Rhodes Island does not exist.

It's not good to constantly bother people at church, and living in such an exclusive atmosphere is rather unpleasant. So it's best to leave as soon as possible if you can.

"Ok?"

Having been so preoccupied with his thoughts, the doctor realized that he had somehow wandered into an unfamiliar place without paying any attention to where he was going.

The cold, greyish-white walls stood on both sides of the road, appearing somewhat desolate against the backdrop of overcast skies. Although the surrounding buildings retained the typical Iberian style, the atmosphere seemed completely different from the area around the church.

"call--"

A chilly air current swept through the streets, through the alleys, and past the doctor.

That might be the sea breeze, or it might not.

"This is... clothes? They look like they've been weathered."

I looked up and glanced at the clothesline tied between the two low houses. Hanging on the line was a tattered old piece of cloth. Although I could still vaguely make out the cuffs and collar it once had, there was no doubt that it had been hanging there for far too long.

At such a hanging height, even immature teenagers could easily remove it by standing on tiptoe. So the reason it's left here isn't because it can't be removed, but because no one can.

The doctor suddenly realized where this cold and desolate atmosphere came from.

It's the warmth of everyday life.

He couldn't sense the presence of any human activity around him.

Although the houses were lined up everywhere he could see, and everything was no different from the residential areas he had seen near Saints' Gate and Church Square, the lively atmosphere of life was nowhere to be found.

"Judging from the weathering of the clothes, no one has lived around here for at least several years," the doctor muttered to himself, reaching out to touch the wall of the house in front of him.

"Shh-"

Countless tiny white crystals slid down like an avalanche, shattering on the ground.

Silver flakes were scattered everywhere.

"It's salt crystals."

The doctor brought his hand, covered in white crystalline powder, to his nose and inhaled the sea breeze-like scent before drawing his conclusion.

In other words, the white paint on the wall is not wall paint or anything like that, but rather the result of years of erosion by the ocean.

"After all, no one has lived here for so long, so there's definitely no need for maintenance."

He brushed the crystal dust off his hands and sighed calmly.

It was as if he had lived here before.

"But... what's the reason?"

The doctor continued walking towards the exit of the empty street, while observing everything in his field of vision.

"Judging from the quiet atmosphere here, a large residential area around here must have been relocated." He pondered silently, "What kind of event happened back then that would cause everyone in this entire area to leave, abandoning their belongings and homes without hesitation, and never returning?"

There must be something wrong behind Iberia.

Following the direction of the sea breeze, the doctor continued on his way.

Chapter 84, Part 83: Deep Sea Tales - The Nineteenth Objective Realm

Azure and green flourish, shattered jade fragments scatter.

The northern winds swirl, the tides surge.

The sky and sea are vast, and the clouds rise high in layers.

After several months apart, their blood boiled and their minds became disordered.

Thinking back to those saints of yesteryear, their mad power was turned around, and the hearts of evil beasts trembled.

The limbs of the octopus lead to dancing, and the ancient family members sing and fan.

Little did they know that the stars were fading into the distance, the bright light of Wangshu was dim, the polar regions were thousands of miles apart, and the Libra cycle was turning.

What does the red sand bury? A sigh for the bones of a fallen mandarin duck in the late afternoon.

He has passed away!

Awakening from a deep boudoir dream, a sacred song echoes from a secluded courtyard.

He stood on the riverbank, clad in sacrificial robes and holding a staff, the desolate wind whipping at his face.

-

After passing several rows of houses and crossing a narrow alley, the doctor saw the sea.

Lonely barnacles spread and grew along the seawall, and the coastal flood control works were eroded and pitted like reefs, resembling rotten wood eaten by insects.

But none of this matters.

In the doctor's eyes, they didn't actually have a place at all.

At this moment, his eyes were only on the sea, and could only see the sea.

"This is... the sea of ​​Terra."

The vast majority of Terrans never see the ocean in their lives, and among them, most don't even know what the ocean is.

For them, the "sea" is at most just a relatively large body of water, not much different from an inland lake.

Maybe so.

What difference could there be between two different types of water?

That's definitely what they're thinking.

Before witnessing and experiencing the ocean firsthand, the doctor had also had this thought.

But now he only feels that his past self was incredibly foolish.

"I see."

The doctor gazed at the unmarked surface of the sea, and the sea gazed back at him.

Feeling everything before him, he seemed to understand why the surroundings had become deserted.

The deadly stillness brought by the ocean hangs like a barrier over this place where the sea breeze wanders. If he were a resident here, he would definitely want to move away.

However, the doctor was also well aware that what happened here back then was definitely not just a simple relocation, but a grand escape like a parade.

Thinking this, the doctor looked down at the time on his hand.

It is 10:32 AM.

There were two hours until Levini's trial, and one hour before the bishop's appointed mealtime. The Doctor had no idea where he was or how long his return journey would take.

No, he didn't even know how to get back.

Because he hadn't paid any attention to the way he came.

As a Leitanian philosopher once said: If you don't know how to do something, then don't worry about it.

Okay, the philosopher didn't say that; the doctor said it himself.

So, what's next?

Not far from the seawall, there is a staircase leading to the beach. If you go down the staircase, you can walk to the shallows and have direct contact with the ocean.

The doctor who has already arrived here will certainly not miss the opportunity to directly experience the ocean.

But besides that, is there anything else?

What traces did those residents leave on the beach when they fled here years ago?

What memories will the events that prompted them to flee leave on the beach?

The PhD student ascends the steps.

With each step he took, a deadly and intense emptiness brought by the tide enveloped him.

Strangely enough, he actually read a feeling called "nostalgia" into this emptiness.

But to whom does this homesickness belong?

What kind of person would feel homesick for the sea?

Agor.

The answer speaks for itself.

But no one lives here anymore.

The Iberians didn't have it, nor did the Agorians.

Now, all that remains of the beach is an empty expanse of sand and a cluster of houses covered in salt crystals, eroded by the tides.

"Wow—"

The waves crashed against it, shattering it into pieces.

The doctor walked down the seawall, his feet touching the sand, and turned to look at the deserted, dilapidated buildings.

The church square is also Iberia, and the seaside is also Iberia.

"Crack."

However, just when the doctor was certain that no one lived here, a sound of footsteps from a direction beyond his sight suddenly reached his ears.

That was undoubtedly the sound of footsteps.

The doctor definitely didn't mishear.

Because he had just come from the stone path onto the sand, the sound of his shoes hitting the sand hadn't even finished circulating in his ears yet, so at this moment he was most familiar with this sound.

"The sound is coming from behind this rock."

His gaze fell upon a giant rock stuck in the beach.

Come to think of it, how come I didn't notice at first that there were so many black, rocky cliffs on the beach that looked like artificial mountains?

Were these rocks naturally formed, or were they created later?

No, the word "generate" is just too strange...

The doctor frowned and went around to the other side of the rock.

More than the origin of the stone, he was now concerned about who had made the previous voice.

The doctor stopped in his tracks.

Before his thoughts had even finished forming, he had already found the answer he was looking for.

That was a woman.

The woman had long, dark gray hair, as gray as the surrounding buildings, and wore simple clothes without shoes or a hat, resembling a wanderer on the coast.

And at this moment, she is collecting seashells on the shore.

"Praise be to the stars...Praise be to the deep sea...Great Lord..."

At the same time, he was muttering to himself, but although we could understand each other, it was impossible to tell what he was saying.

"Ok?"

Sensing someone approaching, the woman, still bent over, raised her head and looked at the doctor.

Those were eyes that the doctor had never seen before, even after traveling all over Terra.

Crimson red, like blood.

No, he had seen it before.

Just yesterday, in front of the Saint's Gate, the strange woman who brushed past him also had the same eye color.

Most importantly, the mysterious allure emanating from the woman picking up shells was the same as that of the woman who had just passed by.

"Ah...I really didn't expect that." The woman looked at the doctor and spoke first, her tone like singing a poem.

The voice was slightly hoarse, but its inherent beautiful timbre could still be heard.

"To meet a guest on this ancient battlefield." She straightened up, scattering the seashells in her hand to the ground, but her gaze did not waver. "You must have been sent here by the gods."

"A divine mandate?" The doctor frowned. "No, I merely..."

"Please don't try to explain." The woman shook her head, put a finger to her lips, and gave a strange smile. "The gods will never reveal their true intentions, so don't deny it for now, but try to understand it."

Although the doctor couldn't understand what the woman was saying, he at least learned one thing.

This woman is most likely from the church as well.