Rhodes Island does not exist.

The eldest son, having fulfilled his father's will, received the largest share of the inheritance. The second son, however, took the share that belonged to him and the youngest son, and continued to live a life devoid of interest in anything.

As for whether the eldest son was punished by law after killing his younger son... the answer is no.

As mentioned at the beginning, the eldest son was hardworking and kind, and had accumulated a lot of wealth and connections. The neighbors would help him whenever they had a problem, so his murder of his brother was eventually buried by everyone in the town.

Chapter 258, Part Two Hundred and Fifty-Six: Unevenness

And that's how the joke ended.

After listening to Kroos's long story, the Doctor asked her, puzzled, why it sounded like a joke.

Kroos's answer was also very much in her style.

"The eldest son could have eliminated the threat of the youngest son from the very beginning, but he insisted on waiting until there was no way out before taking action. Isn't that foolish and ridiculous?"

"Is it ridiculous?" The Doctor's sense of humor was insufficient to comprehend Kroos's thought process.

He knew that some young operators familiar with popular culture called Miss Kroos's personality traits "electronic wave type".

However, he hadn't bothered to learn much about the detailed definition of radio wave systems.

But seeing Kroos in this state now, he felt he understood again.

"Perhaps it's too early for the Doctor to understand these things... No, the Doctor, if you want to understand, you can understand anything." Kroos shook her head at the Doctor. "You're just not interested."

“Maybe so. I just don’t understand why you would call a story like this a joke,” the doctor said.

"Isn't that right?" Kroos smiled. "Doctor, think carefully about what this story is all about?"

"The father was about to pass away, and in order to divide his inheritance among his children, he posed a difficult problem, which the children then solved." The doctor truthfully recounted what he had heard.

But Kroos shook her head violently and even waved her hand at the Doctor.

"Ah, I understand, I understand."

Kroos looked dejected, her words suggesting she had no expectations or hope for the Doctor.

“That’s true. After all, Doctor, you’re not exactly a normal person, so it’s probably a bit difficult for you to understand the emotions of ordinary people.” She stared at the Doctor with a sickly look in her eyes. “Let me, Miss Kroos, a genius and one of the top 100 young people in Kazdel, do some reading comprehension for you.”

"Please." The Doctor ignored Kroos's remarks and simply nodded.

"First of all, what kind of person is this third son?" Kroos asked.

"A scoundrel, a wicked man, a complete scoundrel," the doctor accurately assessed.

"Then why did he become like this?" Kroos asked again.

"Because his father spoiled him, and the deeper that spoiling was, the less he realized where his evil lay, so he made one mistake after another," the doctor replied.

"...Don't you understand perfectly?" Kroos frowned. "Then tell me, who is the second son?"

“He’s a numb and indifferent person. Nothing can interest him except himself, so much so that he’s quite casual about dividing his inheritance.” The Doctor looked at Kroos.

"And finally, what about the eldest son?" Kroos returned the Doctor's gaze.

“Hardworking and kind, that’s the kind of person most people in modern society would like to know,” the doctor said. “But he was too kind, to the point that he tolerated his third son’s evil deeds and ultimately suffered the consequences of his own kindness.”

"So do you understand now?" Kroos waved her index finger at the Doctor and said, "The state of the third son was originally left to his own devices by the eldest son and the father, and in the end, the eldest son resolved this state by directly killing the third son."

"Moreover, when the eldest son placed the third son's body in front of his father, the second son, who was usually indifferent and apathetic, did not show the slightest ripple. This is enough to show that this family had long been trapped in a morbid vortex, and the most morbid one was their father." Kroos shook his head. "Knowing full well the problems of his three sons, he still chose this kind of competitive method to determine their priority in inheriting the estate. It's truly pathetic and laughable."

"So... that's why you think it's a joke?" The Doctor's eyes remained fixed on Kroos, without finding anything wrong with what she had just said.

"I've already explained it very clearly to you. If you still don't find this funny, then I'm never talking to you again." Kroos crossed her arms and turned her head away, looking angry.

"Ha... I'm really sorry about that," the doctor said apologetically. "But I think I can figure out where the jokes you mentioned are now."

"Alright, alright, stop focusing on this kind of thing." Kroos waved her hand, indicating that the Doctor didn't need to discuss this topic anymore. "It's a topic that doesn't really matter to you... although I used to really hope you could understand."

"Why should we try to understand these things?" the professor asked.

"Because only by understanding these things can our lives have value, instead of just living aimlessly on this land called Terra."

"Do you mean I'm still living in a daze?" the Doctor asked, looking at Kroos.

“No, no, Doctor, you are an exception.” Kroos smiled. “As I just said, your situation is more special than everyone else’s, so the words and theorems used to restrict different people cannot work on you.”

"But Doctor, I still have to say it."

Kroos extended her ungloved left hand and gently placed it on the back of the Doctor's hand.

"Your problem does not lie in those so-called muddle-headed moments, nor does it even originate from you as a person, from this individual."

"Kuluciel?"

"Because your problem exists in the distant stars." Her voice returned to normal after a long time, and even her tone was serious. "No one else can solve your problem; only you can solve it."

"I think Kal'tsit said something similar to me before," the Doctor said thoughtfully.

"Of course she'll tell you, after all, she knows everything, she's an all-knowing woman." Kroos shook her head. "She's the only one who knows others, no one else knows her. Take you, Doctor, for example, do you think Kal'tsit understands you?"

"I know quite a bit about it," the doctor nodded.

"And what about you? Do you dare say you understand Kal'tsit?" Kroos asked.

“Well… while I’m not completely ignorant of her, I do feel there are some mysteries surrounding her.” The doctor smiled. “But I also know…”

"what do you know?"

"If I really ask Kal'tsit, she will definitely tell me."

-

Thank you segment.

Thank you for the monthly pass.

Chapter 259, Part Two Hundred and Fifty-Seven: The Black Mud

"Phew, forget it."

Having snapped out of the lingering effect of that joke, the doctor shook his head.

It seems the atmosphere here was too oppressive, which made him recall his conversation with Kroos.

But now that I think about it, that so-called joke was probably actually about my own experience.

He could have solved all of Rhodes Island's problems at their source, but he ruined everything because of his poor decision-making and stubbornness.

Perhaps I shouldn't have persisted like this.

Excessive kindness and tolerance will only lead to bad results.

Things I couldn't understand before, I finally understand now.

After all, life is a process of understanding.

"Let's not think too much about it and focus on the present." Putting aside his thoughts, the doctor turned his attention to the pile of glass bottles that filled the room.

What purpose can these glass bottles serve?

The doctor stared at a particular glass bottle in one of the boxes, conjuring up some ideas in his mind.

His first thought was to use it to hold water.

However, he has not been able to find even a tiny bit of water so far.

What's the use of a water bottle if there's no water?

"But no matter what, it's still a sealable container, so let's bring two along, just in case." The doctor reached out and stuffed two empty bottles into the outer pocket of his coat.

After all, the glass bottle in the joke Kroos told wasn't used to hold water.

One of them was used to hold wealth, one was used to hold coins, and the other... was used to hold works of art.

Ah yes, works of art.

Alright, let's leave the jokes at that.

"Let's stop here for now, 1001. Just remember that this used to be a warehouse." The doctor made a mental note.

For PhD students, it is unnecessary to use paper and pen or electronic files for record-keeping.

Although the current situation does not provide him with such conditions, it is precisely because of this lack of conditions that his photographic memory becomes an advantage.

"Click."

The doctor closed the door and left room 1001.

Back in the corridor, standing in an empty tunnel, the doctor looked at the two rooms closest to him.

1002 and 1003.

Which one should we enter first?

Room 1002 is on the opposite side, while room 1003 is next to it. The distance between the two rooms is about the same for the Doctor; the only difference is his choice.

"Let's start with the room next door after all."

Gazing at the door opposite, the doctor ultimately chose the one next door.

1003 number.

"Click."

Walking to the door, the doctor stretched out his right hand and gently pressed down the handle of the door to room 1003.

The not-so-thick door opened a crack as the professor gently pushed it open.

As the gap widened, a familiar scent wafted out from inside the room and into the doctor's nostrils.

"What is this taste...?"

His memory began to search rapidly for information related to this smell.

As mentioned before, the doctor's memory is so good that he can remember everything he sees, so even abstract things like this can be remembered very clearly.

And so, in the end, the information conveyed by the scent was captured.

In the doctor's mind, the definition of this smell can be summed up in just two words.

seawater.

"There's a fishy smell in the room?" After understanding the nature of the smell, the doctor was immediately surprised and, driven by curiosity, pushed open the door in front of him.

"squeak--"

Amidst the screeching of the rusty hinges, the doctor saw the entire interior of the room.

It was a pool of water.

In the deep, dark room, a dark pool lay calmly, making it impossible to see what was in the water, let alone judge how deep it was.

"So this pool of stuff... is seawater?"

The doctor slowly took a step forward and stood at the edge of the pool. He took a light sniff, and the Originium Arts called Analysis unconsciously emanated from him, enveloping the surface of the water.

Then, he immediately shook his head, rejecting his own idea.

"No, this can't possibly be seawater." After receiving the analysis results, he thought to himself, "But if it's not seawater, what's causing this fishy smell that's so similar to seawater?"

It is worth investigating.

So, after having this thought in mind, the doctor immediately crouched down and touched the black pool with the tip of his pickaxe.

The results are surprising.

The moment the doctor touched the pool of water with his pickaxe, he discovered that it was not what he saw with his own eyes at all—his pickaxe felt significant resistance.

In other words, the black substance contained in this pool is not actually a pure liquid at all.

"I see, I see, I understand completely now."

After pulling the pickaxe from the surface of the pool and seeing the viscous substance being pulled out from the pickaxe tip that was still connected to the water, the doctor finally understood what the contents of this deep pool were.

"This is what constitutes the very essence of the bizarre."

So, what is weird?

They are unidentified, deformed creatures that roam Rhodes Island, lacking a normal form and simply crawling like mud.

The space occupied by the bizarre is often assimilated and becomes part of the bizarre.

Of course, this is only the vast majority of the bizarre appearances.

After all, besides them, there are also a few strange beings with their own independent will who can have normal appearances.

Those beings were less strange and more like monsters.