"Ha—!! Finally, I'm alive again!!!"
March 7th hugged the large water jug she'd dug out from a corner, tilted her head back, and took several massive gulps, the cool water finally extinguishing the embers of the terrifying, acidic nuclear explosion in her mouth.
She let out a long sigh of relief, feeling as if she had returned to the land of the living.
She wiped her mouth and looked at Stelle, who was also silently drinking water with a still-pale complexion, and Bronya, who, despite maintaining an elegant posture, had knuckles turning white from gripping her cup. A look of genuine confusion appeared on March 7th's small face.
"This isn't right!"
March 7th scratched her pink-blue hair and posed a soul-searching question.
"We all drank that horrible 'acid bomb,' so why is it that only I had such... earth-shattering reactions? You two look like you're struggling too, but at least you aren't scurrying around the room like a cat whose Tail got stepped on!"
As soon as she finished speaking, [Little Herta], who was holding a small notebook and recording the 'clinical reaction differences of the sobriety potion,' didn't even look up. She gave the answer in her signature, flat, emotionless, yet precision-stabbing tone:
"Data comparison shows that the dosage of active ingredients you ingested was approximately 42.7% higher than theirs. The reason is that this was the first live-action awakening experiment. To ensure effectiveness, I slightly increased the initial titration volume to observe the reaction threshold. Your reaction was the most intense and typical, providing valuable first-hand data for subsequent dosage adjustments."
The air was silent for a moment.
March 7th slowly turned her head to look at the exquisite little puppet with an 'I'm doing scientific research, I'm not wrong' expression, her eyes slowly widening.
"Slight—ly—in—creased—?"
She repeated it word by word, her voice suddenly rising.
"So you used me as a test subject?! And the enhanced version at that?! No wonder my tongue felt like it had been trampled on by ten thousand lemon spirits one after another!!"
New and old grudges welled up in her heart, and March 7th instantly bristled!
"Damn it! You little puppet with a bad heart! Just because you look like Ms. Herta, you think you can do whatever you want, huh! I'm going to get revenge! I'll let you taste what it's like to have your face squeezed!!"
She issued a declaration full of 'righteousness,' then, with a standard 'hungry tiger pouncing on its prey' move, she bared her fangs and brandished her claws as she lunged toward [Little Herta]!
[Little Herta] was busy analyzing data and completely failed to anticipate this sudden 'physical attack.' By the time she reacted, she was already firmly held in March 7th's arms.
"Hey! What are you doing! Let me go! Impolite! Rude! You're interfering with the experiment!"
[Little Herta] struggled in vain in her arms, her little hands trying to push away March 7th's face, her short legs kicking wildly in the air.
However, despite possessing a Level 23 'Advanced' data template, she still felt powerless in the face of pure physical strength.
March 7th chuckled, using both hands to start wantonly kneading [Little Herta]'s delicate, porcelain-doll-like little face.
"Hehe, let you experience it too! The texture isn't bad! Although it's not as soft as the Clara that Stella turned into, it has a unique feel!"
March 7th expressed her thoughts while kneading, completely immersed in the pleasure of 'revenge.'
[Little Herta] tried to reprimand her in a serious tone, but her deformed cheeks made her voice sound muffled and completely devoid of intimidation: "Stop, stop it! My facial sensor module isn't meant to be used like this! I'm going to record your violent behavior! I'm going to report you to the main body! Mmm, mmm..."
A corner of the clinic was instantly filled with the noisy sounds of 'Let me go!' and 'I won't! Hehehe!'
On the other side, Bronya ignored the childish scuffle.
She put down her water cup, took a few deep breaths, and finally completely suppressed the heart-palpitating, sour aftertaste.
Her gaze returned to its usual calmness and sharpness, and she began to examine her surroundings.
A simple but tidy clinic, the sparse variety on the medicine shelves, the eternal dimness outside the window, and the outlines of messy, low-rise buildings. The air was filled with a complex scent—a mix of machine oil, dust, and a faint herbal aroma—that was completely different from the clean, cold atmosphere of the Upper District.
She walked over to Natasha, this female doctor with a gentle temperament but firm eyes, who seemed to be the person in charge here.
"Excuse me..."
Bronya's voice returned to a steady tone, carrying the characteristic clarity and politeness of a Silvermane Guards officer.
"Is this... the 'Lower District' of Belobog?"
Natasha nodded, looking back at her calmly: "Yes, welcome to the Lower District, mysterious officer. This is the place where people live, isolated by the decree."
Bronya was silent, her gaze once again cast outside the window.
The scene, so vastly different from the orderly, bright, and heavily guarded Upper District, along with the scarcity she saw in the clinic, made it feel as if a heavy stone had been pressed onto her heart.
She opened her mouth, seemingly wanting to ask something—about survival, about the decree, about...
But in the end, a thousand words turned into an almost imperceptible sigh in her throat.
Now was not the time for questioning; she needed to understand the situation first, ensure her own safety, and then think about how to return to the Upper District.
Just as the atmosphere in the clinic became slightly heavy due to Bronya's silence, a loud, slightly milky-voiced shout suddenly came from the street outside, instantly breaking the silence—
"Come, come! Everyone come take a look! Free body check-ups! Don't miss out as you pass by! Ancestral... ah no, it's an otherworldly secret technique, pulse reading and medical diagnosis, cure guaranteed!"
This voice... sounds a bit familiar?
Everyone in the clinic curiously looked toward the door.
They saw that Stella had somehow moved a wobbly old wooden table and two creaky chairs, setting them up on the open ground outside the clinic door.
And sitting on the chair was none other than that little Vidyadhara girl with dragon horns on her head and a little Tail dragging behind her—[Bailu]!
[Bailu] sat upright, patting the tabletop with her little hand, shouting at the sparse passersby at the top of her lungs, having quite the air of a traveling physician.
Stella stood to the side like a diligent assistant and bodyguard, her face wearing a complex expression mixed with encouragement, nervousness, and 'don't blame me if this gets out of hand.'
At first, the passing Lower District residents only glanced curiously. Seeing a wet-behind-the-ears little girl, most shook their heads, muttered 'whose kid is messing around,' and walked away.
But soon, sharp-eyed people noticed the pair of crystal-clear dragon horns on [Bailu]'s head, as well as that dragon Tail, which was swaying restlessly and clearly wasn't a decoration!
"Huh? Look, everyone! That little girl... has horns? And a Tail?"
"It's true! When did our Lower District get a kid like that?"
"She says she uses an otherworldly secret technique; maybe she really knows medicine?"
"It's free... doesn't cost anything to go check it out."
"Let's go, let's take a look!"
Curiosity and the irresistible attraction of the word 'free' led a few bold residents to gather around first.
Once someone started, those watching from behind gradually moved in, and soon a short line formed in front of the small table.
First in line was a male resident who looked somewhat haggard with heavy bags under his eyes.
With a mix of skepticism and a 'let's try it out' attitude, he sat on the chair opposite [Bailu].
[Bailu] extended her little hand in a professional manner: "Hand."
The resident hesitantly extended his wrist.
[Bailu] placed two fair, tender fingers on it, closed her eyes, and a thoughtful expression appeared on her little face.
A few seconds later, she opened her eyes, which shone with the confident radiance of 'diagnosis complete,' and announced without hesitation in a crisp, clear voice:
"Kidney deficiency."
"..."
The scene was silent for a second.
The next second!
"Screw you!!"
The resident's face instantly turned the color of a pig's liver. He jerked his hand back, slammed the table, stood up, and pointed at [Bailu] with great agitation.
"What kind of nonsense are you spouting, you little brat! My body is perfectly fine! You're the one with kidney deficiency! Your whole family has kidney deficiency! Quack! You're definitely a quack!"
His roar attracted more attention.
The residents behind him stretched their necks, smiles of anticipation for a good show on their faces.
And standing next to this resident, clearly his friends, were a few people who were stunned at first, then burst into earth-shattering laughter!
"Hahahaha! Bro! Did you hear that! Kidney deficiency!!!"
"No wonder you've been complaining about being tired lately, and your dark circles are so heavy! So it's 'overexertion', huh!"
"Do you want us brothers to help you tell your wife that you need 'bed rest'? Hahahaha!"
The few bad friends didn't care at all about the increasingly dark complexion of the person involved. They draped their arms over his shoulders, laughing until they were doubled over, and kept adding salt to the wound.
The surrounding onlookers also whispered and pointed, and the air was filled with a joyful atmosphere.
The resident was trembling with anger, pointing at the friend who was laughing the hardest: "You, you guys...!"
He glared at the innocent-looking [Bailu], his fists clenched so tightly they creaked, appearing ready to explode.
Just then, [Bailu] blinked her big eyes and, in her signature, slightly innocent yet seemingly confident milky voice, slowly added:
"However, I can cure it."
Boom—!
This sentence was like pressing a magical switch.
The resident who had been so angry that smoke was coming out of his seven orifices, itching to flip the table, instantly froze. The anger on his face receded like the tide, replaced by a mixture of surprise, longing, and a hint of indescribable... embarrassment.
And his bad friends stopped laughing abruptly. They looked at each other, and it seemed they reached some sort of consensus through eye contact.
Then, a scene that left everyone present dumbfounded occurred—
"Thump!"
"Thump! Thump!"
Led by the resident who had been diagnosed with 'kidney deficiency,' along with his friends—a total of five or six grown men—all moved in unison and, without hesitation, dropped straight to their knees in front of [Bailu], who was sitting on the small chair!
The men lowered their heads, their posture so standard it was as if they had practiced it a thousand times. The previous anger and laughter vanished without a trace, replaced by something close to religious... pleading?
"Divine doctor! We were blind and didn't recognize your greatness! Please be magnanimous!"
"Yes, yes! Divine doctor! Please use your magical hands to heal us!"
"How much money... ah no, tell us what compensation you need! We will definitely do our best!"
"As long as you can cure us, from now on you are our big brother... ah no, our big sister!"
"..."
Stelle: "..."
The water cup in her hand almost dropped to the ground, and she had a look of bewilderment, as if asking, 'What did I just see?'
Stella: "..."
She opened her mouth wide, a string of ellipses seemingly floating over her head, her inner monologue: Seriously, officer? They just knelt? Is it that real?! Are the brothers in the Lower District this... pragmatic?!
Bronya: "..."
This Silvermane Guards officer from the Upper District, accustomed to Order and decorum, was clearly hit hard by this abrupt and wild scene. Her blue eyes were filled with shock and confusion, and her worldview seemed to have been slightly challenged.
March 7th: "..."
She finally let go of [Little Herta], whose face was slightly flushed from being kneaded. She couldn't even bother with 'revenge' anymore. Hanging on the clinic door, eyes wide as saucers, she could fit an egg in her mouth: "Wow... Stella, this clone of yours... the destructive power is a bit too much..."
Natasha: "..."
The gentle and steady older sister doctor couldn't help but raise her hand to her forehead, the corners of her mouth twitching slightly. On one hand, she found this scene overly absurd and funny; on the other hand, she gained a new understanding of the universality and urgency of certain 'unspeakable ailments' among the male residents of the Lower District... Perhaps, she should consider stocking up on kidney-tonifying medicinal herbs?
And [Bailu], who was being stared at intensely by five or six pairs of longing eyes, also rarely appeared stunned for a moment.
Her little head didn't seem to have processed this kind of situation, and her dragon Tail was also stiff and unmoving. For the first time, an emotion called 'speechless' was clearly reflected in her eyes.
[Bailu]: "..."
In front of the small free clinic stall, the air seemed to have solidified.
Only those few men kneeling straight, with burning gazes, silently told of their 'simple' yet 'intense' demands.