Chapter 588

Chapter 426: Healing

While Vania was completing the treatment for the last few sailors, a captor spoke to Bahoda in a language that Vania and Dorothy could barely understand. After contemplating for a moment, Bahoda responded candidly to the questioning captor, who then shook his head in disappointment upon hearing Bahoda’s reply.

Seeing this display, Dorothy in the cabin couldn’t help but stroke her chin, feeling some thoughts stirring in her mind.

Finally, Vania finished the preliminary treatment for all the sailors. After completing the healing, the nun in white stood among the wounded and silently gazed at the captors before her.

“Is it all done? Thank you for your hard work, nun. You can go back now, but remember not to run around or engage in any suspicious behavior.”

Seeing that the sailors’ injuries had been adequately tended to, Bahoda spoke to Vania, who then replied.

“No, my work is not yet finished. Didn’t you say I was to treat all the injured in this cabin? These sailors’ injuries have been mostly handled, but what about yours? Surely, you all have quite a few injuries as well.”

Vania said earnestly to Bahoda and the others. Hearing her words, Bahoda’s expression showed surprise.

“You… actually want to help us heal? We are the ones who kidnapped you, your enemies.”

“Then what of it? The Holy Mother teaches me to face everyone with kindness and tolerance, and that goes for you as well. In my eyes, your allowing me to heal these sailors proves that you are not evil beings who regard life as nothing. You are merely forced to act this way.

“Therefore… I believe you all have a good heart at your core. As a thank-you for allowing me to heal these innocent sailors, please let me heal you as well.”

Facing Bahoda and the others, Vania held her hands to her chest and spoke sincerely. Upon hearing her words, Bahoda was momentarily taken aback before responding.

“You… don’t intend to do something to us under the guise of healing, do you? In a sense, patients treated by doctors may also be like fish slaughtered by butchers.”

Bahoda said warily. In fact, someone had already asked him if Vania could treat them, but he had refused on the grounds of risk. But now, he did not expect that this nun would voluntarily propose to help them heal their wounds; this kindness made Bahoda feel wary.

“Rest assured, everyone, I genuinely want to heal you. I have absolutely no intention of harming you. I will heal each of you one by one, and during my treatment, you may supervise me for any unusual behavior. Those being treated can also provide feedback at any moment, and if anything feels off, you can stop me immediately.

“In my current situation, I would never dare to harm you. I am truly trying to follow the path of the Holy Mother and alleviate the suffering of all who are loving.”

In response to Bahoda’s wariness, Vania said earnestly. Listening to her words, Bahoda thought quietly for a moment, and realizing that she was indeed under his control, he decided to give it a try.

“Alright, you are different from some of the Glimmer’s lackeys. I will trust you this once, but you better not pull any tricks.”

Bahoda said this and then spoke something in his own language to his companions. After a brief exchange, an injured captor with a pale face stepped forward.

“Okay, please take a seat. I will check your wound.”

With that, Vania began to treat the injured captor. Bahoda observed the entire healing process, remaining vigilant for any sign of unusual behavior from Vania.

However, Vania’s healing proceeded without any issues. The medications she used were from the ship’s medical kit, already tested numerous times on sailors, and her actions were very careful, showing no signs of deviation. Eventually, under the orange-yellow glow in Vania’s hands, the captor’s wounds gradually healed without any indication of discomfort from the patient.

Vania was even more meticulous with the treatment of the captors compared to the sailors. After about ten minutes, she finally finished healing the first captor’s injuries. The healed captor stood up from the chair, incredulously looking at his arm, which had almost returned to normal. After moving it several times and feeling absolutely no issues, he excitedly spoke a stream of words to Bahoda that Vania couldn’t understand.

Bahoda looked at the healed subordinate, then used the “Lamp” to sense the healed wound. After finding no abnormalities, he sighed in relief and addressed Vania.

“Everything seems fine… It seems I was too cautious. Nun, you really did heal him. You are indeed different from the others of the Glimmer. I apologize for my previous rudeness. Please, heal our other injured comrades.”

Bahoda said to Vania with mild regret. Hearing his words, Vania smiled and replied.

“I am just following the teachings of the Holy Mother, doing what I should do.”

Vania humbly stated, and then she began to continue treating the other injured captors. After their wounds were healed, they were very pleased with the results. Those who had initially worried started actively seeking treatment, with some captors even presenting their old injuries to ask Vania if she could heal them.

What those being healed did not know was that among them, several began to undergo subtle changes shortly after their wounds healed. Under this change, their senses were being perceived by another person far out at sea.

“My mark is starting to take effect,” Dorothy murmured to herself while sitting in her cabin. At that moment, she was receiving the Living Puppet Mark and perceiving the sensations of two captors, seeing through their eyes and hearing through their ears, while there were no traces of the Puppet Mark on their surface.

This allowed Dorothy’s Spiritual Threads to extend to the Living Puppet Mark inside them, situated within their bodies beneath the healed wounds, where normal eyes could not see.

For Vania, healing some of the captors was, in a sense, a surgical operation—a procedure to “engrave” Dorothy’s Living Puppet Mark beneath their skin. When Vania used her Healing Priest abilities for the final healing, she deliberately guided the growth of the skin and even the subcutaneous tissues with high precision, causing a small Living Puppet Mark to “grow” within a certain layer of tissue beneath the skin.

This Puppet Mark was very small, and its growth was designed by Vania to ensure that the recipient would not have any negative impressions, would not feel anything unusual, and would not show any traces on the surface. The Puppet Mark, when inactive, bore no extraordinary signs and thus would not be detected by the “Lamp.” Even if it could be seen, Dorothy could overlay it with the “Shadow” transmitted through her Spiritual Threads.

This deliberate shaping of flesh was the result of Vania’s adept application of her abilities and abundant medical knowledge. This shaping was a high-precision surgical operation, requiring Vania’s full concentration and time, demanding an undisturbed environment for completion. While she couldn’t use it in the fast-paced battle, she now had ample time to work.

Thus, under Vania’s operation, Dorothy’s interference points increased significantly.

…

On the dark sea, on the Summer Tree Archipelago, in a dim little room, a shrine built of bl**d and bone, writhing with twisted flesh, stood there. Various ears, noses, and mouths twisted into the shrine’s contorted features, and before it, a figure was respectfully kneeling on the ground.

“Lord Sword Scale, the actions on the Summer Tree side have been very smooth. They took heed of the information I provided and targeted the weakened fleet of those deity worshippers, successfully capturing three pilgrim ships. They are now on their way back.

“The conflict between Summer Tree and the Church has become irreconcilable. I can already foresee the arrival of the flames…”