Chapter 122

"Doctor, your tongue should be used to the taste of this by now. Although the version produced by our current rudimentary equipment is a bit more disgusting and less effective than what you drank before, so it has to be made into this concentrated liquid, similar to a viscous substance—but it's still better than what you drank a while back."

'At least we still have a pot and a fire to use; we didn't even have a fire when we were huddled in the marching tent.'

"Marching... tents...?"

The Doctor suddenly froze, as if fragments of past memories had been triggered in a fleeting moment, the wavelengths of sound and imagery gradually becoming clearer around him...

In a daze, the solid, well-decorated concrete walls around me were no longer there, but rather the rough edges of tents that looked like they had been patched up.

"Doctor — Kal'tsit asked me to give this to you."

A gentle voice sounded in her ear. She turned her head and saw a Sarkaz woman with an indistinct face walking towards her, carrying a glass of liquid of an indescribable color, with some impurities floating on top.

"This is... Sanity Liquid..."

"Yes, I'm sorry, Doctor, the conditions aren't good, this is all I can do..."

"... If it doesn't work well, that's fine, you don't have to drink it."

"No, that won't work."

It felt like her shoulder was being pressed down; the Sarkaz woman moved closer to her and spoke in a somewhat forceful tone.

"Kal'tsit said, Doctor, you need to drink this to replenish your sanity. If you don't want to drink it, please go and rest. In this situation, even you probably wouldn't be able to give the correct instructions, right?"

"Rest... Theresa, I hope you didn't intentionally make this... Sanity Liquid like this to make me rest."

"Oh, Doctor, you noticed? In that case—"

"Glug... Glug..."

"Huh?! Doctor?"

"The technique was incorrect; several steps in processing the materials were done wrong. Instead of extracting the invigorating components, it further amplified the side effects of the flavor..."

The Doctor put down the glass she had gulped down, and even she had a somewhat ferocious expression made by the liquid.

"I'm sorry... I thought you were going to give up just because you smelled it."

Theresa turned her head away and answered somewhat guiltily.

"... Alright, I do need to rest... after I finish dealing with the remaining supply list forms."

Just as the Doctor was about to sit down and continue, the Sarkaz woman grabbed his arm, and the woman seemed to smile with delight when she heard the Doctor's expression of wanting to rest.

"It's alright, Doctor, you can go and rest now."

"Data available..."

"Just leave it to Kal'tsit. Doctor, you always seem to distrust her. Actually, Kal'tsit can handle these things on her own. Trust her a little more."

Looking at Theresa's smile, the Doctor hesitated for a moment before finally letting out his own thoughts. "Kal'tsit isn't really good at handling these kinds of things..."

However, seeing the other person's smile, she ultimately did not refuse.

Click.

The recurring past did not last long; the images of memory shattered once again before my eyes, turning into dust and dissipating.

The Doctor turned around blankly, looked around, and the pungent smell entered her nostrils, bringing her back to reality.

"Ahem... wait, that was... a memory?"

'You saw it.'

"... Yes... and... it's very clear..."

The Wraith seemed to pause for a moment, then replied as if taking a breath.

'Really... about Therese...'

"Absolutely not!!!"

In an instant, the Doctor completely took control of her body, and she huddled in a corner with her arms crossed in a gesture of refusal.

"I just vividly remember how disgusting that stuff you cooked was!!! Just thinking about it makes me shudder!! I will never drink that stuff!!"

"... Phew, I see. But I didn't force you to drink it."

The Wraith answered, while simultaneously projecting her body halfway into the Doctor's line of sight.

The latter was taken aback, realizing that the Wraith before him seemed... to have become somewhat illusory.

"What's wrong with you..."

Actually, I'm disappearing.

"What?!"

"This is perfectly normal. Essentially, I'm just a remnant of a memory. The moment you opened your eyes, I began my countdown to disappearing."

'If you hadn't asked me for help, or if I hadn't changed my mind, and had stayed in that dark little room, you might have survived even longer.'

"Then... how could you... no, disappear or something, that's too much..."

The Doctor choked up for a moment. The voice that had been in her ear since the moment she awoke... was it going to disappear?

Actually, this is a good thing.

'The original plan was that from the moment you woke up, I should have disappeared from this land along with your past.'

'However... well, some things have happened...'

Otherwise, I would have survived until now.

"Let's get back to the main point. After all, I've already backed out... Doctor, it's clear that the situation has changed from what I initially planned. If we continue down the same path, we probably won't be able to keep up with the times."

'So, I prepared this.'

The Wraith pointed to the simplified version of Sanity Liquid that was being boiled.

'Your situation is quite special. Taking the Sanity Liquid under these circumstances will produce some special effects, if my guess is correct--'

She raised her hand, revealing three fingers.

'Three vials of regular Sanity Liquid are enough to enhance your thinking, and in this state, you can do much more than just stay alert... it might even improve your thinking efficiency.'

'However, the price is... I'll probably be consumed from your brain more quickly.'

"... I see."

The Doctor looked at the Sanity Liquid, then glanced at the Wraith beside him, and nodded solemnly.

'Very good.'

"Um, Wraith, there's one more thing I want to know."

The Doctor looked at his reflection in the liquid in the pot.

'You ask.'

"Theresa, who is she? Where is she...? Is she still alive?"

After a slight pause, the Doctor finally asked the question the Wraith had initially thought to be asked.

'Actually, I don't plan to tell you too much about what happened before, after all, it might have some negative impact on you... But, do you really want to know?'

"I think...at least...I want to know who Theresa is."

"At least let me know she's the only one..."

Theresa is dead.

"Well?"

"Already..."

'However, she's not an ordinary Sarkaz. If it were Zuo Jian, perhaps his special abilities could help her.'

"What's the meaning..."

'This is just speculation, but perhaps in Londinium, you really might get involved in something like this...'

'Oh right, I almost forgot.'

The Wraith suddenly slapped its head, revealing a troubled expression.

'If you leave Victoria and encounter a Sarkaz mercenary with short white hair and red horns, codenamed W, anywhere... don't get involved with her. Even if you do, don't tell her you're the Doctor.'

Chapter 79, Studying at Columbia University. jpg

Call...

After a long day of running around, Zuo Jian lay on the bed, and for the first time in a long time, even his body felt a little tired.

Turning my head, I looked out the window at the neon lights above, where the Twin Moons hung high in the sky.

The view is framed by glass windows made of lightweight steel.

If it weren't for the vast difference between the moon and his memories, the current scenery might have made him doubt whether he had actually traveled to this so-called other world.

Okay, not really.

The moonlight in his view was obscured, and the darkness beside the window suddenly appeared beside him.

A pair of eyes, like red crystals, appeared beside the bed, staring at him without moving.

"Stare..."

"Sigh... If you want to get up, then get up, don't tug at the bed frame."

As if there was no other way, Zuo Jian shifted his body to make room for Laurentina.

However, when Laurentina chose this place as her accommodation, she specifically looked for one with three bedrooms, but it seems she never actually slept in her own room even once...

"Snort--"

However, when Laurentina lay down Zuo Jian, she still pretended to be angry and ignore her.

However, Zuo Jian simply patted the former's head and smoothed her hair before closing his eyes and choosing to enter the dream... or rather... travel to another body.

Today is a busy day, and Zuo Jian is destined to be busy as well.

Especially when... there are still many things to deal with.

With his eyes closed, when he chose to let his consciousness sink, it was as if he were suddenly thrown into the sea.

When the darkness and gloom once again enveloped him.

In a hotel far away in Columbia, the deep pupils hidden beneath the McDonald's's paper bag opened once more.

Through the two holes that were dug out, the view was projected onto the surroundings of the hotel room.

Outside the window, the night was pitch black, but the marks inside the room indicated that a girl had just gotten up.

The sound of running water gradually came from the bathroom. Zuo Jian turned his gaze Zuo Jian, then manipulated his body to slowly rise from the corner.

After moving around a bit, Zuo Jian headed towards the bathroom.

Through the open doorway, he saw a young boy named Feline standing on a small stool that had been moved to the edge of the sink, struggling to place his hands on a towel inside.

"So cold..."

Narcissa looked uncomfortably at the towel soaked in cold water. She knew that one of the handles on it was for making hot water, but the hotel's illogical layout made it difficult for her to reach that handle.

After hesitating for a moment, looking at the towel floating in the cold water, she still reached out and scooped it up, then...

Prepare to apply it to your face--

However, the next moment, a hand stopped her. Looking up, she found a familiar paper bag had appeared behind her at some point, and then Zuo Jian's somewhat hoarse voice came from Zuo Jian her.

"Very good, it seems you've learned how to use your initiative to cultivate your image as one of my subordinates, but..."

Zuo Jian smiled, then reached out and picked up Narcissa, moving her off the small stool. At the same time, he drained the water from the sink and pressed the hot water dispenser.

"I generally don't like subordinates to be opinionated. You just need to obediently wait for me to give orders and then carry them out, understand?"

"Oh."

Narcissa stood to one side and nodded obediently.

After letting out a satisfied laugh, Zuo Jian soaked the towel in hot water, wrung it out, and then squatted down in front of Narcissa with it.

"Now, listen carefully, bring your face closer."

Little Feline obediently stepped forward, and then watched as Zuo Jian began to rub her face with a towel.