loss."
The middle-aged scholar didn't have much of a clue either, but since he had collected the deposit, he still had to try his best.
"In any case, let's test with the association's Information Appraisal Instrument first. Maybe we can find some clues."
Hearing the other party say this, Fayling showed a disappointed expression: "We already did a test at the local Adventurer's Guild right when he lost his memory... Nothing was found."
Fayin also sighed. It seemed this trip was going to be fruitless as well.
Instead, Vera himself comforted the two sisters: "Alright, alright, it hasn't worsened after so long, maybe it's not too serious of a problem. Let's just leave it at that. Although I also want to recover my memory, we can't spend all our savings on this."
However, the scholar insisted: "Let's test it anyway. The appraisal instrument at the association headquarters is much more advanced than those at the adventurer branch guilds. Perhaps it can really discover some overlooked traces."
Although they knew the scholar was mostly comforting them, the deposit had been paid, so they might as well try!
Guided by the scholar, the group walked through the maze-like corridors and finally arrived at a room housing a giant magical instrument.
The scholar clearly hadn't exaggerated. The Relic Association's appraisal instrument was far more advanced than those in the Adventurer's Guild!
The massive metal base was engraved with layers of glowing runes. Complex copper pipes and crystal lenses formed intricate circuits. Just in terms of volume, it was three times larger than the one in the adventurer branch guild.
This raised a glimmer of hope in Fayling and Fayin's hearts.
However, when they arrived, a scholar was already operating the machine in the room.
Hearing the sound, that person looked back: "Redgrave, need to use the instrument? Wait a moment, almost done."
Not long after he finished speaking, the runes on the giant appraisal instrument gradually dimmed. With a crisp click, the hemispherical hatch cover located in the center of the instrument separated.
That person took out a rigid card recording data from the side slot, then leaned over and actually carried out a round, rolling Puchi from inside the cabin. He then left the room, yielding the instrument.
Vera and the other two looked at each other in dismay. They initially thought a person was sitting inside, but unexpectedly, it was a Puchi!
Seeing their curiosity, the middle-aged scholar, who was starting to adjust the instrument, explained casually: "Stay in the association for a few more days and you'll find this scene is very common. Nowadays, quite a few scholars take Puchis as key research subjects."
He operated the knobs and suddenly looked up at Fayin: "By the way, seeing your attire, you are also a mage... pardon my asking, do you specialize in the mental department?"
Fayin shook her head.
"That's good." The scholar glanced at No. 5, who was curiously poking the instrument casing with its tentacles, and his tone became somewhat serious as he kindly reminded, "If you have friends studying mental magic, be sure to remind them: absolutely do not cast any interactive mental magic on Puchis."
"Interactive nature?"
"Such as Charm, Mental Suggestion, Forced Domination, Dream Construction, and the like." The scholar's voice lowered slightly. "These Puchis possess... almost absolute counter-measures against such spells. Several serious accidents have already occurred because of this. The association is preparing to release relevant warnings to the public recently."
"Why is that?" Fayin lifted No. 5, who was clinging to her, and examined it left and right, finding it unbelievable.
"The reason is not yet clear. Those who might know the answer... have all become idiots by now. There are too many mysteries on Puchis; this is just one of them."
He turned to Vera and patted the ready instrument cabin: "Alright, Mr. Vera, please go in."
Ten minutes later, the instrument emitted a low hum, and the rune arrays dimmed in sequence. A rigid card with a faintly glowing edge popped out of the side slot.
The middle-aged scholar Redgrave stepped forward to remove the card and placed it into an auxiliary reading crystal slate.
He initially just scanned the flowing runes and data on it casually, but his gaze soon solidified. His body suddenly stiffened, and his fingers trembled involuntarily, almost failing to hold the thin card steady.
Fayling and Fayin, who had been staring at him closely, instantly had their hearts in their throats.
"What's wrong?" Fayling's voice was a bit tight. "Is it... some very serious problem?"
The scholar suddenly looked up, his eyes mixed with disbelief and confusion. He waved his hand quickly.
"No, no, not the kind of serious you're thinking of, but..." He looked down at the crystal slate again, as if to confirm he hadn't seen it wrong. "This result... I'm not sure if the instrument malfunctioned, or if... You wait here for a moment, absolutely do not leave! I'll go invite my teacher over to take a look immediately!"
He didn't even wait for the three to respond before clutching the card and almost stumbling out of the room, his footsteps hurriedly fading away in the corridor.
The door closed with a clang, leaving a stagnant silence in the room. The faint residual hum of the instrument sounded exceptionally clear at this moment.
"He... the way he looked just now..." Fayin's voice carried a crying tone as she tightly grabbed her sister's arm. "Will Vera really..."
"Don't think nonsense!" Fayling scolded, but her own face was equally pale. "Wait until that scholar's teacher comes!"
"But... what if Vera really turns into an idiot in the future..." The more Fayin thought, the more afraid she became, tears rolling down uncontrollably.
"Hey, hey, not that exaggerated, right?" The person involved, Vera, was actually the calmest one.
He walked up to Fayin, patted her shoulder, and tried to make a relaxed expression. "Look at me, aren't I fine right now? Can eat, sleep, and fight, just forgot one person, that's all."
No. 5 Puchi, lying on Fayin, extended a few soft tentacles and gently pressed them against her wet cheeks, trying to wipe away her tears.
Only, this wipe smeared the tears all over her face instead, making Fayin look even more wretched and pitiful.
Just then, the room door was pushed open violently!
The middle-aged scholar Redgrave returned. He stepped aside, respectfully ushering in an old man wearing a simple gray robe, with white hair and beard, but exceptionally clear eyes, who walked in briskly.
The gray-robed elder looked at Vera in the center of the room at first glance.
And when Vera and Fayling saw the elder's face clearly, they widened their eyes almost simultaneously and blurted out:
"It's you?!"
"You are... the person who saved us outside the dungeon back then?!"
This teacher urgently invited by Redgrave was actually the Vice President of the Relic Association!
The Vice President looked puzzled, staring at the three for quite a while before finally remembering the incident.
He immediately felt somewhat incredulous too: "I actually saved a Virtue Holder in passing back then! Fate is truly miraculous!"
The middle-aged scholar reminded in a low voice behind the Vice President: "Teacher, haven't done the re-test yet!"
"Right, right, let's confirm first. Young man, trouble you to sit in there again."
Watching Vera being stuffed into that massive appraisal instrument again, Fayling and Fayin exchanged a look full of confusion.
"Virtue?"
(End of Chapter)
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