Rhodes Island does not exist.

This wasn't because he was intentionally controlling his facial expressions, but because he was simply too tired.

He now needs to use the remaining energy in his body for possible negotiations later, so any other actions will be reduced.

In other words, PhDs are now in a standby state.

Another minute has passed.

What's supposed to come hasn't arrived yet.

However, just as the doctor was preparing to accept reality and wait to die, the wall in front of him suddenly began to blur.

It's like someone is using a chalkboard covered in lime to clean a blackboard that's just been used in class.

An already dirty blackboard brush is unlikely to clean up the writing on the blackboard effectively, so the end result is only that the more you try to erase it, the messier it gets, and then a complete mess.

Generally speaking, at times like this, the student on duty will be scolded by the teacher.

But a PhD student wouldn't.

After all, he was neither a teacher nor the strange one was on duty.

Besides, aren't there times like that too?

The teacher wrote extensively in class, then used a dirty blackboard brush to erase most of the chalk writing before continuing to write against a chaotic white-gray background.

Diligent students in this situation will only start copying notes, rather than caring whether the blackboard is dirty or not.

So if I had to say something, today's PhD students are more like diligent students.

He didn't care about the condition of the wall, as long as the strange thing responded.

Then, just as the doctor had expected, on a blurry wall, words haphazardly pieced together from the doctor's handwriting began to gradually emerge.

"It seems this anomaly can't write on its own and can only use the handwriting I left behind to piece together words." The doctor thought to himself with relief, "Luckily, I left numbers as markers beforehand, otherwise even communication would probably be a problem now."

However, because the characters were made up of numbers, their shapes were slightly incomplete, so he had to sit up to examine them closely.

【That's strange, you want to negotiate with me?】

By the dim light, he discerned the strange messages emanating from the staircase.

"Great."

The doctor felt a slight sense of joy.

This statement implies that not only is communication possible, but the attitude doesn't seem so bad.

Then, the doctor spoke up loudly, "Ah, that's right. I think it would be better for us to save our time and use it on more valuable things instead of wasting each other's time here."

The writing on the wall disappeared, replaced by a new layer.

It doesn't matter, you'll be the one dying in the end, not me. I won't die.

"You won't die? That's not necessarily true." The doctor chuckled. "And I won't die either. I'll just be reborn somewhere. If I am reborn, the first thing I'll do when I get back is kill you."

As if in response to the doctor's words, the wall quickly changed to a new spelling.

Threats won't work on me. This is my room, my territory. If necessary, I can lock you out completely, cutting off your path to the fifth floor.

"Perhaps that's true." The doctor sighed regretfully. "But I'll find a new way sooner or later, while you'll probably be locked up here forever, and I don't know if there will ever be another kind person like me to rescue you."

The stone wall did not react.

The words remained on the wall, as if after a long silence.

Perhaps the strange creature was thinking, or perhaps it was hesitating, but it was clear that it was quite shaken by the doctor's words.

Like a girl who has secretly loved someone for years but is suddenly confessed to in reverse, she is at a loss.

But even innocent young girls will respond.

The writing on the wall then disappeared after a pause of about forty seconds.

On the boy's phone, the girl's status bar had changed to "typing a message" in the chat screen.

Then, a notification sound and vibration sounded together, and chat bubbles floated up from the bottom of the screen.

You are thinking about something extremely dangerous. Out of consideration for the preciousness of food, I do not recommend that you have any thoughts about liberating the supernatural.

So, are you going to negotiate with me or not?

After the words lingered on the silent wall for a moment, they were erased and replaced with two new words.

[To be discussed in detail.]

Chapter 144, Part 143: A whim-driven community of interests

"Actually, ever since I woke up, I've been thinking about something," the doctor said, leaning against the wall and talking to the invisible figure. "Why am I trapped here?"

The strangeness of the staircase quickly provided an answer to the doctor's question.

[Talk about negotiations, otherwise keep quiet.]

"What's the rush?" The doctor shook his head. "What I'm talking about now is the negotiation. There has to be some groundwork before we get to the important stuff."

So the strange man remained silent, waiting for him to continue his one-man show.

“After I die, I can reshape my body by paying a price, but this should be a privilege that belongs only to me. Other Oddities on Rhodes Island are dead and that’s it—but why?” The Doctor stared at the floor and said, “Also, along my journey, I’ve discovered that besides those Oddities that are like mud, there are some Oddities that know me, but unfortunately, having lost my memory, I can’t remember anything about them.”

“I mean… isn’t this strange?” the doctor said to the wall. “I’ve thought about it a lot, but every time I feel that using memories as a price to rebuild a body is a particularly incomprehensible thing, because it’s like abandoning all the experience I’ve accumulated and starting from scratch.”

Get to the point.

The doctor seemed to see the strange thing on the stairs tapping on the blackboard.

"You wouldn't accept it either, would you?" the doctor retorted to the strange creature. "Would you rather lose a finger or lose your memories?"

I have no fingers, and I have no memory.

This strange answer surprised the doctor somewhat.

"You have no memory?" he asked. "How do you understand that?"

[Just understand the literal meaning. I don't remember much about the past, and recent events are also blurry. Probably because there's nothing I need to remember, since I have no guests other than you.]

"So you're planning to eat me?" The doctor chuckled. "Haven't you thought about being friends with me or something?"

[This is pointless. Furthermore, if you don't get to the point, I can only assume you don't want to negotiate and are just wasting my time.]

"Alright, alright." The doctor shook his head. "Then I'll just ask you directly: do you want to leave here?"

[If you mean going outside.]

“So you have decided to.” The doctor nodded. “In that case, I’d like to make a deal with you.”

【explain. 】

"Solve the maze and let me upstairs. In exchange, I'll help you find a way to gain your freedom, how about it?" The doctor said, sitting cross-legged on the floor and looking at the wall.

The text on the wall hesitated for a moment, then finally revealed new text.

It sounds like I'm getting a good deal, but I don't trust you.

"Don't trust me?" The doctor smiled. "That's fine. After all, I know that a suspicious newcomer like me isn't trustworthy. But you can make a request and tell me how you can gain even the bare minimum of trust in me."

The strange creature quickly gave its reply.

I will go with you, and your every move must be under my surveillance. I must ensure that you are not deceiving me.

Looking at the words in front of him, the doctor was at a loss for how to respond.

“Oh, right, I understand. After all, I can just walk away after you let me go. But... don’t you think that the request you’re making is actually pretty much the same as what you want to achieve?” the doctor asked.

The spiral staircase from the second to the fifth floor is my jurisdiction, but it's not my cell. I can leave whenever I want, just like you.

"Ah... I see, I understand now." The doctor nodded. "What? Well, aren't our goals the same? I thought you were locked in your own floor like the other Oddities."

There won't be anything so strange.

The words on the wall disappeared and reappeared, decisively refuting the doctor's words.

Then, before the doctor could even ask a question, it immediately changed to another line of text.

The reason the strange things you see only appear on the floors they're on isn't because they can't leave, but because they don't want to leave. There's a clear difference between the two, and I hope you understand.

"Hmm... Exia seems to have said something similar before." The Doctor said thoughtfully, "But didn't you say you had amnesia? How do you know these things?"

I don't know, and I don't know anyone named Exia, but it's like common sense to me.

In short, all you need to know is that I am not a prisoner of this staircase, but its master.

“Hmm… I understand that now. We are indeed the same.” The Doctor nodded. “Rhodes Island is like a giant prison. Each of us has our own cell and can leave our cells to go to other areas of the prison at will, but we can never leave the prison itself, right?”

【correct. 】

The staircase's oddity is succinct.

"Alright, let's make a deal then." The doctor swayed as he slowly stood up, leaning against the wall. "Since we're on the same page, let's have a pleasant collaboration."

It wasn't a pleasant collaboration, but rather an exchange of interests.

Several lines of crooked writing appeared on the wall.

"Say whatever you want, the exchange of benefits is the underlying logic of all biological behavior, so it's all right no matter what you say..." The doctor rambled on for a while, then lowered his eyes and asked tentatively, "...So, is it a deal?"

【make a deal. 】

The strange thing gave its final answer.

"Thank you." Looking at the words in front of him, the doctor breathed a sigh of relief. "So, how do you plan to release me?"

[Because the impact of your Originium on me is too great, I am currently unable to interfere with the structure of the stairs, nor can I straighten out the redundant maze created by your reckless actions.]

"How could this be my fault?" the doctor asked, slightly surprised.

The maze of stairs has no end; the further you go, the longer it becomes. So, what you've actually done over these past ten-odd hours is lengthen the maze with your own two legs.

"I think I understand, so how do I get out?" the doctor asked.

I will eject you from my territory, then you will return to the starting point to meet me again, and I will take your Originium.

"Bounced out...? Where will I be bounced to?" The doctor felt that this strange wording seemed a bit subtle.

The place etched on your soul.

"Huh? You should explain yourself properly, stop with this..."

So, I look forward to seeing you again.

"Hey!"

-

Thank you segment.

Thanks to Foghorn for the blade, thank you.

Chapter 145, Section 144: The Nun's Symposium

That feeling is hard to describe.

It's like being sitting in the front passenger seat of a car and suddenly getting your face covered by an airbag.

Even though no accident occurred and the car body wasn't impacted, the airbags still deployed. Caught completely off guard, you were pressed directly in the face by the airbag. While you weren't physically injured, the frustration and shock were enough to leave you temporarily exhausted.

That's exactly how the PhD feels right now.

No, his feelings were even stronger.

After all, his condition was different from that of ordinary people. Dehydration and hunger were like a curse in an RPG game, clinging to his spinal cord and character information table, eroding everything about him.

"Don't do something that's like a joke..."

He closed his eyes and regulated his breathing, his muscles trembling irregularly.

"Are you kidding me?"

But the moment those words left his mouth, a familiar female voice that sent chills down his spine suddenly rang out behind him, like a thunderclap.

"Ghost Shark?"

The doctor immediately sat up, opened his eyes, and quickly scanned his surroundings, confirming a fact.

He appears to have been bounced back to his respawn point.

-

"So... why did you suddenly come back? And what was that joke you were talking about earlier?"