The tour went smoothly, mainly because there wasn't much to see.
The structure of the inn is simple, with the first-floor lobby serving as a recreation room and the second floor consisting of individual suites.
The facilities are somewhat rudimentary, but extremely clean.
Andrew followed An Ya around for a tour, ostensibly observing the facilities but actually observing the patients living here.
You can see patients of all age groups, but except for a few patients, most of their conditions aren't particularly severe.
After all, they can't compare with someone like me who has "less than a week left to live."
It feels like the majority are similar to Ivan, whose quality of life is affected by illness but who won't die all of a sudden.
"Well, it seems things aren't quite as I expected; the people here aren't suffering from particularly severe illnesses."
Andrew secretly calculated, "It makes sense; if their conditions really were serious, they'd probably die off soon. After all, they're ordinary people, not like Ivan, a strong 'Desert Hunter,' nor do they possess something like my 'Water Spirit Technique.'"
So, what should be done next?
Should I temporarily stay here and then quietly use the Water Spirit Technique to heal everyone?
But if I did that, even an idiot would suspect me—people get well en masse right after I move in, how could that not arouse suspicion?
Andrew pondered silently.
At the same time, across from him, An Ya was actually observing this young man who seemed excessively youthful.
An Ya didn't know Andrew before, and to be honest, she didn't expect the hero who saved people last night to be so young.
What's more unexpected is that Andrew, after being given a death sentence by the veteran mage Humboldt, remains so calm!
Just then, Andrew spoke again and asked, "I see there's a third floor here, are there people living there?"
An Ya hesitated slightly after hearing this and nodded, "There's only one room on the third floor; it's equipped as a sickroom with some pain-relieving devices, occupied by our most critically ill patient..."
Andrew's heart stirred, he asked, "Can I take a look?"
He sighed after speaking, putting on a look of sympathy out of shared suffering.
An Ya thought, well, that's how someone who's been given a death sentence should look, so she said, "Come with me."
A moment later, in the sickroom on the third floor, Andrew saw an elderly man lying in the bed.
The atmosphere here was very different from the first and second floors; it was quiet.
Flame-like patterns on the room walls occasionally lit up, isolating the noise from the outside.
"Is this, Magic Array Patterns?"
Andrew stared at the faint flame patterns on the walls; this was the first time he saw magic in this world after traversing here.
If I didn't see wrong, this Magic Array Pattern, though crude, indeed serves as good sound insulation.
An Ya smiled and said, "Yes. Quite ironic, isn't it? People hurt by Fire Magic still need to use Fire Magic here. Huh? Wait... what are you doing?"
Andrew stepped forward and gently held the old man's hand.
Andrew already decided that slowly and surreptitiously treating the patients while staying in this Living People Cemetery was not feasible because it's too slow.
All the patients here must be settled today!
However, the approach could be slightly adjusted...
An Ya frowned, stepped forward, and expressed some dissatisfaction, "Could you please not touch him randomly?
He's our most critically ill patient, who could leave us at any time—"
An Ya couldn't continue speaking; instead, she suddenly widened her eyes.
Her beautiful eyes were filled with unmistakable shock.
Because she clearly saw: the old man, who had been in a state of coma for years, slowly opened his eyes!
In a place An Ya couldn't see, the "Tear of the Water God" was glowing faintly in front of Andrew's chest.
What Andrew was performing at the moment was still the "Water Spirit Technique," but it was no longer just an ordinary "Water Spirit Technique."
Condensing the effectiveness of the Water Spirit Technique into a high concentration point.
This is a more advanced form: the Seed of the Water Spirit!
The method used at the temporary camp to make the Otherworld grapes sweeter was actually this "Seed of the Water Spirit."
In essence, this wasn't considered a new skill unlocked from the "Tear of the Water God."
It should be said that it was a more refined application method after mastering the Water Spirit Technique.
An Ya was taken aback.
After a brief period of being out of her senses, she immediately rushed to the bedside, holding the old man's hand, "Dad? Dad!"
Yes, the old man is An Ya's father and the true founder of this Living People Cemetery.
An Ya grew up saving victims of fire disasters like her father and took over the inn business when her father gradually became incapacitated and fell into a coma.
The "old friend from years ago" mentioned by the guide on Andrew's way here refers to the elder before him; the "old friend and his daughter opened an inn together," speaks of An Ya when she was still a little girl!
Over the years, An Ya had readied herself mentally, knowing her father could leave this world at any time.
She never imagined her father could regain consciousness one day!
Nor did she imagine she'd get a chance to talk to him again!
"Little... little An Ya...?"
The old man was still somewhat confused.
Upon hearing this familiar voice and call, An Ya finally confirmed: this really was her father, and he really had woken up!
She couldn't help but weep with joy.
As a woman supporting the Living People Cemetery alone for so many years, An Ya had long grown accustomed to being strong.
But at this moment, this elegant and beautiful woman lay by the bedside holding the old man's hand, crying like a child.
Andrew retreated quietly, exited the room, and closed the door quietly.
His heart was somewhat heavy.
Because just now, while treating the old man, he confirmed one thing: the old man was already at the end of his life.
"The Water Spirit Technique can't bring the dead back to life after all."
Andrew thought, "So the most I can do is wake the old man up; thoroughly curing him is impossible. But at least, I can give the father and daughter a chance to reunite and bid farewell. They must have many things to say."
The weight in his heart was palpable.
Originally, he only thought about resisting the veteran mage Humboldt, wanting to live well, and hoped to unlock more abilities from the Tear of the Water God.
Now, for the first time, Andrew felt an impulse: to do what he can to help those suffering in this ailing world!
"Then let's start now."
Andrew returned to the second floor, his gaze falling on the patients in the first-floor lobby, who tried to face inevitable death optimistically amid the hubbub.
The biggest difference between the "Seed of the Water Spirit" and the "Water Spirit Technique" isn't actually "concentration."
But rather the "Control Power" that the user of this ability has over the ability.
"I can now plant a 'Seed of the Water Spirit' in each patient but won't let the seed take effect immediately; instead, it can sequentially take effect after I leave the Living People Cemetery."
Andrew smiled slightly, "This way, they won't suspect it's my doing right away.
The fact is, it's unlikely I could completely conceal my abilities, so it's good enough as long as I don't expose myself before getting rid of Humboldt!"
Having made up his mind, Andrew immediately took action, spending most of the day wandering around the Living People Cemetery.
Appear as if chatting and making friends, but actually unobtrusively planting Seeds of the Water Spirit everywhere.
Most people were unaware of this, welcoming Andrew warmly, which greatly reduced the difficulty of Andrew's operation.
Only a few felt a bit strange: does this kid know he's going to die within a week or not? So young, how does he maintain such a good attitude?