"Ever since Priest Augustus's incident, every time I see you show up here so early, I feel my heart pounding."
This was the first thing the doctor said, covering his forehead, when Xia De, holding Mia, arrived at Doctor Schneider's psychological clinic on Friday morning.
"Doctor, this is a psychological issue; you should treat yourself."
Xia De teased, following the doctor into the study.
"Detective, what is it this time? Coming so early, it can't be for a walk, can it?"
"Of course not, I want to ask you about demons."
Xia De said, closing the study door. The doctor frowned, leaning on the desk:
"The other day you asked me what would happen if one drank demon blood, and now you're asking for information about demons. Detective, don't be like me and have too many dealings with demons; it's very dangerous."
"This time it's just an accident, Doctor, listen to me."
Xia De, holding Mia, who was full and energetic, sat on the sofa and briefly explained to the doctor how he obtained the demon hunter seal. Finally, he detailed what he saw inside Sicar Mountain last night. The doctor was very surprised after hearing it, even abnormally surprised:
"How do you always run into such strange things?"
"Doctor, what I saw yesterday, was it an exotic demon, or a third epoch Evil Spirit demon?"
"Demon" itself is just a powerful exotic creature, while the so-called "Evil Spirit demon" is a terrifying and twisted existence born in the third epoch. The latter originally had no specific form, but from a certain period in the third epoch, it began to appear in physical form by borrowing the appearance of exotic demons. Therefore, the word "demon" usually refers to both types of creatures simultaneously, and methods against demons can also work against both types of "demons."
Furthermore, the Ring術士 academic community believes that in the current sixth epoch, exotic demons and Evil Spirits of the third epoch can be regarded as the same creature.
"From your description, I think it's both. It's an Evil Spirit demon that mimicked an exotic demon. It's very famous, yes, Socfess the Arsonist."
The doctor said, covering his face:
"Xia De, you've really brought a big surprise this time."
Rubbing his face, the doctor continued to explain:
"Its appearance is that of a very famous exotic demon. You'll probably only know what it is when you encounter the catalog of dangerous exotics in your third year. The naming of this demon is very complex, but it has a famous abbreviation, and this monster has been recorded in the heroic epics of ordinary people."
"What abbreviation?"
"Balrog."
Seeing Xia De, who was holding the cat, looking very frightened, the doctor quickly added:
"Don't worry, what's mentioned in heroic legends and Bards' epics is the 'Ancient Balrog'. And according to your description, the one you encountered should only be an ordinary Balrog, and although this Evil Spirit itself is ancient, it's far inferior to Human Pus. It was even severely injured and in a sealed state."
"A Balrog... Then, what level of Ring術士 is needed to deal with a normal Balrog?"
Xia De asked cautiously. The doctor thought for a moment:
"At least a High-Ring Sorcerer, and also with specialized weapons. What you encountered was an Evil Spirit demon; this kind of demon is almost unkillable. The most effective way to deal with them is to seal them. I heard that Zaras Academy has many demons sealed within it."
Xia De lowered his head and pondered:
"So, it means I'd better not touch that sword, not disturb the seal set by a High-Ring Sorcerer eight hundred years ago?"
"No, that's a relic-level weapon, wouldn't it be too much of a pity to give it up?"
The doctor said in confusion:
"Detective, aren't you interested in such a relic?"
"But I'm not sure if I can successfully deal with it. Although I have High-Ring Sorcerer friends in Middlesburg, without that sword, they might not be able to seal the demon again. Rather than risking that Balrog escaping, it's better to let it stay quietly in the mountain. Middlesburg is already chaotic enough now. Maybe when I become a High-Ring Sorcerer, I can consider it again."
"Oh, so that's what you're thinking."
The doctor waved his hand and said with a smile:
"For others, sealing it is the best choice, but for me, isn't it better to 'devour' it while it's sealed? According to your description, it can't even leave that bonfire too far now, otherwise, you wouldn't have been able to retreat unharmed last night."
"Doctor, although the opponent is sealed, it's not like Human Pus, completely helpless."
Xia De reminded.
"It's fine. If it were a complete Evil Spirit demon, I would tell you never to go near there. But dealing with a demon in this state, I'm a professional."
Doctor Schneider nodded confidently. Xia De chose to trust the doctor:
"Alright, I'll go buy you a train ticket to Middlesburg, Doctor. Do you prefer a window seat or... never mind, let's just go with the first-class carriage, otherwise, the journey will be very tiring."
He was about to get up and leave but was immediately stopped by the doctor:
"Wait a moment, a round trip between the two places would take at least half a month, but as the head of the team, I can't leave for that long without applying. If no discovery is made, it's fine, but if it's discovered, the trouble will be big."
But the doctor couldn't apply to the Academy to go to Middlesburg. Now Middlesburg involves the third Chosen One. Without a legitimate reason, the Academy would not approve his application.
"Then what should we do?"
"Long-distance travel is not possible, so let's do short-distance travel. Xia De, didn't you once use a relic provided by the Academy to instantly go from here to Saint Byron's?"
"You mean that 【Damaged Old World Map】?"
That relic was quite dangerous and had always been contained in Saint Byron's.
"Yes, although we don't have this relic, we can lower the standard. I don't need to stay in Middlesburg for long, just a few minutes. And Tobesk happens to have a relic that can achieve long-distance, short-duration spatial transfer."
The doctor had a smile on his face, as if encountering a demon was a good thing for him:
"It's in the Zaras Academy's correspondence group, at least it was there this spring. I think if I ask to borrow it, they should lend it to me. Today is Thursday, let me think. I'll go borrow it tomorrow, and when you come here for the meeting the day after tomorrow afternoon, I'll tell you the result. If I can't borrow it, we'll think of other ways. This time there's such a good opportunity for me to devour another demon, Xia De, I'm actually more concerned about this than you are."
"Alright, then we'll settle it this way."
Xia De was about to take his leave but then thought of something else:
"I plan to go to Middlesburg on Sunday to see Priest Augustus. We haven't seen each other since he gave me the Miracle information last time. Doctor, is there anything you need me to convey to the Priest?"
"Just tell Priest Augustus to be careful."
The doctor waved his hand, twisting his neck:
"I originally thought Tobesk this Summer was dangerous enough, but I didn't expect Middlesburg to have so many things happening too. Tell Priest Augustus to be careful, and you be careful too. Don't run into the mountains for no reason; I'm afraid you'll encounter even stranger things."
