"Has it already been this late...?"
Charles Moore sat by the door, looking down at his pocket watch, letting out a long sigh.
"Why hasn't he come back yet?" Maxe Stone propped his chin in his hand, sitting next to Charles Moore, anxiously staring out the door.
The dim yellow sun gradually sank below the horizon, and the blue aurora in the sky became more distinct... The two of them sat side by side, the cold wind blowing through the cracks in the wooden planks, causing the oil lamp on the table to flicker and wobble.
Finally, at the end of the aurora-lit street, a figure slowly became clearer.
"He's back!" Maxe Stone immediately sat up straight, waving at the distant figure. "Brother!!"
Evan Stone, dragging his tired body, slowly walked toward home. When he saw the two people sitting by the door, he squinted slightly but immediately waved back at Maxe Stone.
Charles Moore was taken aback, standing up with his hands on his knees, and politely waving back.
"You must be..."
"You must be Evan Stone, right?" Charles Moore adjusted his silver-rimmed glasses and smiled. "I'm Charles Moore, the [Doctor] from Aurora City."
"Oh... Hello." Evan Stone shook his hand. "Have you been waiting long?"
"Not too long, it's fine."
"It's been a long time." Maxe Stone immediately chimed in. "You left early this morning, and he got here, then sat in the living room waiting until now..."
"He came this morning? Didn't you offer him some water?"
"I did... but he didn't drink it."
Evan Stone's gaze shifted from Maxe Stone, and he looked at Charles Moore apologetically. "Doctor Charles Moore, I'm really sorry for making you come all this way and wait for so long... Actually, I'm feeling better now. How about I treat you to dinner tonight and send you back tomorrow?"
At first, Evan Stone had been scared by the "audience," so he sought the doctor's help. But now, he didn't feel like he was sick anymore, and he didn't think anyone could really cure him...
Could a "World Annihilation" level disaster be solved by just any doctor?
Not to mention there's a mysterious theater that can suppress "World Annihilation."
Charles Moore staying here wouldn't heal him. If anything, over time, he might even discover the disaster in Evan Stone's mind.
Charles Moore froze.
He looked at Evan Stone for a while, hesitated, and then spoke:
"Well... Mr. Evan Stone, many times, a person's body doesn't realize they're sick. You may feel fine now, but you might not actually be."
"Maybe you need a detailed check-up from me."
"No, I don't need it."
Evan Stone rejected him firmly this time.
After all, he didn't even have a heart now... Letting Charles Moore examine him? That would be like exposing his identity!
Charles Moore: ...
"Doctor Charles Moore, I really appreciate you coming all the way from Aurora City, but I really don't need a check-up or treatment right now." Evan Stone sensed his tone was a bit off and quickly added, sincerely:
"…Alright then." Charles Moore sighed. "But, I might not be able to leave now."
"Why?"
"District 3 is completely sealed off. No one is allowed to enter or leave. Didn't you know?"
"...Then how did you get in?"
"I have a friend in the law enforcement. I asked him to help me get in," Charles Moore said with a helpless smile. "But you know, getting in is easy... but getting out? That's not so simple."
The law enforcement's sealing of District 3 was meant to prevent disasters from escaping. After all, some disasters were small enough to hide in human backpacks or even within their bodies, or to merge with humans... In any case, entering and leaving wasn't even remotely the same.
Evan Stone, now a reserve officer, understood this very well.
"That..." Evan Stone hesitated.
Charles Moore came from Aurora City specifically to treat him, and he hadn't even asked for any payment—it could be considered charity... Now that he was here, and couldn't return, Evan Stone couldn't just turn him away. He couldn't let the man wander the streets, could he?
"Brother, I don't think he's a bad person." Maxe Stone spoke up at the right moment. "Today, Officer Victor Hale came and was really fierce. He helped me get rid of the people."
Hearing this, Evan Stone's eyes brightened.
"I have a question," he said.
"Go ahead," Charles Moore nodded.
"How did you send Officer Victor Hale away?"
"Oh, I just told him there was no one at home, and that it's very impolite to barge into someone's house without permission."
"But he's a law officer, and law officers have the right to search private homes." Evan Stone didn't believe that such a tough character would just leave so easily.
"I spoke, and he listened," Charles Moore answered casually. "A few years ago, I saved his life... twice."
"…I see."
Evan Stone nodded. "Then, before District 3 is unsealed, you can stay here. But I have one condition."
"What's that?"
"Without my permission, you cannot perform any form of examination... the same goes for my brother."
"Alright." Charles Moore pushed up his silver-rimmed glasses and agreed without hesitation.
Evan Stone returned home and found that the original holes had been patched with wooden planks. Although a bit of wind still seeped through, it was much better than the open space from the previous night.
He looked back to see Maxe Stone standing with his hands behind his back, his head slightly lowered, as if waiting for praise.
"Thanks to you," Evan Stone ruffled his hair. "Otherwise, we would have had to sleep outside tonight."
"Actually, there are still some gaps that need to be filled... I'll go get some clay from the back mountains tomorrow and seal them up." Maxe Stone smiled a little sheepishly.
Charles Moore walked in and smiled upon seeing the scene.
"You two have a really good relationship."
"Of course." Maxe Stone pouted.
"You even look alike."
"Really?" Evan Stone glanced at Maxe Stone. "It's not that obvious, since we're not biological brothers... but after living together for so long, we do start to look alike."
"I think you look very similar," Maxe Stone replied seriously.
"By the way, that's your room over there. The environment's a bit simple, but don't mind it." Evan Stone gestured to the room that originally belonged to Richard Stone and his wife, directing Charles Moore to it.
"It's fine, I'm not picky."
Maxe Stone watched this scene in the living room, a hint of complexity flashing in his eyes.
Next, Evan Stone went to the kitchen to prepare dinner for the three of them. After a day of running around, he was famished. Fortunately, he had honed his cooking skills while working as an office worker in his past life, so he could easily feed himself in this new world.
Half an hour later, the hot dishes were served, and the aroma made both Maxe Stone and Charles Moore, who were sitting at the table, swallow their saliva.
"Mr. Evan Stone, your cooking is really good," Charles Moore said after taking a bite of the potato slices. "It's much better than most restaurants in Aurora City."
"Just call me Evan Stone."
Evan Stone observed Charles Moore while eating. From his attire and demeanor, Charles Moore was clearly a typical intellectual—both his speech and eating were refined, creating a comfortable and calming atmosphere.
This type of aura, Evan Stone had never seen in Districts 3 or 2... As expected, people from Aurora City were different.
Suddenly, Evan Stone seemed to remember something.
"Doctor Charles Moore."
"Yes?"
"How much do you know about the divine paths?"