Seeking Help

When I returned from church, the sun was already high in the sky.

Lu Yuan carefully placed the two bottles of intermediate holy water, which cost him twenty silver coins, into the bottom compartment of the counter.

As your finger touches the bottle, a line of small gray-white text appears:

[Intermediate Holy Water: Water imbued with the essence of the sky, capable of suppressing plagues and low-level pollution to a considerable extent.]

"Hopefully it will be worth the price."

Lu Yuan closed the cabinet door, slumped onto the somewhat worn sofa, and rubbed his throbbing temples.

In this strange port, this stuff is not only medicine, but also a life-saving trump card.

[Rationality II: 11/49 (Experience)]

The numbers in the lower right corner of the field of vision floated silently.

Lu Yuan stared at the incomplete "49," his fingers unconsciously tapping the armrest.

There are only 49 points left of the cap... At the current rate of decline, if he doesn't do something, he'll be lying at the door with Dr. Leisen in two months at most.

Just as I was pondering this, I heard the rumbling sound of wheels rolling over the bluestone slabs outside the door.

A black carriage stopped at the door, and a servant in uniform got out and unloaded a large box of things without saying a word.

"Dr. Lu, this is the 'first batch' that Mr. Lawson ordered to be delivered."

The servant put down the things, bowed, and turned to leave.

Lu Yuan opened the box.

A strong, bitter smell of herbs wafted out. The box was crammed with dried silver grass, several sealed jars of mercury, and some miscellaneous mineral powder.

"This 'client' is quite quick to act."

Lu Yuan casually grabbed a handful of Silver Grass, smelled it, and found it to be of good quality.

It seems that the landlord, who was tormented by "strange dreams," really went to great lengths to get a good night's sleep.

With these raw materials, Lu Yuan was able to attempt to make a mixture of Radiant Silver Grass.

Of course, Lu Yuan didn't know the specific proportions, but he had Dr. Leisen's notes.

Lu Yuan walked to the bookshelf, pulled out the thick experimental record left by Leisen, and quickly found the record on the processing of the Light Silver Grass. Although the handwriting was messy and stained with an unknown liquid, it did not affect reading.

"Three parts silver grass, one part mercury, heat to a boil..."

Lu Yuan spread the notes out on the table, set up the crucible, lit the alcohol lamp, and began to work on the task.

The clinic was filled with the aroma of boiled herbs for the rest of the afternoon.

Lu Yuan was like a tireless machine, staring at the constantly changing [Pharmacology] experience bar in his field of vision, mechanically repeating the actions of refining, fusing, and bottling.

Pharmacology: +0.5... Pharmacology: +0.5...

Watching his experience points gradually increase, this pure feedback allowed Lu Yuan to temporarily forget everything around him.

The tranquility of the clinic was broken only when it was completely dark outside.

"Dr. Lu...is he there?"

The sound was very soft, mixed with the sound of the wind.

Lu Yuan put down the still-smoking bottle in his hand, his brows furrowing slightly.

Pharmacology: 6.5/50 (Beginner)

Arriving at this time is most likely not a good thing.

Reach the door and unlock it.

Standing outside the door was Brent, the shoeshine boy I'd seen yesterday.

Brent was carrying a large stack of newspapers, his face was a little dirty, and his little face was red from the wind. When Lu Yuan appeared, his originally bright eyes were filled with anxiety, and he shivered in his thin coat.

"It's you." Lu Yuan stepped aside to let him in. "Today's newspaper? Just leave it on the table."

Brent placed the newspaper on the table, but instead of taking the money and leaving as usual, he stood there, twisting the hem of his clothes tightly with both hands, stammering for a long time without saying a word.

"What's up?"

Lu Yuan sensed something was wrong and casually tossed him a piece of bread from the plate. "Since you helped me before, what's the problem?"

Brent grabbed the bread but didn't eat it; his eyes suddenly welled up with tears.

"Dr. Lu... please save my uncle!"

Lu Yuan raised an eyebrow. "Uncle?"

He remembered the uncle Brent had mentioned before, the one who worked in the dockside cold storage and told him not to eat fish.

"What's wrong with him?" Lu Yuan sat back down in his chair, picked up his cup, and took a sip of water.

"My uncle is sick, very sick." Brent's voice trembled as he struggled to suppress his fear. "For the past few days, he's been locking himself in his room, saying he's cold and itchy. When I went to see him today, I found that my uncle... he's covered in such strange things!"

"Something strange?" Lu Yuan paused for a moment, holding the cup.

"Yes...it's like growing a new layer of skin, wet and slippery." Brent swallowed, his eyes filled with horror. "And that stuff, it's ugly and smelly."

Have you been to church?

"He won't go!" Brent cried, kneeling on the ground in desperation. "He says those church people will burn him at the stake! Dr. Lu, you're Dr. Lyson's friend, you must have a way, right? I have money... I have money!"

As he spoke, he pulled a bronze shield from his pocket.

Lu Yuan looked at the pile of bronze shields without saying a word.

If he refused to go to church, there was usually only one reason: his uncle knew that he didn't have an illness, but rather some kind of alienation.

Moreover, based on the description, these symptoms are completely different from Lawson's kind of "psychic dreams."

New skin? Wet and slippery?

Lu Yuan narrowed his eyes, his fingers gently stroking his chin.

This sounds dangerous.

But if we manage to figure it out, maybe we'll find out something else?

He glanced at the experience bar at the edge of his field of vision.

[Taboo Voyeur: 6.2/10]

An upgrade is imminent. Dealing with this obvious "anomaly" carries high risks, but the potential rewards could be substantial.

"Looks like there's new work to be done." Lu Yuan thought to himself.

"Keep the money."

Lu Yuan stood up, dusted off the dregs of medicine from his hands, and said calmly, "It's impossible for me to lead the way today. It's getting dark outside, you should go back first."

"Come pick me up at eight o'clock tomorrow morning."

Brent paused for a moment, then nodded frantically, tears and snot streaming down his face: "Thank you! Thank you, Dr. Lu!"

After seeing off the profusely grateful kid, Lu Yuan closed the door, his expression instantly turning cold.

Skin covered in strange things... Rejecting the church...

He walked to the window and looked out at the harbor, which was shrouded in thick fog.

The darkness there was thicker than anywhere else.

"I hope it won't be too much trouble."

Lu Yuan did not sleep well that night.

He dreamed of that sea again.

The seawater was still as black as ink, and I was still myself, stubbornly stuck on the beach.

This time, however, the feeling of the waves crashing against his body was much clearer; the cold, slippery touch felt like countless wet tentacles caressing his skin.

In the pale moonlight, a huge shadow seemed to rise from the sea. It was silently watching him across the deep water.

"call--!"

Lu Yuan suddenly woke up from his dream, his heart pounding, his whole body soaked as if he had just been pulled out of the water.

【Rationality II: +4...15/48 (Experience)】 (Um, it should have been +5, but there are too many things to revise later, so I'll just add 4 points today, consider it a waste of my time)

The upper limit has dropped a little more.

Lu Yuan stared intently at the changing number, feeling a sense of urgency.

"48..."

Hopefully, tomorrow will bring me some surprises.