And divination was to better adapt to her role as a Lamp Moth Priestess.
Although Luyala could handle almost all divination needs, she couldn't rely too much on the little deer...
Thus, several attendees in the outer seats noticed a young woman in a scholar's overcoat feverishly taking notes, looking as if she were here to attend a class.
That girl... She really came to the academic symposium after all.
Albert quickly noticed Fran, who wasn't too far away.
He had initially wanted to use this opportunity to teach that sophistry-loving individual a lesson, but seeing her composed, focused appearance while listening to the lecture, he couldn't help but feel ashamed of himself... Ultimately, he dismissed the thought of causing trouble.
After the Mirror Lady from the Veiled Assembly finished presenting the latest perspectives on the secret text Dreams, Mirrors, and Omens of Fate, an attendant respectfully carried her mirror back to her seat. The next presenter, however, was slow to take the podium.
Just then, Terence slowly began an introduction.
"This conference has a special guest from a distant foreign land."
"She is a star-gazing scholar from the Stellar Abyss Society... Ms. Flamel."
Following his words and pointing finger, the gazes in the council chamber gradually fell upon the young woman who had just put down her pen and notebook.
"Hmm? My turn?"
Fran seemed to just now notice people looking at her. She hastily left her seat and walked up the steps to the podium.
Her demeanor was awkward. Behind her silver-rimmed glasses, her gaze wavered slightly, seemingly uncomfortable with so many eyes on her... like a socially-anxious researcher just dragged out of an ivory tower, naturally dull and naive.
Watching Fran bow slightly on the podium, Haida narrowed her eyes slightly.
A flawless disguise; even psychological profiling couldn't truly decipher her mental state... Hard to believe the somewhat shy girl on stage was actually the enigmatic Fog Street Doctor...
Albert felt more surprise.
His guess had come true; that Stellar Abyss Society girl really was here to give a lecture... The White Cup cult believed she possessed knowledge and ability equivalent to a professor?
"Good day, everyone."
Fran leaned close to the microphone, nimbly delivering her opening remarks.
"The topic I will present is—'The Enigma of the Human Body.' And the technology for enhancing the physical vessel."
With that, she raised her wrist and swiftly, deftly drew a perfect circle and a square overlapping it on a standing blackboard beside the podium.
That level of blackboard skill was indeed impressive, but most physics and geometry lecturers at Norlington Central Academy could do it easily; it wasn't particularly remarkable.
But Fran continued wielding the short piece of chalk in her hand, meticulously sketching a figure within the perfect circle.
The sound of chalk tapping the blackboard was short and dense. With her impeccable final stroke, what appeared on the blackboard was a human anatomical sketch strikingly similar to da Vinci's Vitruvian Man.
The figure was depicted in two states: arms spread horizontally and vertically, legs straight and splayed.
He was unclothed, serene in expression, vivid and lifelike... The proportions of his limbs were harmonious and full of beauty, as if containing some hidden meaning.
---
Clang!
Drawing a perfect rectangle and circle one-handed could be explained by practice, but sketching this da Vinci-esque Vitruvian Man human diagram with chalk in mere moments... could only be called miraculous.
Perfect golden proportions segmented the limbs of the male figure. The circle and rectangle constraining his movements also achieved a strange balance, imbuing this nude, unclothed human body with an indescribable sense of solemnity.
"That's... a human figure? She just freehanded a full-body portrait of a human?"
Albert stared intently at the young woman on the podium, one hand gripping the wooden armrest of his seat, unable to voice his astonishment.
Generally, the spirituality of the Enlightenment aspect could give people an advantage in reasoning and mathematics.
But the Stellar Abyss Society didn't revere Enlightenment, meaning... she likely didn't rely on mystical external aid but completed this complex and precise drawing solely with her own skill.
"Not only that."
Neville, seated nearby, examined it briefly before whispering to his younger colleague.
"She also added extra labels for organs, nerves, and muscle group distributions."
"The Stellar Abyss Society's emissary is so familiar with human anatomy, truly befitting a secret cult venerating the 'Cup' aspect... But even among them, probably only the foremost in the church could achieve this level."
Hearing this, Albert wiped the sweat beading on his forehead, somewhat stiffly reining in his emotions.
He was highly talented in the study of ciphertext and rituals, often called a genius. But to perform such precise human anatomical sketches in such a short time like this girl? He simply couldn't do it.
Jonsen took a sip of the deep red wine in his goblet, examining the sacred-feeling human diagram on the blackboard.
His thoughts were no longer immersed in the White Cup's weapon-forged armor showcase, instead growing interested in this somewhat peculiar young woman before him.
"The human body? I'd like to know what new twists can be wrung from this ancient topic that several cults have been playing with for centuries."
Some were puzzled, some surprised, some expectant...
Facing the silent, complex gazes from below, Fran put down the chalk, gently blew the dust from her fingertips, and began her explanation.
"Actually, this diagram holds no profound meaning; it's just a visual aid for easier understanding. No need for overly distant speculation."
"Now... I have a question for everyone."
She lightly adjusted her silver-rimmed round glasses, a glimmer of cunning flashing imperceptibly in her amber eyes.
"Setting aside incomprehensible mythical creatures and comparing only to ordinary animals... Is the human body's structure exquisite or crude? Superior or inferior?"
As Fran posed her question, murmurs and discussions began to rise in the council chamber.
"Is there even a need to think? Obviously, humans are more advanced."
After brief consideration, Jonsen from the front row delivered his verdict.
Although he was a Moon's Favored Viscount of the Molting Moon, formerly a vampire... he had once been human. Centuries of life and experience arguably gave him more authority in this field.
"In general ecological niches, humans have the highest concentration of Cup-phase spirit. Even setting aside the wisdom provided by the brain, the ability to concentrate spirituality in flesh and blood alone shows the qualitative difference between species."
"Hmm..."
The Mirror Lady beside him quite agreed with his statement.
Although the physical body wasn't a domain familiar to Lamp cult followers, the quality of spirit among different species did, as Jonsen said, show a gap hard to ignore.
For example, she could divine a person's fate but couldn't use such secret arts on birds or ants. Their spirit and existence were too minuscule to leave traces in the past and future of the starry realm, making revelations difficult to find.
"Note, Ms. Flamel's proposition is about bodily 'structure.' 'Spirit' isn't something inherent in bloodlines."
Terence responded in a deep voice.
As a professor, his attitude toward academic questions was clearly more rigorous. But compared to voicing his own views, he wanted to listen carefully to what explanation Dr. Fran would offer.
"Just as Professor Terence said..."
Fran gave a slight nod, a hint of excitement rising in her tone.
She seemed like a long-secluded researcher, unfamiliar with the world, suddenly speaking about her most beloved field. Her entire person became radiant, even a bit excited.
"The structure of the human body is less like the artistry of a creator... and more like a haphazard assembly of flawed components."
"Even compared to the small animals commonly seen around us, human defects are evident."
"Such as?"
Terence frowned slightly, pressing somewhat urgently.
'The human body is a haphazard assembly of flawed components'—this is indeed a novel argument I haven't heard before. And coming from Dr. Fran makes it even more impossible to ignore...
"The eyes!"
Fran lightly raised an index finger, pointing toward her amber pupils behind her glasses.
"The structure of the human eyeball is a rather foolish design... because the vascular network providing nutrients lies in front of the retina. This causes the images humans see to be actually distorted. A significant portion of what you see right now comes from the brain's own compensation."
"In birds, the vascular network isn't blocking the front of the retina but is located in the pecten membrane at the back near the optic nerve. This gives their eyes a wider field of view, sharper vision, and broader color perception."
How could ordinary human naked-eye vision compare to that of hawks and falcons soaring the skies?
Undoubtedly, this was a highly persuasive example.
"So that's how it is..."
Haida glanced sideways, noticing Vivian beside her murmuring thoughtfully.
Noticing the nun's gaze, Vivian leaned close to her ear and explained in a low voice.
"After sharing vision with the Calling Bird, the caster's sight becomes much sharper and they see a wider variety of colors... Some with overly high spiritual awareness even see dazzling hallucinations."
"Speaking of which, the Confidential Division has specialized desensitization training."
Jonsen tried to understand the specialized terms in Fran's speech. Though still somewhat unclear in the end, he grasped the general meaning.
"Indeed, human eyes cannot compare to birds'."
He nodded, acknowledging this point, but not fully agreeing.
"Since you said the human body is a 'haphazard assembly of flawed components,' there must be other examples, right? If it's just the eyes, that wouldn't earn my recognition."
"Of course."
Fran held a slender black pointer, lightly tapping the heart area on the sketched figure.
"The next key point is the heart."
If not for the occasion and her identity, she would have loved to take a heart from her medical kit and explain while dissecting it live. Preferably a living one, still with some fresh pulsation...
"Humans have four heart chambers, divided into left and right sections. Yet each section relies on only one coronary artery for blood supply... Once blockage occurs, an acute heart attack almost immediately follows."
"This is a defect left over from ancient times when humans were still crawling. Because humans abandoned crawling for bipedalism, the shoulders, neck, and entire head became positioned higher than the heart... increasing the pressure needed to pump blood upward."
"Increased blood pressure, but the cardiovascular and cerebrovascular systems remain as fragile as before... This also means the vast majority of humans suffer from cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases in old age."
Her voice was gentle and youthful, yet also carried a smooth, flowing narrative familiarity.
"In fact, many animals have more complete hearts with multiple blood vessel supplies."
"For example, whales, dogs, or donkeys..."
As Fran described the details, she used chalk to draw comparative diagrams on the blackboard, meticulously showing the differences in hearts among different creatures.
Terence's gaze was deep and focused, fixed on the person lecturing on stage, unwilling to miss any content.
It had been many years since this professor adopted this student-like posture, but the person lecturing on stage might truly qualify to be his teacher.
Although he originally knew this doctor's level was high... only now did he gain a relatively clear understanding of it.
"Whew..."
Through the soft silk gloves, Fran rubbed her slightly sore fingers.
The tiring part of public lectures like this was the large amount of blackboard writing, and she herself had very high standards for its quality... This easily led to exhausting oneself halfway through writing.
"There are many other examples."
"Inefficient lungs, a spine prone to bending, and the narrow pelvis making childbirth difficult... I won't list them all one by one."
Fran flicked her thumb, and the piece of chalk in her hand landed precisely in the paper box in front of the podium. Clearly, she had no intention of continuing to write on the blackboard...
Albert stared at the comparative diagrams and analyses on the blackboard, feeling an inexplicable sense of frustration.
This girl named Flamel seemed around his age, yet she could speak confidently at the academic symposium's council chamber, even presenting academic results that surprised White Cup professors and other secret cult disciples...
But simultaneously, he felt genuine excitement at being exposed to cutting-edge knowledge beyond the Children of the Whiskered Tree's collection.
"Ms. Flamel, I think... humans have at least one organ other creatures cannot compare to, right?"
Albert stood up to ask. Several people in the surrounding seats turned their gaze toward this guest from the Children of the Whiskered Tree.
"Of course."
Fran nimbly waved the black pointer, tapping her own head.
"The brain."
"A patched-together, broken-down ship, yet equipped with the most advanced command center. Brain capacity breaking through the threshold brought Enlightenment and wisdom, granting the entire species the power to transform nature. It also made the series of flaws mentioned earlier an acceptable price."
Even the Space Marine implantation surgeries used by humanity in the 30th Millennium never included designs to alter the brain, at most implanting a layer of suspended animation membrane.
This was precisely because its design from ten thousand years ago was already sufficiently advanced, the only organ not requiring further modification.
Any interference with the brain was unwise, even stupid, like the Butcher's Nails. Oh, speaking of which, that Primarch's intelligence level after ascending to daemonhood had fallen below the average Ork's; truly pitiful...
This answer was exactly what Albert had guessed.
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T/N: Hey readers~! New Translator here! Before I say anything, I'd first like to thank the original author for creating this wonderful story. Without them, I wouldn't have the chance to share this adventure with you. I hope my translation does justice to their work, and that together, we can enjoy this story.
With that said, I'm happy to let you know I'll be uploading daily chapters. And for those who wish to support my work and gain early access, I've set up a Patreon where advanced chapters will be available.
[email protected]/PeakTL