Translator: SumTLMan
Everyone unanimously agreed to freeze Renko in ice.
Nausica nodded, pulling out a magic scroll from her bosom.
On the back of the scroll was a sketch of a frozen coffin, drawn by the seller, indicating that the type of scroll belonged to the category of ice coffins.
Ice coffin scrolls are generally used for physical healing or emergency freezing for rescue or self-rescue purposes.
The highest grade among them is the “Frozen Time Ice Coffin.” This type of ice coffin not only has a healing effect but it doesn’t simply freeze; at the moment the ice coffin appears, even time seems to be frozen. It keeps your body in a state almost like time has stopped, where almost any injury, even non-physical ones, can be instantly frozen, allowing time to be frozen at that moment without further deterioration, waiting for a chance to revive.
Below that is the “Rebirth Ice Coffin,” which can heal all but the most irreparable injuries over time.
Then there are various healing ice coffins, each with different names and effects. The “Healing Ice Coffin” that Angel used to freeze Jon belongs to this category.
However, the scroll Nausica had was not any of the above types, as she couldn’t afford them.
The ice coffin she had was a discounted one she got from David, named: Sealing Ice Coffin. It’s considered the lowest grade among ice coffin scrolls, with its effect being merely ordinary physical freezing, used for emergency treatment of physical injuries.
Although its effect was quite minimal, Nausica thought that since Renko was just an ordinary person, using it to freeze him and delay for a year or half should be no problem.
This would give her, and the doctors here, a year or half to possibly find a way to save Renko.
With this thought, Nausica tore the Sealing Ice Coffin scroll in half and placed it on Renko’s forehead. ——Tearing the scroll was also a way to activate it, but many wizards consider this action inelegant, preferring to use magic to activate. Only for disposable scrolls, or when it’s impossible to activate with magic, would they choose to tear the scroll. Nausica belonged to the latter case, as her magic was depleted, and since the Sealing Ice Coffin was a disposable scroll, tearing it up wouldn’t be wasteful.
As the magic scroll was torn, an icy wind seemed to sweep through the spacious medical room. Everyone could feel the temperature around them starting to drop noticeably.
Little Flea, wearing thin clothes, even shivered.
The source of the temperature drop was Renko. They saw strands of pale blue light enveloping Renko, with white frost spreading across his skin, and as the blue light brushed over, the white frost expanded into ice.
In just a moment, Renko was frozen within a fitting ice coffin.
Through the transparent ice coffin, one could see the clear texture of Renko’s skin. His eyes were tightly closed, his cheeks slightly flushed, looking as if he were merely asleep.
“Is it all right now?” Little Flea asked softly.
Nausica nodded, retreating wearily to the side, leaning against the wall and continuously adjusting her breathing, trying to alleviate the discomfort from the depletion of her mental and magical powers.
On the other side, doctors clad in white coats were seen with eyes shining brightly, whispering among themselves in hushed tones.
Such a miraculous supernatural phenomenon unfolded right before their eyes, a sight that would unsettle anyone. Not to mention, this was a medical technique used to alleviate and treat Renko’s condition.
Different people had different thoughts upon seeing the ice coffin; to this group of doctors, it represented an extraordinary medical technique.
Their eyes not only sparkled with joy upon observing the ice coffin, but they also expressed their amazement audibly, as if they had encountered the object of their first love, passionate and fervent.
They even attempted to study the structure of the ice coffin.
However, such moments did not last long.
About half an hour later, Little Flea engaged in studying the ice coffin suddenly noticed something unusual.
“Mr. Renko’s lips seem to have turned a shade darker than before? His cheeks are also becoming paler.”
As soon as Little Flea’s observation was made, Nausica, who was leaning against the wall, urgently opened her eyes and quickly walked over to the ice coffin.
Her gaze fell upon the ice coffin.
At first glance, Renko didn’t seem to have undergone any significant changes, but upon closer inspection and comparison with his condition before entering the ice coffin, it wasn’t hard to notice that Renko’s complexion had indeed become paler, and his lips were turning a lighter shade of dark.
This outcome left Nausica somewhat incredulous. Although the freezing ice coffin didn’t possess the time-stopping effect of a time-freezing coffin, its ability to preserve the vitality of the flesh was significant. For an ordinary person like Renko, in Nausica’s view, it should have been sufficient.
Yet, the reality was different. Renko was indeed successfully frozen, but his injuries continued to worsen. Although the rate of deterioration had slowed, it did not reach the extent of delay she had imagined.
“My Lady, Mr. Renko is…”
“Something unexpected has occurred,” Nausica said, her expression turning grim. What she had thought to be almost certain was now starkly contradicted by reality.
“Can Mr. Renko’s condition still be delayed?”
Nausica remained silent for a moment, not directly answering but instead saying, “Let me check first.”
After resting for half an hour, her magical energy had recovered somewhat, and her mental power was barely sufficient for manipulation. She attempted to transform her mental power into tendrils, slowly extending them into the ice coffin, and then turned her magic into “eyes,” injecting it into Renko’s body through her mental power.
After a while, Nausica withdrew her mental tendrils, her expression darkening.
It took her a moment before she finally spoke, “The side effects of the poison are greater than I had anticipated. Moreover, it has created a vicious cycle with the poison already present in Renko, significantly amplifying its potency.”
In simple terms, what was previously thought to be manageable by the freezing ice coffin’s ability to halt two adverse effects was now overwhelmed as the combined forces of the two adverse effects broke through the freezing power.
“What… do we do now?” The faces of those present also fell, a symptom of shattered hopes.
“Even with the presence of an ice coffin, it can only delay for two days at most,” Nausica said, her gaze dimmed, clearly distressed by the situation. She had resolved to find a way to save Renko, but the outcome remained bleak…
As these words settled, the air in the medical room grew dense and silent.
This silence lingered for a long, long time.
It wasn’t until the vortex of sorrow joined the atmosphere that Nausica spoke up first, “At least we have two more days. Let’s see if we can think of something else.”
Little Flea, with lips pressed tightly together, seemed to make a resolute decision, took a deep breath, and said, “Don’t lose hope. There must be a way. I… I’ll make a trip to Dock 1.”
“What are you going to do?”
“I’m going to study the poison in Mr. Renko. If I can figure it out, maybe we can neutralize the initial toxin. If we can neutralize one harmful factor, perhaps the freezing could be effective?”
Little Flea, regardless of whether others believed him, believed in himself. Unable to bear the atmosphere of despair, he was determined to do something, anything for Mr. Renko.
Without further ado, Little Flea rushed out the door.
Time slowly passed, and a day went by, with day and night beginning to blur.
It was only when night fell that Little Flea returned, bursting in with a test tube in hand, which swirled with a smoky purple liquid.
“This should be the antidote. I made it as quickly as possible through processing a semi-finished product!”
Little Flea merely mentioned this in passing, without detailing how he found the antidote or the process of making it. However, his bloodshot eyes and his pale, almost deathly face indicated that he must have been laboring day and night to achieve this result.
Little Flea handed the test tube to Nausica, as Renko was in a state of cryogenic suspension, and only Nausica could administer the medicine through the ice layer into Renko’s body.
Nausica wasn’t sure if this so-called antidote would work, but at this point, they were grasping at straws.
She methodically administered the medicine, using magic as a conduit, into Renko’s body.
After doing all this, everyone widened their eyes, staring intently for any changes in Renko’s skin.
By this time, more than forty hours had passed since Renko was frozen. His complexion was utterly pallid, and his lips were dark and blue, making him look like a corpse.
Everyone was waiting for a miracle.
As time ticked by, about half an hour later, there was still no noticeable change in Renko’s condition.
All eyes turned to Nausica. They couldn’t see Renko’s internal condition; perhaps the drug was working internally, even if there were no external signs?
However, Nausica’s response was a slight shake of her head.
Nausica had been closely monitoring the changes within Renko’s body, the potion… had no effect. Due to the interaction of the toxins, the original toxicity reached its peak, even showing signs of compound toxins, and the original antidote had automatically lost its effectiveness.
With this answer, everyone was completely despairing.
Little Flea sat down on the ground with a vacant look in his eyes.
With only a few hours left until the final moment, finding a cure in such a short time was virtually impossible.
Everyone understood in their hearts that the outcome was already determined.
After a long silence, a doctor regained his composure: “Life eventually reaches its end one day, Mr. Renko is just stepping on the tranquil return path ahead of us.”
“While there’s still a little time, let others come in to see him. At least, to glance at Mr. Renko for the last time.”
Little Flea suddenly stood up: “No, how can we despair? There’s still time, we can still save him, think of a way, think of a way! Hurry and think of a way! We must save him…”
Initially roaring, towards the end, Little Flea was already begging in tears.
The emotions of Little Flea were understandable to everyone, even they were more heartbroken, after all, Little Flea had only been in contact with Mr. Renko for half a day, while they had been accompanying Mr. Renko all along.
The pain of losing Mr. Renko, they knew all too well, and it was more profound.
The sorrowful atmosphere, which had slightly receded due to silence, was reignited at this moment. Some couldn’t help but start sobbing quietly, even though they, as doctors, had seen too many departures, but this time, it saddened them more than any other.
Nausica leaned against the wall, watching everyone crying together, and her mind wandered back to the past.
Conquering the Blackberry Sea was not so easy. In the time of battling with the sea, pirates, and various forces, Nausica also witnessed the departure of people around her, one by one.
Every time a comrade passed away, there would be people mourning and crying on the ship. Nausica belonged to the calmest one among them. She wanted to cry too, but as the leader, she had to hold back her tears, comforting her companions, and painting a better future for them.
This situation lasted for a long time, until one day, one of her closest friends fell on the voyage.
That was the darkest day in Nausica’s life. Even as strong as she was, she became vulnerable that day, holding her friend’s body, she cried unrestrainedly in the dark, cramped room.
She was the pillar of spiritual support for everyone on the ship, and her friend was also her pillar of support.
Nausica understood too well this kind of grief, as if faith had collapsed.
Renko was the faith of this group, the pillar that allowed them to maintain justice and principles on this dark, sunless ghostly island. His fall meant not just the passing of a person, but also that the light was being eroded by darkness, and the rules were plunging into chaos.
In a life once tranquil, the unfolding scene heralded a profound transformation.
Nausica, her hands clenched tightly within the concealment of her sleeves, beheld the scenario before her with a resolve that was both fierce and tender.
Her desire to save Renko was overwhelming, a sentiment that had evolved significantly over time. Initially, her motivation stemmed from a reciprocal sense of gratitude, for Renko had once been her savior. Now, however, her desire was fueled by a deeper yearning: to ensure that amidst the engulfing silence and darkness, there remained a beacon, a lighthouse that would perpetually illuminate and guide the course of the Moonlight Toucan.
But the question of ‘how’ loomed large.
The medical expertise of the physicians present offered little hope for Renko’s swift recovery. The most viable solution seemed to lie in the realm of extraordinary abilities.
Yet, Nausica found herself ill-equipped; her arsenal lacked the necessary medicinal concoctions, and she had not systematically studied the art of healing and detoxification. How could she possibly reverse the ebbing life force of a soul so delicately poised between life and death?
Reynolds might hold the answer. With over three decades as a transcendent being, his wealth of experience and knowledge far surpassed Nausica’s.
However, Reynolds’ whereabouts were currently unknown. Even if he could be located, was it feasible to expect his return within a mere eight hours?
A sigh escaped Nausica’s lips.
“If only Angel were here,” she mused. Angel, a master alchemist, though primarily versed in the study of minerals, undoubtedly possessed a broad understanding of pharmacology, having taught at Achillea. With Angel’s expertise, Renko’s chances of survival would significantly improve.
But Angel was likely far away, perhaps in Sky Mechanical City or the Savage Grottoes of the Vast Continent, certainly not here.
Seeking Reynolds seemed a more expedient option than waiting for Angel.
With a wry smile, Nausica shook her head, chiding herself for entertaining such fanciful thoughts. “Why even ponder the impossible…?” she began, only to halt abruptly mid-sentence.
A sudden realization struck her.
After a moment of contemplation, Nausica carefully extracted a spatial capsule from a hidden pocket. Within it lay a singular item: a monocle crafted from crystal, its lens polished to a flawless clarity.