CHAPTER 398: CHAPTER 207: BEAST NATURE, SOUL, AND METHODS OF HEALING (PART 2)

"So you’ve been living with your mentor since you were young?"

"Sort of." Mint showed a hint of hesitation on her face, seemingly reluctant to delve deeper into this topic.

Seeing her intention, understanding that it was time to stop probing, Xia Nan skillfully shifted the topic and asked the girl beside him quite seriously:

"You are a Druid by origin, what do you know about ’Beastification’...?"

The encounter in Neum City, and the battle with the beastman "Buck," piqued Xia Nan’s interest in this ancient and terrifying curse.

Well, more than interest, it was actually concern about the effects of the beast transformation itself.

Xia Nan was very satisfied with his current body and didn’t want to suddenly sprout a tail or howl uncontrollably under the full moon.

So, after returning to River Valley Town, he began a detailed investigation and study of this curse.

By now, he had a preliminary but not comprehensive understanding, knowing that if he wanted to cure it, it could be done in two main ways.

One is to directly remove "Beastification" with spells like [Remove Curse].

But [Remove Curse] itself is a Three-Ring Protective System spell, learning it has a certain threshold, and not all spellcasters have the time or energy to learn it.

Moreover, unless you have a special relationship with the person, it can be foreseen that asking such a spellcaster for help will definitely not be cheap!

Definitely not something an average civilian could afford.

The second method is to use special items like potions or magic scrolls.

Of course, not to mention their purchasing channels, just in terms of price, they are astronomical for ordinary people.

In summary, if the civilians of this world accidentally get infected with Beastification, is there really no way to cure it?

However, Xia Nan sometimes thought that in certain areas governed by Divine Churches, priests might offer some help.

Mint, who claimed to have a professional mentor, undoubtedly knew more about the dreadful curse "Beastification" than Xia Nan.

"[Remove Curse] is certainly useful, but it needs to be applied in stages."

The hem of her robe fluttered gently in the morning breeze, and she slightly lowered her head, with her short hair of pale green hue resting on her cheeks.

"If the injury has just occurred and there’s awareness of a possible Beastification infection, with timely treatment, there’s a chance to completely remove the curse."

"But if it progresses, with symptoms gradually getting worse, it becomes quite tricky."

Her slender, pale fingers caressed the Magic Wand, and faintly visible veins could be seen beneath the fragile skin.

"Beastification is, after all, a curse, not a disease."

"It is fundamentally a struggle between humanity and bestiality."

"The impact is not just physical..."

Mint suddenly lifted her head, her eyes directly meeting Xia Nan’s.

"But also with the soul."

Just for a moment, then she lowered her head again, burying her eyes in the shadow cast by her face.

"In most cases, Beastification cannot heal on its own; no matter how strong one’s willpower, it can at most suppress the beastial side temporarily but cannot eradicate its influence."

"A person infected with Beastification may usually be a caring husband, a competent colleague, a friendly neighbor, but on those bright moonlit nights... you wouldn’t want to know what they are enduring, experiencing."

"And if humanity is suppressed, allowing bestiality to take the upper hand, even willingly embracing the beast within."

"Then you would succumb to its wildness and bloodlust, your personality changing silently under its influence, becoming beast-like."

"In short, as long as someone is infected by Beastification and hasn’t received timely treatment, they become an unstable element in the city, a walking bomb that could explode at any moment."

"This is also why many cities loathe and expel the beastman tribe."

"When a once pure soul is tainted by bestiality, like ink mixed into clear water."

"It’s not something a Three-Ring spell like [Remove Curse] can resolve."

Hearing this, Xia Nan couldn’t help but affirm his long-standing plan of having ample savings.

If he ever accidentally got infected, whether going to the Alchemy Shop on the Association Second Floor to buy related potions, or directly issuing a commission to hire a spellcaster to remove the curse for him, it would undoubtedly be a significant expense.

Thinking this, he glanced at the girl in front of him.

He originally asked casually, but didn’t expect she really knew something.

Catching the opportunity, he continued to ask:

"So, those infected with Beastification who want to reside in the city for long periods can only live cautiously, without being discovered?"

"It’s hard to endure." Mint shook her head, "The influence of the Beastification curse is not something an ordinary person can withstand."

"There are many intelligent beings in this world infected with Beastification, and in those deserted wildlands exist many communities composed of beastmen. This is not something very secretive, many people know."

"Some even intentionally infect themselves with Beastification to enhance their strength in a short time, embracing bestiality."

"There are even descendants born from the union of humans and beastmen—’Beast Transformers’."

Originating from ancient times, a lengthy history, a vast amount, and very strong transmissibility, surrounding the terrifying curse "Beastification," have nurtured too many things on this continent.

It can’t be explained in a few words.

To have a full and comprehensive understanding of it might require going to a library in a big city or finding scholars and professors in related fields.

As Xia Nan usually had no channels to inquire about this knowledge, the only high-level professional he had met, Frogon, had long gone, leaving behind a wolf tooth as a token of friendship.

He didn’t even know where to ask.

Seeing that Mint seemed to know a lot, he thought to take the chance to learn more about transcendent knowledge from her.

However, before he could speak, Cash and Vireis came walking over from across the street.

They were attacked by a beastman last night, and half of a wooden house was smashed, causing quite a commotion in the village.

Just at dawn, the two went out to explain and handle the matters with the village chief and were just now returning.

"Are you all ready?"

Cash asked the two in front of the house.

Seeing that Xia Nan and Mint showed no signs of disagreement, he nodded slightly.

"Then let’s set off, it’s time for us to leave."

...

The appearance of beastmen, to some extent, disrupted the Sea Thorn Squad’s plans.

After all, their original idea was to first go to Qingmai Village to talk to villagers who had contact with the attacked adventurers to learn about the situation, then, based on the information obtained, explore Mist Forest according to the general direction provided by the Association.

Now, with the beastmen nearby, there was no longer a need for the second step.

The group started searching around Qingmai Village.

Very meticulously, circle by circle, gradually outwards.

Xia Nan initially didn’t have much expectation.

After all, in his view, a beastman who could disappear instantly after attacking Mint, leaving no trace even for experienced senior adventurers like Cash and Vireis, must have some kind of concealment ability, surely wouldn’t have left any detectable traces after departure.

Unexpectedly, even before the sun reached its highest point, they discovered the first possible trace of the beastmen.

It was the carcass of a broken sheep.

Not killed by other predators from the plains.

Its limbs and internal organs were strewn all over, and even its head had been pulled from the spine.

But upon closer inspection, they could see that there was no obvious part missing from the sheep’s body.

Scattered around, almost assembling into a complete whole shape.

This indicated that the killer was not driven by hunger or hunting needs.

It was mere violence, expressing its killing desire on other creatures.

Crucially, the circle of footprints around the carcass was almost identical to those of the beastmen from the previous night, similarly vanishing like teleportation into a corner.

The group continued searching the surroundings.

Soon, they successively found a second and third carcass.

The direction they pointed was precisely the target the Sea Thorn Squad had planned:

——Mist Forest!