Rhodes Island does not exist.

The sound of bells echoed in the street outside the tavern.

The doctor had been sitting in his seat for almost five hours. The bartender, who had been changing his expression just moments before, now looked at the doctor as if he were a saint.

"So who are you waiting for? It's really not proper to leave you sitting here alone for five hours," the bartender asked with concern.

"We're waiting for a partner," the doctor said with a smile. "Considering unforeseen circumstances such as natural disasters, the agreed time is today or tomorrow, and the meeting place is this bar, so there's no question of being late."

"Today or tomorrow... So you're planning to sit here and wait for that person to come?" The bartender asked, somewhat surprised.

“After all, there’s nothing else to do,” the doctor replied. “This bar is the only public place in town, and the residents all keep their doors closed and don’t go out, so I can’t very well knock on doors to visit. This is the only option I have.”

"But this place closes down too," the bartender reminded him.

Although he wanted to take in the kind traveling doctor, he was not the owner of the place, but just an employee, so he dared not make any promises.

"Aren't there any hotels in town?" the professor asked.

"Yes, but the timing is a bit unusual, so we might not be open," the bartender said.

"Ah, is that what you mentioned before?" The doctor thought for a moment, "Officials sent from Iberia came here to inspect the cultural environment and the quality of the residents."

“Yes.” The bartender nodded. “Because I’m from out of town, I don’t have that kind of faith in God. But the locals are generally very devout because they’ve been educated in Lateran. They get so excited when they hear that someone from Iberia has come that they don’t even open the shop.”

“I’ve heard that the Iberian believers are often more devout than the local Lateran believers,” the doctor nodded. “They also keep icons in their homes and worship daily, is that right?”

"Not just that." The bartender put down the glass he had just wiped and waved his hand. "Worship, burnt offerings, grain offerings, all kinds of sacrifices, we do them every day with something different, don't we get tired?"

“After all, those without faith cannot understand those who are devout.” The doctor nodded.

"That makes sense. After all, you're someone who sees things clearly and thoroughly, while I'm too mundane, so I can only worry about what I eat, drink, and relieve myself every day, and the things that are right in front of me," the bartender said with a silly grin.

"As long as you live life earnestly, that's good." The doctor looked at the bartender and shook his head.

As the two were talking, two more bells rang from the street.

"Ding-ding, ding-ding—"

The sound made the doctor take notice.

"There's been a bell ringing since just now. What happened?" The doctor turned his head and glanced at the deserted street outside the tavern, asking.

“Oh, the sound is coming from the staffs of those priests from the Golden City,” the bartender explained. “Some of the priests have been patrolling the town since they arrived, and they must be patrolling here now, so the sound is coming from there.”

"I see..." the doctor nodded softly. "Will they come in?"

“Normally not.” The bartender frowned. “Although I’ve heard that the priests in Lateran don’t allow drinking, the Vatican here in Iberia seems to be particularly strict about self-discipline and doesn’t allow drinking either, so they probably won’t come in.”

“I see.” The doctor said calmly.

“Are you interested in them? If so, you can go out and take a look, and see how the people here welcome those priests,” the bartender said with a smile.

"Alright." The doctor nodded, and as soon as he said it, he picked up the black leather suitcase at his feet and stood up.

The bartender, not expecting the doctor to be so quick and decisive, took a half step back.

However, in his eyes, the kind-hearted traveling doctor in front of him was indeed an unpredictable person, so he let it go.

The ringing grew closer, accompanied by a cacophony of voices.

The bartender watched as the kind man carrying the black leather suitcase left the tavern.

-

Although Asturias is located in the south of Terra, the air seems unaffected by the maritime climate, and it always feels somewhat stuffy.

However, after spending about half a day here, the doctor gradually got used to it.

After all, it's still much better than those inland wilderness areas that are often ravaged by natural disasters and Originium Dust.

"Ding-ding, ding-ding—"

The bell rang, coming from the other side of the street corner.

The doctor looked in the direction of the sound and saw a group of middle-aged men and women with their hands clasped together in front of their chests, heads bowed, walking silently toward them.

The Iberian priests must be located at the other end of the street corner.

The professor decided to go over and take a look.

But just as he made up his mind to set off, he was suddenly bumped by something.

He could feel that what struck him was a body that, though soft, was full of vitality, containing a power that only young people possess.

The black leather suitcase slipped from his fingers the next moment.

Then, the doctor realized it.

He was robbed.

At first, he was unwilling to believe that he had actually experienced such an event.

After all, this is an area under the jurisdiction of Lateran and Iberia. Believers who have received theological education from childhood and have devout faith would not commit such a crime that violates the law.

But there was no doubt that his bag was no longer in his hands, and the person who took the bag—

The doctor reacted immediately, looking towards the side where he had been hit.

A young girl carrying a black bag ran like a carnivorous beast traversing the mountains on the cobblestone street, already several meters away from him.

Okay, let's just pretend I didn't think that much about it.

If you've been robbed, you've been robbed.

What else can we do now? Keep chasing.

"Tsk."

With a light touch of his tongue to his palate, the doctor also took a step forward and chased after the thief who had stolen his suitcase.

If it were just a wallet or other valuables that were stolen, the professor wouldn't care whether to pursue the perpetrator or not.

After all, in his view, it's better to save time for something useful than to waste it on such a zero-sum problem.

But this time it's different.

The items stolen this time were not wallets or jewelry, nor were they food or water.

That box contained the entire meaning of his trip.

Therefore, he had a reason to retrieve the box; it was a matter of principle.

-

-

Thank you segment.

Thanks, no answer provided. Please imagine it yourself. Nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, and chronic procrastination.

Chapter 71, Chapter 70: Deep Sea Tales, Part 6: Under the Gaze of the Gods

A man and a woman are enacting a chase scene on a dimly lit street.

The woman was petite and slender, carrying a huge black leather suitcase as she ran at full speed.

The man was slightly tall and was completely covered by a huge trench coat and its hood. If an onlooker were to look at him at first glance, they would only think that the girl was the victim and the man was the criminal who tried to harm her.

After all, it's hard not to be seen as a suspicious person when dressed like that.

"If you want money, I can give it to you, but only if you give me back the box. The contents inside... are worthless to you!"

As the doctor chased after her, she spoke, trying to communicate with the girl who was gradually getting further away from her.

It's unbelievable! The girl's side is clearly heavier in terms of load, but she still manages to outspeed the doctor.

Perhaps PhDs are indeed not suited for manual labor.

"No way! Who knows if you'll change your mind?" the girl shouted as she turned around.

Judging from the fact that she wasn't out of breath while shouting, it seemed that she wasn't using her full strength at all.

They've probably gotten used to it.

"I'm a doctor, I won't go back on my word." The doctor was still trying to reason with him, "The box contains my medicines, formulas, and some personal belongings. Even if you take it, you won't get much money for it!"

"Medicine? Isn't that something valuable?" The girl seemed pleasantly surprised by the doctor's words. "Thank you for telling me! I'll take it!"

After saying that, she put her legs into motion again, increasing her speed even more than before, as if she had entered a serious mode.

This time, however, the doctor simply couldn't catch up.

He could only watch helplessly as the purse snatcher gradually disappeared from his sight during his futile pursuit.

But just as he was about to give up the chase and prepare to ask the local residents for help later, a sharp shout suddenly rang out from ahead and entered his ears.

"ah!"

Without a doubt, the voice belonged to the smug girl from before.

"problem occurs?"

With a mix of apprehension and a sense of relief at having regained what he had lost, the doctor took another step, his legs, which had almost stopped, and hurried toward the direction from which the sound was coming.

-

The scent of the sea wafts on the breeze.

There was a lot of noise.

Most of it is filled with sorrow, lamentation, and curses, but little pity.

The priest, holding a staff, stood in the middle of the road. His dark ceremonial robes were wrapped around his body from head to toe, leaving only a few strands of sea-green curly hair that peeked out from the brim of his hood, as smooth as electricity.

The townspeople formed two semicircles, gathering on either side of the priest and whispering among themselves.

The doctor was surprised when he first saw this scene.

After all, even as a folk custom, this scene is extremely rare.

But what surprised him even more was that the girl who had just snatched her purse was now clutching her ankle, curled up on the ground like a crawling insect, clenching her teeth and her eyes filled with tears.

It seems that the girl accidentally bumped into a group of priests and followers who were on a sermon tour while she was running away, and twisted her ankle and fell to the ground.

However, the reaction of the surrounding crowd was not normal.

Without saying a word, the doctor quietly walked towards the girl and the believers.

"Why is it this child again?"

"When those big shots from Laterano left last time, I thought they took her with them."

"Didn't we already send her to make a living elsewhere?"

"What a misfortune..."

Judging from what the doctor could hear, all the believers around seemed to have a rather bad impression of the girl.

Judging from his appearance, he's probably a long-time local offender.

"This traveler."

As the doctor approached, the priest holding the staff suddenly raised his head, stared at the doctor with his cloudy, frosted eyes, and called out to him.

"If I heard correctly, you were chasing after the girl who stole your luggage, weren't you?"

The priest shifted his gaze from the doctor to the girl who was still curled up on the ground.

"Indeed."

The doctor, inwardly marveling at the priest's keen awareness of his surroundings, replied.

“The girl twisted her ankle when she turned the corner because she couldn’t avoid it in time,” the priest said. “Perhaps this is because the Lord is watching over us from heaven.”

"The Lord will discern good from evil and judge right from wrong. He will make His own judgment on everything that walks on the earth, whether it happens before our eyes or not." The priest opened his arms and closed his eyes slightly, and the congregation around him closed their eyes as well, as if entering the same state of mind.

"That's why He performed a miracle when you needed help, stopping this girl who had committed robbery."

"..."

Listening to the priest's somewhat preachy speech, the doctor did not respond. Instead, he turned his gaze to the suitcase that had fallen next to the girl and prepared to walk over and pick it up.

After all, no matter what, this box is what he should be most concerned about.

But just as he walked to the girl's side and was about to bend down, the girl suddenly spoke through her pain.

"...That's all bullshit."

"Hmm?" Because he had bent down, he could hear more clearly and couldn't help but ask a question.