Rhodes Island does not exist.

"Why are you here?" the doctor asked again.

"I really want to answer that question, but unfortunately I can't," Ghost Shark shook his head.

"Then I won't ask any more questions."

Since the other party has refused, I won't press them for details.

Besides, this is Ghost Shark, not just anyone.

If she indicates that she is unwilling or unable to answer, then it means that this is indeed the case.

“I’m so sorry… cough cough cough.” Specter coughed again halfway through her sentence, then gave the Doctor a pale smile. “I have failed to meet your request once again.”

"Don't say things like that... But are you alright?" Noticing her cough just now, the doctor felt a pang of pity. "You only coughed once just now."

"I'm fine." Specter shook his head, his signature smile still on his face.

"I hope so... Oh, right."

Remembering the purpose of his return, the Doctor reached into the outer pocket of his coat and took out the two glass bottles filled with black mud. He then took the opportunity to ask Ghost Shark a question.

"Do you know if there are any small, strange creatures on Rhodes Island?"

Although he held the two bottles of black mud in his hand, the questions he asked had nothing to do with the black mud.

"Are they oddly sized?" Ghost Shark blinked its red eyes slightly, as if searching for something. "Yes, although they are very rare, they do exist."

"Oh, is there any relevant information you can provide?" the doctor asked.

“Of course, as your guide, this is part of my job.” Ghost Shark nodded and continued, “The small-sized monster is located on the sixth floor. The environment on the sixth floor is quite complicated, so you need to be mentally prepared before entering to avoid getting lost.”

"Petite in size?"

Noticing the adjective used to describe Ghost Shark, the Doctor sensed that she wasn't referring to the kind of weirdness he was looking for.

Indeed, within Rhodes Island, there are perhaps only two kinds of strange creatures in essence.

—Those with self-awareness and those without self-awareness.

For example, the huge monster in the fourth-floor stairwell and the ubiquitous mud monsters belong to the same category.

Exia and Warfarin, on the other hand, belong to another category.

If the Doctor were to kill those monsters that have no independent consciousness, he might be able to handle it quite efficiently.

However, if the opponent is Warfarin or Exia, the Doctor probably wouldn't be able to bring himself to do it.

This isn't entirely because of their former identity—operators of Rhodes Island. It's also a kind of reverence for conscious life.

Ultimately, the doctor still leans towards saving lives rather than killing them.

So the doctor decided to ask for more details.

"Regarding that small, strange creature, Ghost Shark, can you provide any more detailed information?"

“Okay.” Ghost Shark nodded. “Regarding the strangeness on the sixth floor, first of all… cough cough cough… it is certain that she has a certain degree of self-awareness, but her mental state is not stable, so it will be very difficult to talk to her.”

"Her?" The doctor grasped the key point.

“Yes,” Ghost Shark replied, “the petite oddity on the sixth floor is a woman.”

That confirms it now.

It possesses both consciousness and gender... This is clearly not the kind of small anomaly the doctor is looking for for experimentation.

However, more concerned with the whereabouts of this oddity from the sixth floor than the whereabouts of the smaller anomaly, the doctor was more interested in what kind of being this anomaly was.

"The path leading to the sixth floor..."

“I’m sorry I can’t provide such information.” Specter shook his head. “As a guide, I can’t pave the way for you directly. I can only offer you some hints.”

"A hint will do," the doctor said, accepting this compromise. "Just tell me roughly how to get to the sixth floor."

"The answer to getting to the sixth floor can be found on the thirteenth floor," Ghost Shark replied. "That's all the information I can provide about the sixth floor."

-

Thank you segment.

Thank you for the monthly pass and the razor blade.

Chapter 299, Part 297: The Source of Life

That concludes the information for the sixth floor.

Although we didn't get any information about the test subjects, we at least obtained some other, more important information, which is still pretty good.

Now, let's move on to the next question.

With that in mind, the doctor placed the two bottles of black mud in front of Ghost Shark.

"Is this familiar to you?"

He shook the bottle, but the black tide remained calm.

"This is……"

When Ghost Shark saw the swaying, black, viscous substance in the bottle in the doctor's hand, her blood-red eyes seemed to flicker for a moment.

"Retrieved from a room on the tenth floor." The doctor opened one of the glass bottles and handed it to Specter. "Do you recognize it?"

“I do recognize them.” Ghost Shark nodded and took the glass bottle, gazing down at the black contents through the bottle’s opening. “When you see these things, what do you first think they are?”

Ghost Shark posed a question to the doctor.

“Me?” The doctor thought for a moment. “Considering that its appearance is the same as the posture of those lower monsters after they decompose, I think it may be one of the elements that make up those monsters.”

“You’re right.” Ghost Shark nodded. “Those lowest-level monsters are indeed made of this substance.”

"but."

Ghost Shark tilted the glass bottle slightly and poured out two drops of the sludge onto his hand.

The black, semi-solid liquid churned and bubbled in the air, as if it possessed its own life and thoughts, flowing in the Ghost Shark's palm.

Just as the doctor was about to ask her what she was planning to do, he noticed that the mud in Ghost Shark's palm was beginning to change.

"Gudu."

Two drops of mud swelled up as if they were being boiled.

At the same time, their colors also became lighter.

"Cough cough."

With two soft coughs from the ghost shark, black mist began to rise and dissipate as the bubbles churned, peeling away from the muddy body and stripping away its original colors.

Since the mud is not very large in volume, the amount of mist that is emitted is ultimately only a very small wisp.

But as the fog dissipated, the originally sticky and nauseating rotten stuff became clear at some point.

Now, they are just two drops of water.

Although their clarity is far from that of regular purified water, they are at least much better than they were at the beginning.

At least this way of presenting the drink won't make people feel too disgusted.

“Look,” Ghost Shark held out his palm in front of the doctor’s eyes, “this is the original form of the Mud.”

"It's become...clearer?" The doctor's gaze was incredulous.

It was as if I could see the biological tank in operation.

Wait a minute, could what the ghost shark just did be related to the septic tank?

It's hard for a PhD student not to make these connections.

But Ghost Shark's response offered an explanation for his earlier actions.

“I purified that black mud,” she said with a smile. “Ahem… You can think of what just happened as one of my abilities, a kind of Originium Arts. In Rhodes Island, this is something only I can do.”

"At the same time... cough cough, it's also one of the few things I can do." She looked at the doctor.

The Doctor was always worried about Ghost Shark's occasional coughing.

"What is the product after purification?" The doctor's eyes were fixed on the droplet in Ghost Shark's hand, but for some reason he felt a vague sense of familiarity.

“You understand,” Ghost Shark replied. “You were once very familiar with this substance, and you shouldn’t forget it now.”

"hiss."

The doctor took a deep breath.

In fact, his nasal cavity had already revealed the nature of the liquid in Ghost Shark's hand to him.

That familiar salty, fishy smell was an aroma he could never forget in his entire life.

But he didn't dare to say.

I dare not say it, but I have to.

"...It's seawater."

“Absolutely correct.” Ghost Shark nodded with a smile. “You did remember.”

"But...but how could this be?" Even though the answer was right in front of him, the doctor still couldn't understand. "You mean, the seawater is the source of all the strange things here?"

"Why can't it be like this?" Ghost Shark said. "Or do you think there are other possibilities?"

"No, that won't happen." The doctor shook his head. "Yes, that's all we can do."

"Ahem, ahem." Ghost Shark coughed twice, then immediately resumed his usual demeanor. "All life comes from the sea, and ultimately returns to the sea."

"Therefore, seawater is the source of life."

As the ghost shark spoke, it tilted its palm slightly toward the bottle opening and poured the two drops of purified seawater back into the bottle filled with black mud, where they once again merged with their black cousins.

However, as the semi-clear liquid flowed back, the ecosystem in the bottle seemed to change as well.

"They're... the black sludge in the purification bottle?" A pale green light shone in the doctor's eyes, a sign that his Originium Arts were activating.

At this moment, he is analyzing the principles behind what is happening inside the bottle.

“You’re right… cough cough cough.” Ghost Shark nodded. “When the seawater turns back into seawater, it will not return to its fallen state. Instead, it will continuously influence all its blood relatives around it, with itself as the center, until assimilation is complete.”

The black, rotten mud inside the bottle was churning.

Those seawater drops, which were originally just two tiny drops, have now expanded to almost a third the size of the bottle due to their assimilative properties, and they are still expanding.

After all, for their assimilation effect, the larger the contact area, the faster the assimilation speed.

"Look."

A moment later, Ghost Shark shook the glass bottle in his hand.

The bottle, which was originally filled with black mud, now contains only a semi-clear, sloshing liquid, as if the bottle had been emptied of all its contents and thoroughly cleaned.

"So, this bottle is now full of seawater?" the doctor asked.

“That’s right.” Specter tightened the cork that was blocking the bottle, then handed the glass bottle full of seawater back to the Doctor. “Now you can take this seawater with you… cough cough, just be careful, because of its pure seawater properties, it will probably attract all the weirdos on Rhodes Island to come and snatch it.”

"So, what is the purpose of this seawater?" the doctor asked again.

"It can make your mind stronger and repair strange damage," Ghost Shark replied.

"Repair the bizarre damage...?"

"Trust me, you'll find it useful."

-

Thank you segment.

Thanks to sptzer阙根筋旧神之印 for the blade and the monthly pass, thank you.

Chapter 300 Side Story: An Untimely Valentine's Day (Part 1)

Kazimir, during a winter or spring season.

-

As a place where chivalry flourished, Kazimierz's terrain is mostly plains.

However, this does not mean that there are no mountains and hills within the border.

For example, this is Kazimir, a remote town located in a valley.

It is less than 200 kilometers from the front lines of the war between Ursus and Kazimir. During the war, local farmers could even hear the distant roar of Ursus's siege artillery fire while they were cooking.