Book 3: Chapter 310: Flesh Plague

After stepping out of the official residence arranged by the authorities, Sylutia stood before the main street, her fingers lightly touching her cheek as she pondered how to get to Tetis College, or perhaps go see others first.

If she were to use the identity of "Hedra," this task would be incredibly simple—she could simply take to the air and fly. But as her gardener progression path, she had not yet mastered flight capabilities, and because she had spent the past two years leading railway planning and construction efforts, she never had much time to dedicate to the gardener path, resulting in her gardener abilities currently being weaker than her mage abilities across the board.

Should she take a cab?

Sylutia thought for a moment, then hailed a black steam vehicle on the street. If she wasn't mistaken, this should be from the Mockingbird series of steam vehicles—a model she herself had led the production of back in the day.

"Good afternoon, beautiful miss." The driver rolled down his window, staring in amazement at this young woman by the roadside, stunned by her beauty.

"I need to go to Tetis College." Sylutia stated her purpose simply, and after a brief thought, she produced a Tetis College badge.

"Understood, please get in." The man immediately straightened up with newfound respect.

"Thank you." The young woman gently lifted her skirt, her light-colored loafers adorned with small bow decorations stepping lightly into the vehicle before she bent down and seated herself inside.

Soon, the steam vehicle started up, continuously accelerating. It first drove out of the main city area, then onto the broad roads of the plains, before racing at breakneck speed toward the Tetis District.

Along the way, Sylutia leaned against the window. The scenery outside was reflected through the glass into her eyes, endlessly flashing past.

The driver occasionally glanced at the rearview mirror, marveling at this young woman's beauty and bearing, various conjectures rising in his mind. Could she be the daughter of some great family? Why was she traveling alone? But she clearly radiated far greater power than himself—even restrained, the oppressive sense of her rank was impossible to ignore, and he dared not underestimate her.

An hour and a half later, the speeding steam vehicle came to a stop before the gates of Tetis College. Sylutia opened the door and stepped out slowly.

Turning to look at the driver who had brought her here, Sylutia took out five gold coins and handed them to him.

"There's really no need for this much." The man shook his head.

"May I ask your name?" He cared more about that, desperately wanting to know who she was.

"This..." The young woman tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, then answered.

"You can call me 'Sylutia'." She blinked her eyes, then waved goodbye to him and walked into this number one academy of the Alliance.

...

After entering the academy, Sylutia looked around curiously. In the two years since she'd left, some subtle changes had occurred here. For instance, many streetlamps had been added throughout the campus. Even during the day, these lamps emitted a soft glow, dispersing the fog in the air and making the academy environment bright and fresh.

Along the way, she encountered some new students, but they didn't recognize Sylutia. They were merely curious about this young woman's origins, stealing a few extra glances at her before slowly walking past.

Sylutia walked with familiarity toward the building where the Dean's office was located, then arrived before the office door and knocked lightly.

She knew that at this time of day, the Dean was usually in his office.

"Come in."

That familiar voice came from within, and Sylutia pushed the door open and walked inside.

Sage Aitos, seated at his desk with a cup of tea in hand, couldn't help but change expression when he saw Sylutia walk in. His face shifted from initial calm to surprise, then to a hint of confusion, before finally settling into a look of understanding.

"You came from the Hidden Grove with the physician team, 'Sylutia'." The old man bowed politely and respectfully.

"Oh, it's Sylutia." There was a faint trace of disappointment in the elder's voice.

"Yes, because that's your true name, while Hedra was only a temporary name I used." The girl continued, and those words instantly smoothed the furrow between Sage Aitos's brows, his expression turning warm and kind.

"Oh, so it's you after all." His mood suddenly became excellent, and he rose to his feet.

"Come, have a seat." He invited the young woman to sit down, then rummaged through his cabinet to pull out some fine tea he normally kept for special occasions. He poured out a portion and placed it in the pot to steep.

During this process, Sylutia wanted to help, but he refused.

"It's fine, let me handle it. It's rare for you to come back."

After placing the teapot over the fireplace to brew, he finally turned around and asked Sylutia about her situation over the past two years.

"How was life in the Hidden Grove? Did you get accustomed to things over there?"

"When I first returned, it felt a bit unfamiliar—after all, I'd been away for nearly ten years." Sylutia pressed her hand to her collar and shook her head slightly.

"But many friends I knew from before are still there. With their company, I quickly became familiar with everything again."

After that, Sylutia recounted her experiences in the Hidden Grove over the past two years—such as the railway planning and construction, the developmental situation of various nations, and some of the changes currently happening within the Hidden Grove.

Before long, the teapot boiled. Aitos lifted it and poured a cup for both Sylutia and himself, slowly blowing on the steam as he enjoyed the tea.

"How wonderful. The Hidden Grove is so peaceful, but over here in the Alliance, things aren't quite so tranquil." He sighed with emotion, then also recounted the changes of the past two years for Sylutia.

"Ever since you left, the Sinking Fog season arrived, and many problems began to surface."

"The most common issue is the food shortage. To prevent the guilds and wealthy from jacking up grain prices and hoarding large stockpiles to cause famine, the Alliance implemented mandatory oversight and a rationing system. There was plenty of heated debate over this issue in the middle of it all, but it was eventually pushed through, barely resolving the crisis."

"Then there's the unemployment problem brought on by rising prices and economic regression, which has deteriorated public order in many regions. Robbers and bandits that were once rare are now appearing more and more frequently."

"On one hand, it's an economic issue. On the other hand, since the arrival of the Sinking Fog season, practicing abilities on the 'Mist Shadow' path has become much easier and more accessible."

"Take the Concealment Method, the most common skill among thieves, for example. In the past, you'd need to pair it with 'Mist Shadow'-related potions or alcoholic brews to learn it. But now, even without any additional resources, you can gradually gain the imbuing enhancement of the 'Mist Shadow' Aspect in the fog. The difficulty of learning has dropped dramatically."

"Not just learning—it's also easier to use."

"In the Da Feilin District, there were several serial murder cases in the first half of the year. The killer would vanish and reappear at will within the fog, slaughtering any ordinary people he encountered, and he was highly proficient in anti-detection measures, leaving the police completely helpless. It was only after members from the Origin Hourglass and the Appraisal School were dispatched that they finally caught the man."

"In the end, he confessed that his motive for murder was simply that he had nothing to do and felt restless. A reason like that is especially hard to stomach."

"I see." The young woman nodded slightly, the cornflower tucked in her hair gently swaying with an adorable quiver.

"In the nations of the Hidden Grove, many are still in the agricultural age. There aren't as many cities and metropolises, and rural residents mostly farm and labor on their own land, so it's hard to speak of unemployment. It's just that reduced harvests make life a bit tight." Sylutia explained what she had witnessed in the Hidden Grove.

Being backward has its advantages too. Since most of the nations in the Hidden Grove Alliance consist of agricultural populations, as long as the fields remain, you can't exactly call it unemployment—though life is certainly harder, and the Sinking Fog season increases the dangers of living in the wilderness.

After the two exchanged updates and reminisced, the conversation turned to the purpose of Sylutia's return this time.

"We've already dispatched considerable manpower to investigate the 'Flesh Plague.' Although we haven't fully organized a complete picture yet, we do have a few rough conjectures." Aitos brought up the major incident that had occurred recently.

"One hypothesis is that this is caused by the influence of the 'Aberrant Mother Nest'—a new type of plague born from the constantly twisting and mutating monsters of the Shadow World, which then spread to the surface continents."

"Another guess is that this might be the product of some evil organization's experiments, which somehow leaked to the outside."

"Both possibilities exist, or perhaps both are correct." Aitos shook his head slightly, lamenting the deteriorating situation.

"Is the plague currently spreading severely?" Sylutia asked with concern.

"Severely. But it's different from an ordinary plague. It doesn't cause death quickly. Instead, it lies dormant over a long period, gradually making people's appetites soar, creating an intense craving for food, and whatever they eat is rapidly converted into flesh-and-blood power."

"If you only look at that aspect, it might seem like a good thing—it makes people stronger. But this kind of strength is the product of disorder. You could understand it as the body losing control. Autopsies reveal that muscles and internal organs undergo bizarre mutations, and the brain gradually loses its rationality."

"It doesn't kill people immediately, but if you don't feed them enough food, they become irritable and quickly descend into madness."

"At first, we didn't know how to handle it. To placate those who had gone mad, we could only distribute food. But we soon discovered they could never be satisfied—their appetites grew larger day by day, until eventually, cases of people killing and devouring each other began to appear."

"By that point, the situation was already spiraling out of control. To prevent further spread, many regions in the northern part of the Alliance have now implemented martial law. Transportation between regions has been severed, and every supply delivery relies on airship airdrops—absolutely no ground contact."

"If we don't resolve this quickly, the residents of those regions will gradually be transformed by the plague into monsters that devour flesh and blood." He let out a sigh.

A calamity like this plague might very well rival the 'Mad Crow Riot' of the Eighth Epoch in history. The situation was growing ever more perilous.