Chapter 206

Our Discord Server: https://discord.gg/PazjBDkTmW

Chapter 206: Crimson Eye Disease

If someone were to mention Professor Gamira, they would say that he is a professor with a very weak presence.

Average ability, average appearance, lost his wife and child after getting married, always wears old clothes, can drink but not excessively, attends social events but rarely speaks, has a solid foundation in magic but only that, has been at the same job for decades and has only obtained the title of associate professor, not passionate about work and more like going through the motions, but has the basic abilities of a professor.

He is a man who always hovers between a score of sixty and seventy, far from being outstanding and too close to being mediocre and boring.

His presence is very weak, unless it’s during a class.

When a person completely lives their life in a non-competitive manner, their presence becomes insignificant.

An indulgence in academic research, only offering the minimum required number of courses; a professor who is indifferent to students’ performance, even the final assessments are conducted loosely; a professor who cannot produce remarkable results in academic research and always lingers at a mediocre level within the campus.

For students, the competition pressure at the Tulip Academy may be significant, but for scholars, the competition pressure is relatively weak. This is because the funding tilted towards academic research at the Tulip Academy is not substantial. It ranks second within the Swordflower Alliance, and true top scholars would aim for the Haoyue Academy in Xiangxi, the capital of the Alliance, where the academic atmosphere is much richer than at the Tulip Academy.

There are actually several professors of this kind at the Tulip Academy, but the more mediocre they are, the more they resent mediocrity. In a mage’s academy, mediocrity means stagnation, and even if it requires using illegal means, they want to continue their academic research. Professor Bello is one of them.

So is Gamira really one of those who willingly stagnate in their research?

Of course not, the hearts of scholars are filled with a desire to unravel mysteries.

Mysteries imply the ancient, and ancient things hold the most value in analysis.

At least for Europa, the ‘Scarlet Curse’ had been a… ‘mystery’ that disappeared for a full four hundred and eighty years!

Precisely because of this, it appears foolish.

There are always some who believe themselves to be unique geniuses, capable of controlling powers that cannot be tamed by others.

The ancient mystery, the Chaotic Witch’s song brought by the crimson moonlight, is an ancient curse.

Mystery is not science, it may not necessarily have value in being unraveled, nor can it necessarily be understood.

It’s just that scholars’ enthusiasm subconsciously overlooks these facts, leading many to completely deviate from the right path in pursuit of unraveling mysteries.

Gamira is not the first one Bai Wei has encountered, nor will he be the last.

Bai Wei continued to ask, "Why blooded ones?"

"Because Blooded are the most suitable, their bloodlines are ancient and hierarchical, and the Dragonborn have strong mental power, making them less susceptible to the Scarlet Curse." The professor no longer concealed his thoughts and spoke about the verified results of the experiment.

Bai Wei shook his head. "The number of Blooded is too few, and they may not be the most suitable. The most suitable should actually be…"

"Witches," the professor moved his fingers and grinned. "Of course, I know. Witch bloodlines are not difficult to find, there are even many. But what I need is pure-blooded witches, which can only be found in the villages where witches reside."

"Have you been there?" Bai Wei raised an eyebrow.

"I have been there, but I failed… Several years ago, I brought my specimens to the witch village to find experimental subjects. However, after just half a month, the curses that contaminated my specimens were being cleansed and purified." Gamira exclaimed in astonishment, "I don’t know what kind of power is protecting the witches, but it affected my experiment. I had to change my target."

Bai Wei commented, "Madman."

"Every scholar has a madman inside their heart!"

"Perhaps, but human experimentation has already exceeded the tolerable limits. You have caused the death of many people."

"Yes, I have caused the death of many people," Gamira muttered, "But sometimes it’s just the way it is. I had no choice… Once I took the first step, I couldn’t stop. This curiosity is like a rolling stone on a high mountain."

Bai Wei remained noncommittal.

He asked the previous question, "How did you extract the Scarlet Curse?"

The professor counter-questioned, "Is that important?"

"It’s quite important. We can’t keep this radioactive source of contamination."

"Then I cannot tell you," Gamira chuckled.

Bai Wei raised an eyebrow. "I can probably guess even if you don’t tell me."

"Go ahead, guess."

"Is it the eyeball?" Bai Wei pointed at his eye. "In the ancient imperial era, the eyes of witches infected by the Scarlet Curse would turn into a bright crimson, emitting light on their own. Because these eyeballs are so beautiful, they become collectibles for nobles with certain fetishes. Through proper preservation, they can be kept for a long time in a vacuum environment."

The professor looked at Judy strangely, or rather, at the unfamiliar spiritual entity within Judy’s body.

"You really know a lot… I also searched through many references and spent a lot of time and effort to learn about the origin of these collectibles."

Bai Wei remained silent.

In his heart, he thought it was obvious. Witches despised these artifacts the most, and anything that was found would be destroyed. The history and traces of these terrifying artifacts should be completely erased.

Unfortunately, the erasure was not thorough enough, and many traces were still left behind.

However, mentioning the eyeballs, Bai Wei once again recalled some details.

"I see. So that’s why the eyeballs of the victims in the previous serial killing case were removed…"

Because one of the symptoms of being infected by the Scarlet Curse is the eyes turning crimson, and this characteristic is quite obvious and easily recognizable.

Even if others don’t recognize it, Sasha Capesh certainly wouldn’t miss it.

In order to conceal the research on the Scarlet Curse, it was necessary to remove the prominently visible crimson eyeballs.

After saying that, he heard Professor Gamira’s low chuckle.

Did I guess wrong?

No, you didn’t guess wrong. The deranged scholar shook his head. "Removing the eyeballs was indeed to distract attention, but that’s only one reason. There’s another, more significant reason."

Bai Wei paused and pondered.

It’s not that complicated. I removed the eyeballs because they are the natural gathering organs of the Scarlet Curse, the eyeballs, the brain marrow…the main infected part of the Scarlet Curse is right there.

If it weren’t for his hands being nailed to the wall, he would probably be glancing at his own head with his fingers, gleefully showing off.

These eyeballs are all the materials I extracted from the Scarlet Curse again…after infection, they can be continuously refined and recovered, with the purity increasing each time. After multiple repetitions, you can obtain samples of high concentration.

He was speaking arrogantly when he suddenly broke off the torrent of words.

So, were your own eyeballs also removed like this? Bai Wei asked.

Professor Gamira’s words paused for a moment.

I’ve heard that for most mad scholars, their first experimental subject is often themselves. If these types of people aren’t afraid of death, they choose themselves as test objects. Perhaps you have also undergone an eye implantation experiment, just like the Nine-headed Serpent earlier. Bai Wei looked at the artificial left eye before him. "Can you also hear the ‘song’?"

As he asked this, Gamira’s expression suddenly changed.

Bai Wei had expected him to show a hint of resentment and distortion, but to his surprise, the corners of his mouth lifted higher, more self-satisfied, and more intoxicated.

Yes. He let out a long sigh, as if a person who had been drunk for years was recounting his sobriety.

I can hear the song every moment.

The song constantly surrounds my ears, just like the lullaby my mother used to sing.

The singing voice is gentle and tender, making me feel as if I am being embraced in someone’s arms, like I’m having a very long and endless dream…

This self-narrative state of ecstasy immediately made Bai Wei realize that his mental state was not normal.

Although from the beginning Bai Wei knew that Professor Gamira was not quite normal, his heart burning with a curiosity for madness, he believed that the other person was someone he could communicate with, and their previous conversation had been normal.

But he had misjudged the state of the other person’s mental well-being.

Bai Wei had been infected by the Scarlet Curse, although his symptoms were mild. But whenever he listened to the Chaotic Witch’s singing, he felt like his head was about to explode, as if his self-awareness was being tossed back and forth in a rolling washing machine filled with bleach. After a long time, not only did it not lead to mental weakness, but it also resulted in a personality split.

So Gamira’s mental state has long been abnormal, but what’s terrifying is… he is an infected individual who has long been mentally deranged, yet he can maintain a ‘normal’ mental state for a long time, just like someone who has drunk ten catties of strong liquor but still appears completely sober as if they haven’t touched a drop. It’s undoubtedly puzzling, but when he shows signs of drunkenness, one should realize that things are not going well!

Because he’s no longer acting, and there’s no need to continue the act.

Bai Wei stared at Gamira, suddenly realizing where he had made a mistake. His left hand swiftly rose, stabbing toward Gamira’s false left eye.

"Too late." The professor grinned, and the false disguise on his prosthetic left eye automatically fell off, revealing his other vivid crimson vertical pupil.

Meanwhile, space began to distort, and a brightly colored door appeared floating above the ground.

The door swung open, and dozens of invisible jet-black arms embraced the two of them.

Bang! The door closed, and the figures vanished without a trace.