Poseidon in Arknights

Before Yuuki could finish speaking, Lappland burst into wild laughter, grabbed her weapon, and charged toward the direction from which the arrow had come.

"What an impatient person, Hong!"

A hand slowly extended from the water curtain in the sky, grabbing the red figure by the neck and pulling her back.

"Red, you shouldn't go. Let Miss Lappland relax. Besides, I just washed your clothes."

"Got it, Mom."

Xi Yue calmly stirred the contents of the pot, listening to the wind howling from the wasteland and the continuous screams from afar.

Chapter 14: The Healer

The contents of the pot soon began to bubble and gurgle, and at that moment, the sound of boots scraping against the sand and gravel could be heard from the side.

"You're back. You've got a quick move. Sit down and have some food," Yuzuki said, looking up at Lappland as he approached.

"It's just some odds and ends, how long will it last?"

Lappland smiled as she responded to Yuuzuki, casually flicking the knife in her hand, causing the still-flowing blood to splatter off the blade and onto the ground around her.

Upon seeing this, Yuuki casually picked up a pebble and flicked it at Lappland.

Lappland intended to deflect the pebbles thrown by Yuzuki by swinging the blade in her hand, but the pebbles were faster than Lappland could raise her hand.

"Don't try to look cool. Blood will attract wild beasts. Take good rest time and don't waste it on a pack of wild animals."

Xi Yue's tone was somewhat unfriendly. She was known for her bad temper when she woke up and didn't like being woken up while she was sleeping.

"Alright, I'll listen to you, Miss Yuzuki." Lappland, in pain, became more obedient, sheathed her sword, and sat down.

"Really." Yu Yue sighed. Since Lappland had backed down, there was no point in saying anything more.

So Yuugetsu could only raise her hand and summon her water phantom to clean up the bloodstains that had been splashed around her, the bloodstains that had dripped from Lappland's blade as she walked along, and the battlefield in the distance.

Lappland watched the Water Illusion walk away, then casually sat on the wooden stake and asked Xiyue, who was serving Hongsheng soup, a question.

"Speaking of which, when I just finished off them, I thought you, Miss Yuzuki, would ask me to go easy on them."

"Why, just because I'm a doctor?"

“Isn’t that right? Yuzuki, you’re a doctor, after all~” Lappland said, clasping her hands together in a prayerful gesture.

"If not, well, in Yan Kingdom terms, it should be called a heart of healing the sick and saving lives, so why would they leave the safe mobile city to come to this cannibalistic land to practice medicine?"

"Because I have the ability to refuse anything that might happen to me, and of course, as you said, I do have a bit of a compassionate heart."

This is not a lie, nor is it something said to highlight one's own merits.

Perhaps in that cave, Yuuki's medical work was for her own survival, so what happened after she left that cave?

There's no need for Yuuki to continue being a doctor. System tasks? There's no such thing.

Xi Yue's system is quite cold, like just a program. If you had to describe it, it would probably be a shopping app that can display her status.

System spirit? It doesn't exist. This system won't appear at all unless summoned by Xiyue.

Tasks that involve forced execution? Those don't exist either; the system has never bothered with Yuuki.

Therefore, it goes without saying that scenes in novels where the host and system bicker, or where the system actively harms the host, will never actually occur.

This system can be said to follow the principle of rewarding effort. The system has already taught Yuuki the skills to become a doctor, but whether Yuuki becomes a doctor depends entirely on her own initiative, and there is no coercion.

Of course, if Yuuki doesn't become a doctor, she won't get medical points, and therefore won't be able to exchange them for anything in the system.

That's why Yuuki compared the system to a shopping app that displays his status, because he only earns money by doing work, which is providing medical care to others, and then he can use that money to buy things.

It's realistic, but surprisingly good.

However, if one does not have the heart to heal the sick and save lives, as Lappland said, why would Yuzuki come to this land to practice medicine?

What Yuuki was initially worried about was combat strength? After Yuuki completely transformed into a pure water spirit, that was no longer a concern.

The fact that she was addressed as the Water Lord by the group of men in black when she caused trouble because of Hong last time confirmed that, at least in the Wolf Lord's eyes, she was considered a beast.

After all, I don't think any human would address an ant as "Mr." or anything like that, and the same applies to the owner of an animal.

Even if Xiyue wanted to exchange for something through the system, did he really need to become a doctor? The answer to that question is obviously no.

Joining a hospital and becoming a doctor, with his medical skills, he can quickly rise to the level of chief surgeon. Of course, this method is relatively slow and requires some opportunity.

Or, you could go to a fixed place of residence, open a clinic there, and become a clinic doctor. Wouldn't that be faster and safer than this?

Don't be fooled by the fact that she's now considered a renowned doctor by the system and has even received a title.

But in reality, during those six months, every time there was danger – bandits, hunting dogs, or even natural disasters in the wilderness.

Was the treatment process safe? Of course not. Even at the beginning, even though Yuuki revealed her identity as a doctor and was willing to provide treatment for free.

Some mercenary groups wanted to follow suit. The initial bandits wanted to imprison Yuuki and force her to serve their mercenary group. If it weren't for Yuuki's powerful fist, it would probably have been another Muzan incident.

Even worse, during Yuuki's first medical mission in the city's slums, one of the infected individuals took advantage of Yuuki's inattention to remove the Originium crystal from his leg and attempt to insert it into Yuuki's body.

His goal was simply to make Yuuki become like them, a simple yet outrageous and chilling act, especially since Yuuki had just healed his severed arm.

But that's only part of the chilling part. At that time, there were many people around that person who had just received treatment from Yuuki, but not a single one of them tried to warn Yuuki, not even a basic exclamation.

Of course, his actions were noticed by Yuuki, who was using her mental powers to sense the condition of the patients around her.

When he was trapped by Yuuki's water ball, she simply threw the Originium fragments, which were stained with blood from when she pulled them from her thigh, onto the ground.

Without resistance or begging for mercy, the infected person simply waited calmly for the punishment to come.

The people around her didn't make any move; they just calmly watched what Xiyue was doing.

Perhaps their initial goal was simply to keep Yuuki for them to treat, using the most vicious methods in the world.

What they wanted to see was their medical angels, clad in white, with their wings stained with rocks and unable to fly, living in hell alongside them.

Feeling the peaceful atmosphere, Yuuki understood one thing perfectly: the world was sick, and the infected were sick to the core.

The surroundings were so quiet it was nauseating. To be honest, this was the first time Xiyue had ever known that quiet could be accompanied by nausea.

"Ah!!!" A scream shattered the silence as Yuuzuki waved her hand to stop manipulating the water.

After losing control, the water mass carried the infected person, whose limbs had been broken by the water flow, to the ground, where blood flowed out and mixed with the surrounding water.

Xi Yue turned around and started tidying up the medical equipment she could still recycle. She couldn't remember what her emotions were at the time. Was she disappointed? It didn't seem so. Was she angry? It didn't seem so either.

As Xiyue packed her things and walked out, the people surrounding her automatically made way for her.

Until the moment Xiyue got into the car and drove away, no one tried to stop her, persuade her to stay, or ask for help.

It was so quiet it was nauseating.

That day was the sixth day since Yuzuki first began her medical activities. On that day, the city was hit by a long-awaited downpour.

"Hmm? Is it going to rain? The weather was quite nice just now." Lappland's voice interrupted Yuuki's thoughts.

At this moment, the two full moons in the sky were hidden behind thick dark clouds, and a gentle breeze was rising around them, making it seem as if it was about to rain.

Lappland picked up the pot, intending to put it inside the carriage to prevent stones blown in by the wind.

"Mom?" Hong, sitting next to Xiyue, looked at Xiyue with concern.

Hong knew that her mother's mood might affect the weather, and the sudden change in the weather was definitely related to her mother's silence.

"It's okay, Mom just remembered something unpleasant from the past." Xi Yue touched her red head. "Don't worry, it won't rain."

Xi Yue got up, dusted herself off, and took Hong's hand as they walked into the back of the car.

Inside, Lappland was quick to act. In such a short time, she quickly set up a small table and stool, sat down, and ladled soup into a bowl.

"They acted quite quickly."

"Of course, but Miss Yuzuki's cooking skills are indeed excellent, the meat soup tastes very delicious."

"If you wander around this land for a long time, you can learn some cooking skills."

Lappland shrugged, unceremoniously scooped out several large chunks of meat with a spoon, put them in his bowl, and began to eat, all while observing the situation outside.

“It’s getting light again. It was cloudy just now,” Lappland said, looking at the earth bathed in moonlight once more.

However, Lappland didn't pay much attention to it. It was just a sudden change in the sky, nothing unusual in this wilderness. As long as it wasn't a natural disaster, everything was fine.

"Um, by the way, Miss Yuzuki, what...did you...mean...what did you just say?" Lappland said, chewing her meat and speaking somewhat indistinctly.

Yu Yue sighed, "Miss Lappland, you should finish eating before you speak. Not everyone can understand what others are saying when they can't understand what you're saying."

Lappland chewed a few mouthfuls of meat, swallowed it, and said again.

"What I was trying to say was, Miss Yuzuki, what did you mean by that? What do you mean by being able to refuse anything that will happen to you?"

"Well, Miss Lappland, let me ask you a question: what do you think freedom is?"

"Hmm?" Lappland stopped chewing abruptly, looking at Yuuki with a strange expression, but still replied, "Of course, I can do whatever I want."

“Really? That’s a normal response, or rather, that’s the answer most people would give.” Yu Yue nodded, but then gave another answer: “I think true freedom is being able to choose not to do what you don’t want to do.”

Lappland frowned. "Is there any difference? And this doesn't seem like the question I'm asking you."

Yuzuki picked up the bowl and smiled, "On the contrary, Lappland, I have already answered you."

"...a vague and ambiguous answer."

"Really? I'm sorry I couldn't satisfy Lappland's curiosity. Well then, why don't you look behind you?" Yuzuki smiled and pointed to the wall behind Lappland, who looked dissatisfied.

Upon hearing this, Lappland looked back. She had never noticed the walls of the carriage behind her, but behind her seemed to be only a white cloth with a blue cross painted on it fluttering in the wind.

Before Lappland could turn around to ask, Yuuki had already snapped her fingers lightly, and two water spheres, covered with white cloth, slowly opened to reveal the wall of the carriage behind them.

A painting of a bamboo forest was on the wall of the carriage, with words written in the blank spaces.

If someone comes seeking help due to illness, one must not inquire about their social status, wealth, age, appearance, whether they are friend or foe, Chinese or foreign, wise or foolish. Treat them all equally, as if they were one's own family. Do not hesitate or worry about your own fortune or safety. When you see someone suffering, treat them as if you were suffering yourself. In this way, you can be a great healer for all living beings. Otherwise, you are a great thief of all living beings.

"This was written by a calligrapher from Yan State whom I asked Raytheon Industries to invite."

"...What admirable medical ethics, Miss Yuzuki. Is this a phrase from your Yan Kingdom?"

Upon hearing this, Yuuki paused for a moment: "...I don't know, but I hope he is."

“Such noble medical ethics, Miss Yuzuki. No one on this land can achieve such medical ethics, no one can become such a great healer for all living beings.” Lappland turned around and said seriously to Yuzuki, emphasizing the last four words.

"why?"

"This cannibalistic land has no place for doctors like you. Kind people will be eaten by this land, leaving only bones, and then turned to ashes. Doctors save people, but who will save doctors?"

Yuuki did not refute or say that it was true, just like the infected who showed malice towards Yuuki when Yuuki first started medical activities.