Rhodes Island does not exist.

He planned to sort things out before continuing to travel with Skadi.

"So what are you still standing there for?" Skadi took two steps, turned around and looked at the Doctor who was still standing there, and asked.

"Let's stop for a moment." The doctor looked up at her, whose body had clearly recovered completely, and then spoke slightly, "You did indeed heal your body with seawater, right?"

“Hmm.” Skadi nodded.

"So how did you do it?" the doctor asked again.

"Just splash seawater on your wound," Skadi explained expressionlessly. "Otherwise, why would I tell you to stay away?"

"Ah, so you still believe that seawater is highly poisonous? I'm curious who instilled this idea in you. Was it the person who gave you the seawater? If so, I'm even more curious." Skadi looked at the Doctor.

"What are you curious about?"

“I’m curious why I haven’t encountered anyone like that in the entire month I’ve been wandering around this building, because logically speaking…” Skadi shook her head at this point, “those who are associated with the sea should generally be my fellow countrymen.”

This is precisely one of the questions the doctor wanted to ask.

He wanted to ask Skadi if she and Specter had known each other for a long time.

After all, Ghost Shark once said that seawater could only be used to heal wounds when it was related to her.

Therefore, now that the conversation has progressed this far, the Doctor decides to stop hiding the information about Specter and tell it to Skadi in front of him.

"The source of this seawater is actually—"

It's a ghost shark.

He should have said it.

But he couldn't make a sound.

Just as the name "Spectral Shark" is a fixed rule floating within Rhodes Island, it cannot be expressed by anyone in any form.

"Can't you stop only saying half of what you mean?" Skadi's gaze towards him became strange.

The doctor desperately wanted to say that he had tried very hard to make the name public, but he couldn't utter a sound no matter what he did.

However, Skadi probably couldn't understand this information from his eye language.

"—It was given to me by a woman."

He ultimately chose to bypass direct narration.

“Ah, woman,” Skadi nodded. “And then?”

"That woman was wearing a nun's habit, holding a chainsaw, had the same eye color as you, and seemed a bit mentally unstable."

Since the word "ghost shark" has become a linguistic barrier, the doctor can only hope that this barrier is called Maginot.

Unfortunately, this plan failed.

Because Skadi doesn't seem like someone who knows this description at all.

“Nun’s habit? That’s completely foreign to me.” Skadi shook her head. “But in this deserted Rhodes Island, the mere presence of another living person is news in itself. So where is she? I’d like to go and pay her a visit.”

"Fourth floor, 403," the doctor replied, "which is also my room."

"No, no, no, no." Skadi waved her hand after hearing this answer. "I've been to the fourth floor many times. I've opened all the rooms there and checked them. There's no one there at all."

This is impossible.

The doctor knew very well that this was impossible.

And it was only at this point that the doctor remembered something.

"I remember you said before that you didn't encounter a single living person on Rhodes Island, only strange things, right?"

The doctor asked a question.

“Yes.” Skadi nodded.

"Have you encountered that strange creature that looked like a chariot before?" the doctor continued to ask.

“No, to be honest, it was the first time.” Skadi shook her head. “It appeared at the front door right after you died because of that glass tube.”

"Have you been to the tenth floor before?" The doctor's suspicions grew.

“I’ve been here before,” Skadi said confidently, “but back then… wait a minute.”

A layer of doubt surfaced at the bottom of her gaze.

"At that time, I didn't see anything in room 1002 on the tenth floor... At that time, room 1002—"

"—It's empty, right?"

The professor helped her complete the second half of the sentence.

-

Thank you segment.

Thank you, Brother Jie. I don't need the monthly pass anymore, thank you.

Chapter 31, Part 31: The Settling of Reasonable Doubt

"Blacksteel is a giant among weapons manufacturers because it not only sells weapons, but also weapon manuals... What? You don't understand what I mean? Mercenaries, mercenaries, I'm talking about mercenaries."

"These people possess the core technology for manufacturing firearms. Apart from their own staff, no one knows how to use their weapons, which is why I call their mercenaries the instruction manuals."

w sat on a pile of crates filled with explosives, chattering incessantly.

The doctor didn't dislike her way of speaking, after all, she didn't come back often.

And probably because the way the Doctor speaks is too similar to the former commander of Rhodes Island, W has actually been actively avoiding communicating with the Doctor.

But this doesn't mean their relationship is bad.

On the contrary, it's quite good.

"...Blacksteel made a lot of money in Columbia last year. When I went to Ironthorn City last time... Doctor, what did you say? That place isn't called Ironthorn City? Oh right, I forgot, Ironthorn City was the name five years ago. Now that place is called New Kaliningrad."

"Then there was that beverage factory in Longmen, what was it called, Chaolong Soda? Yes, that soda factory. The daughter of the Black Steel boss really liked drinking that stuff, so the Black Steel boss sent a letter to Chaolong Soda, asking them to make a special pineapple-flavored soda for his daughter, and it couldn't be sold on the market, it could only be supplied to Black Steel."

"You ask how I know? Haha, I was doing fieldwork in Lungmen back then, and that's when I took this job... Yes, the first batch of soda sent to his daughter was transported there by me and my mercenaries, and we made quite a bit of money. What, you're asking if I got to drink that pineapple soda?"

"Harmful."

w shook his head, making a rather exaggerated expression.

"Please spare me, God knows how bizarre the Black Steel boss's daughter's taste is. That pineapple-flavored soda is worse than the urine of a wild pack animal—of course, I've never drunk pack animal urine, it's just a metaphor. So you can stop your outrageous fantasies."

"Hey, Doctor, I have something to tell you."

W slumped her shoulders as if she had had enough of making a scene, then gently poked the doctor's waist with her knuckles.

“I went back to my hometown last month… well, you know, Kazdel.”

"That place is still the same as before, poor and backward, but it is no longer chaotic. Theresis's appointment played a big role in this."

“I understand. You probably don’t like Theresis, and neither do I. After all, that guy is a scoundrel, and he’ll have to pay back what he owes the Sarkaz and us sooner or later.”

"But I just want to say, if even a place like Kazdel can offer hope for peace, does that mean Terra will actually start to get better?"

"What are you doing? What kind of look is that? Do you think a woman like me doesn't deserve such naive ideals?"

A smile, as usual, appeared on W's lips.

"Alright, maybe I was just out of my mind today. That's settled then. I need to prepare for my trip to Chernobog this afternoon. Let's talk again when I find you more agreeable."

"Yes, I will, Doctor."

-

Fragments of memories would occasionally flash through the doctor's mind, but he couldn't understand them.

Even the slightest lapse in concentration could cause him to hear unfamiliar sounds.

"Keep walking until you reach the thirteenth floor, and you'll see another elevator leading to the lower floors."

Skadi, with her greatsword slung across her shoulder, walked ahead of the Doctor.

The two climbed the stairs that started from the tenth floor, one after the other, in complete silence.

"There doesn't seem to be anything strange here like on the fourth floor," the doctor thought, recalling what had happened at his front door.

"What?" Skadi asked, puzzled.

“There’s a strange creature that lives in the stairwell, moving around like a train, making a lot of noise,” the doctor explained.

“But I’ve never encountered that,” Skadi shook her head. “I’ve been to the fourth floor too.”

“We’ve discussed this issue before, haven’t we? There are many things you only encountered after I arrived.” The Doctor looked up at Skadi’s back. “And the reason is probably due to things like time. For example, the rooms and floors on Rhodes Island might change depending on the time of observation.”

“That’s unlikely, I’ve already refuted you.” Skadi shook her head. “Besides, the collector’s records cover more than thirty days, which in itself proves your conjecture to be wrong.”

"Or perhaps it's for something else?" The doctor shrugged. "But in my opinion, the reason isn't important. What's important is that the question itself can serve as an argument to prove something wrong."

“What’s the erroneous argument?” Skadi asked.

"Your previous statement—that you hadn't encountered a single living person in the past month—can now be proven wrong. Furthermore, since your statement has been disproven, whether you actually explored Rhodes Island for a month is now also in question," the Doctor said.

"Hmm, so you don't believe me anymore, is that what you mean?" Skadi stopped and turned to look at the Doctor.

The doctor neither confirmed nor denied it.

“And what about you?” Skadi retorted. “The first time I saw you, you were charging at me with a bunch of weirdos. When you died in an accident, your body disappeared and then reappeared in front of me. Furthermore, events I’ve never encountered before, and weirdos I’ve never met before, are all standing in front of me because of your appearance… Do you think I should believe you?”

“I was actually just thinking about that.” Skadi gripped the hilt of her sword behind her. “If you’re some kind of illusion created by Rhodes Island to deceive me, should I just cut you in half right now?”

"You think I'm gradually becoming untrustworthy, but you don't know that you don't trust me much either. The seawater of unknown origin, the nun of unknown origin... In this deserted environment, I think it's normal for us to maintain a state of mutual suspicion. Of course, unless you're not a normal person at all, then there's no need for mutual suspicion, it's enough for me to suspect you unilaterally."

The Doctor always felt that he might die by Skadi's sword at any moment.

The killing intent emanating from her was extremely pure; she probably already considered herself a monster with mimicry abilities.

It seems that while he was beginning to suspect Skadi, he also became the target of Skadi's suspicions.

However, just as she said, this is the most reasonable state.

After all, in an environment like Rhodes Island, no one can be easily trusted.

-

Thank you segment.

Thank you to the passing pediatrician for the monthly pass, thank you.

Chapter 32. Differences will only deepen, leading to one mistake after another.

But Skadi ultimately did not draw her sword.

Because the doctor saved her once.

Although the origin of the seawater in his hand was unknown, he used it on her.

Moreover, judging from the doctor's appearance, he seemed to have no idea what the function of seawater actually was.

"You said you have amnesia, right?"

Skadi spoke, turning around to look at the Doctor behind her.

The Doctor nodded.

"So what exactly do you remember? For example, how long have you been here, how much do you know about that nun, and what places here have you been?"

Skadi intended to learn as much as possible about the man in black in front of her.

For her, a doctorate was both a danger and an opportunity.

If it's dangerous, she can kill it at any time; but if it's an opportunity, she will seize it.

“Not too many.” The doctor shook his head. “The pickaxe in my hand… that nun said it was one I used before, and then there was the fourth floor where I lived, where all the strange things were completely wiped out, and then there was the eighth floor—the place you’ve seen.”

"The layer where you lunged at me with a bunch of tentacles?" Skadi thought for a moment.

“First of all,” the doctor felt he needed to explain, “I didn’t pounce on you with a bunch of tentacles. They just appeared behind me, and I wanted to escape, so I ran towards where you were.”

“Secondly,” he held up two fingers, “the monsters on that level are all friendly. Compared to those huge monsters that were trying to kill us, those monsters are as docile as kittens and puppies that need to be petted.”

"...?"

Skadi clearly did not understand what the doctor meant by that.

As a hunter, she believed that almost everything on Rhodes Island deserved to be killed.

"Let me put it this way," the Doctor said after a moment's thought, "Miss Skadi—"