I can see experience bars after being transported to another world.

Moreover, this is currently the only solution that can save Lawson while also allowing him to obtain more alienation data.

"Let's begin."

Lu Yuan skillfully set up the crucible and put the raw materials in one by one.

As the flames rose, the silvery liquid began to boil.

"We can't use holy water to catalyze this time..."

Lu Yuan carefully controlled the heat, stirring rapidly with a glass rod. "We need to use mercury instead of the stabilizer."

He added two drops of mercury.

"laugh--"

The medicine instantly became viscous.

"at last..."

Lu Yuan took a deep breath, picked up a small pinch of dark green corpse moss powder with tweezers, and sprinkled it in.

Since Lawson's soul is already connected to the deep sea, don't try to sever it, but deceive him instead.

If Lawson's traits were changed from human to weird... would that reduce the trouble caused by strange dreams?

As the powder was added, the liquid in the crucible instantly calmed down, turning into a dull, lifeless dark gray.

It emitted an unsettling fishy smell.

Lady Luck seemed to be on his side; the liquid didn't explode or turn into waste, but instead stabilized.

[Inspired by the study of medicinal herbs, you've discovered a unique method for combining medicinal materials...]

[Successfully completed!]

[Item Obtained: Deep Sea Tranquilizer (Improved/Stealth Version)]

[Pharmacology: +5, 8/50] (Pharmaceuticals)

[Herbal Medicine: +2, 2/30] (Herbal Medicine Understanding)

"It's done."

Lu Yuan poured the medicine into a bottle, and looking at the grayish liquid, a smile curled at the corner of his mouth.

Back on the first floor, Lawson sat upright in a chair, looking somewhat dazed.

"Drink it."

Lu Yuan handed over the bottle of medicine that looked like mud and lime water.

Lawson hesitated for a moment as he looked at the medicine, which had an extremely poor appearance and even a slightly fishy smell.

"Is this thing really going to work?" he asked, trembling.

"Do you still have a choice?" Lu Yuan didn't explain further.

The suffocating feeling of drowning that came from deep within his body left Lawson with no choice.

He grabbed the bottle, tilted his head back, and drank it all in one gulp.

"Well--!!!"

The moment the medicine went down his throat, Lawson's eyes bulged out.

He felt as if he had swallowed not medicine, but a block of ice that was ice cold to the bone.

After the ice cube entered his stomach, it instantly exploded into countless streams of cold air, frantically penetrating his entire body.

"Ahhhhh!"

Lawson fell to the ground, frantically scratching his neck and arms.

"Hold on." Lu Yuan watched coldly, holding the holy water in his hand, ready to sprinkle it at any moment.

But Lu Yuan did not make a move, because the change had begun.

As Lawson scratched, large chunks of the hard, white keratin covering his neck and the back of his hands began to peel off.

It's like a snake shedding its skin.

The bright red, tender meat was exposed to the air.

Immediately afterwards, a layer of fine, fish-scale-like gray-black lines appeared under the skin.

They didn't grow out; instead, they quickly disappeared under the skin.

A few minutes later, Lawson stopped screaming and passed out.

At this moment, his skin appeared unhealthy and pale, and it felt somewhat rough to the touch.

But those terrifying white keratinocytes have completely disappeared.

From the outside, he looked like an ordinary person suffering from a serious illness.

"It actually succeeded?"

Lu Yuan checked Lawson's pupils and, after confirming that they were not dilated, dragged him to the empty hospital bed.

The next morning.

The fog in Grimport remained thick, and the cries of seagulls could be heard outside the window.

Lawson suddenly opened his eyes and sat up in bed.

He subconsciously touched his neck and then looked at the back of his hand.

There was no keratin, no scales, only slightly pale skin.

"I...I'm still alive?"

He turned his head and saw Lu Yuan sitting at the table, holding a piece of bread in his hand, quietly watching him.

"How are you feeling?" Lu Yuan asked.

Lawson took a deep breath.

The suffocating feeling that always accompanied me, as if someone was choking me, disappeared.

Instead, there was an unprecedented clarity, and a...cold calm.

"Water is no longer getting into my nose..."

Lawson's voice was somewhat distant, and his eyes became deep and empty. "I'm floating... Dr. Lu, I'm no longer a drowning person in my dream."

"I saw a magnificent city sunk to the bottom of the sea, its buildings leaning precariously, but I heard bells tolling..."

"That bell sounded so melodious..."

Upon hearing this, Lu Yuan stopped eating the bread he was about to put in his mouth.

At the edge of my field of vision, gray and white text was jumping wildly:

[Listening to the sights and sounds of the deep sea, rational assessment in progress... Assessment passed.]

【Sanity II: +1, 39/43(-1) (Experience)】 (Sanity value has been changed to this point and cannot be changed for the time being. As for why it is so much worse, just consider it as the protagonist sleeping for a few more days...)

Lu Yuan was deeply shaken.

Just listening to Lawson describe the dream could increase my sanity experience and reduce my sanity cap?

Lu Yuan instantly realized the seriousness of the situation.

The level of contamination in the strange dream was even more terrifying than expected.

That's enough.

Lu Yuan abruptly interrupted Lawson's ramblings.

He didn't want Lawson to notice anything amiss, and he didn't want his own sanity to continue to erode.

"I'm not interested in your dreams. As long as they don't get out of control, it doesn't matter if you dream that you're a fish."

Lawson's dazed expression quickly faded after he was interrupted.

He blinked, the confusion in his eyes disappearing, replaced by that familiar shrewdness, even colder than before.

He stood up, straightened his expensive suit which had been crumpled from sleeping, and then touched his smooth neck.

The fear and despair in the face of death disappeared.

"Dr. Lu, your medicine... is very effective."

Lawson didn't kneel down to express his gratitude with tears in his eyes. Instead, he regained his composure and even gave a polite smile. "It seems that my investment has yielded a high return."

"This is just suppression." Lu Yuan didn't care about Lawson's change in attitude at all, and said calmly, "If you don't want to go back to how you were last night, you'll have to come see me every three days for a dose of your medicine."

"I see."

Lawson nodded, walked to the door, and put on his top hat.

"Thank you for your cooking, Dr. Lu."

He turned around, his eyes gleaming with reason. "If you need anything, feel free to contact me anytime. I'll do my best to help you."

"And we'll provide you with double the amount of the previous raw materials."

"Keep an eye out for other tenants like you in the neighborhood, and try to get me some materials from mutated creatures if possible," Lu Yuan replied.

"Don't worry, you will get what you want."

Lawson pushed open the door and stepped into the morning mist.

His back was very straight, and his steps were steady; he didn't look like someone who had just crawled back from the brink of death.

Lu Yuan watched his retreating figure, his eyes narrowing slightly.

Lawson may have embarked on his transcendent journey in a bizarre manner...

While it's still uncertain, one thing is certain: Lawson's "status" in the alternate dream has been significantly elevated.

Lu Yuan wasn't sure if this was good or bad, but cooperating with him wasn't necessarily a bad thing.

From now on, we can obtain a steady stream of information about the port area, which will accelerate our exploration of the Otherworld.

After all, these past few days, Lu Yuan found himself frozen on the beach again, and he still didn't know why he had suddenly been able to move before...

Lu Yuan closed the door, glanced at his sanity limit which had returned to 44, and stuffed the remaining bread into his mouth.

"The taste is not bad."