Rhodes Island does not exist.

“Doctor, since we deliberately keep this place completely dark, it must be for our own convenience.” Exusiai shrugged. “As for you, just get used to it.”

"It's like the polar night." The doctor glanced at the few lights and candlesticks and couldn't help but complain, "I thought this was a restaurant or cafeteria, but there's no food. So, to me, it's just a large hall at best—does this place even have a name?"

“A name? What would we need such a thing for?” Nengtian glanced at the doctor with a strange look in his eyes.

"Let me use a more convenient way of address you," the professor thought for a moment.

"Then why not just call it the thirteenth floor?" Exusiai's eyes looked even stranger.

"Because the name 'Thirteenth Floor' is too common and ordinary, I have a better name. Would you like to hear it?" The Doctor's eyes were fixed on Exusiai, and Exusiai could even see a hint of longing in his eyes.

"Wow."

Her expression immediately turned into blatant disgust.

Even so, she was still willing to listen.

"Before... never mind what happened before, you wouldn't know anyway." The Doctor waved his hand. "Anyway, I think for a hall like this filled with a dark atmosphere, it should be called something like the Pitch-Black Courtyard of Sinful Fruits shrouded in solitary light, or..."

"Stop, stop, stop." Exusiai interrupted the doctor's speech. "What's wrong with you? Are you having chuunibyou? Then I wish you a speedy recovery from your illness."

What the doctor actually wanted to say was that these were all ideas she had in the past.

At that time, Rhodes Island had a power outage, and he happened to be eating with Exusiai in the cafeteria, which was completely dark.

However, in that pitch blackness, only the halo above Exusiai's head was still lit, becoming a landmark of the entire cafeteria like a solitary lamp.

So, around the fluorescent light tube above her head, Exusiai came up with many naming strategies for the cafeteria that had a rather chuunibyou (middle school syndrome) vibe.

For example, the dark courtyard of the Sinful Fruit Garden shrouded in solitary light that I just mentioned.

To be honest, it's quite hard to remember.

As for why the doctor can remember, it's because he can't forget anything he's experienced.

That's the ability gained from connecting with PRTS, but it's also the price to pay.

"Didn't you just say it was just like the polar night? Then why don't you continue to think of a name from the perspective of the polar night?" Exusiai was speechless. "Besides, an eleven-character name is too long, isn't it? It's almost four times longer than the original name, is that really okay?"

"Not good," the doctor admitted, head bowed.

"Just name it Polar Night Hall, and another hall, why not?" Exusiai said, rubbing her forehead. "It's concise and descriptive. Although I don't really care, since I won't use that name. If you think that old, long, cringeworthy, and childish name was better, you'll be the one causing trouble."

“…No, no need.” Hearing Exusiai’s words, the Doctor was stunned for a moment, then shook his head. “I think what you said is fine, so I’ll use yours.”

"The Hall of Midnight?" Exusiai asked.

"Yes, this one is much better than mine." The doctor nodded.

The Polar Night Hall.

The name was suggested by the PhD.

At the time, after Exusiai suggested the name "The Dark Garden of Sinful Fruits Under the Solitary Light" during the power outage, the Doctor immediately objected, telling her that the name was too long and would only cause more inconvenience, and suggested that she change it.

So Exusiai pouted and told the Doctor to think of something else, something better than hers.

The name "Hall of the Midnight" was conceived at this time.

Now, it came out of Exia's mouth.

Perhaps this is a kind of cycle. The doctor thought to himself.

"Alright, alright, whatever makes you happy." Exusiai shrugged. "So, do you have any questions for me now?"

“Probably not.” The Doctor also stood up from the bench and took a step in the same direction as Exusiai. “Now that you’ve found out where the exit is, I’ll go take the elevator.”

"Is that so?" Exusiai nodded slightly. "Then I wish you a safe journey, and I'll also give you the answer to one of my questions."

"What?" the doctor asked.

"Regarding what you asked at the beginning—Warfarin's location," Exusiai said, then pointed towards the elevator. "Take the elevator down to the third floor, where you will find Warfarin."

"Oh? You just gave it to me like that?" The doctor's tone was slightly strange. "Didn't you say you were going to use this as a condition to exchange with me?"

“I did say that,” Exusiai nodded. “But I think that since finding the way to the sixteenth floor isn’t just my responsibility, but also Warfarin’s wish, it would be better to cooperate.”

"So, this is something like a greeting gift, right?" the doctor thought for a moment and said.

"Don't talk about Warfarin like she's some kind of commodity." Exusiai frowned, slightly sensing something was amiss. "She's already done enough for us Odds. I don't want you making fun of her like that."

"Okay," the doctor readily agreed.

To be honest, the Doctor was quite surprised to receive such an evaluation from Exusiai.

It seems that even here, Warfarin is still the same as before.

Maybe I should apologize to her next time I see her?

Chapter 284, Part 282: Welcome Home

The Hall of Midnight truly lives up to its name; ever since the Doctor left the area where Exusiai was, it has been completely dark.

The Doctor walked straight on the path indicated by the Archangel, without deviating from it.

The doors on either side of the straight path emitted a deep, dark glow, as if enticing the doctor to open them.

However, considering that Exusiai had previously mentioned that "most of the strange creatures living here are quite shy around strangers," the Doctor maintained his self-discipline and did not go up to disturb them.

Following the road straight ahead, the doctor reached his destination without encountering any obstacles.

It seems Exusiai was right.

"Snapped."

The doctor switched the pickaxe to his left hand and slapped the call button next to the elevator with his right.

A bright red upward arrow icon then appears on the screen, with a number next to the arrow.

3.

It turned out that the elevator started on the third floor. Staring at the screen, the doctor pondered to himself.

But it makes sense, considering that Exusiai previously mentioned that the exit to the sixteenth floor she observed was on the third floor, and Warfarin's location was also on the third floor, so it's reasonable that her previous landing point was on the third floor.

"Om..."

The sound of mechanical friction stirred within.

The Doctor was actually a little concerned about why he had never heard such a voice when he was on Rhodes Island, but now he could hear it clearly.

Perhaps it's because the elevator shafts here have a unique structure.

Ultimately, do the elevators here really move inside an elevator shaft?

After walking up the stairs, the doctor was certain that there were spatial partitions between each floor, so the elevator's structure must also be quite special.

"Ding."

Just as the professor was pondering this matter, the elevator arrived.

The metal automatic doors slid open to the sides in front of the doctor.

The interior of the elevator car is basically the same as the one on the ninth floor, with almost no difference except for the details.

So the doctor stepped into the elevator car, pressed the button, the door closed, and the elevator descended.

"Om-"

The sounds that were once heard outside the door are now ringing out from a much closer distance.

Immersed in the white noise, the doctor descended and left the thirteenth floor.

"Is this display screen broken...? No, it shouldn't be broken."

The doctor's gaze fell on the display screen, where the downward arrow was flashing, but the numbers remained unchanged.

This is unreasonable, but it is quite normal.

After all, the numbers hadn't changed when it came up.

It's probably because there are only three buttons in this elevator.

13, 14, 3.

Besides being able to descend to the thirteenth floor, it can also ascend to the fourteenth floor. However, for the PhD student, this is probably unnecessary.

There's no need for it at least for now.

After all, his current destination is simply where Warfarin is.

"Buzzing—"

The sound of downward friction traveled through the edges of the car, telling the doctor that he was not standing still.

Maybe, but who knows?

Standing in the sinking elevator car, the doctor resumed thinking about the questions he had been pondering while standing outside.

He began to think that perhaps the elevator itself wasn't moving, but was creating the illusion of movement for the people inside by rubbing and shaking the car.

The actual change in the outside world after the elevator reaches its destination is simply because the elevator altered the outside world during the time it was closed.

No, that's not right, it's too subjective.

If that's really the case, then the time I spent standing outside waiting for the elevator doesn't make sense.

Such an irresponsible idea is truly nonsense.

But on Rhodes Island, the Doctor always felt that all the nonsense might actually come true.

Therefore, the only thing that can stop the doctor from believing these wild thoughts as reality is probably the feeling of weightlessness caused by sinking.

"Sizzle".

The light bulbs overhead flickered on and off.

The elevator is still descending.

The numbers on the display screen remained unchanged.

"Could there be anything strange in the elevator?" The doctor leaned against the corner of the elevator, his gaze fixed on the flickering light.

Probably.

He asked himself the question and answered it in his mind.

However, this elevator is probably being used by Warfarin regularly now, so even if there are oddities, they are oddities that can coexist peacefully with Warfarin.

So, if you can get along well with Warfarin, why can't you get along well with yourself?

With that thought in mind, the doctor felt relieved.

Even though he felt relieved, he still gripped the pickaxe he relied on for a living tightly in his right hand.

"Om..."

A pale green light, representing analysis, emanated from the doctor and enveloped the entire cabin.

Then, the green light that had spread out returned from all directions of the elevator car and disappeared into the doctor's body.

This is him using his abilities to confirm his speculation.

He wanted to make sure there were no other strange things lurking around.

He received an affirmative answer.

However... in addition to this answer, another answer sheet for a different subject was also submitted.

"There's nothing outside the elevator...?" Feeling the information returning from his analysis, the doctor felt somewhat incredulous. "This means that elevator shafts don't actually exist, and the world outside the elevator might just be a void."

"But even if the outside world is truly the void, it's still not a place I can reach."

As he spoke, he sighed.

"Om."

While the doctor was pondering, the elevator continued to descend.

But the next moment, the content on the screen suddenly changed.

The number 13, which had remained unchanged, changed to 3 after a brief video animation.

Then, the elevator stopped.

"Ding."

A warm and friendly notification tone sounded the instant the green indicator light turned on.