Although the soldiers looked somewhat stern, the young girl sensed that they held no malice; it was merely a habitual demeanor.

"Is there something you need, Mr. Sigismund?"

"I need to speak with Miss Hexia." The person paused, then organized his words before speaking.

"The soldiers who went out for reconnaissance have been severely injured, and their situation is critical. I've seen that Miss Hexia is quite knowledgeable in medical healing, and I would like to invite you to take a look."

"I understand, please wait a moment while I change clothes." Tilan considered for a moment, then went back inside, spoke to Ores briefly, changed into thicker winter clothing, wrapped a black veil around her face, and then stepped outside the small courtyard.

"Let's go."

"Alright."

Subsequently, Sigismund led Tilan through the residential district and into the castle buildings further inside. It was also Hexia's first visit to this place.

Compared to the residential district outside, this area resembled a fortress, with fully armed soldiers everywhere. Some soldiers were equipped with lightweight armor and firearms, while others carried traditional shields and spears, and a few quite special ones were cloaked entirely in black capes and garments, their presence obscure.

Those must be the elite forces of the Grey Feather Species, thought the girl as she glimpsed at the fleeting figures in the corners.

The Grey Feather Species pride themselves on their military prowess, not the patrolling soldiers outside, but those silent assassins concealed in darkness. As perfect practitioners of the Grey Feather Species' talents, these assassins could remain hidden in one location for days without food or drink, attenuating their presence and Magic Power to the lowest level, making detection nearly impossible, while possessing excellent night vision skills and high talent in nighttime combat.

It is said that it was this powerful group of assassins that assassinated the leaders of several major forces on this land, establishing Shilin Mountain Castle. Before the Grey Feather Species took control, the strongest local species were the Cat Tail Species, adept at finding food, the Wolf Blood Species skilled in combat, and the Red Poison Species immune to contamination.

Entering a room within the castle, several torches hung on the walls, brightly lit, and a small hot air blower by the window churned with noise, exhaling warm air to heat the cold room. Brazier pots were also placed in corners to maintain warmth.

Near the central large bed, a few Grey Feather Doctors were gathered, and a rare surgical lamp was still lit beside them.

"Even after injecting antibiotics, there has been no improvement."

"A few insect eggs can still be found within the subcutaneous layer, likely spread by the insects from an earlier wound."

"To completely remove the subcutaneous eggs, we'd have to peel away his entire outer skin, which is nearly fatal."

"Even so, we must worry about whether his internal organs are infected. Such a highly dangerous insect is clearly not produced by natural evolution but is a bioweapon created through genetic engineering."

"Could it be remnants of the ancient war? But it's been thousands of years, is it possible for new ones to emerge?"

While discussing, Sigismund first came forward to interrupt, then advised a few words, before they turned to face the girl entering the room.

"Her? Isn't this the new home tutor?"

"Miss Hexia knows medical skill too?" Two of the doctors seemed to recognize Hexia, but unfortunately, they were wearing bird-like masks, so their faces were not visible.

"I know a bit, can I take a look?" Tilan approached. She had aspired to become a doctor as a life goal and had studied quite a bit at university, yet not as broadly as a genuine medical student, as the reasons for illness occurrences are too numerous, with most doctors specializing in only one or two fields.

"You may, but Miss Hexia should be mentally prepared." They then made way for her.

Stepping forward, Tilan finally saw the situation of the injured person clearly. His arms and chest bore many wounds from bullets and knives, but these were not the main focus. His wounds and skin also had many red swollen areas and several fine gnawed marks, presumably caused by some horrifying insect.

Seeing this scene, the young girl frowned slightly but quickly steadied herself, beginning to observe carefully and deliberate in thought.

"Did he encounter some kind of poison insect?" she asked the doctors beside her.

"Correct, this reconnaissance captain is the sole survivor. Upon his return, his consciousness was barely awake, but luckily, the horse knew the way and carried him to the Mountain Castle."

"After initially saving him, we found he had multiple injuries, some were common bullet wounds, and some were from dangerous insects." Saying this, a doctor took out an iron box, within which lay several dead black insects, not much larger than grains of rice, their backs covered with a black shell, suggesting the capability of flight.

"The Grey Feather Species have a special physique, resistant to many biological toxins, yet this time he kept fevering and lapsing into unconsciousness. If this continues, he might perish, and we will struggle to know what enemy his reconnaissance squad encountered." a doctor explained.

"I understand, let me examine him." Tilan raised her hand, pressing her index and middle fingers together lightly on the forehead of the unconscious man. A halo of light emerged, and then her perception extended along with the halo and Magic Power to inspect his bodily conditions.

As the doctors had previously noted, he was indeed heavily injured, with numerous tiny insect eggs active inside him, constantly stimulating the immune system to reject them, which was a major reason for his persistent high fever.

However, relying solely on his immune system might not kill these tenacious and special insects, evidently an unnatural creation but an insane product of genetic modification.

Another vestige from the ancient Fifth Epoch war, the girl thought to herself, wondering how many doomsday weapons and tools the factions of that era developed.

Radiation, lethal toxins, bioweapons, self-replicating war machines, planet-destroying particle torrents; after losing the technologies of the past, the various species dwelling on this planet have faced endless calamities.

Here, conditions are simple and harsh, making it impossible to develop a serum potion for this type of poison insect.

If only the giant spider were still around, Tilan could utilize its venom to create a potion that kills these poison insects using poison itself, but now, contemplating, a glint shone in her eyes, followed by a flicker of azure blue that vanished, causing the toxic insects in the man's body to undergo a crystal mutation that destroyed their protein structure.

After a few seconds, these crystals melted and diffused, dispersing into liquid with remnants of eggs.

"I used a rather special secret technique that caused all the insect eggs inside him to perish, but it may still take several days of rest to expel this toxic fluid. In the meantime, remember to cool him down, so his fever doesn't worsen." Withdrawing her fingers, Tilan informed the doctors.

Hearing her nonchalantly announce the outcome, the doctors were astonished and somewhat incredulous, later repeating their examinations multiple times, before confirming that Hexia hadn't lied.

"Thank you, Miss Hexia."

The previously somewhat dismissive Grey Feather doctors now changed their tone completely, becoming respectful and honoring, as the Grey Feather Species have a tradition of respecting knowledge, while individuals like Hexia, learned and versed in various profound secret techniques, are even more revered.

After all this, the girl left the castle amidst the gratitude of numerous Grey Feather individuals, holding a lamp and slowly disappearing into the night.

After she walked away, several Grey Feather individuals and Sigismund turned to discuss.

"This Miss Hexia is quite extraordinary."

"She is very special, perhaps we should report her deeds to Lord 'Gray Feather.'"

"The unrest happening in the east, it seems our Shilin Mountain Castle cannot avoid it."

"The Bug Race, savages, and the nomadic war machines not far off; this winter sure is hard to endure."

"Let's go, this time we need to convene the powers from various local settlements to discuss together. They can't leisurely live under our protection for free anymore."

After the night, the snow-covered Shilin Mountain Castle became bustling again, with messengers from the Grey Feather Species summoning and gathering the settlements and strongholds across this land.