Rhodes Island does not exist.

Scenes from the Longmen vegetable market flashed through the doctor's mind again. He seemed to see again the fish, mouths agape, trying to breathe, but slapped unconscious on the cutting board.

And now, the garden is this chopping board.

strangeness.

Why should I be afraid?

The doctor moved forward, while simultaneously asking himself questions.

It's just a fish or something that looks like a fish, why should I be afraid?

How long has it been since I felt fear?

When was the last time you felt fear? And why?

"Clap."

The sound is getting closer.

The doctoral student was on edge.

"you."

But then a deep voice suddenly rang out, and a hand was placed on the doctor's shoulder.

"Well!"

Startled by the sudden movement, the doctor immediately turned around and focused all his attention on how to deal with the threat.

However, the person standing before him was the bishop who had spoken with him the day before and shown him around the place.

"Is something the matter that brings you out so late?"

Even the bishop's kind face appeared ghostly under the dark night sky.

"I... ha... I heard something, so I came out to check." The doctor, who was almost out of breath from the sudden fright, could only answer while taking deep breaths.

"A sound?" The bishop's expression was clearly full of confusion. "I just came out to use the restroom and saw you carrying a lantern. I wondered what you were up to, so I came up to ask, but I didn't hear any sound."

"Bishop, did you really not hear me?" the doctor asked, adjusting his breathing.

"No, can you still hear that voice that bothers you now?" the bishop countered.

"Of course it can, it's right there..."

Huh?

"at……"

strangeness.

"exist……"

The sound disappeared.

The doctor's hand hovered in the air, pointing towards the center of the garden, which was very close at hand, and he said nothing more.

The clicking sound that had been going on for half an hour stopped.

"How could this be?" The doctor looked incredulous.

"Perhaps it was just a mishearing, or perhaps the chirping of insects in the grass," the bishop said with a smile. "After all, I live in the side room, but I didn't hear anything."

No, that's not right.

What I heard was definitely not a hallucination.

Ignoring the bishop's words, the doctor took two steps and entered the central part of the garden.

"You see?"

The bishop followed behind the doctor and smiled, "Although I don't know exactly what kind of sound you heard, there is indeed nothing here."

“But I clearly…” the doctor murmured.

"Have you been under a lot of pressure lately?" the bishop asked with concern. "When you entered the country, you said you worked in the medical field, a traveling doctor who treated people. I imagine that kind of work must have accumulated a lot of fatigue, right?"

Can fatigue cause hallucinations?

Depending on the severity, perhaps it is true.

But the doctor didn't believe it.

Because the PhD student had never experienced anything like this.

Does something not exist if it hasn't been experienced?

“I heard the sound of fish jumping on the ground,” the doctor said slowly, staring at the dry ground. “Thump, thump, it was very loud.”

"Because I heard it before going to sleep, I started to pay attention to it, and the more I paid attention to it, the louder it became, so I had no choice but to come out and check it out." The doctor said expressionlessly.

“But just now, the voice disappeared.” He looked up at the bishop. “The voice disappeared the moment you appeared, and you even said you didn’t hear it.”

“This means you’ve been hallucinating since just now,” the bishop said. “But I woke you up, so you couldn’t hear me.”

"Perhaps that really is...." The doctor's eyes dimmed.

He began to believe that the voice was truly his hallucination.

After all, the bishop had no reason to lie.

"In that case, go back to sleep." The bishop smiled, slowly stepping back half a body to leave the path for the doctor.

"Yes, let's go back to sleep." The doctor nodded.

"Well then, good night and sweet dreams, a... Amen."

-

Thank you segment.

Thank you for the monthly pass, MiLuan.

Chapter 81, Chapter 80: Deep Sea Tales - Sixteen: The Knowledge of Chaos

Mental blockage.

This was the doctor's first feeling after waking up in bed.

"Ugh...it hurts."

Weakness in the limbs and low spirits.

He is now like the Princess and the Pea in the fairy tale, bruised all over from a pea that was stuffed under his mattress, so much so that he has no energy when he wakes up in the morning.

But strangely, he didn't feel that his sleep quality was bad last night.

You could even say he never had a single dream; it couldn't be better.

"Could it be due to a change in environment? But that doesn't seem likely." The professor sat up, stretching his neck as he pondered.

After all, it's rather unreasonable to say that someone like him, who wanders the world, would suffer from acclimatization problems.

"That must be because I slept badly last night and pressed on something, right?" He continued to guess as he dressed, his mind filled with the scenes he had experienced before going to sleep.

Strange, what did I do before going to sleep?

I can't quite remember.

Did you hear some noise and then go outside? It seems you might have encountered someone?

No.

A drowsy mind cannot think clearly.

Instead of thinking so much in bed, I might as well get up and see what I can do.

"Time is..."

After putting on his clothes and shoes, the professor looked up at the clock on the table.

7:20 a.m.

He woke up about half an hour later than usual.

"I wonder what the church's schedule is like." The doctor straightened his clothes, then stretched his stiff and sore body and muttered to himself, "The priests go to bed at ten o'clock, so they're probably awake a long time ago."

However, they have morning prayers and early morning classes, so it is only natural that they get up so early.

"I'm going to the courtroom at noon today for Levini's public trial. I hope that girl got a good rest last night," the Doctor said, looking at himself in the mirror. "I wonder how she's doing at the courtroom. I'm really worried about her."

"Clang, clang clang..."

Just then, a deep, resonant bell rang into the doctor's room.

It was the same sound he had heard when he entered the gates of Iberia. But what he was hearing now was clearly coming from the church.

"Dong dong dong."

As soon as the bell rang, rhythmic knocking sounded through the door.

"I'm here, what can I do for you?" the doctor responded immediately.

"Oh, sir, it's good that you're awake. Breakfast is about to begin at the church. I'm here to let you know."

The priest who came to deliver the message sounded somewhat unfamiliar; it seemed he had been entrusted to wake the doctor.

"Okay, I'll open the door now and come with you." The doctor nodded and said.

-

The priest in charge of waking up was very young, and he exuded a lively aura that was different from other priests, which reminded the doctor of his own youth.

Ah, that's not right.

After all, I'm still young.

As long as you are full of vigor, brimming with ideals, and in good health, you are still young.

“I heard from some brothers in Christ that you are attending a trial today, is that right?” the young priest asked.

“Yes,” the doctor replied.

“That’s wonderful,” said the young priest.

This voice comes from the heart.

And voices that come from the heart are generally not very pleasant to hear.

Why is it so good?

The good thing?

The doctor's inner confusion was stirred into a thick syrup by a single sentence from the young priest before him.

“I haven’t been a believer for long. Although I’m happy living with my brothers and sisters in Christ and often basking in the glory of the Lord, I always feel curious and envious when I see those senior brothers and sisters going to the courtroom to attend trials.” The young priest raised his head, his shining eyes gazing at the relief on the porch ceiling, his mouth never stopping.

"Why do you envy this...?" the doctor couldn't help but ask.

“I think any newcomer to the Lord would be interested in something like this, right?” the young monk said matter-of-factly. “After all, think about it, it’s a place where sinners are judged. Wouldn’t it be interesting to witness it or even participate in it?”

interesting.

The young monk's choice of words in the conversation was clearly not as carefully considered and polished as those of his seasoned colleagues.

Even in his gestures, one can discern a certain worldly quality.

After all, he's young and inexperienced, so it's normal for him to act this way.

However, if the bishop or the old monks had heard what he just said, he would probably have been punished.

So the doctor replied to him like this:

"If you were the one being tried, would you still find a public trial interesting?"

"what."

The young cultivator was stunned.

He clearly hadn't expected the doctor to say that.

But the next moment, he uttered something that surprised the doctor even more.

"But I won't be the one to be judged."

Of course.

That matter-of-fact look was still on his face.