Chapter 7 Night of the Ancient Castle
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The butler himself escorted Wen Shi outside.
The carriage was waiting by the narrow path.
The black horse snorted impatiently. The carriage had decorations that looked like gold but were not real. Half of its surface was covered by side windows, and the roof showcased intricate religious patterns. Overall, it looked well-made, and the horse was good too. It even had a coachman, showing that the doctor’s position was decent.
The seat was very comfortable, layered with silk, giving it a shiny look.
Wen Shi sat inside and politely waved to the butler outside the window. The coachman pulled the reins, and the carriage’s wheels spun rapidly as it left the castle area.
Wen Shi’s smile faded.
Remembering last night’s encounter, he felt a bit tense when passing under the streetlight.
Nonetheless, the carriage traveled smoothly on the road this time, without any issues.
The outside scenery was covered in morning light, all the same, nothing much to see. The coachman surely knew the destination, so to maintain appearances, Wen Shi didn’t ask where they were going.
His gaze wandered inside the carriage and unexpectedly noticed that his seat was a few centimeters higher than the one opposite. Wen Shi stood up to check and found a hidden compartment in the seat.
【You discovered a briefcase.】
Wen Shi opened it, finding only a medical record and a key inside.
【Patient’s name: Xiu Si
Male, unmarried, no family history of hereditary mental illness.
Symptoms: Severe delusional disorder, believes that his creations can come to life, fantasizes about producing the most perfect artwork, strongly yearns for an ideal bride that doesn’t exist.
Background: Complicated history between parents. The patient subconsciously believes that a perfect partner can lead to a long-lasting and stable relationship. The patient doesn’t trust humans and holds a significant disappointment towards humanity.
Patient’s statement: Art pieces won’t betray me because I create them, just like I can’t completely abandon my parents;
I prefer being called the castle master rather than inheriting the title of the Earl.
Doctor Aaron, you asked me how I determine which artwork is the most perfect, it’s simple. I can give them souls, I can smell the essence of their souls.
Do you know what souls smell like? They’re like food, some are fragrant, some are foul.
The common characteristic is that they are all very cold, very chilly.
Doctor Aaron, do you think there’s a soul in this world that has warmth?
Treatment schedule: Every Saturday and Monday.
Treatment location: The ancient castle (patient is highly vigilant and requests on-site service).
Short-term treatment plan:】
The words following the treatment plan were all heavily crossed out with a pen.
While Wen Shi closed the report, a notification sound arrived:
【Side Quest Two: Doctor
Create a reasonable treatment plan.
Requirement: The plan must effectively treat the patient’s condition.】
Wen Shi himself never grasped any knowledge about psychology. He even admitted that he had some issues with his own psyche.
“We’ve arrived.”
The carriage suddenly stopped. The coachman’s attitude wasn’t very pleasant as he urged him to get down quickly, complaining that today was supposed to be his day off.
Wen Shi leaned out. Right ahead was a dilapidated hospital with crooked words written on it: Frank Hospital.
The hospital had only one main building, surrounded by overgrown weeds. This structure, located in the desolate wilderness, had its entrance facing the shade, receiving no sunlight at all.
Wen Shi entered alone, carrying the briefcase. The gatekeeper opened the door for him.
Fences surrounded the decaying hospital, with the gates and windows being the most robust parts. The dense iron railings made one’s head ache.
Suddenly, Wen Shi felt the castle’s environment wasn’t that bad. At least it was spacious.
The corridor seemed to have aged significantly, with hardly any intact floor tiles to be found.
According to the signposts, the hospital was divided into male and female patient areas, with male patients mostly accommodated in the south and females in the north. To prevent patients from escaping, there were iron gates guarding the corridor at regular intervals.
“Aaaaaaah—”
Wen Shi heard a scream coming from the south area, but he didn’t feel curious enough to check it out. He continued wandering on the first floor, trying the key one by one on locked rooms, searching for the office that might be his.
Click.
Finally, after trying the seventh room, the door opened.
Inside, there was a large office desk and a bookshelf against the wall filled with relevant professional books. Poor ventilation and lighting caused a lot of dust.
The hospital treated everyone equally, whether doctors or patients. All the windows had sturdy iron railings, and an additional layer of iron mesh was added outside, including Wen Shi’s room.
There was a newspaper on the desk, dated the 8th.
The front page displayed photos of several people arrested for spreading defamatory statements about the Earl’s mental illness, damaging the nobility’s reputation.
“The treatment time on the medical record is on Saturdays and Mondays. I went to the castle yesterday; the coachman just complained it was his day off, so today must be Sunday. Normally, I would have to go to the castle again tomorrow. But why should I go?”
The task didn’t clearly specify the consequences of failure. Following the usual game pattern, the worst outcome would probably mean being stuck in the scenario. For Wen Shi, that held no charm.
Among the four promises Wen Shi needed to fulfill, living and starting a business were the primary concerns.
He was just an ordinary university graduate with no connections, no capital, and not the best personality. How could he start a business?
But in this world, he had some basics covered.
With his doctor’s identity, a car, and a house, relying on the gimmick of treating the Earl, he could manage to do quite well.
“How about writing a letter tomorrow, telling the castle master to seek someone more capable, and I’ll stay in the hospital to develop my career.”
Wen Shi first checked the drawer, making sure there were no special items.
A sign hung on the wall, listing the rules of Frank Hospital:
No.1 Generous and kind, must admit any patient encountered.
No.2 Confidentiality agreement, must safeguard patients’ privacy.
No.3 Friendship Day, every 16th of the month is Friendship Day.
No.4 Patient approval contributes to the selection of outstanding doctors at the year-end.
……
Several detailed rules were listed. While Wen Shi was reading, he seemed to have discovered something, as revealed in his meaningful smile.
Then, he looked at the bookshelf nearby.
Wen Shi picked out a few relatively old books, obviously well-thumbed, and sat on the couch to read them carefully.
Even though they weren’t related to his profession, Wen Shi realized many interpretations of professional terms in the books were problematic, biased, and simplistic, indicating that the current era’s understanding of mental illnesses was still quite barbaric.
Unknowingly, several hours had passed when someone suddenly knocked on the window from outside.
Wen Shi turned his head and almost hit the person’s face with the book.
The person outside, wearing a white coat, was remarkably tall, at least two meters. A stethoscope hung around his neck, and his face was covered in thick beard, leaving only a large nose and eyes visible.
The white coat, several sizes too small for him, had sleeves ending midway, exposing his severed right wrist. Instead of a prosthetic hand, he had a rusty and sharp iron hook in its place.
“Are you slacking off again?” Bushy Beard pressed his face against the window, making the already poor light fall unevenly on his face, revealing a pair of small, malicious eyes staring inside.
Wen Shi finally saw the tag hanging around the man’s neck:
Name: A’Ao.
Position: Director.
The Director?
Wen Shi stood up immediately. Since he wanted to pursue a career here, he could try to please his superior. But before he could squeeze out a smile, a notification sound arrived.
【A’Ao: Director of Frank Hospital.
A’Ao is extremely jealous that you got to know the Earl through the art exhibition and became his primary doctor. He has been wanting to snatch this great opportunity from you.】
Wen Shi’s smile vanished. “I’ve been providing psychological counseling to the Earl during the day.”
Bushy Beard snorted coldly. “You’ve been treating him for so long, yet there’s no progress at all. I think you’re tarnishing our hospital’s reputation.”
His intact hand slammed heavily on the window. “I heard you came up with a new treatment plan. Show it to me.”
Seeing Wen Shi sitting still, Bushy Beard laughed, “Are you trying to deceive me?”
Without waiting for his response, the man disappeared.
Wen Shi sat on the couch for a moment, suddenly realized something, and swiftly stood up. He rushed to the door, locked it, and felt it wasn’t enough, so he pushed the couch against it.
Just as he managed to block the door, a loud thumping sound came from outside.
The wooden door wasn’t very sturdy. It made a clattering noise from the man’s forceful kicks. Given his height and weight, kicking the door open was only a matter of time.
Wen Shi turned around and saw the window was covered with barbed iron wire, making escape through the window impossible.
“The treatment plan.”
He believed he could find it in the books, but Wen Shi’s memory was not photographic, especially with the old and incomplete contents in the books. He couldn’t locate the corresponding entry.
Accompanied by a loud crash, the door was eventually kicked open.
The already small couch was easily kicked aside by Bushy Beard. He raised his hand with the iron hook, excitedly swinging it around.
The iron hook hit the table, and some fragments flew towards Wen Shi as he tried to dodge. In the process of instinctively shielding himself with his arm, his fingers got cut by the fragments. The slight trace of blood made the man even more frenzied. “Damn liar, I’m firing you! Firing you!”
What kind of lunatic was this?
The cramped office space left no room for evasion.
Wen Shi awkwardly tried to dodge. Indeed, trying to please one’s superior was unreliable. Not interested to be a director didn’t make one a good doctor.
The iron hook aimed straight for his head, but Wen Shi suddenly said, “I’ve already written the plan.”
The iron hook stopped in front of Wen Shi, but Bushy Beard looked suspicious.
Wen Shi: “I’ll get it now.”
Bushy Beard’s eyes locked onto his every move.
Wen Shi moved directly in front of him, hands behind his back, carefully reaching for the briefcase on the chair. When he pulled out the medical record, he quickly wrote a few words at the bottom using his blood and nonchalantly handed it over.
Bushy Beard’s severed limb oozed pus and festered, with a mass of wriggling maggots around the edge of the prosthetic. In close proximity, a foul smell overwhelmed Wen Shi, and he suppressed the urge to retch.
Bushy Beard didn’t believe he could come up with any plan. He took the medical record with one hand while the other remained elevated as if eager to take Wen Shi’s head.
The medical record was already opened, and Bushy Beard focused on it. There were only two blood-written words: Castrate him.
Wen Shi spoke solemnly, “The Earl’s delusional disorder is severe, and conventional methods are no longer effective. We can only resort to surgical treatment. After the treatment, he won’t be fixated on seeking the perfect bride.”
Personally, Wen Shi thought this plan was quite good. Since he wasn’t even a complete man, why would he need a new bride?
“There are many examples of using surgery for mental intervention, such as trepanation and frontal lobectomy.” These were horrifying cases he had read about in books. Wen Shi continued with a serious tone, “Comparatively, my plan can be considered minimally invasive, but of course, I need your assistance.”
He confidently spun a lie, “I’ve already informed the patient about it. You will attend the treatment tomorrow. You must impress the Earl with your skills.”
Emphasizing the phrase “impress the Earl,” Wen Shi looked deliberately at the iron hook in Bushy Beard’s hand.
Even though he hadn’t witnessed it firsthand, the continuous screams echoing through the hospital accused the treatment methods here of being extremely violent.
With such a terrifying director as A’Ao, Wen Shi believed they had reached a point where humanity was being extinguished.
Since he couldn’t find an effective treatment plan, the suggestions he proposed had to veer towards a rough approach to temporarily intimidate Bushy Beard.
If all went well, he would be able to deceive the man.
【Congratulations to the player for completing Side Quest Two.
Quest Reward: 20 points.
Treatment plan (Castration Therapy) has been generated.
Please proceed with the surgery as soon as possible.
Warning: This surgery will decrease the favorability of the Earl. Please make sure to provide sufficient comfort afterwards.】
“…… ” Wen Shi’s face suddenly darkened.
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“Haha, sorry bro for castrating you. Hope you don’t mind. Hey! Now you don’t need to worry about getting married or having children! How fun~ Here, you can take this guy.”
*Pushes bushy beard towards Earl.*
“He’ll help you using his.. er.. hook! Yes, his hook! He’s our best surgeon.”