Rhodes Island does not exist.

Her implication was that these oddly shaped candies were simply impossible to put in one's mouth.

"Since it's made into this disc shape, then we can only lick it, right?" The doctor thought for a moment and came to a conclusion.

At the same time, he also came to a second conclusion.

Neither of them had ever eaten a lollipop.

“That sounds like a rather vulgar way to eat it…” Skadi nodded slightly, agreeing with the doctor’s opinion and turning her gaze back to the candy in her hand. “But it seems there really isn’t any other way to eat it.”

"We can't just smash it up and eat it directly," the doctor shrugged.

"—Absolutely not." Skadi's tone rose eight octaves, as if she had become more alert because of the Doctor's words.

She stared at the doctor beside her with a slightly surprised look, as if she were looking at a monster. "The significance of this candy lies in its integrity and uniformity. If it were broken, what difference would there be between it and ordinary candy?"

"……you're right."

Even the doctor was taken aback by her sudden reaction.

He hadn't expected Skadi to make such a big fuss about his words.

"Then let's try it!"

Skadi returned to her previous state, gently opening her neat white teeth and protruding the tip of her thin red tongue, touching the surface of the lollipop.

The saliva instantly soaked the color on the candy, turning the dry light color into a moist dark color.

Skadi's tongue, warmed by her own body temperature, licks the candy with saliva, slowly melting it. Then, she licks it up with her little tongue, rolls it back into her mouth, and secretes saliva again.

As for the doctor, he observed this series of actions with great interest.

Even as he gazed at Skadi's flexible and elastic tongue, he was suddenly reminded of his friends who lived on the eighth floor.

Hmm, those slugs were weird.

After all, when they were begging for food from the doctor, they had also wiggled their resilient and slimy limbs in an attempt to get some food.

The two fell into a subtle silence once again.

Skadi was engrossed in licking the lollipop, while the Doctor was engrossed in observing her; the two were at a balance.

"what--"

Feeling the sudden silence, the doctor couldn't help but sigh inwardly.

Ever since he was given a mission and a goal at Rhodes Island, he seemed to have never enjoyed this kind of simple peace and quiet.

Maybe it's good to relax like this once in a while.

But this is something that can only be encountered by chance and cannot be sought after.

After all, this is Rhodes Island.

If you neglect time, time will return the favor tenfold.

So even under such circumstances, the doctor's nerves were not completely relaxed, but remained tense to a certain extent.

"call."

Just then, Skadi stopped licking the lollipop and pulled her tongue back into her mouth.

"How is it? Is it delicious?" the doctor asked.

"Unappetizing."

Skadi gave a straightforward opinion.

Chapter 174, Chapter 173: The Arrogant and Unruly Person with a Mental Disorder

Later, adhering to the principle of not wasting food, the remaining lollipop was eaten by the doctor.

Neither side had any objection to this result.

"So you found it? The compressed biscuit with the exact same sign you left behind." Skadi dragged her still somewhat tired body, walking weakly beside the Doctor.

The doctor wanted her to continue resting, but she insisted on embarking on the same journey as him, not wanting to be a burden to him.

“No, to be honest, the industrial pastry section here isn’t very big. I found the shelf for compressed biscuits too,” the doctor said, frowning. “But the variety is really limited, and I didn’t see the same brand as the one I have here.”

“Then it just means you’ve never been here before,” Skadi said. “Maybe the place you’ve been to is the same place I’ve been to.”

"Probably." The doctor sighed. "It's a bit of a shame. I had hoped to be able to trace some of the past me."

“No need to force it.” Skadi patted him on the shoulder. “We might just run into them on the way.”

The doctor felt a sharp pain from the force he couldn't control.

"Now it's time to get down to business." The professor rubbed his slightly numb shoulder joints and put down the two bags he had been carrying all the way, which were made of clothes.

"Pack the food and water in there." The doctor handed one of the pockets to Skadi. "Two pockets, one for you and one for me."

"So you did think of my share after all." Skadi took the bag, glanced at the Doctor, and said, "How thoughtful."

"What image do I have in your eyes?" The doctor found it unbelievable.

"Just kidding," Skadi waved her hand.

"So you can joke after all," the doctor retorted.

"Phew... I'm almost rested enough. Let's cheer up." Skadi stretched her limbs, slowly opened the overly ornate cloth bag in her hand, and said, "By the way, speaking of which, what we're doing now is like shopping at a supermarket, isn't it?"

“No.” The doctor shook his head as he tossed the compressed biscuits and convenience foods from the shelf in front of him into a bag.

“Why?” Skadi asked. “I always feel like we’re getting very close.”

"You have to pay to go to the supermarket or shopping." The doctor filled his pockets expressionlessly, like a machine on an assembly line. "What we're doing is at best robbery."

"Ah... a robbery?" Skadi seemed to understand something. "Now that you mention it, it sounds alright."

"Do you have a kleptomania?" the doctor asked. "I've heard that there's a mental illness that makes patients enjoy the feeling of stealing. Some even bring a large sum of money in advance to steal or rob, and then make up for it later."

“No.” Skadi shook her head. “Personally, I believe I will still abide by public order and good morals.”

"But... how should I put it?" She casually grabbed a bag of puffed snacks and tossed it into her pocket, her thoughts drifting elsewhere. "I just think it would be really nice if someone could do this kind of thing with me."

"What kind of thing? Robbery?" The doctor frowned.

“Hmm.” Skadi nodded. “It feels like being an accomplice.”

“It’s not entirely incomprehensible.” The Doctor picked up his pocket, walked over to Skadi, and glanced at her pocket. “Why did you put so many potato chips in there?”

"I just grabbed it without thinking." Skadi seemed to realize what she had done only then. "But it's just puffed food anyway, it only takes up space and doesn't weigh much, so it doesn't matter if I take some, right?"

"...Have you ever eaten potato chips?" After a moment of silence, the professor asked a question.

“No.” Skadi shook her head.

"I don't have it either, neither in my remaining memories nor in common sense," the doctor said.

“Then…?” Skadi looked at the Doctor with her red eyes.

"Get me two packs too."

-

In the end, the two managed to carry two large bags filled with food and water out of the supermarket, without exceeding their own carrying capacity.

"Carrying so much stuff, the journey back will be troublesome," the professor remarked.

“As long as we get out before the maze changes,” Skadi said. “I remember the way I came, and I remember how to get to the seventh floor.”

"How long is the cycle of changes in that maze?" the professor asked, voicing a question he was quite concerned about.

This question should have been asked in the first place.

“I don’t know,” Skadi replied without hesitation. “Within Rhodes Island, I’m not very sensitive to the concept of time, but even so, I can sense that this cycle is not short.”

“The key is that we don’t know when this maze last changed.” The doctor shook his head. “If we’re just unlucky, the cycle might end in the next hour or the next moment.”

“However, one thing is certain: no matter how the maze changes, only the order of the arrangement will change,” Skadi said. “It won’t affect the grid we’re in right now.”

"lattice……"

The doctor frowned.

"What's wrong? Do you have any objections to this explanation?" Skadi looked at the Doctor. "Since it's a maze, it's like walking on a grid, right? Each area or room is a grid, and then after a set time, the grid will be shuffled."

"No, I just think your analogy is quite apt," the doctor said with a smile.

“Well then, let’s put these two packages here first.” Skadi leaned her large bag against the supermarket and then untied a strap from the greatsword on her back.

The hilt slid slightly to the right, changing to an angle that allows it to be removed at any time.

“You mentioned this before, didn’t you?” She cast her red gaze toward the fast food restaurant diagonally opposite the warehouse supermarket. “That’s the origin of all the surveillance lines.”

"I also said that after we've collected all the supplies, we should open the door here."

The Doctor also put down the package he was carrying and tossed it next to where Skadi had just placed it.

"So, how do you plan to get in now?" she asked. "Will you just open the door, or..."

“There’s no other choice, is there?” The Doctor shrugged. “Even with my mediocre Originium Arts, I can only detect the endpoints of those monitor lines at most; I can’t see through what’s inside.”

"That means we should just go straight in."

Skadi stepped forward, reaching her right hand over her shoulder to grip the black hilt of the greatsword.

Immediately afterwards, she strode to the restaurant's front door, took the greatsword from behind her, and kicked it straight between the two doors.

Chapter 175, Chapter 174: Now I listen to the rain under the eaves of a monk's hut, my temples already gray.

They said they couldn't take the risk.

Because they have a home,

There were still warm candles burning in the house.

But actually, I don't know who is right and who is wrong.

Because what awaits me is rain outside.

What awaited them was a meal prepared at home.

—Victor Tsui

-

"boom!"

The door was kicked open with a loud thud.

The guests must be very impolite.

"Doctor, are you really planning to just leave it like this and do nothing about it?!"

W stormed in, almost bursting with unspeakable rage.

Sure enough, he really is a very impolite person.

It has been a week since Provence concluded that "the disaster cloud will move in three days".

However, the Calamity Cloud still lingered over Rhodes Island.

The Originium dust storm outside the window blew incessantly, as if it were meant to be here, and Rhodes Island was the intruder.

Although Rhodes Island has always been an anomaly.

Many changes have occurred on Rhodes Island during this week.

The first issue is the consumption of food and water resources.

A week ago, considering that the observation results in Provence were not certain, the doctor planned a week-long resource allocation strategy.

From medicine to food, the allocation of all resources was precisely planned down to the individual level by the doctor.

In his vision, even if the disaster cloud dissipates two to three days later than predicted, they can still survive by following this scientific allocation strategy, and even have enough supplies for their journey to the next supply city.

However, the duration of this natural disaster was ridiculously long.

On the fourth day, during a routine phone call, Provence, receiving comfort from the doctor, was still able to forgive himself with a wry smile.

But on the fifth day, Provence, under immense pressure, even broke down in tears, apologizing repeatedly with snot and tears streaming down her face, saying it was all her fault and that she was bad.

What can a PhD student do about this?

There was nothing he could do.

He can't blame anyone, nor does he have any reason to blame anyone.