Gun of Ashes

In the dim, ruined sanctuary, the Plague Doctor sat silently on the side, occasionally glancing at the stiffened Lorenzo.

Ever since Lorenzo began the Gap invasion, it had been quite a while, yet it was unclear what Lorenzo was communicating with that brain, unfortunately, the Plague Doctor’s level of Ascension wasn’t deep enough, having not acquired the Authority of Gabriel, thus unable to join Lorenzo in diving into the consciousness of brain tissue.

However...

The Plague Doctor raised his palm, crimson tentacles swaying in his hand, like seaweed full of life.

He pondered if he could parasitically assimilate the brain tissue to acquire its memories. The Plague Doctor had never tried this, but considering his highly expansive flesh, he thought it was worth a try; after all, even a terrifying Demon like Leviathan had been parasitized by him before.

Ascension and evolution are essentially the same, just manifesting differently. Perhaps such parasitism was the Plague Doctor’s own Authority of Gabriel.

But before that, the Plague Doctor had to wait for Lorenzo to wake up. Frankly, it was quite boring; he knew that Lorenzo was retrieving past secrets, yet he could only be locked outside, waiting for Lorenzo to tell him.

This feeling was quite unpleasant.

Amidst the silence, besides the Plague Doctor’s breathing, there was something else. Looking to the other side, Froki was crouching on the ground, scribbling like a child.

Froki showed no signs of memory improvement, and his condition was worsening, with some skin starting to ulcerate, but the Demon’s flesh accelerated his Self-Healing. Froki’s erosion worsened; he might turn into a frenzied Demon any second.

The Plague Doctor sensed the anomaly in this sanctuary; a force different from erosion and Anti-Meme was at work, resembling a straightforward pollution destroying approaching life.

Monsters like the Plague Doctor and Lorenzo wouldn’t be too affected. The Plague Doctor could feel his flesh crumbling, but his powerful Secret Blood was Self-Healing. However, for Froki, a battered unluckiest, the Plague Doctor was unsure how far this guy could go.

”What exactly are you drawing?”

Feeling a bit bored, the Plague Doctor walked over, curious about what Froki was drawing.

Captured by the Anti-Meme, Froki forgot all his memories, yet couldn’t rid his obsession with drawing.

Looking at his pitiful state, the Plague Doctor believed Froki couldn’t be his friend, nor could he have such an unlucky friend.

The Plague Doctor tried to snatch Froki’s drawing, causing this usually calm guy to suddenly rage. Froki bared fangs and claws at the Plague Doctor, half of his body already showing Demon traits, and under this unknown power, his flesh began to ulcerate.

”Let me see!”

The Plague Doctor cursed, kicking Froki aside.

Such a state might intimidate others, but it didn’t work on the Plague Doctor. If it weren’t for Lorenzo insisting on keeping him, the Plague Doctor would have ditched Froki long ago to save Florun Potion.

”What on earth is all this?”

The Plague Doctor picked up the scroll, which sketched a somewhat unfamiliar map. After careful examination, the Plague Doctor realized it was the map of the Western world, more detailed than any map he had seen.

Some scarcely traversed islands and seas, barren chaotic lands... even the Silent Sea was detailed on it.

This was the world map, the map of the Western world, more detailed than the maps currently circulating. It meticulously recorded lands no one ventured, an accumulation of Froki’s seafaring over a decade, personally setting foot on these lands, except for the unknown region of the Silent Sea, he had engraved all of the Western world on it.

”Ah!”

Froki screamed, snatching the map back, his scarlet eyes fixed on the Plague Doctor.

”Alright, alright, keep drawing. I won’t take it.”

The Plague Doctor waved his hand, unwilling to bicker with this beast-like guy further, also knowing Froki didn’t have much time left.

”So, who exactly are you? Forgetting so much, yet remembering such things.”

Cautiously, the Plague Doctor approached Froki from behind, injecting him with a shot of Florun Potion at his neck, hoping it might help him live a bit longer.

Among them, only Froki had a mortal body. He was eroded, beginning to mutate into a Demon, having endured the baptism of the Anti-Meme, transforming into an ignorant beast. Now he was being ravaged by the power permeating this sanctuary.

Starting from cellular collapse, his blood became venomous, continuously ulcerating, as if cursed. Mortals stepping into this sanctuary rarely met a good end, and such curses would link with the bloodline, continuing until completely severed.

”The King’s Curse...”

The Plague Doctor murmured.

On the road, he had heard Lorenzo recount the tale of the Victoria family. Decades ago, they had reached here, acquiring advanced technology, but with it came an overwhelmingly intense curse.

The Plague Doctor suspected the force pervading the sanctuary was the source of the King’s Curse. While pondering this, Lorenzo awoke.

”What did he say?”

The Plague Doctor immediately discarded the current matter, questioning Lorenzo.