Chapter 106 Chapter 106: Bailu the Physician Declares Herself Powerless
Chapter 106: Bailu the Physician Declares Herself Powerless
Finally, after deciding on their destination, the two quickly followed the little girl to the residence she mentioned.
Even though she was completely blind, her long life of blindness had made her almost entirely accustomed to this world of darkness. She could even just feel her way along the wall while leading the way for Kevin and Qingque, and her pace was not slow at all.
Before long, Kevin and Qingque arrived at what she called home—a small courtyard of about two hundred square meters. In a place like the Exalting Sanctum, it couldn't be considered large, but it was just about average.
In any case, with the Xianzhou's capabilities, even if they couldn't ensure every Xianzhou resident lived a luxurious life, providing the most basic necessities like food and clothing without worry was absolutely guaranteed.
Although this place could be considered quite tidy, as if someone cleaned it regularly... it felt a bit too desolate, didn't it?
"Little one, are your parents away from home all year round?" Qingque poked her head around the small courtyard and asked.
After all, if both parents were home, wouldn't buying medicine and finding a physician be tasks for such a young girl with a congenital deficiency to handle on her own? These parents really aren't very responsible...
"They... they used to be artisans in the Artisanship Commission. Ever since they said they were going out to fight in a war once, they never came back."
The implication was clear: if they went out to participate in a war and never returned, what other outcome could there be?
But what was most heartbreaking wasn't that. The worst part was that when her parents left, this little girl had just reached an age of understanding. She might even remember that day very clearly—it was something she once had but ultimately lost.
In that instant, Qingque suddenly felt like she was the worst!
Kevin immediately turned his gaze toward Qingque, who understood his meaning and explained: "Because the Xianzhou Alliance often goes to war with Abundance-worshipping civilizations like the Borisin, sometimes the war situation can stalemate on a planet for months. So, many artisans often accompany the army to repair military machinery for the Cloud Knights on the spot."
"Alright, I'm just a low-level diviner; I'm not really familiar with these things..."
Although Qingque didn't understand, Kevin understood the consequences of war all too well—even if the Xianzhou Alliance was the dominant aggressor in the war, the other side still had the blessings of The Abundance. Even if they were largely outmatched, it wasn't impossible for them to take a bite out of the Xianzhou.
As long as it's war, it's never a game without casualties. War... is absolutely not something beautiful.
However, aside from historical hatred, a larger reason for the Xianzhou Alliance's campaigns against Abundance-worshipping civilizations stems from the highest level's Aeon of The Hunt... The essence of The Hunt Path includes concepts like 'revenge,' but waging continuous wars based on hatred is, in Kevin's eyes, already pathological.
Even though he doesn't yet understand whether civilizations in this universe that aren't strong enough might face even more unjust treatment. But such incessant wars undoubtedly won't cause too much disaster for the majority of high-ranking officials in a powerful entity like the Xianzhou Alliance. Instead, even a minor defeat can completely devastate a family like this one.
Kevin hasn't truly met the high-ranking officials of the Xianzhou Alliance or specifically the Luofu yet, but just from what he's seen now, he doesn't have a very favorable impression of them.
"Xiao Yu... is that Xiao Yu back?"
Suddenly, a voice that sounded quite aged and weak came from the room directly facing the entrance hall. This caused the little girl, who had been standing somewhat steadily beside Kevin, to immediately run into the room.
"Grandpa, grandpa. I'm back... Are you okay?"
Watching the little girl run into the room, Kevin and Qingque exchanged a glance and then followed her inside.
Upon entering the room, one could easily see the figure lying on the bed—to be honest, judging by appearance alone, the man the girl called 'grandpa' seemed to be only in his forties or fifties. But considering that Xianzhou people actually stop aging after reaching a certain age, one can't estimate their age based solely on appearance.
"Xiao Yu, Xiao Yu..."
Discovering his granddaughter had come to his bedside, the middle-aged man on the bed tremblingly extended his hands and began gently stroking the girl's head. This heartwarming scene continued until... he suddenly noticed Kevin and Qingque standing at the room's doorway.
"You, what are you doing here again! Get out! All of you get out!"
In an instant, a surge of strength seemed to erupt from the old man's seemingly frail body. Not only was his shout quite forceful, but he also tightly gripped the girl's wrist, turning it red in no time.
Slap—!
Even though treated like this, Xiao Yu gritted her teeth without making a sound. Fortunately, Kevin promptly slapped away the man's hand and then pressed down on him as he immediately tried to get up and do something.
But this press revealed something important: Kevin clearly sensed that the man's bodily functions were completely intact and undamaged, causing him to frown slightly.
"That's Mara-Struck. It's equivalent to a short-life species reaching their natural end; it has absolutely nothing to do with physical defects."
Fortunately, right at that moment, a petite figure with dragon horns and a tail suddenly slipped in through the doorway. After answering Kevin once, she walked forward, stared at the old man's struggling expression for a while, then nodded seriously and said: "Hmm, this is definitely Mara-Struck."
"Mara-Struck...?"
But this was completely different from what Kevin had seen before!
Before Kevin could even ask, Bailu seemed to already know his confusion and immediately explained: "Those Cloud Knights you saw earlier whose bodies were severely affected by Mara-Struck were actually abnormal phenomena. Throughout history, Mara-Struck on the Xianzhou has mostly been an affliction that appears in elderly people nearing a thousand years old."
"Their minds gradually fall into a state of cognitive dissonance and gradual collapse, but their bodies don't undergo major changes. Compared to that, those Cloud Knights' Mara-Struck condition is what's strange; it took me quite some time to suppress their symptoms... I came as soon as I heard this big brother's request."
At this point, Bailu paused slightly, then shook her head as she looked at the old man again: "But I'm sorry, I can't save him."
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