CH 5

The weeping nun was ruthlessly driven out.

The three-meter-wide auntie personally took action.

Rode felt like he was about to split apart.

This nun's fingers were thicker than his arms, with a strength surpassing that of a hydraulic press of ten thousand tons. Rode felt like there were ten thousand cows galloping on his back and forty thousand iron hooves trampling his soul.

She continued to ramble on while torturing him.

"...These dead girls are really troublesome. They don't want to follow any rules. If we don't discipline them, our medical facility will lose its license in a few days."

Rode felt incredulous. "Aren't you a legitimate institution? Wasn't I here to treat my amnesia?"

"Of course we are a legitimate institution."

Yusef's force on Rode's body increased by two notches. Rode felt like his waist was about to break, and his throat let out a groan of unbearable weight.

"We are a level-one medical facility of the Holy Church, and the first page of the Healing Sect's medical bill. There is no more legitimate institution than us. All of our healing nuns are excellent graduates from Kimberly. Our nursing and healing courses are all full marks... And I, Yusef of Red Rose Street, am the legend of Kimberly Academy, the only healer who scored full marks in the combat course!"

Rode's mouth was crooked with pain.

"Then why don't you go into combat?"

Yusef's tone was slightly surprised. "I am a logistics personnel. Combat is naturally the responsibility of combat personnel. How can I go beyond my duties? Oh... are you worried that I am not professional enough? Heh heh, little guy, you can rest assured that no one is better than me at treating amnesia."

This was the most difficult part for Rode to understand.

"Your method of treatment is just massage?"

Yusef laughed. "Of course not. This is just to make contact with your soul, to let your soul enter a deeper state of tranquility. The real treatment has not yet begun."

Suddenly, something clicked in Rode's mind.

Could this be the reason why he entered that strange world just now?

"So, that was my spiritual world in my dream?"

"Was my headache caused by that stone tablet? The husky that was wrecking my brain was actually that black ghost?"

Thinking of that series of strange encounters, Rode had a bad feeling.

Could this dream world have something to do with the migration team's situation?

Am I really the murderer?

No, not necessarily.

I have to think positively. Maybe I can find some clues from the dream world.

Yes, I still remember the font of those unfamiliar characters. I can ask the auntie later.

While Rode was pondering, he heard Yusef continue to speak:"You're very lucky, young man. The first-level medical facility is not a place that ordinary people can come to. You have to thank Mr. Vemil for that. Without him, you wouldn't have come to me."

"Mr. Vemil...is that White Wolf?" Rode asked.

"Yes, he is. How come you don't know him...oh, you have amnesia, poor little guy," Yusef said, looking at him with pity.

"I, Yusef, promise you that I will cure you and make you remember even the years when you wore diapers," Yusef said affectionately.

"Thank you, you guys are really good people. I originally thought you were an unregulated organization..." Rode felt a bit embarrassed.

Yusef smiled slightly and said, "The Healing Order not only takes care of the medical needs of the body and spirit, but also has the responsibility of a mental health doctor. That's why the nuns are very easy to get along with. And clean, white and tender little brothers like you are their favorites, so they may take advantage of their position...but don't worry, as long as I'm here, your chastity won't fall into their clutches."

"Please don't interfere and let them come..." Rode silently mocked in his heart, feeling that the image of this kingdom was becoming somewhat fuzzy in his mind.

He originally thought this was a harsh, closed, and ignorant society similar to feudal dynasties or the Middle Ages, but it was much more enlightened than he had imagined. Yusef's witty and open speech showed no signs of that ignorant paranoia.

Although she was just one person, it was a glimpse into the whole.

Were these really human groups that survived in this harsh post-apocalyptic environment?

Rode fell into contemplation.

After a while, the hellish massage finally ended, and Yusef smiled and said, "Okay, now your spirit has entered a deep state of tranquility, and you must be feeling very comfortable. It's just right for my next ceremony of spirit return."

Rode's whole body was sore and he weakly responded.

Yusef stood up and placed her large palm on the back of his head.

With a strange wind chime sound, she recited, "Scattered spirit, please return from the spirit world."

"Like a baby attached to its mother, like a ghost returning to the grave!"

"This is your origin!"

A strange feeling swept over Rode's whole body, like stepping into a cool room on a hot summer day, and the feeling of a breeze passing through his pants.

But it quickly disappeared, and Yusef's surprised voice came from above his head.

"Why did it fail?"

Rode's heart sank, and he tried to remember, but there was no new information in his memory.Yusef fell silent for a moment, then tried again, but still failed.

"This is strange..."

She fell into a long silence, and Rode hesitated for a long time before cautiously saying, "Um, maybe it's because I didn't completely relax. Should we change to another nun...?"

Yusef looked up and smiled gently, "Little guy, it's not your fault. The appearance of the summoned spirit means that the previous work was not a problem. Your situation is complicated, and there are unexpected difficulties. Hmm... I need to go to the Great Library, which may take some time. But don't worry, what I said will not be in vain."

But Rode was not confident. According to Murphy's Law, once there are unfavorable signs, things always develop in a worse direction.

"No, I can't just sit and wait for death. I must think of another way."

Thinking of this, Rode quickly said, "Yusef...sister, can I ask you for a favor?"

Yusef smiled, "Speak up, little guy. Based on your honest character, I will agree."

Rode said softly, "I want you to talk to me. You know, I have amnesia. I don't remember anything, my parents, family, friends, everything I'm familiar with has disappeared. I can't read or understand anything, and I have no money. This city is a strange place for me, but I have to survive here alone. I'm very lonely, it seems like there's only me in this world. So I want to talk to you, maybe I can have one more friend, maybe it can bring back everything I'm familiar with."

His tone was sincere and full of emotion, and with his helpless and innocent appearance, Yusef's eyes suddenly became moist.

"Poor little guy, what can't I promise for such a small request?"

Rode's acting skills were 120% effective, and amnesia was a perfect excuse. No matter what the problem was, he could ask it without any obstacles.

And Yusef was even more approachable than imagined, especially easy to talk to. Rode easily extracted a lot of information from her, and even asked about the words he saw in his dream without any suspicion.

But unfortunately, Yusef did not recognize this kind of writing.

"This is not Nalaka language or Sasorania language. It looks a bit like Mazis language, but there are no phonetic symbols... It seems to be a very ancient language. Maybe you can find someone who knows it at Kimberly Academy."

Rode was about to ask what Kimberly Academy was when he saw Yusef jump up like her butt was on fire.

"What..."Without finishing a word, Aunt Yusef grabbed his hand tightly.

"Okay!"

Her fat face bloomed like a king protea.

"You can do it!"

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Rode asked dumbfoundedly, "What can I do?"

But Aunt Yusef didn't answer. She pulled him and burst out of the Yusef Medical Center.

Outside the medical center was an empty street. The blue slate was covered with moist mist, emitting a strange smell. On both sides of the street were single-family buildings built of blue stones, and a lamp was hung in front of each building.

The dim light dispelled the darkness, but if you looked up, you could see the pervasive black mist shrouded over the city.

Rode shivered slightly. This was the Royal City, the city with the strongest Holy Fire, and it still looked so oppressive.

What would it feel like to be surrounded by black mist all day if you left the Royal City?

Rode recalled the scene when he was in the pile of corpses and suddenly understood what Aunt Yusef meant when she said they also had the duty of a psychiatrist.

People who fought in this environment for a long time must be very depressed.

Rode felt a little bleak in his heart and tried not to imagine.

He looked around, and the street was quiet, with no one around. But in this midnight-like environment, it didn't seem abrupt.

"Oops, it's already a quarter past noon. I don't know if we can make it."

Aunt Yusef glanced at her watch and pulled Rode to run.

The strong wind hit their faces, and Rode finally found a gap and shouted, "Where are we going?"

"To the Grand Festival of the Royal City. There are still the last two hours of the Trial of Fire this year. The Holy Cup of Fire should not be extinguished yet. Maybe you can make it."

"What?" Rode was shocked.

Aunt Yusef explained quickly.

"Little guy, I just tested it. Your soul is tough, the waveform is obvious, the ripple is clear, the spiritual pressure is flashing, maybe you can pass the Trial of Fire and get the blessing of fire, ignite the fire seed."

"In that case, you will enter the Kimberly Academy and become a glorious fire holder student. There are countless companions in the academy, teachers, and the old and immortal dean. You won't be alone, and you don't have to worry about knowing nothing. They will teach you everything. You don't have to worry about your livelihood either. Every student has a minimum weekly salary of 42 silver suos and personal supplies worth 90 silver suos. If you are excellent enough, there are various scholarships and supplies."

"This is your best choice."

Rode was a little confused and shouted, "What is the Kimberly Academy for?"At this moment, the advantage of amnesia was once again revealed, and the aunt explained it to him in great detail.

"Only when the fire ignites our souls do we have the power to protect our homeland and fight against monsters in the darkness. The person who ignites the fire of the soul is called the Fire Keeper, meaning the person who can hold the power of fire."

"And the Kimberly Academy is the school that trains and cultivates Fire Keepers. It is one of the most important pillars of the royal city and our hope for the future."

"Once you become a student, you will receive the most abundant resources, the best treatment, the most meticulous protection, and the most valued status, because you are the 'spark of fire,' the future, the royal city exists because of you, and the last human kingdom continues because of you."

Rode was completely stunned, but when he heard the last sentence, he asked incredulously, "Last? Is there no one else besides us?"

The aunt's voice was slightly low, "I think so. The world has long been shrouded in darkness, and the black mist that erodes everything permeates every part of it. Humans have long been extinct, and countless powerful kingdoms have become the lairs of dark monsters. We are the only survivors. We have been listening to the world for a long time, but in this dark desert, there is nothing understandable except meaningless noise. And some scholars still believe that there must be a royal city like ours in the depths of darkness. I am pessimistic about this."

Rode's heart sank suddenly. He had just been planning to run away with his bag once the situation was exposed and he couldn't find a way home, and find another human force to survive.

But now, there was a big change in the situation, and everything had to be replanned for the future.

Rode's mind was spinning, and he asked the most important question in this last moment.

"Are there any untouchable taboos in the Royal City and the Kimberly Academy?"

The aunt thought for a moment and answered.

"Except for the standards of the Holy Church, all religions, rituals, prayers, and worship are not allowed."

"Do not pray to anything other than fire, and any unknown symbols and rituals are prohibited."

"Do not light or extinguish natural fires in public places without authorization, or you will be severely punished."

Rode remembered every word and asked, "Anything else?"

The aunt pondered for a moment and answered.

"The rest is about the soul characteristics and fire seed abilities that appear after igniting the fire of the soul. It is much more relaxed now than before, and there is only one type that is unforgivable."

Rode asked hurriedly, "What is it?"

The aunt answered, "Soul devouring."