“…
“…I have seen death pass me by.
“…In my youth, when I had just become a believer of my God, my admiration for death was so deep that I desperately wanted to experience death firsthand.
“Here I must remind the reader: death, after all, is terrifying, so no matter what, do not follow my example. This is advice coming from a tottering old man.
“In short, I tried various methods, attempting to draw closer, ever closer to the deity I revered. Yet whether it was because my young life was too tenacious, or because death was determined to keep me outside its door, in short, I failed to die every time.
“Looking back now, that was a kind of good fortune. In my youth, I was indifferent to the matter of life, always feeling that people simply live, and that nothing could stand between a person and living.
“At bottom, I was a living person, which was why I could laugh at those dead people so self-righteously. In my youth, I felt they died too easily, even making me feel envious.
“Later, on one occasion, I went to sea with my family. Nowadays, people probably do not quite understand the ocean, because the mist has covered the vast majority of the sea. But when I was young, the world was not yet like it is today.
“One should say, when anyone is young, the world is different from when they are old.
“In short, that was just past the five-hundredth year of the Age of Silence. My God had not yet fallen; among the other gods, some had already fallen, while others still existed.
“That was a… how should I describe it? That was an era where the worlds of ordinary people, believers, upper-class people, lower-class people… seemed different for every person. The gap between them was so vast that it made one deeply doubt whether they truly lived in the same world.
“All in all, I was fortunate to be born into a relatively wealthy family. Even though the world and nations had become an utter mess when I was young, I could still go to sea with my family in the hot summer, heading to the seaside to enjoy finer scenery and cooler air.
“…And then came death.
“After going to sea, our boat was capsized by the wind and waves. I fell into the embrace of the seawater, the icy sea instantly engulfing me in that moment. Only then did I suddenly—suddenly realize that this was death.
“It was not the childishness of my youth, believing death was something praiseworthy and to be actively accepted; nor was it the aura of old age I have now in my twilight years, believing that with death at the door, life holds no regrets.
“Death back then was like a sudden surprise attack of wind and waves, overturning the small boat of my life when I was most unprepared. I struggled and thrashed within it, like a clumsy frog that had forgotten how to stay alive in water.
“I caught sight of death. I saw it with my own eyes. I saw that black mist, that churning cloak, that resplendent crown… I felt as if I were being gathered up, organized, and remembered. I was about to fall into the embrace of my God, just as I had always hoped for, but I had to admit…
“I had to admit, at that moment, I was unwilling. I admired death, yet when death truly arrived in a flash, I felt fear and helplessness.
“But at bottom, whether I died at that moment was not something I could decide myself. It was my God who chose to push me back. I saw the deathly silent sand dunes, as well as the old men walking upon those sand dunes. I was almost about to join their ranks, but my God rejected my soul.
“When I floated on the surface of the sea, coughing and waking up, I stared blankly at the sun in the sky, feeling a rush of panic and confusion. Why did my God reject my death?
“The matter seemed a bit uncanny at that moment, carrying an ancient mythic air. If I described it truthfully, readers would certainly say this is far too bizarre, impossible to happen—did they think these times were still the Age of Faith of old?
“However, that matter truly happened. The seawater churned, sending me back to the beach. My family members had long since successfully swum ashore, yet I, for some unknown reason, had been delayed for a little while.
“…Seawater.
“After this incident, I came to comprehend the cruelty and coldness of death even more profoundly instead. Perhaps back then my time had not yet come, or perhaps back then my God was simply in a bad mood.
“Regarding that scene I saw before the brink of death, I later conducted several investigations, and by chance made the acquaintance of several Proxies of my God; only then did I understand their identities.
“They are ‘the old men of Mosache.’
“They are devout believers of my God. First, they use a long, living lifetime to prove the devoutness of their faith, and then between life and death, they use a long trek to prove their absolute fervor for death.
“Their starting point is life, and their endpoint is death. They will become gems embellishing my God’s crown, leaving their unique footprints upon the hills of Mosache.
“When I learned of this, the Proxies would usually say in a very quiet, assertive manner that they too would embark on such a pilgrimage. They too would eventually become the old men of Mosache, becoming objects under the gaze of death.
“This claim actually threw me into panic and confusion. Because I had already seen the hills of Mosache, seen those deathly silent sand dunes and the countless trekking old men. Yet, I had failed to join their ranks.
“Now that my God has already fallen, I can say openly and aboveboard: perhaps it was because my faith back then was not devout enough, treated like children playing house, naive and willful. That was why I missed the opportunity to devote myself to my God’s embrace back then.
“Yet now, I am certain that I am extremely devout, but I have also permanently lost this opportunity. Because my God, too, has already welcomed His death.
“Do the hills of Mosache still maintain that reassuring deathly silence today?
“…”
Siles’s gaze rested on that question mark. A moment later, he let out a sigh, took off his glasses, closed the book, and removed the brooch from his collar. He raised his eyes and looked out the window at the dark night outside.
The sound of a dice roll echoed in his mind.
【Knowledge +2.】
Two points added to Knowledge. Siles felt slightly surprised yet also somewhat enlightened.
This book—temporarily referred to as Volume Two of The Life—was clearly related to the Old Gods. A believer recording the situation of the deities at that time from their own perspective had indeed given Siles considerable inspiration.
Furthermore, “the hills of Mosache”—this was likely Thaddeus’s paradise.
However, what surprised him was that if learning about a paradise counted as a point of Knowledge, why hadn’t his Knowledge attribute increased when he learned of the existence of the “Temple of Belan” from Chendo?
Even earlier, when he learned about the existence of deep-sea dreams, his Knowledge had similarly increased…
No, that wasn’t right. Wait.
Siles suddenly realized a problem. He had not gained Knowledge when “entering deep-sea dreams” or realizing that “deep-sea dreams were Akamara’s paradise.”
His Knowledge had increased after understanding imagery like “the sea surface, mist, puppets, stars, and isolated islands.” At that time, he actually did not yet know that it was a so-called “paradise of the gods.”
Besides, were deep-sea dreams truly Akamara’s paradise? Siles now had some doubts about this. After learning about the hills of Mosache, this doubt deepened even further.
In short, the Knowledge he gained back then did not explicitly point to a “paradise of the gods,” but rather…
How had he thought about it back then?
“History that truly happened in reality.” He had glimpsed a corner of past history, learning the true appearance of some corner of this world, which was why his Knowledge could increase.
So, the two points of Knowledge he had just gained were one because he understood the nature and occurrences of the hills of Mosache, and the other because… Siles’s gaze fell thoughtfully onto the cover of Volume Two of The Life.
It was a relatively plain, ancient cover, the paper somewhat yellowed and stiff, looking as if it might break apart fragrantly the next second.
He thought Conan Fremont’s near-death experience this time seemed to carry a behind-the-scenes significance far more important than he had imagined.
Fremont had gone to sea with his family, the boat was capsized by wind and waves, he fell into the cold seawater, and nearly perished within it. However, Thaddeus rejected his soul, and subsequently, the churning seawater sent him back to the beach.
Fremont himself believed it was because his faith was not devout enough that he could not go to the hills of Mosache.
However, according to Siles’s understanding of the paradises of gods, since Fremont had seen the hills of Mosache and those old men, it meant he had already fulfilled the conditions to enter a god’s paradise.
Why hadn’t he been able to go in? A greater possibility was that Thaddeus had rejected this dying man for some reason, even actively restoring him to life.
…Ocean.
Siles once again thought of the God of Warriors and Pirates, Amois.
In the past, he had also obtained quite a bit of information related to the ocean.
For instance, mentioned in Kalakak’s diary, he had worked part-time at the port and encountered strange items and creatures from the ocean; or that coastal nation, Middleton, which to this day still preserved faith in Amois.
In stories and rumors about even older eras, there were also many matters related to seawater. “Stars falling upon the sea surface” involved both Lusmi and Amois simultaneously. And descriptions of this imagery and related scenes had appeared more than once.
Furthermore, the records of the Praia family directly mentioned the existence of the “Dark Sea.” Could this place be related to Amois, or at least, did Amois’s authority touch upon power in this aspect?
Additionally, Siles possessed a Time Trace and ritual directly linked to Amois: [Warrior’s Black Umbrella]. That ancient power had once provided Siles with formidable protection.
This deity was the only Old God to possess a human avatar. Beyond that, His Divine Titles—”Warrior” and “Pirate”—were also far more concrete and practical than those of other gods. He seemed to symbolize certain groups among humanity.
Of course, a Divine Title like “Pirate” also left Siles somewhat baffled. Had piracy once been rampant in the Fisher World?
However, as Siles carefully pondered the existence of the deity Amois at this moment, he suddenly realized a possibility—the circus. The fortune-teller, clown, magician, beast tamer of the circus…
They were the sublimation of certain professions. Countless people in the past who shared the same identity, profession, and experiences had collectively left their own mark on that concept, and thus those traces became a presence somewhat akin to a deity.
…Warrior and Pirate.
At this moment, Siles could not help feeling a bit slow and hindsight-prone. When he felt that the power of the circus was similar to a deity, he had surprisingly failed to think of the Old God Amois at all.
Wasn’t that a living example right there?
In Fremont’s experience, in the end, it was the churning seawater that sent him back to the beach. This seemed to hint that Amois had saved him. Or was there some connection between Thaddeus and Amois?
It was hard to say. Siles thought. Fremont, the party involved, seemed to have failed to figure out what exactly happened back then as well. Perhaps in the subsequent several volumes of content, he would mention more information?
Setting aside these topics related to the Old Gods, Siles felt that simply reading Fremont’s words was also quite enjoyable.
This Old God’s believer did not possess the extreme, fanatical temperament of other Old God followers; between the lines, there was even a bit of tolerance and banter unique to the elderly.
…If only all Old God followers were like Fremont. Siles could not help thinking so. Of course, he knew that was impossible.
He checked the time and saw it was almost ten o’clock, so he tidied up his books, washed up, and fell into a deep sleep.
The next morning, after Siles woke up, he was surprised to find that he actually had an entire morning of free time.
Originally, yesterday morning he was supposed to go to the History Society to study sealed artifacts, but because the publisher Barnett gave this meeting date in his letter, Siles simply wrote to the History Society to postpone yesterday’s research.
Of course, as his own research topic, how to arrange it was his own business. The only requirement was to inform his assistant, Annelin.
So while brushing his teeth in the morning, he pondered his arrangements for this morning and decided to take a trip to the History Society to make up for yesterday’s research content. However, he guessed Chendo would come look for him in a bit.
The two of them knew each other’s schedules like the back of their hands, and he was particularly aware of Chendo’s clingy nature. This explorer, wild and arrogant to the outside world, was so obedient on the inside, manipulating Siles’s schedule to seize any opportunity to squeeze into Siles’s life.
…Such thoughts always made Siles feel a bit soft-hearted.
Sure enough, near seven o’clock, Chendo knocked on the door and walked into the third-floor room of 6 Hayward Street, carrying a chill.
“Is it snowing?” Siles acutely noticed the snowflakes on Chendo’s shoulders and gently brushed away the traces left by the weather for him.
“Yes,” Chendo said. “A heavy snow.”
Siles walked to the window and gazed at the vast expanse of snowy scenery outside. It was not fully light yet, so previously Siles hadn’t even noticed the white snow outside the window.
Chendo took off his coat and walked to his side. He naturally intertwined his fingers with Siles’s and said, “Do you plan to go out today?”
“Originally I intended to go to the History Society,” Siles said. “However, this weather looks a bit inconvenient for going out.”
“Then don’t go,” Chendo said without hesitation.
Siles let out a soft laugh and asked, “Have you eaten breakfast?”
“I just bought some at the dining hall,” Chendo said. “Picked what you like.”
“Thank you.”
“Do you still need to thank me?”
“I always need to thank you, Chendo.”
“Then that’s your etiquette,” Chendo said. “Of course, sometimes I wish you wouldn’t treat me with so much politeness.”
Siles: “…”
Why did he feel Chendo was implying something?
He turned sideways to look at Chendo, meeting those emerald eyes. He wanted to say something, but in the end felt there was no need to say anything. Ultimately, he kissed those lips, after all believing this was what Chendo needed.
After the kiss ended, Chendo panted lightly, a hazy mist rising in those emerald eyes. He murmured softly, “I am truly a greedy person.”
“Why?” Siles pressed his forehead against Chendo’s, feeling the subtle warmth of their breathing intermingling.
“…Even though you have already kissed me, I still feel unsatisfied,” Chendo said. “You are a god; how would you punish a greedy, shameless believer like me?”
Siles laughed and said, “Punishment? I feel that for you, it would be a reward instead.”
Chendo: “…”
He said quite annoyedly, “I have already tried very hard! Don’t you think so?”
Siles felt that the current Chendo was like a clumsy, sullen big cat that wanted to reach out its paw to hold down a highly attractive piece of dried fish, only to watch helplessly as the bad owner took the dried fish away from right in front of it.
…How terrible. Wouldn’t that make him the bad owner?
Siles pondered for a second, then before Chendo could murmur anything more, pulled Chendo back into his arms and kissed those lips once more. This kiss lasted a bit longer. They seemed able to hear the quiet sound of snowflakes falling outside the window.
A warm winter day, Siles thought. It was the first time he used this phrase to describe winter.
After another kiss, Chendo was finally appeased. He licked the corner of Siles’s lips in full satisfaction, leaving a wet mark on Siles’s fair skin. Afterwards, feeling guilty, he wiped it for Siles.
…Siles felt this behavior of his truly had the style of a kindergarten child. That is to say, childish.
While eating breakfast, Chendo finally brought up proper business: “I had people investigate Darwin Hospital, and just received a reply last night. Perfect to tell you about it.”
Siles nodded, waiting with keen interest.
After discovering the problem with Darwin Hospital last Monday, the two had split up to search for relevant information.
On Siles’s end, he had asked Doctor Chester, Bertram Fern, and others, but gained no harvest. One should say that in the eyes of ordinary people, Darwin Hospital was just an ordinary West District hospital, nothing special.
However, he did gain one piece of information: the Darwin Hospital in the West District was opened fourteen years ago. Before that, the West District had never had any formal hospital.
…Fourteen years ago, fourteen years ago again. This year was consistently persistent, always managing to appear in unexpected places.
Siles had no harvest on his end, but Chendo might not be the same.
Previously, Chendo had given Siles a detailed introduction to the Praia family’s industries—railway company, carriage company, logistics, and so forth. These industries reached far and wide, and very few people knew that the Praia family owned these assets.
For example, the carriage company outside Lamifa University. At least Siles had never heard that it was actually the industry of the Praia family—a foreign family.
This naturally gave the Praia family a very powerful source of information.
“It’s stronger in Kansas. In Konst, it can only be said to be sufficient,” Chendo had evaluated it thus at the time.
Siles held a slightly skeptical attitude toward this statement, believing Chendo’s wording was a bit overly modest.
Regardless, most of the investigations on Chendo’s side came from summaries of word-of-mouth stories and rumors, carrying more of an eerie, strange tale feeling by comparison.
“People say Darwin Hospital is a place that devours children’s lives,” Chendo said.
“Children?”
Chendo nodded: “It seems a considerable number of young children received treatment at Darwin Hospital, only to die despite treatment. It’s unknown whether this was because their illnesses were originally too severe, or because of treatment issues at Darwin Hospital.”
Siles said thoughtfully, “However, combined with Mike’s situation…”
Chendo shrugged: “Your guess makes sense. However, we can’t simply accuse a hospital like that either. Perhaps they were truly just helpless against the children’s conditions?”
Siles agreed with Chendo’s thought. They were currently evaluating Darwin Hospital from a malicious perspective, but after all, it was a hospital. Siles himself did not wish for this hospital to have any… distressing problems.
“Besides that?”
“There are some rumors that Darwin Hospital has certain connections with underground gangs, but this connection isn’t very close,” Chendo said. “It’s just that the carriage company often receives jobs similar to…
“Delivering a letter from Ernestine Tavern to Darwin Hospital, or the reverse destination; sometimes, people also say they’ve seen individuals related to underground gangs entering and leaving Darwin Hospital.”
“Previously Chester told me that Darwin Hospital was related to certain nobles and wealthy merchants, so underground gangs didn’t dare mess with this hospital,” Siles said. “However, according to your words…”
“They might be in cahoots,” Chendo said straightforwardly. “Anyway, they’re all big figures.”
Siles let out a laugh at Chendo’s phrasing.
He thought, Darwin Hospital and underground gangs. Indeed, one couldn’t say these two places had no connection. Nona, Mike, and certain other children all seemed to have faint connections with Darwin Hospital.
But the question was, what was the reason behind this?
After finishing breakfast, they went down to the small kitchen on the ground floor to wash the dishes. This small kitchen had almost never been used; previously Siles always ate at the dining hall, and Lorenzo was about the same. Neither of them frequented the kitchen.
However, after Chendo appeared, the situation changed instead. They would sometimes heat up meals or wash dishes in the kitchen. This change was hard to explain, as if the appearance of one person could alter another’s lifestyle.
It was still snowing outside. Siles completely abandoned the idea of going to the History Society, but he did not plan to waste his time this morning either.
He looked at the snowy scenery outside the window, thoughts swirling in his mind.
Darwin Hospital… He thought, the key issue now was whether Darwin Hospital was truly doing something improper.
If they wanted to investigate this issue, they would likely need more helpers, or look for relevant parties involved. In addition, the Minister of Finance mentioned by Angela Clayton seemed to be a suspicious subject as well.
All sorts of thoughts appeared in Siles’s mind, including things Darwin Hospital might be doing, whether a mastermind existed, the connection between underground gangs and Darwin Hospital, and so on.
Finally, he let out a soft sigh, sweeping these thoughts away.
This morning, Siles continued preparing lessons, reviewing lesson plans, and studying teaching materials. At noon, seeing that the snow outside showed no sign of stopping and even had a trend of growing heavier, he did not plan to attend the novelists’ gathering. Such weather was not convenient for going out.
Furthermore, he even felt a bit anxious. Such snowy weather was likely very unfriendly to people working outdoors.
In the afternoon, he organized some ideas regarding his new novel.
“Miss Garland’s Dream Adventure,” Chendo was fortunate to become the first reader of the new novel. He read the title somewhat seriously, then asked, “Who is Miss Garland?”
Siles said, “A fictional teenage girl character.”
Chendo nodded thoughtfully.
Siles suddenly reacted and narrowed his eyes to look at him.
Chendo said nonchalantly, “So what kind of adventure will Miss Garland experience in her dream?”
Siles let out a low laugh, switching topics: “Haven’t decided yet. Perhaps…” He thought for a moment, “Perhaps I will try adding some fresh elements.”
He had previously racked his brains over the issue of “copyists,” because he hadn’t understood why copyists could become filters for “pollution.” Furthermore, certain texts could convey information through implication without conveying pollution at the same time.
He believed this was very likely related to text, writing, and metaphor, so he wanted to try practicing these ideas in a novel.
Of course, before true publication, he would have many people try reading it, and he would not add extremely dangerous information directly related to Old Gods into the novel.
“Dream Adventure.” The reason for layering a dream’s illusory color over fictional literature was precisely that Siles wanted to make this attempt of his a bit more cautious and safe.
He conveyed these thoughts of his to Chendo.
Chendo was struck by realization and said with great interest, “I still remember what you once said—a deity’s power lies between the real and the virtual. Does your approach count as a form of that?”
Siles shook his head and said, “Perhaps only Akamara’s power truly counts. Speaking of which, Chendo, why were you able to realize that I possessed Akamara’s power?”
“Awareness,” Chendo said.
Siles was taken aback, looking at him with some confusion.
Chendo shrugged: “It’s hard for me to explain that kind of… feeling. It’s as if I just ‘know’ that your body possesses traces of Akamara’s power… I can’t quite put it into words.”
Siles then asked, “Then in your feeling, is there any difference between Akamara’s power and my kind of ‘evaluation’ power?”
Chendo stared at him extremely intently for a moment, his gaze stern and serious. After a pause, he said, “No difference. But I feel the latter doesn’t seem like a deity’s power—at least not a deity I know.” He hesitated briefy, “By comparison, the latter is more…”
He pondered for a bit, as if considering how to describe it.
“Like hidden in a corner, not very eye-catching,” he said. “Like power hidden deep beneath the sea.”
Siles was taken aback.
Chendo’s description made him think of Amois. However, he knew this was merely a metaphor.
After realizing it was a metaphor, Siles instead thought of another “deep beneath the sea” in a different sense: the ruins of cities and civilizations hidden within deep-sea dreams, beneath the sea surface.
Siles had always wanted to know what those ruins truly were. From various clues, it was very likely hinting at a disaster this world had once encountered.
But… at bottom, what kind of disaster was it?
Speaking of disasters, on Monday morning, after Siles woke up, he realized that Sunday’s heavy snow had caused a considerable disaster for Lamifa City.
Sunday’s heavy snow had fallen from early morning until night, only slowly stopping when the night grew pitch-black. Chendo had only bade farewell to Siles at that time and returned to 32 Lowell Street.
In Lamifa City, some aged houses suffered from dampness and snow; glass arcades had portions of their glass collapsed under the weight; frozen river surfaces brought no small trouble to boat traffic.
Another most worrying matter, which also directly connected to Siles, was a letter Siles received alongside the newspaper in the first-floor reception room that morning—a letter from the department.
Professor Bright had accidentally taken a fall in yesterday’s heavy snow and was currently receiving treatment at the West District’s Darwin Hospital. Under his arrangements, his classes were temporarily divided among his two teaching assistants and Siles to cover for him.
Enclosed with the letter were Professor Bright’s lesson plans and his course schedule. What Siles needed to substitute for was a required major course on Tuesday afternoon, which happened to fall during his free time.
…Professor Bright had taken a fall? Siles couldn’t help frowning.
For a person of Professor Bright’s age, taking a fall was an extremely dangerous thing. Even under Earth’s medical conditions, many elderly people passed away due to falls, let alone in this era.
Purely from the letter, Siles could not tell how Professor Bright’s current condition was. His ability to assign his courses out seemed to imply his condition was reasonably good, but… Siles still felt extremely worried.
As for substitute teaching, Professor Bright had spoken to Siles about it previously, so he had long been psychologically prepared. One required major course, and Professor Bright’s lesson plans had already been delivered, so it wasn’t too troublesome.
…Of course, it was true that his schedule was becoming increasingly tight.
Just at this moment, Chendo appeared and said, “Today’s weather is much better than yesterday’s, at least it’s no longer snowing… What’s wrong with you?” He noticed Siles’s somewhat stern expression.
Siles said, “Professor Bright took a fall yesterday and is currently in the hospital. Perhaps our date will have to be postponed.”
“I understand,” Chendo reacted immediately, walking up to Siles and intimately rubbing against Siles’s cheek. If not kissing, he liked using this method to express his affection.
He said, “I won’t be impatient for this short while. Besides, visiting a sick elder is proper.”
Siles looked at him deeply, then said, “I have something I want to give you, Chendo.”
Chendo was taken aback, asking with curiosity, “What?”
Siles pulled out the hair rope he had woven from the drawer. After Chendo left yesterday, in order to give this hair rope away today, he had specially stayed up an hour late last night to finally make it in time for today’s date.
However, now the date seemed destined to be postponed, but the gift ultimately had to be given out.
“A hair rope,” Siles said, touching his nose with slight embarrassment. “It might be a bit… crude. I braided it myself.”
Chendo’s gaze took only a second to go from astonishment to being moved. He said, “I didn’t expect… I didn’t expect you to be willing to spend so much time for me. I mean… I mean, I am very grateful, Siles.”
Siles walked to his side, took off his original hair rope, and awkwardly tied his hair for him. After finishing, Siles looked at his work, fell silent for a moment, and said helplessly, “You should do it yourself.”
He had turned Chendo’s originally well-braided hair into a complete mess. Even though Chendo’s hair naturally had a bit of a curl to begin with, no matter what, it shouldn’t look like this.
Chendo didn’t particularly care. Hearing Siles’s words, he took the hair rope off, but didn’t rush to tie his hair; he simply embraced Siles, then gently kissed his lips. The pressure was very light, as if merely to feel the temperature of Siles’s lips.
Siles said, “You said one sentence wrong.”
The joy and self-satisfied smile originally rippling in Chendo’s gaze froze upon hearing this, asking with some confusion, “What?”
“You just said you didn’t expect me to spend so much time for you,” Siles said softly and gently. “You were wrong. I am extremely willing to spend this time for you. Chendo, you are worth it.”
Chendo’s gaze grew complex. He quietly embraced Siles, burying his face in Siles’s neck. After a pause, he said in a muffled voice, “I am extremely afraid.”
“Afraid of what?”
“…Afraid that you will discard me,” Chendo said. “Like what you did inside the circus tent. I have already made up my mind about you, yet you weren’t willing to accept me. Do you know how cruel that was?”
Siles was taken aback for a moment, then said, “I’m sorry…”
“No, don’t, don’t say that. I don’t like that phrase, you used to say it before… I’m afraid…”
“I love you, Chendo.”
Chendo’s voice vanished instantly. Almost without thinking, he raised his head, rounding those emerald eyes, staring blankly at Siles. After a pause, his voice asked in a low, raspy tone, “What?”
“I said I love you,” Siles said, then asked in return, “Is that so unbelievable?”
Chendo stared at him blankly for a while, then gently bumped his forehead against Siles’s shoulder, his voice very light, almost incredulous: “This is too… I feel my knees even went soft just now. How, how could you… how could you at a time like this…”
“What?”
“…It’s like cheating,” Chendo looked like he didn’t even know what he was saying anymore. “I already loved you so much, how could you… how could you… how could you make me even more beyond saving… You’re like cheating.”
Siles let out a muffled laugh: “Yes, Chendo. I obtained the passkey to your heart.”
Chendo looked like he wanted to say something, but in the end, he merely said very softly, “I love you too, Siles.” He rarely addressed Siles with “you” instead of “you (formal),” which was quite incredible given his usual etiquette.
Siles’s response was kissing his lips.
After being affectionate for a while in the morning, they went out.
“If you plan to go to the hospital to visit Professor Bright, do you know where his ward is?” Chendo asked. He had already re-tied his hair using the hair rope Siles had woven.
Honestly, if one just glanced over without looking carefully, the effect was actually not bad… Of course, provided one didn’t look carefully. But Chendo looked overjoyed, completely unbothered by whether it was ugly or not.
The key point was, this was made by Siles himself—made by Siles himself! He probably wished he could write this sentence on paper and pin it next to that hair rope for everyone to see.
“When we reach the hospital, we can ask around,” Siles said. “The letter merely said roughly that it was Darwin Hospital in East Lamifa.”
“East Lamifa?” Chendo said. “However, East District has two Darwin Hospitals as well.”
Siles pondered for a moment, then said, “I remember Professor Bright lives near Atherton Square, so if he was taken to a hospital, it should be the Darwin Hospital nearby.”
Chendo nodded and said, “Darwin Hospital… Although I don’t know if the hospital in East District has any problems, regardless, I hope you stay safe.”
Siles was going to visit his mentor, so Chendo wasn’t in a position to follow along. But he felt a bit worried, as if Siles were stepping deep into a dragon’s lair or a tiger’s den.
Siles smiled and said, “Don’t worry. I will be careful.”
Chendo looked at him very uneasily. After a pause, he said, “We should still put learning how to fight on the agenda. However, you are already so busy; sometimes I can’t bear to make you learn how to fight.”
Siles said, “I still need to learn.” He added, “Perhaps after a while. I’ve indeed been a bit busy recently.”
Chendo agreed to this matter.
After eating breakfast, they parted ways. Siles said they could stay together in the afternoon.
“Then shall we eat lunch together?” Chendo asked. “I can cook.”
“I look forward to it,” Siles said, hesitating a moment before adding a line, “Remember to buy fresher ingredients.”
Chendo laughed and said, “I know your psychological shadow. Rest assured, I will be careful.”
Siles felt helpless and said, “See you this afternoon.”
“See you this afternoon. I’ll wait for you at 32 Lowell Street,” Chendo said.
After parting with Chendo, Siles took a hired carriage and headed to Darwin Hospital. The Darwin Hospital in East District was far more grand than the one in West District, and its overall atmosphere was also slightly more relaxed, not quite so oppressive.
Siles asked at the front desk on the ground floor and found Professor Bright’s ward. In these times, there weren’t such strict medical department divisions, and Professor Bright was staying in a single room on the second floor.
When Siles came over, he bought some fruit from a street shop. The weather was bad now, so fruit prices were naturally quite high, but Siles didn’t care about the price. Rather, carrying fruit to visit a patient was an Earthling’s compulsion.
“Oh, good morning, Siles.” Professor Bright looked reasonably healthy, his complexion rosy, his voice full of energy, except his left foot was elevated, with the ankle swollen quite badly.
“Good morning, Professor,” Siles said. “Brought you some fruit. Heard you took a fall yesterday?”
“You’re very thoughtful, Siles. Yes, took a fall, sprained my ankle, quite fortunate,” Professor Bright said. “Don’t worry, nothing major, it’s just that I need to rest quietly for a period of time.”
Siles breathed a sigh of relief and said, “It’s good that you’re fine.”
Professor Bright nodded, then shook his head: “Getting old, there are always these kinds of problems, I’ve already made psychological preparations.”
While he spoke, Siles looked around this single ward. Overall, it was somewhat better than he had imagined. It couldn’t match the high standards of Earth’s sterile wards, but at least it appeared clean, quiet, and peaceful.
A young man sat nearby, looking like a caregiver looking after Professor Bright. Siles nodded to him and greeted him.
Afterwards, he said to Professor Bright, “However, your body has always been healthy, this time it was merely being a bit careless.”
“Saying it like that,” Professor Bright muttered, “but ultimately there’s no way to pay attention to everything.”
Siles couldn’t help laughing. Professor Bright had no major issues, which lightened his mood a bit.
He was about to speak when suddenly a burst of children’s crying came from outside the door, somewhat sharp and piercing, causing Siles to frown slightly. Professor Bright let out a sigh, showing a helpless expression, and said, “Again.”
