To treat Laurentina, Lucas Reeve prepared to return to Columbia.
However, it was quite a distance from Iberia to Columbia. One was in the far north of Terra, the other in the far south, and at a diagonal, making the distance even greater.
Lucas Reeve had already summoned his beloved aircraft, [Stardust], to return to Columbia with Skadi.
Lucas Reeve also told Skadi about the other thread he had accidentally discovered, the one pointing to the deep sea. But when he tried to look for it now, the thread seemed to have vanished again.
On the aircraft.
Laurentina's state was a tiny bit... devout.
This strange personality, as the most devout believer of the god, had naturally accepted Skadi as the god's emissary after witnessing His descent. Her attitude was extremely respectful, calling her "Honorable Emissary" at every turn. Whatever Skadi asked her to do, Laurentina would do obediently. Especially when those brilliant, ruby-like eyes looked at Skadi, they were filled with fanaticism, and even... faintly... hearts?
Hearts? That's not a good sign.
But Lucas Reeve knew.
Laurentina wasn't looking at Skadi. She was just coveting Skadi's status. As the god's emissary, she could be so close to the god. For a devout believer, this was her greatest wish.
That's why she was so obedient to Skadi, hoping to win the god's favor.
Laurentina's current state.
Reminded Lucas Reeve of a *doujinshi* he read on a certain pink app in his past life.
The theme was also a most devout nun. Then someone pretended to be an emissary sent by the god, making the pious nun obey his every command, even ordering her to do unspeakable things. He even claimed that as long as she "satisfied" him, the god's emissary, she too could become the god's personal attendant.
Tsk tsk...
It's too similar.
Innocent_Nun_God's_Emissary_Obedient_Church_Secret_Room.avi
"Skadi, how do you think my aircraft compares to the ones in Aegir?"
Lucas Reeve knew Aegir's technology level was likely very, very high, probably far surpassing not just Terra, but even the Earth of his past life by many, many years. But Lucas Reeve still wanted to ask, to understand the gap. After all, [Stardust] was his baby, built with his own hands, using the most advanced technology on the continent of Terra. Lucas Reeve felt that no nation on Terra had an aircraft comparable to this one.
Even the aircraft of his past life couldn't compare.
After all, Lucas Reeve's [Stardust] used Nirvana Metal for its exterior, capable of tanking Originium missiles head-on. Its engine was powered by Active Originium Crystal. Translated to his past life's terms, this was basically a nuclear-powered plane.
"Uh....."
Skadi fell silent.
"Sorry, I don't know either. I've never seen an Aegir aircraft. Before becoming an Abyssal Hunter, I was just an ordinary civilian. Next time you see the Squad 2 Captain, Mr. Reeve, you can ask her. She's very knowledgeable."
Skadi smartly chose a neutral answer.
After all, in Skadi's eyes, Lucas Reeve was a god of the land. Although he was very friendly and easy-going, she still had to be careful when speaking with him.
"Lady Skadi."
Laurentina suddenly spoke, her dazed eyes fixed on Skadi.
"Were you just speaking with the Lord God?"
Laurentina grew excited, her eyes flashing red. In her memory, she was the god's most devout believer, wanting to become the god's one and only. Even if it meant offering this body to the Lord God, Laurentina would not hesitate.
"Uh... uh...."
The look in Laurentina's eyes grew increasingly frenzied.
"I want to cut... I want to cut you, Lady Emissary, into pieces. That way, I'll be the only one left by the Lord God's side..."
Her mental state was extremely unstable for some unknown reason, and this instability manifested as intense aggression. However, according to Skadi, Laurentina's current strength had severely declined for some reason, which was why Skadi could subdue her so easily.
"Calm down!"
Just as Laurentina was about to go berserk, Lucas Reeve once again took over Skadi's body. A pale finger poked Laurentina's forehead. Instantly, with the suppression of his Spiritual Power, the neurotic, frenzied personality in Laurentina's mind was suppressed.
Laurentina returned to her rational and polite nun state.
She knelt before Skadi, hands clasped, praying to the great god.
This scene was a little bizarre.
Skadi thought for a moment, took out her phone, and snapped a photo of Laurentina as a souvenir. If Laurentina's consciousness ever returned, this could serve as proof of her social death.
The aircraft was very fast.
It took seven hours to get from Iberia to Columbia.
By the time they arrived, it was already evening, close to dark.
By that count.
Skadi hadn't slept for two days. She had run all night yesterday to get there, and today she had been fighting all day. During the several hours on the plane, she had to watch Laurentina in case she went crazy again, so she couldn't rest.
But for an Abyssal Hunter with a tough physique, this was no problem at all.
The aircraft arrived at the Raythean Medica warehouse. Since Jessica and the others had been informed ahead of time, specialized personnel from the medical division were waiting to examine Laurentina as soon as the plane landed. Skadi stayed by her side the whole time. Although Laurentina seemed obedient now, there was no telling when she might suddenly go berserk.
Because Laurentina was an Abyssal Hunter, and an Abyssal Hunter's body was an absolute secret to ordinary people on Terra, the examination was conducted entirely by Silence.
However, Laurentina seemed frightened by the quiet and deep environment of the examination room and wouldn't cooperate.
With Skadi's permission.
Silence administered a sedative injection to Laurentina.
However...
One... two... three... ten... fifty...
A full one hundred vials of sedative had no effect on Laurentina whatsoever. And that was the entire lab's stock. After all, one vial could knock out a normal person for a long time, but a hundred vials did nothing.
Silence was internally reeling. She finally understood why Mr. Reeve had asked her to handle the examination alone and dismiss all other staff.
A person with this kind of physique... if too many people found out, Silence couldn't imagine the uproar it would cause.
"Mr. Reeve, we're out of sedatives. I need to request more from other areas."
"Thank you for your hard work, staying late tonight."
Lucas Reeve smiled faintly.
Silence quickly shook her head. "I enjoy research. Mr. Reeve, asking me to be solely responsible for this young lady's examination shows your trust in me. I naturally cannot betray your and Miss Jessica's trust."
A little later.
Jessica, after hearing Mr. Reeve had returned, also arrived at the Raythean Medica lab with Nian and Surtr.
As for Dusk, she continued to be a shut-in. The Nine-Colored Deer was babysitting.
"Mr. Reeve~"
Jessica waved at Lucas Reeve, who was floating near Skadi. When she saw Skadi, Jessica marveled at how well she maintained her skin, and at her rare white hair and red eyes. Since Jessica already knew about Skadi, and the Nine-Colored Deer had personally confirmed Jessica's romantic destiny, Jessica was no longer worried. Heaven itself had sealed the deal.
"You must be Miss Skadi?"
Skadi looked at Jessica and nodded politely.
"Hello, I am Skadi."
But Skadi's attention was entirely on Nian and Surtr.
This strange feeling, though slightly different from Lucas Reeve's, shared a similar origin.
*Are these two also gods of the land?*
*Are the gods of the land this idle? Mingling with humans?*
Surtr only had eyes for Lucas Reeve, showing no interest in Skadi.
Due to the urgency.
The logistics staff immediately delivered several more boxes of sedatives from the warehouse. To prevent running out again, Silence ordered five hundred vials this time.
Finally.
After another fifty vials—a total of one hundred and fifty.
The sedative seemed to take effect.
Laurentina gradually fell asleep. Silence breathed a sigh of relief. *Finally asleep...*
With Laurentina asleep, the subsequent examination was much easier.
Silence performed a massive, full-body checkup on Laurentina. When the report came out, Silence almost lost her composure again. This report... couldn't be described as human.
Ridiculous...
Too ridiculous.
Setting aside the absurd physical constitution.
Laurentina's spinal fluid had been injected with an ultra-high concentration of liquid Originium.
What did "ultra-high concentration" mean?
If the liquid Originium in her system were released, it would be enough to infect an entire small city...
This level of liquid Originium, even diluted a thousand times, could kill a normal person instantly.
Yet, when used on one person, it had *only just* managed to infect her with Oripathy.
This person...
Silence was completely stunned when she got the report. Although she had guessed this girl was formidable back when the hundred sedatives failed, she never expected it to be *this* ridiculous. It completely transcended Silence's understanding.
Even.
Silence found it somewhat ironic.
Rhine Lab's "Super Soldier Project," which they had poured countless funds into, probably hadn't produced an end product as strong as this girl's little finger.
In that case.
The cause of her neurosis was also found. It was because the liquid Originium in her spinal fluid was directly affecting her cerebral nerves, thereby creating a new personality. As for the treatment, it was relatively clear: she just needed to be treated for Oripathy. The so-called mental problems were just a byproduct of the Oripathy's progression.
Such cases also existed among many Infected.
For example, if the Oripathy lesion was in the chest, when the Originium crystals invaded the thoracic cavity and lungs, it would cause a disease called "Crystallized Lungs." If it invaded the heart, it could easily induce various heart diseases.
However.
There weren't many Infected whose nervous systems were invaded.
After all, invading the nervous system required very harsh conditions. The lesion needed to be precisely on the nerves connecting to the brain. For example, Rosmontis's Infected Organ was implanted directly in her brain. If left untreated, it would also induce mental illnesses to some extent.
"Oh, it's just Oripathy. Then we're fine."
If it were any other disease, Lucas Reeve might not have a solution. But for Oripathy, he was completely confident now. Seeing Lucas Reeve's confidence, Skadi also quietly breathed a sigh of relief. As long as there was a way, it was good news.
Under Silence's guidance.
Skadi moved Laurentina to a specialized private hospital room. Jessica, Nian, and Surtr followed behind.
Due to the sedative, Laurentina still lay quietly on the hospital bed. Her nun's habit had long since been removed and replaced with a Rhine Lab patient gown. Although the thin patient gown was loose, as she lay flat on the bed, it still couldn't hide Laurentina's curvaceous figure.
*Do all Abyssal Hunters have such perfect figures? It must be a racial talent.*
Jessica and Nian combined couldn't even compete.
Lucas Reeve possessed Skadi's body.
The energy inside Skadi's body, which was even more advanced than Originium energy, was better suited for Lucas Reeve to utilize 'Rules'. He hadn't been idle these past few days. With constant practice and comprehension, he had achieved a breakthrough in his understanding of the Rules.
Lucas Reeve walked over.
He turned Laurentina's body over so her back faced him. Then, he slowly undid the buttons on the back of her patient gown, revealing her jade-like white back. There wasn't a single flaw on her back, not even a single pimple. Her skin was like milk, simply perfect.
Mmph!
Jessica puffed her cheeks unhappily, looking adorable like a hamster. Although it *looked* like Skadi was unbuttoning Laurentina's clothes, Jessica knew it was actually Mr. Reeve.
Skadi's eyes turned completely black. Deep within her pupils, the crimson, four-pointed diamond pattern surfaced, flowing with golden light.
'Rule' released.
In Lucas Reeve's vision.
On Laurentina's white skin, a very dense line of Originium energy was flowing along her spine, spreading throughout her body.
Golden runes of 'Rule' wrapped around Lucas Reeve's fingers. He pressed his index and middle fingers together, precisely aiming at Laurentina's 'vital point' and poking.
With a flash of golden light.
Bit by bit, the Originium energy was transferred out of Laurentina's body under Lucas Reeve's control.
Lucas Reeve naturally wouldn't waste such pure energy.
After all, this purity of liquid Originium surpassed even High-Purity Originium. Even Lucas Reeve himself would need a significant amount of time to refine something like this. Having it readily available in Laurentina's body, wasting it would be shameful.
Under Lucas Reeve's refinement.
The Originium energy in Laurentina's body slowly overflowed, condensing in mid-air into a viscous sphere. When it had gathered enough, Lucas Reeve squeezed it. The floating liquid Originium instantly condensed into a small, super-concentrated Originium crystal, its purity far exceeding almost all High-Purity Originium on Terra today.
Tsk tsk...
If such a small crystal was made into a bomb.
The explosive power of a single bomb would probably be enough to destroy a mobile city.
Refinement complete.
Lucas Reeve had absorbed most of the Originium energy from Laurentina's body. Without that energy supply, the Oripathy posed little threat to Laurentina's Abyssal Hunter constitution.
At the same time, Laurentina's bodily functions immediately recovered. Previously, her functions had been severely suppressed by the Oripathy under the ultra-high concentration of Originium energy. Now that the supply was cut off, the Oripathy couldn't suppress the Abyssal Hunter's body at all.
Her bodily functions restored.
The effect of one hundred and fifty vials of sedative seemed insufficient.
Laurentina's eyelids twitched a few times, and she slowly opened her eyes.
Her eyes were still red, but completely different from the previous madness. This time, there was only clarity in them.
Laurentina sat up and yawned. The collar of her loose patient gown slipped down, revealing a white shoulder and flawless collarbone.
"That was a great sleep~"
Laurentina said lazily.
"I never thought sleeping with sedatives would be so comfortable. This might be the best sleep I've had since becoming an Abyssal Hunter."
"Thanks, everyone. And... Lord God... oh~ and Little Skadi~"
A sly look flashed in Laurentina's eyes as she looked at Skadi.
Lucas Reeve left Skadi's body.
Skadi looked at the familiar expression in her comrade's eyes, thought for a moment, and pulled out her phone. She aimed it at Laurentina, displaying the photo of Laurentina kneeling before her on the plane, praying.
"..."
"FUCK!! Delete it, Skadi!!!"
Her composure shattered in one second.
Laurentina instantly turned into a fiery-tempered beauty.