Time passed slowly as Yu Xie and Navia waited outside the door.
After about ten minutes, the door opened, and Dr. Baizhu stepped out.
"Dr. Baizhu!" Navia immediately stepped forward.
Dr. Baizhu glanced at Navia and Yu Xie, his expression slightly serious.
He then took out a piece of white paper from his chest, on which were written the names of several herbs.
"Here is the prescription I've prepared for Mr. Callas. This will help alleviate his symptoms, but it is only a temporary solution. As for a cure, further consideration is needed."
Yu Xie took the prescription from him.
"Thank you, Dr. Baizhu."
"No need to thank me. It is the duty and responsibility of a doctor to treat the sick," Dr. Baizhu said with a slight smile.
"Dr. Baizhu…" Yu Xie hesitated for a moment. "Could we have a word in private?"
Dr. Baizhu followed Yu Xie to a side.
"Dr. Baizhu, this is the consultation fee for today," Yu Xie said as he handed over a sum of Mora to Dr. Baizhu. "From what you just said, does that mean Mr. Callas's illness cannot be cured with conventional methods?"
Dr. Baizhu let out a brief sigh. Before he could speak, the snake coiled on his shoulder, Changsheng, spoke up.
"Mr. Callas's condition is very complicated. It is almost impossible to completely cure it using normal methods. At best, we can only manage the symptoms."
"Just as I thought…" Yu Xie said, his face falling.
"If Mr. Callas strictly follows the treatment prescribed, he might live for another two years at least."
"..." Yu Xie remained silent.
Two more years… it wasn't that long, but it was still far from enough.
"Dr. Baizhu, how long will you be staying in Fontaine?"
"At least another three or four days," Dr. Baizhu replied. "Why do you ask?"
"Could you tell me where you're staying? If any issues arise, I might come to see you."
"Of course. I'm staying at the inn across from the Adventurers' Guild."
After a short while, Dr. Baizhu left.
Yu Xie and Navia stood outside the door.
The atmosphere was far from light.
"It seems that Father's illness really can't be fully cured, huh?" Navia lowered her gaze and then lifted her head, forcing a bittersweet smile. "But it's okay. I've had more time with him than I thought I would. I'm grateful for that. I really have to thank you, Yu Xie. If it weren't for you, I probably wouldn't have been able to see him at all."
"It will get better," Yu Xie said softly, without saying much. He walked over and gently patted Navia's head.
.....
Night.
Yu Xie stayed the night in Poisson Village.
His room had been kept clean by Navia. Even though he hadn't been back in a while, the room was still spotless.
He sat on the edge of the bed, gazing out the window.
The night outside was calm and quiet.
Without warning, Yu Xie found himself thinking back to the day he first met Uncle Callas.
He remembered that the weather had been perfect that day—sunlight warm but not scorching, and the sea breeze was pleasant.
And the grilled fish they had that day, though Uncle Callas seemed to have used a bit too little salt, it was still delicious.
Was there really no way to save him?
Was there really no other option, besides using that forbidden technique?
Yu Xie had long known that some problem in life have no solution. No matter how hard you try, you eventually realize that some things are impossible to untangle. They are dead ends.
.....
The night passed, and morning arrived as expected.
Yu Xie left Poisson Village and returned to his residence in Fontaine.
He planned to pack his things and move back to Poisson Village. He intended to terminate the lease on this place.
After a while, he had packed most of his things, but something still felt amiss.
He checked again, and suddenly realized.
He was missing one of his diaries.
A diary is a very personal thing. Although his diary didn't contain anything strange, he still didn't want anyone else to see it.
"Did I leave it in the office?"
......
At the same time, in the former Champion Duelist's office.
Furina had nothing to do and had come here out of habit.
Without Yu Xie around, the office felt rather empty.
But perhaps it was because her body had gotten used to it, she still felt somewhat relaxed sitting on the sofa in the office.
She took a deep breath, then exhaled slowly, feeling the tension in her nerves ease slightly.
After a moment, she got up from the sofa and walked over to sit in the chair behind the desk.
Unlike usual, the desk wasn't piled high with books and papers. It was mostly empty, with only a cactus sitting there.
"Why did you have to resign?" Furina muttered under her breath as she absentmindedly pulled open the drawer beneath the desk.
It was a simple, thoughtless action at first, but then Furina's gaze suddenly focused.
She saw a notebook inside the drawer.
At first glance, there was nothing special about it.
But driven by curiosity, Furina picked up the notebook and slowly opened it.
"March 7th, clear weather. Today, Furina was acting strange and insisted that I go with her to ride the ' The Miraculous Antoine Roger Aircraft.' In the end, halfway through the ride, she said she didn't want to continue. It seems she's a little afraid of heights, but this isn't a carriage. How can it just stop halfway?"
Furina quickly snapped the notebook shut. Remembering that day, she couldn't help but feel her face flush slightly.
"I am not afraid of heights! I just... simply didn't want to continue riding!" she argued inwardly. "Yeah! Exactly! I just didn't want to ride anymore, Yu Xie, you're overthinking things!"
It seemed like this was Yu Xie's diary, probably left behind by mistake when he left.
Reading someone else's diary was a bad habit—an invasion of privacy.
After accidentally reading the first entry, Furina quickly put the diary back in its place.
But as she was about to close the drawer, she hesitated.
Should I take another look? Furina wondered.
The diary mentioned me, and I just want to know what Yu Xie thinks of me. Furina thought again.
But…
Torn between curiosity and guilt, Furina furrowed her brow, her eyes fixed on the diary.
In the end, curiosity won over her sense of guilt, and she picked up the diary once more and began to flip through it.
"March 11th, rainy weather. Today isn't ideal for going out, but Furina dragged me to the countryside anyway. Carrying an umbrella was a hassle, but she seemed pretty happy. Well, as long as she's happy, I guess that's fine."
"March 20th, cloudy. Today was a rare day off, but Furina wouldn't let me relax. She brought a script for a play and insisted I play the male lead. When I asked who the female lead was, she put her hands on her hips and confidently said, 'Of course, that's me.'
After reading the script, I thought the female lead's character didn't quite suit her, because the description of the character was something like this—'Though a young girl, she has a full figure.' And Furina... ahem. In the end, Furina turned down the role, but then she asked me what I thought about size differences, and how was I supposed to answer that..."
End of chapter
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