"Hey, Lu Ze!"
Basking in the sunlight, Lu Ze was about to express a few thoughts as he recalled what had just happened, when he heard Rosanne's voice from the front desk. She was leaning out from the front desk, waving at him.
"What is it?"
Lu Ze walked over and asked.
"The Captain had to go out for something. Before he left, he told me to tell you to hurry up and get that mental evaluation certificate. It's best to get it done before the welcoming banquet for new recruits."
"Oh, right, that too."
Only then did Lu Ze remember. There had been too many things since joining the team, and he had completely forgotten about this matter. The welcoming banquet was on Friday evening, and it was already Wednesday today, so he didn't have much time left.
"Got it. I'll go to the asylum tomorrow then."
Lu Ze agreed casually.
At this moment, he noticed that Rosanne's expression was strange, as if she had something she wanted to say and was struggling to hold it in.
"What's wrong?"
"Lu Ze, I heard that Old Neil gave you his property. Is that true or false?"
Rosanne's eyes held a gossipy look.
"You already know about that."
Lu Ze couldn't help but chuckle. Rosanne's news was truly well-informed.
"Wow, that must be worth a lot of money!"
Rosanne was actually quite afraid of him at first, but after getting to know him better recently, she gradually became more relaxed. Hearing Lu Ze say this, she immediately showed an envious expression, "That's great! If I had such a large sum of money, I'd invest it and surely make a fortune."
"Invest?"
"Yeah! Look, the newspaper says a large iron mine was discovered in the Hornacis Mountains. They're setting up a company to develop it now and are recruiting investors for shares. They say the return rate is very high." Rosanne said, handing him The Tingen City Honest Man newspaper, "Do you want to consider making money with money?"
Thanks to Rosell, the concept of "stocks" had also become widespread in this world. Many companies used this method to quickly raise capital, and while some made a huge profit, there were also cases where investors lost everything.
Lu Ze glanced at it. The newspaper's description was similar to what Rosanne had said. In addition, the advertisement also included a photo of the mine and a portrait of the mining company's Person in charge. It was a young man with a full forehead and black hair, ordinary-looking, wearing glasses, and with a very warm smile on his face.
"I think I'll pass."
Lu Ze smiled and shook his head, "Investing has risks. It's not as enjoyable as lying down and collecting rent."
——
The next day.
Lu Ze looked up, his expression complex, at the building before him.
Two-person-high walls enclosed a large area. Through the iron-barred gate, one could see the lawn and activity square inside, as well as the three-story building further back. People in patient gowns were scattered about, some looking dazed, some quiet, some screaming and giggling, creating a lively yet eerie scene. Many doctors and nurses were interspersed among them, looking tired and seemingly less healthy than the patients.
This was the Greenhill Mental Sanatorium, commonly known as The Tingen City Asylum.
"How wonderful, it feels like coming home."
He laughed self-deprecatingly.
Flipping through Lu Ze's past memories, he recalled many things about coming here. The distressed faces of his parents, who had spent a lot of money, his sister's crying face after being scared by a Lunatic in the yard, and the sight of himself tightly bound in a straitjacket, being force-fed various medicines. Later, because there was truly no therapeutic effect, his parents reluctantly gave up on treatment and stopped coming here.
Therefore, it was not a problem for Lu Ze to say "coming home" when he saw the asylum.
"Lu Ze, don't say such things!" Cecilia, who was accompanying him, immediately interrupted, "You are a healthy, normal person, not a Lunatic!"
"Alright, alright, I'm a normal person." Lu Ze comforted his sister, "Aren't we just going to see the doctor to have him prove that I'm normal?"
Cecilia stopped talking, instead hugging his arm and following him through the iron gate into the asylum.
Lu Ze could feel her hand trembling slightly; she was still as afraid of Lunatics as she was when she was a child.
"How about you wait outside for me?"
He asked softly.
Cecilia shook her head.
It had been like this at home earlier. When she found out Lu Ze was going to the asylum, she insisted on coming with him. Lu Ze could understand his sister's feelings; she was probably worried something would happen to Lu Ze. He had just recovered, what if he went to such an unlucky place and was provoked by other patients or doctors, and had a relapse? — This was the kind of unscientific but heartfelt concern that led to her worry.
Lu Ze could only hold his sister's hand and walk into the dark treatment building, just as Lu Ze had led Cecilia across the street when they were children.
Cecilia slowly stopped trembling.
The Lunatics were noisy and crying around them, but Lu Ze felt very peaceful inside.
Entering the treatment building and explaining their purpose to the nurse at the Door, the latter clearly showed a look of surprise. After checking the medical records and confirming that Lu Ze was indeed a patient, her astonishment deepened.
"Could you please take us to see Dr. Wilde? He was my attending physician back then."
Lu Ze said.
"Ah, alright! Dr. Wilde is in his office on the third floor, the first Door on the left after going up this staircase."
The nurse, under his gaze, pointed the way somewhat flustered.
Lu Ze originally thought the nurse's attitude was already quite excessive, but he didn't expect Dr. Wilde's performance to be even worse. After completing the full set of examinations and putting down the gauge, he was astonished, "All indicators are completely normal! You... How did you do it?"
He did it after dying once.
"I encountered some things unexpectedly, and after surviving, my mental illness got better."
Lu Ze casually made up an excuse.
"Mr. Longdaoer, please be serious. Your case might become a new method for treating mental illnesses."
Dr. Wilde was a little angry.
"Don't be angry, Dr. Wilde. My mental illness being cured was entirely a coincidence and cannot be replicated in others. Furthermore, the specific reasons involve official secrets, so please forgive me for not being able to tell you." Lu Ze said, "Please quickly issue the recovery certificate; I'm in a hurry to go home."
"Home? You can't go back tonight."
Unexpectedly, Dr. Wilde flatly refused this request.
"Why?"
Lu Ze almost suspected he had misheard. Cecilia immediately became agitated, "My brother is already fine, are you still trying to control him!"
"Don't misunderstand, Miss Longdaoer."
Dr. Wilde explained, "Your brother's current state is indeed normal, but he has had relapses of this condition in the past. As the final part of the examination, I need to observe him overnight to see if he will have a relapse—this is my responsibility as a doctor."
Cecilia glared at him, "What if we don't want to stay?"
"I'm very sorry, but then I will be unable to sign the certificate. I must be responsible for the patient. Please note, I am not trying to make things difficult for you. If you are dissatisfied with me, you can come back the day after tomorrow, and by then, there will be other doctors qualified to issue certificates, and you can ask them to sign. But as long as you come to me, you must pass my full set of tests."
Dr. Wilde made it very clear: either stay in the hospital overnight, or wait until the day after tomorrow for another doctor with less stringent requirements to sign.
What should he do?
Lu Ze fell into hesitation for a moment.