After weighing the pros and cons, Silas ultimately decided to stay at the asylum for the night.
After all, the captain had a point.
If he were still carrying the label of mental patient before the welcoming dinner, the scene during his public self-introduction would be somewhat awkward.
"This Dr. Wilder is really terrible!
When he was treating you, he obviously didn't help one bit, but now when you need him, he's just adding all this trouble!"
Cecilia was very dissatisfied with this. She had originally wanted to stay the night with Silas, but he firmly refused.
For one thing, it wouldn't look good for a young girl to spend the night in a place like this.
For another, she still had classes tomorrow. So, though very reluctant, she was escorted by Silas out of the asylum gates and onto a carriage home.
After seeing his sister off, Silas returned to the asylum's inpatient ward.
He stayed with Dr. Wilder in the examination room until the doctor got off work in the evening, and was treated to a catastrophically bad patient meal.
After that, Dr. Wilder arranged a room and a roommate for Silas.
"I'm very sorry, Mr. Londor. The single rooms are all full. You'll have to make do here for the night. This is your roommate, Hood Eugen. Don't worry, his condition is very stable.
He likes chatting with patients, but he's unwilling to communicate with us doctors."
In a double room on the third floor, Wilder pointed to the patient on the bed by the window and said to Silas.
Silas looked in the direction he indicated and saw a man who appeared quite normal.
He had a thin, long face, and his light yellow hair was kept very clean and neat.
Hearing someone mention him, he turned his head and gave the two of them a faint glance with his grayish-blue eyes, then turned back without saying a word.
"See? Completely non-aggressive."
Wilder said. "Your bedding is all brand new; feel free to use it.
I'll be patrolling the third floor tonight and will check on you from time to time.
Please rest easy and spend the night here. As long as I confirm you haven't had an episode all night, I'll sign your mental recovery certificate first thing tomorrow morning."
"Alright, thank you for your trouble, Dr. Wilder."
Things had come to this point, so Silas didn't make a fuss.
After thanking Dr. Wilder and seeing him off, he lay down on the asylum bed without hesitation.
Ah, this mattress, this familiar feeling...
Just as he was about to take off his coat, he suddenly remembered the gun holster was still strapped to his shirt underneath.
It wouldn't be quite appropriate to expose that, so he simply lay down fully clothed, flat on his back, hands pillowed behind his head, staring at the ceiling of the ward with an empty mind.
Hood Eugen, beside him, paid him no attention either, continuing to gaze at the night sky outside the window.
The sky gradually darkened. The crimson moon slowly rose, shining through the barred window of the psychiatric ward and projecting onto the floor, forming crimson-colored grid patterns.
The room was very quiet. Neither Silas nor his roommate spoke.
Only the occasional sound of Dr. Wilder's patrolling footsteps in the corridor outside, and the distant muffled shouts from some patient in another ward.
Silas's eyelids gradually grew heavy as drowsiness washed over him.
What should I do? Should I take off my clothes to sleep?
But I have a gun holster on me. Then again, I guess it doesn't matter if a lunatic sees it...
Just as he was thinking this, he heard footsteps in the corridor outside once more.
Mm, Dr. Wilder is coming by again. He really is working hard... huh? That doesn't sound like him.
Silas detected something off about the footsteps.
Dr. Wilder was getting on in years, so his pace was rather slow. But these footsteps were very light and quick, moving swiftly. They clearly belonged to a young person.
Is someone going to the bathroom? Or another doctor?
Just as Silas was thinking this, the footsteps stopped right outside his ward door.
Then, with a "swoosh," the door was pushed open. Orange gaslight illuminated the ward as a young man walked in, holding a gas lamp in one hand and carrying a bag in the other.
"Hey, good evening!"
The corners of his mouth turned up. He didn't care at all about Silas's surprise and instead waved at him in greeting, as if Silas were an acquaintance.
"You..."
Silas couldn't help but sit up. He looked at this young man with some astonishment. For some reason, he felt like this young man seemed somewhat familiar.
Who is he? Why is he entering a psychiatric ward in the middle of the night?
Just as Silas was about to ask, Hood Eugen, in the bed by the window, suddenly sighed.
He pulled out a silver bell from under his pillow and raised it, giving it a gentle shake.
"Ding-a-ling"
A clear sound echoed through the ward. The sound was very peculiar, seeming to penetrate the body and ring directly in one's mind.
Silas jerked violently, his body losing control.
He felt the world suddenly become fuzzy and blurred. Other sounds seemed to come from far away, with only the bell ringing in his mind, until...
"Whoosh"
An illusory sound of ocean waves rose up, drowning out the bell's sound and making his consciousness clear again. He heard the two men's conversation.
"Lanevus, instead of running your scams, what are you doing coming to my place in the middle of the night?"
Hood Eugen looked at the young man with dissatisfaction. "I saw it in the newspaper. Your scheme was really comprehensive, even putting out advertisements for iron mine company stock recruitment."
Lanevus?
Iron mine company stock?
Right, it's that person from the newspaper!
Silas finally remembered, understanding why this face seemed familiar.
Broad forehead, ordinary features, round glasses, and that seemingly mocking smile... This was exactly the appearance of the iron mine director from the newspaper Rosanne had shown him last time.
Wait, what did Hood Eugen's words mean? The iron mine is a scam?
He seems so normal, could it be he's not crazy at all?
And his item could actually hypnotize me... it seems to be something related to mysticism, possibly a sealed artifact.
And his relationship with Lanevus...
Countless pieces of information flooded Silas's brain in a short time. He rapidly analyzed them but didn't act rashly.
Instead, he continued to pretend to be under control, listening to their conversation.
"Heh heh... that scam has already been wrapped up."
Lanevus patted the bulging bag in his hand, smiling quite viciously. "Thanks to those greedy and stupid fools.
To be honest, I've had my fill of fun. I'm preparing to leave Tingen."
"So you came to say goodbye to me? Heh, I've got nothing to say to someone like you."
"Don't be so heartless. When you used me to harm your companion and seize his Beyonder item, weren't you full of gratitude toward me?"
Lanevus smiled and pointed at the bell in Hood Eugen's hand, directly exposing the other's dark history.
Hood Eugen's expression changed, then he let out a cold laugh.
So these two guys are both bad news...
Silas thought to himself.
But at the same time, he couldn't help being curious. So what exactly was Lanevus's purpose in coming here in the middle of the night?