Chapter 593 - 590: Chronic Illness

"Say no more. My illness... can you cure it?"

"I can..." the Healer answered with certainty, though his voice seemed tinged with a hint of sorrow.

"There's no time to waste. Let's do it now." The straw creature wriggled directly to the Healer's side, found a chair, and sat down.

After a moment's hesitation, the Healer gently placed his hand upon the straw creature's body.

A faint healing power traveled from the gaunt arm into the straw creature's body. This healing power was unlike any Mo Ling had seen before; it was dim and chaotic, like that of a novice.

"Your healing skills are terrible," the straw creature remarked with a note of resignation.

"I'm self-taught. It took me a long time just to master this much. Don't be so demanding..."

To Mo Ling's astonishment, as the dim white light slowly entered the straw creature's body, the creature actually began to shrivel. Its once full and supple body seemed to deflate like a punctured balloon, and its smooth skin wrinkled like an old man's.

'Is this healing? Isn't this just poisoning it?'

Just as Mo Ling had this thought, the straw creature noticed the changes in its own body. Yet, as if it had expected this all along, it said weakly, "How ugly."

"You're about to die. What difference does it make whether you're ugly or not?" the Healer said, continuing to channel the healing power.

At this, the straw creature fell silent.

It seemed unable to accept this outcome, asking with a sliver of hope, "Is there any chance... that I won't die?"

"No chance. Cure the illness, and you will die. That is an absolute." The Healer stated mercilessly, "Desire is the very essence of your existence. The moment you treat that desire as an illness, curing the illness means killing yourself..."

"Maybe it's just because your medical skills are terrible..." the straw creature muttered, but the Healer still heard.

The Healer gave the straw creature a resigned tap on the head. They looked at each other, speechless.

"I'm so tired..." As its desire gradually faded, the straw creature suddenly grew weary.

"I've collected so much knowledge, but I've never used any of it. I find I've spent my whole life deciphering all sorts of question marks, without ever carefully looking at the answers that lay beyond them."

"I know of so many delicacies. I know how they taste, I know how they're made, but I've never once eaten them."

"I know of many beautiful buildings. I know their construction methods, I know their purpose, but I've never lived in one."

"I know of so many beautiful places—the beautiful Sea of Clouds, the azure shallow bays. I've experienced their beauty through the memories of other creatures, but I've never once been to them myself."

"I know of so much magnificent history, but I never experienced it. I merely stood on the banks of the river of time, watching living beings turn into lifeless words."

"I know of technologies that are practically taboo, but because I knew too much, I was afraid of their inherent uncertainty and never dared to actually use them."

"I know the locations, abilities, and costs of all kinds of relics, yet I never dared to use them."

"It feels like I've gained so much... and yet missed out on so much more..."

"Tell me... have I ever truly understood the meaning of 'knowledge'?" The straw creature suddenly extended a tentacle, grabbing the Healer's arm as it asked.

The Healer didn't answer, instead placing his hand gently on its tentacle.

However, when the Healer's hand touched the tentacle, it slowly turned transparent, then dissolved into fine particles that scattered as if on a breeze.

And each of those particles was in the shape of a question mark.

The tiny question marks drifted away and vanished...

The straw creature watched the question marks and murmured softly:

"Who am I? The Ever-Thirsty One."

"Where do I come from? From the desires of living beings, settled in the deep sea."

"Where am I going? To collect all knowledge, to satisfy all curiosity."

The Healer glanced at the dissipating motes, then back at the straw creature.

"What are you reciting?"

"I'm reciting the question marks on my body," the straw creature answered in a low voice. Its breath was fading, its voice growing ever weaker, and the sound, once like tearing paper, had become uncharacteristically soft.

"I'm about to disappear," the straw creature said faintly. Its body began to turn translucent, gradually dissolving into scattering motes of dust. The tiny question marks emerged from its body, drifting off toward the unknown.

The Healer did not stop his healing; the light on his hand continued to flicker.

The straw creature tried to say something more, but its voice had become a muddled, indistinct murmur. One could faintly make out words of confession and regret, but soon, even that faded away.

After one final flicker of light, the last piece of the straw creature's body turned to dust and scattered throughout the vast library.

The Healer remained with his arm outstretched, frozen in place for a long time.

The dim light on his hand flickered continuously as he stood lost in thought.

After some time, the Healer finally came to his senses. He reached out, trying to grasp the nonexistent dust before him, but caught nothing. He could only let his hand fall, slumping into his seat at the table in a daze.

Mo Ling sat in the middle section of the reading table, and the Healer sat at one end. Neither of them spoke.

Mo Ling, unsure of this Healer's identity, dared not make a rash move. The Healer, in turn, continued to act as if he couldn't even see Mo Ling. And so, the library lapsed into silence.

Finally, after some time had passed, the Healer looked toward the uninvited reader.

"Are you here for revenge?" He seemed to have guessed Mo Ling's purpose instantly.

"Yes. For my friends," Mo Ling replied, thinking of what had happened to the Healers on the Hua Sheng Islands.

After all, he considered the Healers of the Hua Sheng Islands his friends.

"Many avengers have come here before, but we've always sent them on their way. Except for one from the Lobster Race... he almost finished us all off," the Healer said, a nostalgic look on his face.

"But back then, I didn't look like this."

As he spoke, the Healer pushed back his chair and slowly stood up.

Only then did Mo Ling get a clear look. This Healer's body was nothing like a normal Healer's. It was covered all over in haphazard patches of medicinal substances, stuck to his skin like crude poultices, making him look like a tattered doll.

Not only that, but the Healer's lower body was a mass of writhing tentacles, just like the straw creature's. Each tentacle was hollow, like a straw.

Mo Ling immediately understood. This "Healer" was likely no true Healer at all. He was either in league with the straw creature, or he was a puppet under its control.

'But then, why would he 'kill' the straw creature?'