The Patient

[November 15: The Iron Whale returns fully loaded, bringing back a mysterious mineral.]

[November 17: The church establishes a branch church; the purple-robed bishop arrives.]

[December 14: The Mist Ship passes by...]

"There's something wrong with the timeline." Lu Yuan pondered, his fingertips unconsciously tapping the table.

Thomas's leg injury occurred after the return of the Iron Whale, and Dr. Lyson's diary also began to go mad after that.

What the Iron Whale brought back wasn't minerals at all, but perhaps... some kind of unspeakable 'living creature'? And the sudden arrival of an archbishop at this juncture is clearly too coincidental; perhaps the Church is preparing to suppress something...

"This port seems to be a powder keg... I think I need to act quickly."

[Intelligence analysis successful, Grim Port status: +5, 14/50]

Subsequent newspaper reports included stories of ships setting sail, the opening of new bakeries in the harbor, or rental advertisements for affordable housing.

As for what Lu Yuan wanted to know, there was practically no news about the Night's Watch in the newspapers.

The only useful piece of news was a statement jointly issued by Viscount Grimm and the Night's Watch in the June newspapers, claiming that Grimm Harbor had officially been connected to electric lights throughout the port.

Upon seeing this, the experience bar also appears.

[Grimport Status: +1, 15/50]

But then nothing happened.

Lu Yuan didn't even notice if there had been any unusual events at the port recently.

Putting the newspaper down, Lu Yuan suddenly felt a headache coming on, because the lack of activity on the experience bar meant that the information he could get about Grim Port from the newspaper had come to an end.

Despite the peaceful and serene atmosphere depicted in the newspapers of Grimm.

But what happened last night is still fresh in my mind.

No matter how you look at it, it's contradictory and very strange.

There's no better way than to slowly find out.

Putting down the newspaper, Lu Yuan decided to read more books recently and upgrade his basic medicinal herb knowledge to level two.

It might even bring some unexpected results.

As night fell, Lu Yuan sat in front of the fireplace, flipping through "Basic Medicinal Herbs" by the firelight, trying to gain some more experience points.

The silence was broken by a strange sound.

"sand"

That was the sound of shoes dragging heavily on the ground, slow and stiff.

Lu Yuan looked up at the window. Night had fallen, and the fog was thick. Only clusters of lights stood on the roadside not far away.

"Come to the doctor at this hour..."

Lu Yuan instantly became alert.

The sound stopped at the clinic entrance.

Then came a dull knock on the door.

"Doctor...are you there?"

The voice was very hoarse, as if there was phlegm stuck in the throat.

After a moment's hesitation, Lu Yuan finally opened the door a crack.

A man was standing outside the door.

He was dressed in an expensive pure black wool suit and leaned on a silver-plated cane, looking out of place on this slum-like street.

But what set Lu Yuan on high alert wasn't his clothes, but the scent emanating from him.

A strong perfume scent attempted to mask the faint, salty smell underneath.

Lu Yuan had only ever smelled this salty, fishy odor on Dr. Leisen when he had transformed into a fish.

"Good evening, doctor." The man took off his top hat, revealing a sparse head and a somewhat pale face.

The man then grinned, revealing a row of somewhat sharp teeth. "I'm Lawson, the landlord of the nearby low-rent housing, and also the owner of this house. You can call me Mr. Landlord."

Lu Yuan remained calm, but he tightened his grip on the doorknob.

"landlord?"

"If the other party is just here to collect rent, then this imposter could be exposed at any moment, because Lu Yuan has no idea about the rent or the agreement."

"What's worse, this 'landlord' also seems to be quite ill."

[You have observed traces originating from the deep sea, Taboo Studies - Voyeur: 5.2/10] The hint that appeared in the corner of his eye confirmed Lu Yuan's conjecture.

We can gain experience just by observing, but what happens if we get closer?

Lu Yuan leaned against the door, his eyes lowered, and hesitated for a long time before finally deciding to let Lawson in. Because if he left this place, Lu Yuan would be unable to move an inch in a short period of time, and what else could Lawson be doing here at this time except to see a doctor?

"Please come in, Mr. Lawson." Lu Yuan stepped aside, a fake smile on his face.

"What you need tonight isn't rent to collect, but rather... some medical advice?"

Lawson's eyes flashed strangely, but he did not answer.

She walked slowly behind Lu Yuan, her legs seemingly dragging something heavy, making a rustling sound as they rubbed against the floor.

The clinic's lights weren't very bright; it looked a bit dim.

Lawson looked around, took off his hat naturally, hung it on the rack by the door, and then chose a chair to sit down.

Lu Yuan took out his notebook and pen, sat back on the sofa, and said:

"Mr. Lawson, tell me about your symptoms."

Lawson shook his head as if he had heard a joke:

"You're just like Leisen. Besides, I'm not sick. I've just been having trouble sleeping lately and need some medication to stop me from dreaming or to calm me down."

Lu Yuan didn't respond, but wrote "sleep" in his notebook, then looked up and gestured for Lawson to continue.

Lawson just sat there, showing no intention of speaking.

The clinic fell silent for a moment, with only the crackling of matches coming from the fireplace that Lu Yuan had just lit.

"By the way, what's your name?"

"Lu Yuan".

"Oh? So you're from the East? That's quite a rare sight in Grimport. When will Lysen be back?"

"I have no idea."

Lu Yuan had no intention of continuing this meaningless conversation with Lawson. It was obvious that this so-called landlord not only distrusted him but also maintained an air of aristocracy.

One's time is very precious, after all, it can be exchanged for experience. The most important thing is that this landlord seems unwilling to tell the truth.

This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to figure it out.

Whether Dr. Leisen's illness matches that of the landlord is a matter of Lu Yuan's safety.

Once they agree, it means the danger of the "different dreams" will greatly increase, and they themselves may also be infected...

Therefore, some pressure had to be applied to force Lawson to tell the truth, so Lu Yuan decided to issue an order to leave.

"Mr. Lawson, if you only need sedatives, I'm sorry, we don't have any at the moment."

"These weren't among the medicines Lyson left behind before he left, or you could try checking at the church..."

After saying that, Lu Yuan didn't even lift his eyelids, but simply picked up a book and started flipping through it.

If Lawson wasn't worried at all at this point, Lu Yuan would never believe it. So if he was anxious, he would definitely speak up.