The Last Gentleman

Listening to the description of the secret medicine, Yi Chen fell into deep thought again.

However, this time, it wasn’t about the concept of the secret medicine or matters like doctors and clinics.

Instead, he combined the details and descriptions from this mission and found a peculiar point.

“Edmund, you said that the raw materials for the elixir are derived from the infected.

Could the 'False Moon Incident' in Vinal City be related to the development of the elixir?”

As soon as these words were spoken, Edmund froze, raising a finger to his lips.

“William~ Such words mustn’t be spoken lightly.

Besides, the information provided to us by the organization clearly states that the open source patients labeled as 'Moonscars', the infected, possess a concealment ability far surpassing those of the same level.

The False Moon Incident erupted suddenly, without the local gentlemen or the clinic noticing anything.”

Edmund, who was born into a noble family, had been instilled with the principles associated with gentlemen since childhood. He had even met visiting doctors who came to his family.

He firmly believed that those who could qualify to run a clinic must have noble character and would not be directly or indirectly involved in such heinous incidents.

“I’m merely speculating.

After all, you just mentioned that the crafting of the secret medicine requires infected.”

Realizing he might have overreacted, Edmund adjusted his posture and began explaining some details about the clinic.

“You’re right. The core ingredients of the elixir indeed come from the infected.

However, the organization has strict rules that these infected must come from hunting.

The 'clinic' is run by highly capable doctors. Some gentlemen, who graduate from the academy but are stuck at a bottleneck, choose to become apprentices at clinics to gain practical experience. Generally, a clinic will have at least ten gentleman apprentices.

These apprentices pay their tuition by hunting in the surrounding area and bringing back valuable infected for the clinic.

The infected brought back not only provide raw materials for the secret medicine but also hold significant research value, greatly contributing to humanity's understanding of pathogens.”

“Hmm.” Yi Chen continued asking, “Then why are clinics always located near cities?”

“For two reasons.

1. Clinics, as a special armed unit, work with local gentlemen to ensure urban safety and provide medical services to traveling gentlemen. Additionally, the organization requires clinics to conduct regular random health screenings for urban residents, offering free checkups to eliminate latent diseases as much as possible. ŕÁℕỘBÈ𐌔

2. Based on years of combating pathogenesis, humans are the most susceptible to its influence. They also show the fastest rates of infection and progression.

This may be directly related to our self-awareness and our innate curiosity about the unknown.

Therefore, most clinics are set up near cities to ensure urban safety while also gaining the fastest access to raw materials.”

“Got it.”

After this conversation, Yi Chen felt he had gained quite a lot.

The past six months of intensive training had left him no time for reading. He resolved to visit the great libraries between the academies after this incident concluded to acquire more knowledge about the world.

At that moment, he felt a subtle disturbance on his shoulder, reminding him of his long-absent “friend.”

‘Little Grape, you seem a bit excited.’

‘How could I not be?

We’ve been stuck in that damned teaching building for a full six months. Sure, the changes in your physical body are interesting, but I’d much rather be outside.

My soul yearns for the outside world, for its novelties, vibrant colors, and uniquely flavored grapes.

Thankfully, the mission you picked this time is quite intriguing—it even involves open-source.

In the fragments of my shattered memory, there are faint traces of ancient records. If I could just taste the ancient essence within the open source infected, it would be exhilarating.’

‘The report from Zion should be accurate. The real culprit behind the 'False Moon Incident' is already dead, so we won’t encounter them... Besides, even if we did, would we survive?’

"With our current state, death is inevitable, and it will be a miserable one."

"Sigh~ You're such a buzzkill. I'm just fantasizing a little. For this mission trip, as long as I can eat some pathogenic grapes related to the open source patient, I'll be satisfied."

"Alright, during this mission, any infected individuals we kill, their grapes are yours.

Since the mission primarily involves searching, your visual assistance will be crucial, Little Grape. Don’t slack off when the time comes."

---

Three hours of travel later.

The carriage was about to arrive at the site of the False Moon Incident—"Vinal City" .

The front window of the carriage opened, and for the first time, the masked coachman spoke:

"As a protective measure for the newcomers, I will drive directly through Vinal City and drop you off right below the 'Twilight Clinic'.

Of course, you can also choose a safer route that detours through the suburbs."

"Let's go straight through the city," Edmund decided, and his reasoning was simple. This carriage could isolate pathogenic effects, so even if they encountered infected individuals hiding in the city, those beings would never catch up.

By passing through the city, they could also assess the level of danger for this mission.

"Just a heads-up, if we encounter an attack from the infected, the carriage will double its current speed. Don't get thrown off—I won’t stop to wait for any of you."

As he spoke, the carriage officially entered Vinal City.

This pitiful city, once ravaged by the "False Moon Incident," was now in ruins.

Nearly every building bore varying degrees of damage, with some entirely collapsed, cutting off city roads.

Even though two months had passed since the incident,

the air still carried a mix of rot and blood—complemented by stains on the ground, lamp posts, and buildings. It almost seemed as though the screams from that dreadful night still echoed in the alleys.

It was hard to imagine how a city with over ten thousand residents, watched over by gentlemen and monitored by clinics, could have turned into a hellscape in just one night.

At this moment, Yi Chen could taste the bitterness of the ‘disease’, the flavor of despair.

As he stared blankly at the moving scenery outside the window,

a sense of "being watched" came through the visual window provided by Little Grape.

"Oh, something in the shadows is watching us. It seems there really are grapes to be eaten… Though they didn’t pursue us, they’re just watching from the darkness. Such a shame," said Little Grape.

Yi Chen’s thoughts were pulled back by Little Grape.

"Perhaps these moon-born creatures only come out at night?"

"That’s possible. I’m looking forward to seeing if they change at night—might make the grapes tastier."

While conversing with Little Grape, Yi Chen also informed the team of the situation.

Edmund asked, "Can you confirm the number?"

"I can clearly sense no more than three sources of surveillance, but it’s possible I missed some, or that some are still resting deep in the ruins."

"Alright. Our primary activity area is the 'clinic'. Let’s avoid contact with the city as much as possible afterward."

After half an hour of fast travel, the carriage successfully exited the city and followed a winding road into the countryside.

A small hospital-like building, resembling the architectural style of Zion, stood on a hill near Vinal City.

This elevation allowed the doctors and apprentices at the clinic to overlook the city’s general state.

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