Are you satisfied?

Chapter 26 -26- Are You Satisfied?

Due to the high-magic environment of the ancient civilization and the coincident existence of "dragons," Ivette harbored doubts about the Radiant Continent Rosaline resided in. However, such suspicions were quickly dispelled—if that were the case, the question of where the first Aberrations came from remained a mystery.

In the following days, however, Ivette didn't delve into the free mythological and historical research materials anymore. Firstly, there was simply too much material, a vast ocean that was impossible to finish. Secondly, her interest in the apocalyptic origins of the Origin Civilization was merely curiosity; she wasn't at a point where she absolutely had to uncover every detail.

Instead, she preferred to observe Dr. Regal's treatment process as a "young" intern—after all, the money had already been prepaid.

This continued for many days. Furthermore, due to rumors of "a stunningly beautiful silver-haired girl with red eyes joining Hoffman Clinic," the number of patients at Hoffman Clinic increased significantly compared to normal days, often forming a queue outside.

This made the Hoffmann couple both exhausted and happy every day, as it seemed they could pay off their children's student loans faster.

But, after about a month, this period abruptly ended.

One morning, the arrival of three police officers shattered the Hoffmann family's peace with a bolt from the blue—someone had reported Regal Hoffman for practicing medicine illegally, and the police had come to take him in for investigation.

So, when Hans and Mary returned from school that evening and learned of the incident, the entire Hoffmann family was plunged into immense pain and sorrow.

"How could something like this happen..." Rosaline said, bewildered, after returning home from next door. The event had come too suddenly, leaving no room for preparation.

Just yesterday, she could chat and play happily with Hans and Mary, and have dinner with Regal and Mrs. Susan. Today, that life had ended. With the pillar of the family gone, Mrs. Susan alone couldn't possibly handle Hans and Mary's expensive student loans; the best outcome would be Hans and Mary transferring to a public middle school, or even dropping out to work.

You never know which will come first, tomorrow or an accident... Ivette thought, not picking up on her disciple's words.

She felt helpless in this matter. If Mr. Regal was wrongly accused, it would be one thing, but he was actually guilty. Not only that, but he also had the more dangerous experience of purchasing and studying pirated rune knowledge. With such compounding crimes, if a huge sum of money wasn't paid, he would face at least ten years in prison.

And those ten years would be enough for Hans and Mary to miss the most crucial stages of their lives, severing their chances of breaking through class barriers and condemning them to remain in the Blackwater District forever.

"Teacher, is there anything we can do to help them?" Rosaline pleaded, unable to stand by and watch her only two friends fall into such a vortex of suffering.

"It's difficult. It's not entirely impossible, but..." Ivette said, "It's unnecessary, because this is just a dream."

She spoke very directly, and the truth was indeed so. Spending money could bail Regal out, but she didn't know when the dream might suddenly end. She couldn't possibly use the money she set aside for important research materials on something like this; it was too extravagant.

"Ah, right, it's a dream..." Rosaline froze for a moment, then finally remembered that she wasn't in the real world, but in a dream that existed within a past timeline. No matter what she did in the dream, she couldn't change the established facts of what had already happened in the past.

She fell silent, no longer making unreasonable requests to her teacher, but she kept her head down, as if unable to escape her disappointment.

The next afternoon, standing in the corridor on the 18th floor of the Wright Apartments, Rosaline saw Hans and Mary blankly carrying cardboard boxes out of their unit and placing them onto a small cart outside.

She walked over and asked, "Where are you two going?"

"Mom and the apartment manager discussed it, and we're moving to an empty unit on the 15th floor below. This way, we can get a bit of the rent back..." Mary said in a low voice, her red-rimmed eyes suggesting she had cried many times since last night.

"So... don't worry, we're still in the same apartment building," Hans reassured her, forcing a smile that looked worse than crying.

Rosaline didn't know how to respond, so she instinctively went to help them carry some things. As she was carrying them, she suddenly remembered something and lowered her voice, "Um... have you guys ever thought about... who... reported him?"

"We don't know. The informant was anonymous. And now..." Hans sighed, his brow furrowed with fatigue and helplessness, "What's the point of pursuing who it was now?"

Rosaline didn't say anything further. She also knew that finding the informant now was useless; it was too late for everything. This was essentially an emotional impulse. She was curious whether the informant truly understood the consequences of their small action, and whether they felt any regret for what they had done.

A week passed.

As the last patient left with a sigh, the electronic sign for "Hoffman Clinic" flickered its last dim light. This once quietly shining small clinic officially declared bankruptcy, carrying a funeral-like somberness. The news quickly spread through the neighborhood, and many people realized with shock for the first time that Dr. Hoffman, with his superb medical skills and low fees, actually didn't have a medical license.

However, due to his past performance and reputation, most of them still expressed their condolences to the Hoffmann family, and many even brought gifts to their home.

Another week passed. Unable to afford a lawyer, Regal faced trial in court.

Perhaps it was his cooperative attitude in admitting guilt, or perhaps his reputation had earned him sympathy from the jury; in any case, he received a relatively light sentence, reduced from the anticipated minimum of 10 years to 6 years.

This was still a significant amount of time, but it could barely be considered a silver lining in the misfortune.

On the night he returned after the verdict, in a conversation with Hans and Mary, Rosaline learned that they had applied for a school transfer.

Unable to afford the fees for a top-tier school like Black Tower Middle School anymore, they transferred to Blackwater Middle School, a third-rate school to the nth degree.

Mrs. Susan, meanwhile, had set up a roadside stall on a noisy, dirty street corner, selling simple food to support her family with her meager income and to pay the high interest on the student loans.

This was the first time Rosaline had witnessed the destruction of a family so clearly.

In her opinion, the Hoffmann family had done nothing wrong; they were all good people. Mr. Regal, though unlicensed, possessed genuine skill. With his low fees, he had saved countless patients; he deserved flowers, not handcuffs. Yet now, an anonymous report had destroyed them, and it was completely legal and justifiable, impeccably so. This felt utterly wrong, completely inconsistent with her imagination of the Origin Civilization as an advanced, beautiful, and prosperous world.

"Teacher," Rosaline said, her voice low and filled with deep bewilderment and confusion, as she stood by the window of room 1809, gazing at Mrs. Susan's stooped figure busily working at her stall on the street corner below, "Why is it like this?"

"This is just how the world is," Ivette replied without looking up. "You just didn't see its full picture at the beginning."

Rosaline fell silent. As a 12-year-old girl from a backward civilization, her beautiful fantasies about the Origin Civilization had remained strong, so strong that even after witnessing gang warfare, her perception hadn't been shattered.

But now, she had to admit, she had developed a bit of disgust for this world.

"Groni Clinic," Ivette said, looking at the holographic screen.

"What, teacher?" Rosaline hadn't heard clearly.

"Groni Clinic. The attending physician is Gos Groni, the sender of the anonymous tip. If you want to know his thoughts, you can go ask him now," Ivette said calmly, lowering her gaze.

As the night deepened, a bone-chilling autumn rain began to fall from the dark sky. Initially, it was a fine, almost silent drizzle, but it soon began to rustle, drumming against the metal exterior and cold glass curtain walls. Under the dim glow of the murky streetlights, it wove into a curtain of rain that shimmered with a pale, bleak silver light.

There were few people at the clinic on this rainy night; only Gos Groni sat behind the counter inside. He was a middle-aged man in his thirties, resting his leg on the desk and leisurely scrolling through videos on his holographic display. Only when Rosaline pushed open the door did he put his leg down and ask, "Young lady, are you here for medicine or a consultation?"

"Are you Dr. Groni?"

"Yes, you know me?" Gos asked with a smile.

"No, I wanted to ask you why you reported Mr. Hoffman." Rosaline got straight to the point.

Gos's smile vanished from his face, replaced by shock and vigilance. He got up from his stool and said coldly, "What report? What nonsense are you talking about! ... Who told you? Was it those poor devils from the Hoffman family who sent you to cause trouble?"

"I know it's you. I just want to know why you did it." Rosaline looked up at him. Although she appeared slender and petite, she didn't seem weak at all.

"Why did I do it?" Gos gave a cold laugh. After thinking for a moment, he replied, "Of course, it's for, well, justice."

"Justice?" Rosaline looked at him incredulously, feeling an indescribable absurdity.

"A swindler with no qualifications, who cheats people under the guise of a doctor! I stopped him. If this isn't justice, then what is?"

"Shameless wretch! You're lying! You're just jealous that Mr. Hoffman's business is better than yours and his reputation is better too!" Rosaline gritted her teeth. She had figured it out on her way there but still wanted to hear him admit it himself.

The night rain outside intensified. Lightning flashed through the dark clouds, and a contemptuous smile appeared on Gos's face. "Even if you say so, I still did it for justice."

Then, looking at the girl's angry eyes, he continued, "If this isn't justice, then why was my report accepted so smoothly? Why were the police able to arrest him 'legally and compliantly'? Why did a solemn national court solemnly, based on conclusive evidence, find him guilty?"

"That's of course because... because..." For a 12-year-old girl, it was still too difficult to quickly sort out the logic and launch a counterattack. Rosaline instinctively realized that he was quibbling, but she couldn't pinpoint the problem.

"So, the answer is clear: Regal Hoffman is an evil criminal, and his wife and children are accomplices who have benefited from the criminal." Gos shook his head and silently used his cybernetic body to issue commands, activating the store's defense programs.

"They're not! And you reporting them was just to steal customers and make money!"

"What's wrong with doing it for money? Scammers with no ability should be locked up. I'm just carrying out justice on behalf of heaven and earning some hard-earned money, is that not allowed?" he said carelessly. "From beginning to end, it's a very simple matter. Black is black, white is white. And you, my lovely little girl, what answer do you actually want me to give you? What do you want to hear?"

"You..."

"And even if I said what you wanted to hear, what difference would it make? It was he who pleaded guilty in court, not me. If you have the ability, report me too, but I actually have a medical license."

Listening to these words, Rosaline finally fell silent. Her fists clenched and unclenched several times, and she almost lost control, letting her magic spells fly. She still couldn't believe that a person could be so shameless, making her want to eliminate him on the spot like a Filth Demon. Otherwise, she felt like she was about to become an Aberration.

I can't act. Rosaline, you can't act... Think about Teacher's instructions, consider the consequences... She took a deep breath, her pupils trembling, and then suppressed her emotions, turned around, and walked towards the door under Gos's mocking gaze, like a defeated puppy, utterly dejected.

Outside, the night rain poured down, and the entire world seemed to be submerged in an inverted, cold, dark sea. The moment she stepped out of the clinic, the cold, damp air washed over her, making the girl much clearer-headed.

Then, her gaze pierced through the dense curtain of rain and caught sight of an unexpected figure – her teacher.

At that moment, Ivette, dressed in a black dress and holding a black umbrella, stood alone on the sidewalk a few meters away from the clinic, maintaining a perfect distance from the roaring rain, like a detached deity. Upon seeing Rosaline's lost look, the corner of her cool lips curved into a smile, a rare and slow one.

"Teacher, I'm sorry, I..." Rosaline walked over, still in the rain, and lowered her head in shame.

But Ivette had no intention of criticizing her.

"You controlled your impulse just now and didn't directly demolish his shop. Teacher is very pleased," she said softly, holding the umbrella over her student's head. "As a reward, Teacher has reported Gos for you. Are you satisfied?"