Chapter 788 — The Evidence Beside Patty

Patty seemed overjoyed at the arrival of "Uncle Gao Yang."

It had been a long time since she had seen Uncle Gao Yang, or heard him tell her those stories about the Age of Exploration, the Age of Gondor, and all manner of other wondrous fancies.

Even though she was nearly fifteen this year, even though among ordinary noble children a girl her age would already be making formal appearances in social circles and beginning to learn the handling of family affairs, in the eyes of outsiders she remained a child—her outward age was even a little younger than her peers, and as for the knowledge she possessed, she lagged far, far behind the noble children of her own age.

Years of severe injury and illness had cost her nearly her entire childhood; Patty had only begun her studies again this year, and many of the questions she raised struck Gao Yang as not quite fitting for her age.

But on the other hand, her peculiar experiences had made Patty more mature in mind than her peers. Perhaps because she had lost the ability to move about freely and depended entirely on others for her very survival, she had grown remarkably perceptive of the shifts in mood of those around her.

"Uncle Gao Yang, are you a little unhappy?" She had caught a subtle shift in Gao Yang's mood as he spoke, and at once fell silent from her chattering questions, asking cautiously.

Gao Yang paused, his gaze settling on the little girl before him.

She could now sit in her wheelchair quite well, and could even lift her head by her own strength; those big eyes were fixed unblinkingly on him, full of curiosity and a touch of worry.

"No, I'm not unhappy," Gao Yang shook his head after a moment. "I just suddenly thought of something else and my mind wandered for a bit."

"Wandering is bad," Patty said very seriously. "But you're an adult, and adults have lots of things they have to think about, don't they?"

"I do have quite a lot on my plate, but I can still find time to tell you a story." Gao Yang spoke with a smile, while at the same time dividing off a portion of his attention and quietly activating a hidden port capable of connecting to the mental network—after so long growing familiar with it, he could already wield these powers from the Sleepers with perfect ease; even without immersing his consciousness fully in the network, he could use his special privileges to draw on its resources for certain covert operations.

After linking his surface consciousness to the network, he looked at Patty once more.

Patty was still Patty; her face had not turned into Selena Gervin's, nor had any extra figure appeared at her side.

But Gao Yang could now be certain that Selena really was "here," bound to Patty in some strange state.

For beside Patty's little wheelchair, suspended quietly in midair where ordinary eyes could not see, hung a lantern.

……

Patty needed sufficient sleep every day to repair her depleted spirit and to let the effects of the "Limb Regeneration Technique" work further. Before meeting Gao Yang she had already watched shadow-puppet plays for more than two hours, and afterward listened to many stories from him, so it was soon time for her noon rest.

Gao Yang watched the personal maid lead Patty into the adjoining room and gently settle the little girl into a specially made immersion pod. After confirming that Patty had fallen peacefully asleep, he left the room and made his way to the castle's reception hall, where he found Viscountess Ropenny waiting.

The viscountess rose from her high-backed chair and bowed to Gao Yang. "Your Majesty, thank you for your care of Patty. She will surely be happy today."

"Her health has improved a great deal, and that sets my mind at ease," Gao Yang nodded, speaking as he went to a chair near the window and sat down. "I see Patty has already been sleeping in the immersion pod—has she been using it all this time?"

"Yes," Viscountess Ropenny nodded. "For about a month now."

"Any adverse reactions? Has she gotten used to it?"

These questions sounded like nothing more than ordinary concern, and the viscountess saw nothing amiss in them. "Not at all. The pod works wonderfully, and the technicians you sent were most diligent. They stayed four days and left only after confirming there was nothing abnormal in Patty's use of it—and before leaving they handed the pod's technical documents to the local magitech engineers. As for Patty… she wasn't used to it at first, but that was only because she couldn't sleep well in a strange bed. She's quite comfortable with it now."

Using the immersion pod all this time…

Gao Yang rubbed his chin and asked again, "That Sleepers' crown from before—where is it now?"

"I put it in the castle cellar, together with some other extraordinary collectibles," the viscountess replied. "Since I don't intend to use it again, I've been considering whether to seal it away by some means—after all, it has to do with the Sleepers."

For this lady, caution had become a habit.

But when dealing with the Sleepers, that degree of caution seemed nowhere near enough.

"You needn't bother with sealing it. I'm planning to take the crown with me," Gao Yang said. "For… research."

Something in Viscountess Ropenny's gaze shifted slightly. Though Gao Yang's tone and manner showed nothing out of the ordinary, a mother's intuition suddenly stirred, and she fixed her eyes on his. "Your Majesty… is there something wrong with that crown? Is Patty—"

"Don't be too alarmed," Gao Yang waved a hand at once. "It's only technical research. As for Patty, she's doing very well."

Only then did Ropenny look relieved. "That's good. Forgive me—when it comes to Patty, I always worry too much…"

The viscountess departed; as Gran's governor, she still had a great deal of official business to attend to. Gao Yang likewise returned to the room prepared especially for him. He closed the door and saw, in the shadows near the curtains, a squat little melon of a figure poking its head out.

Only after confirming there was no one else about did Amber boldly leap out from the shadow realm and grin at Gao Yang. "According to the records, that Viscountess Ropenny is a woman who finds it very hard to trust anyone easily—yet she trusts you a great deal. You said Patty was fine, and she truly set her mind at ease and went off to work."

"I just don't want her carrying needless pressure—the matter isn't clear yet, after all," Gao Yang said. "And we also need to avoid startling the snake in the grass."

"Startling the snake in the grass? That's an interesting phrase—I'll note it down." Amber's eyes lit up, and with practiced ease she recorded this new expression, adding another entry to the "Sacred Crude Sayings of Emperor Gao Yang Cecil" she privately collected. Then she glanced at Gao Yang curiously. "But then again—is there really something wrong with Patty?"

Gao Yang pondered briefly, then said in a low voice, "Under the mind-sight, there is a lantern beside her."

"…Mother of mercy."

"But the situation is still a little better than I expected," Gao Yang continued. "Selena Gervin has not seized Patty's soul, and the latter shows no sign of damage. Perhaps they are coexisting peacefully—perhaps Patty herself doesn't even know there's anything unusual about her…"

Amber stared at him wide-eyed. "You've seen the lantern and you're still this optimistic? Then what exactly was the 'worst case' you were expecting before?"

"In the worst case… Patty is Selena Gervin," Gao Yang glanced at Amber. "Long before we ever met Patty, back when Patty first came into contact with the crown, she was already dead—and for all the years since, it was Selena inside that shell."

Amber pictured the scene for a moment, then suddenly shuddered. "…Mother of mercy!"

Gao Yang had successfully frightened this audacious half-elf, and his mood improved a little. "Truly horrifying, isn't it? When it comes to terror on the mental plane, the Sleepers are clearly a cut above the All-Ending Society…"