I opened a clinic in the Abyss World

"We've found two suitable students, and we're more than halfway there, which is pretty good," Charlotte nodded with a smile.

"Oh? You found him at the medical school?"

Lois interjected, "He didn't want to go to medical school, so he found a skilled fishmonger at Cloud Market and recruited a veterinarian at the market near the city walls."

Benjamin was equally surprised upon hearing this: "It seems that both of them have exceptional abilities."

"Actually, their special characteristics aren't particularly outstanding. What I value more is their character. Elves are skillful and their basic abilities are not a concern, but whether they can endure hardship and have patience are what I need to carefully select," Charlotte explained.

Benjamin nodded thoughtfully: "The lower elves are indeed more resilient and will cherish rare opportunities more."

After the meal, Benjamin went back to his work, leaving Lois to take Charlotte for a stroll around the temple.

The main temple is a place of worship, and non-elf races are not allowed to enter, so Lois could only take Charlotte to the side halls and the outer perimeter.

"How about I take you to the library? It's the most important place for us elves, besides the main temple," Lois suggested.

Charlotte was naturally very interested upon hearing this, but she still cautiously asked, "May I go in?"

"Master didn't say you couldn't go in, so it should be fine. If anything happens, I'll take responsibility," Lois said loyally, leading Charlotte toward the back of the main temple.

Soon, a large hall surrounded by walls came into view.

It is similar in height to the main temple, but without as many patterns and designs. It is built of white jade and looks quite simple and elegant.

There was no plaque hanging above the gate; it was just an ordinary wooden gate.

"The library has a level 10 magical shield, which is even higher than the main temple's protection level. After all, the library contains tens of thousands of years of books from the Elven race, recording the history of the Aesop continent, but basically no one will come to steal the idols." Lois stepped forward and gently pressed the handle on the door.

A golden light swept over her, and the door slowly opened inward.

  

Charlotte stared in shock at the hazy protective shield outside the library. What was the concept of a level ten magical protective shield? Even a god-level expert would not be able to force their way in for a short period of time.

The fact that the elves cherish their collection of books so much is truly admirable.

The Sword of Judgment and the Three Thousand Lights and Shadows that he cultivated must have originated from this library.

In addition to overall strength, the continuity of heritage also plays a role in the competition between races.

The fact that the Elven race has been able to maintain its unique position and relatively objective strength over tens of thousands of years is probably inseparable from this library.

"Come in," Lois said as she entered the library, then turned back and waved to Charlotte.

Charlotte slowly walked in, afraid that the god-level magical shield would identify her as an intruder and instantly kill her.

Passing through a long corridor lit by oil lamps, a huge library came into view.

A hundred-meter-tall bookshelf stands in a circle around the circular library, with more than a dozen extra-large bookshelves arranged in a staggered pattern in the center.

The bookshelves are filled with all kinds of ancient books, probably numbering in the millions.

The antique crystal chandelier overhead cast a warm glow, and rows of ever-burning animal oil lamps lined the bookshelves, illuminating the entire library without being glaring.

Charlotte stood there, head tilted back, mouth slightly agape, utterly shocked.

This is the profound sense of history and the sense of insignificance that a race with an ancient heritage presents to him.

"The library houses 1,358,672 books, covering all kinds of classics and encompassing everything," said Lois with a hint of pride. "Is there a book you'd like to read? You should be able to find it here."

"Not at the moment," Charlotte said with a smile and a shake of her head.

He knew his limits. It was already very generous of them to bring him to visit the library. If he were to ask to take their books to read, that would be rather inconsiderate.

A library protected by a divine-level magical shield must contain something very important to the Elven race; it wouldn't be appropriate for him to see it.

However, being able to visit such a large library was a very novel experience for him. He didn't even recognize many of the characters on the ancient books. They were probably left behind before the script of the Aesop continent was unified, and came from a certain race.

"How many of these books have you read?" Charlotte asked Lois.

Lois thought for a moment and said, "Probably three books."

Charlotte: "..."

This girl is so real; she has a collection of millions of books, yet she's only read three.

"I don't like reading. I'd much rather play in the forest," Lois said with a smile. "The world is vast, life is infinitely beautiful, how interesting!"

Charlotte was touched by her smile. That's right, why should everyone be expected to love learning? Life offers endless choices.

Lois continued, "Master said that before you turn one hundred, you should fully experience the beauty of the world. When you get older, you will naturally be able to settle down and read books. There are plenty of years to go in the next few hundred years."

Charlotte fell silent again. Life wasn't about having unlimited choices, but rather about being an elf with a long lifespan who could recklessly squander a hundred years.

"My master has read most of the books here, and the remaining half are ones he doesn't like to read," Lois explained to him.

"There's a reason why your master is so knowledgeable," Charlotte couldn't help but remark.

……

"What? Your boss went on a long trip? When is he coming back?"

At the entrance of the Abyss Medical Center, Monte hung from the door frame, looking somewhat bewildered.

"The boss said he'd be back in two or three days, today is the first day," Vivian's voice came from inside the door.

"Alright, I'll come back in a couple of days." Monte flapped his wings and flew to the rooftop opposite, pulling out a money pouch from his pocket, still a little confused.

"What exactly did Dr. Charlotte do? She satisfied Nancy so quickly and even refunded my processing fee?"

He received the money this morning. Nancy's maid came to him and said that Nancy was very satisfied with Charlotte, so she was refunding him the handling fee.

They didn't ask for anything more, just gave the money and left.

This made him extremely happy. Nancy was satisfied; wasn't the deal already half done?

So as soon as it got dark, he came to find Charlotte, wanting to discuss the plans ahead with her.

The reward of five million copper coins per person is within reach. As long as Charlotte makes good use of it, it will allow the two of them to live a comfortable life for a while.

As it turned out... Charlotte actually went on a long trip at this crucial moment!

Is it really okay to leave Nancy hanging like this for the next two or three days?

He had previously inquired about Nancy, and most of the information said that she was unpredictable and not to be trifled with.

Of course, this could be slander against Nancy by those who didn't receive their payment.

At least the Nancy he saw was not like that; she was an elegant and polite wealthy woman.

"Dr. Charlotte is indeed a capable person. I still have good judgment and did not choose the wrong partner."

Monte sat on the rooftop with the money, feeling both happy and melancholy.

……

Charlotte slept soundly. The temple, built a thousand meters in the air, was surprisingly stable. Despite the wind howling and the branches swaying below, she felt no swaying at all while standing on the temple.

Lois knocked on Charlotte's door early in the morning and whispered, "We won't wait for Master to arrange breakfast. I'll take you to eat something delicious and introduce you to someone to see if they suit your taste."

"Your friend?" Charlotte asked.

Lois shook her head and said, "She's not my friend, she's Betty's sister's daughter, a hardworking and ambitious young lady, and her fish balls are super delicious."

"Did Betty ask you to help introduce them?" Charlotte asked with a smile, not expecting to have a contact online.

Lois nodded and said, "Well, Betty heard that you're selecting students, so she asked me to recommend Ino to you. If you don't think she's suitable, that's okay too; just give her a chance."

"Okay, let's go meet her first and see if she's suitable." Charlotte nodded. Betty was Lois's personal bodyguard, so she probably couldn't refuse her request.

Lois summoned the bald eagle from yesterday and sent it heading straight for the west of the city.

"Aren't we going to the Cloud Market today?" Charlotte asked.

Lois explained, "Today we're going to the Lotus Pond Food Street in the west of the city. The whole street there is full of restaurants and all kinds of food, so there are more choices."

Charlotte nodded and didn't ask any more questions.

Before long, a pond filled with lotus flowers came into view. The flowers were in full bloom, as beautiful as a painting, and fairies were seen picking lotus pods by boat.

In the Elf Forest, spring-like weather lasts all year round, making it easy for you to lose track of the seasons.

At this time, the wilderness outside the abyss was desolate, with fallen leaves everywhere.

The area around the lotus pond is quite bustling, with many streets and shops lining the streets. Judging from the customers' clothing and appearance, it is positioned as a much higher-end market than the Cloud Market.

Lois had the bald eagle land by the lotus pond, then led Charlotte toward the food street next to it.

Compared to the bustling and chaotic Cloud Market, this place is more authentic.

The shops on both sides of the ten-meter-wide street are all food stalls, but it's still early and many shops haven't opened yet, as they're doing business during lunch and dinner.

No problem, there are also food stalls in front of the shop.

The food stalls here are uniformly planned, with wooden stalls of the same size and style, and even the signs are designed in a uniform way, making the street look neater.

In contrast, Charlotte actually preferred the lively atmosphere that Cloud Market brought her.

The uniform wooden stalls, while neat and orderly, also lack a bit of fun.

"That wonton place up ahead is really good. Would you like something light for breakfast?" Lois asked Charlotte.

"No problem." Charlotte nodded. This elven saintess was truly a local foodie. She knew the distribution and characteristics of the delicacies in every market she visited.

They weren't the only ones who wanted to eat something light in the morning.

The wonton stall was already full of people, and the two of them waited for a while before they were able to sit down.

Lois ordered a small portion for herself and a large portion for Charlotte. Yesterday, she had roughly figured out Charlotte's appetite; the knight's appetite was indeed astonishing.

After waiting a while, two bowls of wontons, one large and one small, were served.

The small portion has only ten pieces, while the large portion has more than thirty, a significant difference.

Wontons are essentially thin-skinned small wontons. The soup is light and just sprinkled with some tender green scallions. When you scoop up a wonton with a spoon, the skin is thin and smooth, and it becomes translucent after boiling. The meat filling is quite generous.

With one bite, the juicy meat wrapped in the thin skin bursts out, tender and delicious. One bite at a time, it is indeed very tasty, successfully awakening the taste buds that have been dormant all night.

Once it entered my stomach, my whole body immediately felt warm and cozy.

The price wasn't expensive either; two servings cost only twenty-eight copper coins in total.

After finishing a bowl of wontons, Lois took him to try a few more snacks, all of which tasted pretty good.

"Those who can set up stalls here are all pretty good. They have to pass an approval process because there's no stall fee. It's all about reputation, so the competition among stall owners is quite fierce," Lois explained to him.

Charlotte suddenly realized why the snacks were so high quality; it was his preconceived notions that had caused him to miss out on such a great place.

Lois stopped and pointed to a stall in the corner ahead, saying, "Look, that young lady selling fish balls up ahead, that's Ino."

Her mother died when she was born. Her father was bitten by a monster while hunting last year. He incurred a lot of debt to treat his injuries and ended up disabled, unable to hunt anymore. He can only do odd jobs to make ends meet.

She could only pay off the hundreds of thousands of yuan she owed by selling fish balls. She had to go to several markets a day; after selling out at one market in the morning, she would go to the Cloud Market for two hours in the afternoon, and then go to the night market in the evening.

Charlotte looked in the direction she was pointing and indeed saw a fish ball stall in the corner.

Perhaps because of its remote location, not many customers come this way.

The stall owner was an elfin-looking boy of about eighteen or nineteen, with delicate features but a very thin appearance. He was leaning against the pillar of his stall, his eyes closed, seemingly asleep.

At an age when she should be full of energy, she has dark circles under her eyes, dry and chapped lips, and is visibly tired.

Looking at her, Charlotte was reminded of herself back then.

While shuttling between three or four pet hospitals, he often fell asleep leaning against the handrail on the bus because he was just too tired.

But you can't rest. The moment you open your eyes, countless debts overwhelm you. You have no choice but to risk your life and spend all your time making money to pay off your debts.

later……

He was exhausted.

Judging from the girl's condition, she's probably not much better off than he was in his previous life.

In addition to physical fatigue from working non-stop every day, mental stress is equally tiring.

The enormous debt, along with the creditors who may appear at any time, puts immense pressure on the individual.

"How do you plan to test me? Should I avoid this for now?" Lois asked.

"No need, we can just go and eat fish balls as usual." Charlotte shook her head and walked straight towards the stall.

Lois quickly followed.

"Boss, one order of fish balls, please," Charlotte said, raising her voice as she approached the stall.

The stall owner, Ino, instantly opened his eyes and flashed a professional smile. He paused for a moment when he saw that Charlotte was human, but quickly asked, "Would you like a large or small portion?"

"I'll have a large one," Charlotte said.

"Sister Ino, I'd like a small portion," Lois said as she walked over.

"Your Highness," Ino quickly bowed respectfully to Lois, then smiled and nodded, "Alright, please have a seat. The fish balls will be ready soon."

Charlotte sat down on a small stool to the side, observing Ino discreetly.

She first scooped a ladle of clean water from the water tank, washed her hands clean, then took the fish paste out of the cabinet with ice, opened the pot that was kept warm, and after the water boiled, she began to squeeze fish balls by hand.

One by one, the round fish balls were squeezed out from between the thumb and forefinger and then fell into the pot. The whole process was quick and precise.

After putting the fish balls into the pot, she washed her hands again before starting to prepare the broth.

The condiments were lined up in a row. With a slight movement of her fingers, she picked up each small spoon and scooped different proportions of the seasonings into the bowl at an extremely fast pace, almost too fast for one to keep up with.

Charlotte couldn't see the exact amount of seasoning from this angle, but judging from her confident and composed demeanor, it seemed quite accurate.

The water boiled again quickly. She first scooped a spoonful of hot soup into the bowl, stirred the seasonings, and then the fish balls floated to the surface. She scooped them up with a slotted spoon and put them into the bowl.

"Please enjoy your meal." Seeing Charlotte and Lois sitting together, Ino's eyes showed a hint of surprise, but he didn't ask any questions.

"Thank you." Charlotte nodded, and only after Ino turned around did she whisper to Lois in a voice only the two of them could hear, "You don't mind if I have a sip of your soup, do you?"

"Huh?" Lois paused for a moment, then nodded subconsciously.

Charlotte picked up the unused spoon, scooped a spoonful of soup from Lois's small bowl, blew on it, and fed it to her.

The broth is fish soup with fish balls, which is quite delicious. The seasonings are just right, enhancing the flavor without overpowering it.

After savoring the taste for a while, Charlotte took out her own water, drank a few sips to dilute the flavor in her mouth, and then scooped up some soup from her bowl and took a sip.

Yes, it tastes the same, the saltiness and blandness are consistent, to the point that he can't tell the difference with his taste buds.

This shows that the girl has a very steady hand and a very precise control over the amount of seasoning used.

"What are you doing?" Lois looked at him with a puzzled expression. Instead of eating the fish balls, he started drinking the soup and even tasted it for her first.

"It's nothing, just to see if she has the talent to make potions." Charlotte scooped up a dumpling and fed it to her. It was tender and refreshing, chewy and bouncy, and tasted incredibly delicious. It was just a little hot, so she swirled it around on her tongue before swallowing it.

Ino happened to see this and couldn't help but cover her mouth and chuckle.

"Delicious!" Charlotte gave her a thumbs up. She had already decided to take this girl who could make fish balls as her friend.

I'd do it for anything, just for the fish balls.

Furthermore, his precise seasoning preparation skills will certainly enable him to handle standardized potion-making work and prepare for increased production in the potion workshop.

Of course, Charlotte would also give her the opportunity to choose; if she preferred to become a doctor, he would not force her to do so.