Mystery: The Last Shepherd

Chapter 27 Observations from the Asylum

"Hey, Luze!"

Bathed in sunlight, Lu Ze was about to say a few words as he recalled what had just happened when he heard Luo Shan's voice from the front desk. She leaned out from behind the counter and waved at him.

"what happened?"

Lu Ze walked over and asked.

"The captain went out on business. Before he left, he asked me to tell you to hurry up and get that mental evaluation certificate done, preferably before the welcome dinner."

"Oh right, there's this one too."

Lu Ze then remembered. He'd been so busy with so many things since joining the team that he'd completely forgotten about it. The welcome dinner was on Friday night, and it was already Wednesday; he didn't have much time left.

"Okay, then I'll go to the mental hospital tomorrow."

Lu Ze casually agreed.

At this moment, he noticed that Rosanne's expression was strange, as if she had something to say and was holding it in.

"what happened?"

"Luze, I heard that Old Neil gave you the property. Is that true or false?"

Rosanne's eyes held a gossipy look.

"You found out about all of this."

Lu Ze couldn't help but chuckle; Rosanne's information network was truly impressive.

Wow, that must be worth a lot of money!

At first, Luo Shan was quite afraid of him, but after getting to know him better recently, she gradually relaxed. Hearing Lu Ze say this, she immediately showed an envious expression, "That's great! If I had such a large sum of money, I would definitely make a fortune if I invested it."

"invest?"

“Yes, that’s right. Look, it’s in the newspaper. They’ve discovered a huge iron ore deposit in the Hornach Mountains, and they’re setting up a company to develop it. They’re recruiting investors, and they say the returns are very high.” Rosanne said, handing him the Tingen Honest Man’s Daily. “Why don’t you consider making money from money?”

Thanks to Torresell, the concept of "stocks" became popular worldwide. Many companies used this method to quickly raise funds, some making huge profits, but there were also cases where investors lost everything.

Lu Ze glanced at it; the description in the newspaper was similar to what Rosanne had said. In addition, the advertisement included photos of the mine and a portrait of the mining company's manager. He was a young man with a full forehead, black hair, and an ordinary appearance; he wore glasses, but his smile was quite warm.

"I'd better forget it."

Lu Ze smiled and shook his head, "Investing is risky, it's better to just lie down and collect rent."

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

the next day.

Lu Ze looked up at the building in front of him with a complicated expression.

A two-meter-high wall enclosed a large area. Through the iron gate, one could see the lawn and activity plaza inside, as well as the three-story building further back. People in hospital gowns were scattered about; some were dazed, some were silent, and some were screaming and laughing hysterically—the scene was both lively and eerie. Many doctors and nurses were interspersed among them, looking exhausted and even more unhealthy than the patients.

This is the Greenhull Mental Health Center, commonly known as the Tingen City Asylum.

"It feels so good, like coming home."

He laughed self-deprecatingly.

Flipping through Lu Ze's past memories, he recalled many things that happened here. His parents' embarrassed faces after spending a lot of money, his sister's crying face after being frightened by the madman in the yard, and the scene of himself being tightly locked in a straitjacket and forced to drink various drugs. Later, because the treatment was ineffective, his parents had no choice but to give up and stop coming here.

Therefore, there was nothing wrong with Lu Ze saying "Going home" when he saw the mental hospital.

"Luze, don't say such things!" Cecilia, who had come with him, immediately interrupted, "You're a healthy, normal person, not a madman!"

“Okay, okay, I’m normal,” Lu Ze comforted his sister. “We’re just going to find a doctor and have him prove that I’m normal, right?” Cecilia stopped talking and hugged his arm, following him through the iron gate into the mental hospital.

Lu Ze could feel her hands trembling slightly; she was still just as afraid of madmen as she had been when she was a child.

"Why don't you wait for me outside?"

he asked quietly.

Cecilia shook her head.

It was the same at home before. When she learned that Lu Ze was going to the mental hospital, she insisted on coming with him. Lu Ze could understand his sister's feelings; she was probably worried that something might happen to him. He had finally recovered, and what if he went to such an unlucky place and was provoked by other patients or doctors, causing him to relapse? It was this kind of unscientific, yet heartfelt concern that brought about this worry.

Luze had no choice but to take his sister's hand and walk into the dark treatment building, just like when Luze took Cecilia across the street when they were little.

Cecilia slowly stopped trembling.

The madmen were making a ruckus and crying around them, but Lu Ze felt a great sense of peace.

Upon entering the treatment building and explaining her purpose to the nurse at the entrance, the nurse visibly looked surprised. After checking the medical records and confirming that Lu Ze was indeed a patient, her astonishment deepened.

"Could you please take us to see Dr. Chris Wilder? He was my attending physician."

Lu Zedao.

"Ah, okay! Dr. Wilder's office is on the third floor. Go up this staircase and turn left; it's the first door there."

Under his gaze, the nurse gave directions in a slightly flustered manner.

Lu Ze had already thought the nurse's attitude was bad enough, but Dr. Wilder's behavior was even worse. After completing the full set of tests and putting down the measuring instruments, he was astonished. "All the indicators are normal! How...how did you do that?"

I did it after dying once.

"I encountered some unexpected events, and after surviving them, my mental illness was cured."

Lu Ze casually brushed it off.

“Mr. Rondor, please be serious. Your case might just become a new method for treating mental illness.”

Wilder was a little angry.

“Don’t be angry, Dr. Wilder. My mental illness was cured entirely by coincidence, and it’s impossible for it to be replicated in anyone else. Moreover, the specific reasons involve official secrets, so please forgive me for not being able to tell you,” Lu Ze said. “Please hurry up and issue the certificate of recovery; I’m in a hurry to go home.”

"Go home? You can't go home tonight."

Unexpectedly, Wilder flatly refused the request.

"why?"

Lu Ze almost thought he had misheard. Cecilia, who was standing next to him, immediately became agitated, "My brother is already fine, do you still want to control him?!"

"Don't misunderstand, Miss Rondor."

Dr. Wilder explained, “Your brother is indeed in normal condition now, but he has had this kind of relapse in the past. As the last thing to do in the examination, I need to observe him overnight to see if he has a relapse—it is my responsibility as a doctor.”

Cecilia glared at him. "What if we don't want to stay?"

"I'm very sorry, but I won't be able to sign the certificate. I have to be responsible to the patient. Please note that I'm not trying to make things difficult for you. If you're dissatisfied with me, you can come back the day after tomorrow. There will be other doctors who are qualified to issue certificates at work then, and you can ask them to sign. But if you come to me, you must pass all of my tests."

Wilder made it very clear that either he would stay in the hospital overnight, or he would have another doctor with less stringent requirements sign the papers the day after tomorrow.

what can we do about it?

Lu Ze hesitated for a moment.

(End of this chapter)