Jiang Siyan

"Hello, Miss Nan, I am your attending physician, Jiang Siyan."

Nan Yue stood up and nodded politely.

Jiang Siyan's office was on the third floor, and the two of them took the elevator up. Normally, such a confined space would make an unfamiliar person feel somewhat uneasy.

Not to mention, Jiang Siyan was a full head taller than Nan Yue, which could easily make her feel threatened.

However, the aura Jiang Siyan projected easily made people relax.

The two remained silent until they entered his office.

Jiang Siyan's office didn't have much vegetation. It was a stark white and gray. Two floor-to-ceiling sofas faced the glass window, and outside was the massive banyan tree in the city center.

Lush and leafy, it teemed with life.

Nan Yue sat down and felt herself sink into a mass of cotton, relaxed and comfortable.

Jiang Siyan sat beside her with a straight posture, holding the form she had just filled out.

"From the results of your test, your psychological value is very stable. You are a rare, natural-born scavenger."

"But..."

Jiang Siyan's tone shifted, his deep voice carrying a hint of doubt. "When it involves the real world, there seems to be some concern and worry."

Nan Yue looked at him. Could he really deduce all that from a simple test?

Jiang Siyan wore a sincere smile, his gaze fixed deeply on Nan Yue. "Are you worried about something?"

Nan Yue replied calmly, "I'm just not used to seeing everyone in the color city state imitating the mission worlds."

Jiang Siyan realized what she meant and chuckled in agreement.

"That is indeed a problem. For scavengers who have fought their way up, it's certainly hard to accept."

Jiang Siyan paused for a moment. "Miss Nan, do you ever get the feeling that the real world and the mission worlds are becoming more and more alike?"

Nan Yue pursed her lips. "Yes."

She looked at the large tree outside. "Isn't the design of the higher city states based on the idea that the logic of the mission worlds is more desirable?"

Jiang Siyan smiled faintly. "Yes. There is a saying that the mission worlds are what the real world looked like before it was destroyed. Although they were distorted and shattered into countless fragments, the heavy resentment within didn't disappear. Instead, it exists outside the high walls."

"If left alone, these distorted world fragments will one day threaten the real world."

Nan Yue had never heard this theory before. She turned to Jiang Siyan curiously, hoping he would say more.

Jiang Siyan could read her intentions from her body language and understood her curiosity.

As he spoke on this topic, the warm smile that had been on his face vanished. "This is the theory of 'Sharp Blade.' That organization is dedicated to helping more scavengers survive and purifying more worlds."

"They proposed this hypothesis, suggesting that if we can purify all the fragment worlds, we might one day return to our original, normal lives."

"Our original, normal lives..."

Nan Yue murmured to herself, "Then what about the pollution outside the high walls?"

Jiang Siyan glanced toward the high walls. "If all the fragment worlds are purified, those things should be gone."

"What... are those things?"

As she asked this, Nan Yue felt her heart rate quicken, but Jiang Siyan didn't seem to notice.

This was a question any scavenger who had just begun to look beyond the world would be curious about.

"It's fear."

"It's the fear of returning spirits, humans, and the world."

"Something powerful enough to destroy everything."

Nan Yue's hand tightened slightly. "But fear is constant, and scavengers also produce fear. We purify every world, but don't the scavengers who die inside also feel fear?"

Jiang Siyan was silent for a moment before leaning slightly toward Nan Yue.

He blinked playfully. "You're right. Let me tell you a secret."

A sudden smile bloomed on Jiang Siyan's face. "That's why I've never thought 'Sharp Blade' was right."

In that moment, Nan Yue seemed to see another side of Jiang Siyan's warm and charming personality.

But Jiang Siyan quickly returned to his previous gentlemanly demeanor, making Nan Yue feel as if she had hallucinated it.

How could such a gentle and considerate person be so wild and fractured?

"My advice is not to look into it too much. Even if you discover the secrets of the world, so what? It's all just old news."

Jiang Siyan smiled and placed his hand on Nan Yue's.

The gesture wasn't overstepping or uncomfortable. Instead, it felt very natural. As their skin touched, Nan Yue felt her entire body relax.

Her anxiety and unease faded significantly.

Looking down, she could see a very faint, white, mist-like layer floating on the back of Jiang Siyan's hand, as if he were wearing a thin glove made of cicada wings.

"This is my ability."

Jiang Siyan smiled. "It can stabilize psychological values."

Nan Yue found the ability fascinating. "Are you a healer?"

Jiang Siyan laughed. "I suppose you could say that. But you don't actually need my help. Your psychological value is very stable."

"Many scavengers misunderstand and think they can find peace here, so they come often."

"In truth, if they aren't strong themselves, there isn't much I can do for them."

Jiang Siyan withdrew his hand. "It's just like drinking poison to quench a thirst. I can't exactly go into the missions with them."

Nan Yue laughed as well. "That's true."

"Doctor Jiang, I'd like to take the liberty of asking something."

Nan Yue tilted her head with an innocent look. "Which one of the Top 50 are you?"

Jiang Siyan's smile faltered for a second before widening. His gaze toward Nan Yue grew heavy.

"So you guessed it."

Nan Yue smiled without a word. In truth, she didn't need to guess. From the moment she met Jiang Siyan, she could feel his powerful aura.

It was something no amount of gentle smiling could hide—the scent of a top-tier powerhouse who had crawled out of a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood.

Jiang Siyan gave Nan Yue a long look. "In missions, I usually go by the name Bai Yao."

Nan Yue narrowed her eyes slightly.

Bai Yao, Top 9.

That strong?

This was the strongest person Nan Yue had ever met. Since Jiang Siyan was a healer, being ranked that high meant his own personal combat abilities must be exceptionally solid.

Nan Yue's attitude became more respectful. "It's a pleasure to meet you."

Jiang Siyan waved his hand with a smile. "In here, I am a doctor. Since you've paid, the customer is God."

"Even though you don't need psychological treatment, feel free to spend your money here often. I know more than Cuckoo does."

Nan Yue didn't know whether to laugh or cry. She said her goodbyes and left.

Gu Xiang Kai and Zhu Xi Ning were already waiting outside, both very excited, chatting about how psychological counseling was actually quite interesting.

The three of them walked out of the building, discussing what had just happened and deciding what to eat today.

On the top floor of the building behind them, Jiang Siyan stood by the floor-to-ceiling window, quietly watching Nan Yue walk away.