Brent tightly gripped the silver shield, lowering his voice: "Sir, if you don't want to catch something strange, don't eat fish for the next few days."
"Why?"
"Because they've been catching things lately... not fish, or rather, they shouldn't be called fish!" The boy's eyes held a fear that didn't match his age.
"My uncle works at the cold storage at the docks. He said the things pulled up lately... they have things only humans have... like fingers..."
Lu Yuan's pupils constricted slightly. Fingers? This instantly made him think of Dr. Laisen, who had been dragged into the darkness.
"And..." Brent swallowed hard, "even when those 'fish' are chopped up, the chunks of flesh are still twitching. Even so, there are big shots paying high prices to collect them."
"Who is buying them?" Lu Yuan narrowed his eyes, listening intently.
"I don't know, my uncle didn't tell me..."
"Brent, I will remember what you've said." Lu Yuan nodded, signaling that he had taken note of the information.
"Of course, sir!! And I promise, every gentleman who gets a shoe shine at my stall will know that the Laisen Clinic has reopened."
The boy paused to think after speaking. "Sir, is the clinic you mentioned the one belonging to Dr. Laisen?"
"That's right. Dr. Laisen won't be back for a while, and I've been entrusted to take over the clinic for the time being."
Lu Yuan nodded and placed another silver shield into the money box at the boy's stall.
"Alright, I'm going to take a walk around Gelimu. Remember what you promised me."
Seeing Lu Yuan stand up, the boy hurried forward and counted out a handful of copper shields.
"Doctor, wait. If you're Dr. Laisen's friend, then you're our friend. Dr. Laisen always had a half-price discount here. This is the change from that information fee..."
The boy stepped forward, holding a small pouch of copper shields.
Lu Yuan saw a flash of reluctance in the boy's eyes, but he still stubbornly held out the copper shields. Lu Yuan couldn't help but smile.
'Laisen seems to have managed things well in this area, having all sorts of friends.'
"Keep the copper shields. Just remember to deliver a copy of the newspaper to the Laisen Clinic every day from now on. Goodbye."
As he spoke, Lu Yuan left the boy's stall and continued walking along the bluestone street.
【You have learned some secrets, Gelimu Port Status: 9/50】
The sudden appearance of the experience bar confirmed what Brent had said; there were indeed anomalies appearing in the sea recently.
But this wasn't something a mere 'fake' doctor like Lu Yuan could interfere with.
By this time, the sun was hanging directly overhead. Occasionally, a rickshaw would pass by on the street. The porters at the harbor below were also taking a break, leaving only a few medium-sized ships docked there.
Lu Yuan followed the bluestone road all the way to the end and finally saw a bakery. Smelling the aroma in the air, he couldn't help but swallow his saliva.
'Finally, something to eat.'
A few minutes later.
Lu Yuan spent one silver shield—nearly a quarter of his recent earnings—to buy two loaves of white bread that could barely be called "food" and a large chunk of black bread that was as hard as a brick.
"Damn these prices." Lu Yuan took a bite of the white bread, his heart aching at the expense.
This made Lu Yuan realize the purchasing power of the currency in this world, and it also sparked a sense of urgency in his heart.
He needed to make money quickly, raise his medical level, and figure out the true nature of the Nightwatchers.
Ultimately, he needed to confirm whether this world was safe.
Was it filled with aberrations everywhere, or was yesterday's event just a 'coincidence'?
Returning to the clinic, he ate the freshly baked white bread and finally felt satisfied.
Afterward, Lu Yuan sat in his chair and read.
It wasn't until evening that new footsteps came from outside the courtyard, interrupting Lu Yuan's immersion in his books.
【Basic Medicinal Herbology: 15.1/20】
The footsteps outside were light, sounding like those of a child.
"Dr. Lu, are you there?"
A somewhat familiar voice came from outside the door.
Closing the book, Lu Yuan stood up and opened the ajar door.
Standing outside was Brent, whom he had met that morning.
Brent was holding a box in his arms. Seeing Lu Yuan open the door, he stepped forward and said, "Sir, these are the newspapers related to Gelimu Port from a while back."
"You've just arrived in Gelimu Port and might not be familiar with things here. These newspapers might be useful to you."
As he spoke, the boy reached out and handed the box to Lu Yuan.
Lu Yuan looked at the boy with some surprise, not expecting him to be so thoughtful.
After a moment's thought, Lu Yuan didn't stand on ceremony and reached out to take the box.
"Come in and sit for a while."
Lu Yuan motioned for the boy to follow him inside.
The boy hesitated for a moment before waving his hand. "Sir, I have to go back. I'm not comfortable leaving my little sister home alone."
"I see. Wait a moment." Lu Yuan returned to the room, brought out a coin pouch containing thirty copper shields, and handed it over. "This is a thank-you gift."
Upon seeing this, Brent quickly shook his head. "Sir, you've misunderstood. I didn't bring the newspapers to get your money."
"That silver shield from earlier was too much. And since you're Dr. Laisen's friend, I brought these newspapers to thank you."
Seeing the sincerity in Brent's eyes, Lu Yuan did not insist.
He simply said, "I appreciate the gesture. I'll pay for the newspapers you deliver in the future as usual."
"Also, Brent, if you ever need medical attention, you can come to me."
Lu Yuan didn't make a grand promise, he just gave a casual mention.
On the contrary, hearing this, a look of joy couldn't help but surface on Brent's face.
Brent certainly had his own small motives, but it was just about delivering some newspapers that had already been sold.
It was just a matter of running errands. If he truly gained the attention of this new doctor, getting medical treatment in the future would be easier.
As for other places for treatment, the people from the Church were basically vampires. Previously, there was Dr. Laisen who was willing to provide low-cost treatment, but now Dr. Laisen was gone.
Brent naturally wanted to establish a good relationship with this new doctor in advance.
Of course, it wasn't that there were no other doctors in Gelimu Port, but the prices were simply not something people like him could afford.
Lu Yuan could obviously see what Brent was thinking, but he didn't mind.
Because in the future, he might be able to get useful information from Brent's mouth.
Closing the door, he returned to the room.
Lu Yuan prepared to flip through the recent newspapers concerning Gelimu Port.
There were some things Lu Yuan was reluctant to ask directly.
Appearing in this small town with an Eastern face was already as conspicuous as a black sheep barging into a flock of white sheep.
Moreover, he had appeared out of thin air without any record of entry or exit.
As long as the 'police' of this world were willing to investigate, his excuse of being Dr. Laisen's friend would be easily exposed.
In this world that seemed full of the uncanny, how would an undocumented heretic who appeared out of nowhere be handled?
Laisen's diary seemed to have made that clear.
Setting aside these messy thoughts, under the dim lamplight, Lu Yuan spread several newspaper clippings on the table and circled a few keywords with a red pen.
Rate on N.U.
