That afternoon, Navia personally brought Roan to Aretia, the doctor in Poisson:
"Please take good care of Mr. Roan."
"All Mora spent will temporarily be charged to Spina di Rosula…"
Compared to the medical standards in Fontaine's upper city, Poisson's medical conditions were quite backward; there was only one small clinic, with Aretia as the sole young doctor.
However—
Aretia, though young, had experience studying at the Sumeru Akademiya.
Treating Roan's injuries was, therefore, effortless.
The treatment itself was also simple: first, applying some pungent ointment, then bandaging it with white gauze.
With a few days of rest for the ointment to take effect, the injuries would heal.
In a flash, the next day arrived.
"Ding!! Sign-in successful!!"
"Today's sign-in reward: ATK +1, Pyro Resistance +0.5%, Points +100—"
As soon as Roan woke up, he eagerly completed the system sign-in and claimed his daily reward.
Although 1 point of ATK seemed small, over time it added up: 1 point per day became 30 points per month, 365 points per year… and this didn't even include other rewards.
The most important thing was that rewards could stack.
The longer he signed in, the better the rewards became, even allowing for exchanging lifespan.
In other words—
The longer he lived, the stronger he would become.
If his stats on the panel were high enough, even without a Vision or a Gnosis, a casual punch could rival a god.
After checking the system, Roan got out of bed and found that his injuries were much improved; recent sign-ins had already significantly boosted his physical fitness.
Following Aretia's instructions, Roan quickly finished breakfast and returned to her clinic for a dressing change.
As soon as he entered the small clinic, he saw a group of children gathered around Aretia, listening to her stories about the Sumeru Akademiya, completely enthralled.
The moment Roan entered, the children scattered.
Aretia put away her smile and said seriously, "Mr. Roan, are your injuries feeling better?"
Roan nodded. "Much better, it doesn't hurt anymore…"
Aretia smiled. "That's good. I'll change your dressing. In less than a week, you'll be fully recovered."
While changing the dressing, Aretia kept looking at Roan with curious eyes.
Being stared at like that made Roan feel awkward, even wondering if his condition had worsened.
Finally, he couldn't help but say, "Ahem, Doctor Aretia, just say whatever you want."
Noticing that he had spoken, Aretia quickly smiled to diffuse the awkwardness: "Well… I'm just a little curious—what's your relationship with Spina di Rosula?"
Roan replied without thinking: "Just a normal client-employer relationship."
Aretia pondered for a moment. "I heard you only gave Miss Navia 50,000 Mora, which isn't nearly enough for the commission fee. Moreover, the cost of food, lodging at Spina di Rosula, and treating your injuries probably exceeds 50,000 Mora…"
In other words—
This commission was a complete loss for Spina di Rosula.
There were even rumors outside that Roan was Navia's distant relative, seeking refuge in Poisson.
In Aretia's opinion, this was utter nonsense.
Before Roan could respond, Aretia continued, "Perhaps Miss Navia is just kind-hearted and didn't want to see you leave Poisson injured. And that iron ladder at the entrance of Poisson is so high—you probably couldn't have climbed it with injuries…"
Roan smiled and nodded. "Probably…"
Although he felt Navia was a little strange—putting on an inexplicable face—he was still puzzled.
But no matter what—
Navia had helped him, showing a warm and friendly side.
After the dressing change, Roan slowly walked out of the clinic.
Looking at the dirty and chaotic streets of Poisson, he couldn't help but sigh.
Compared to the prosperous upper city of Fontaine, Poisson probably couldn't even be considered a suburb—it was a slum within a slum.
It was simply unbelievable.
Although both were within Fontaine City, they were two completely opposite worlds.
However—
These things had little to do with Roan.
For Fontaine, Roan was just an ordinary passerby, a foreigner who had come to find his fiancée.
Just as Roan was lost in thought, several children ran past, chasing and playing, and a little girl accidentally bumped into him, stumbling.
Roan quickly reached out and steadied her.
He found the little girl familiar but couldn't recall her name.
The little girl quickly said, "Thank you, big brother!"
Another little boy recognized Roan. "It's the big brother who just went to the clinic! I heard you're Miss Navia's distant relative—is that true?"
Roan laughed. "Not a distant relative—just a normal client relationship…"
He didn't know who started the rumor, but it had spread throughout Poisson.
During the chat with the children, Roan learned the little girl's name was Lisette—no wonder she looked familiar.
According to the children, some were descendants of local Poisson residents, while others had been abandoned there.
They were taken in by the older brothers and sisters of Spina di Rosula, who provided them a home.
Lisette said happily, "Brother Roan, want to go on an adventure together? Adventuring here is so much fun!"
Before Roan could refuse, the children grabbed his hand and, following Poisson's sewers, embarked on a new adventure.
Calling it an adventure was actually more like a role-playing game.
Some played brave Adventurers, some played ruthless Bandits, and Roan played the final big boss—the Hilichurl King.
Looking at the smiles on the children's faces, Roan couldn't refuse. With a thick skin, he put on the Hilichurl King mask.
Coincidentally, this scene was witnessed by Melus, who happened to pass by. Their eyes met, and Roan's expression became as awkward as possible.
He wished he could disappear into the ground.
After a "thrilling" adventure, the children dragged Roan to catch Redhorn Lizards. If they took them to the general store, they could exchange them for a large candy.
Redhorn Lizards were not easy to catch.
After bustling about for half a day, the children managed to catch only one, which they exchanged for a palm-sized candy at the general store.
They broke the candy into several pieces.
Lisette handed one piece to Roan. "Brother Roan, this is your candy. Don't think it's too little; everyone gets the same amount."
Roan smiled. "Thank you!"
Perhaps influenced by the children's optimism and cheerfulness, Roan's mood brightened, and he gained a new appreciation for Poisson.
Although the environment was poor and resources scarce, the people living here were optimistic, cheerful, and close-knit.
The children sat on the steps, savoring the candy's sweetness.
One of the children asked happily, "Brother Roan, I heard you're from another country. Do you have any fun games there? Teach us!"
Normally, the children liked running to Doctor Aretia's clinic to hear her stories about Sumeru and learn fun games.
Seeing their eager faces, Roan pondered for a moment. "Fun games… do you know how to play Genius Invokation TCG?"
Lisette shook her head. "We've heard of Genius Invokation TCG. Sister Aretia told us about it, but Poisson doesn't have any card decks…"
That's right.
In a place like Poisson, who would spend a large sum of Mora on card decks?
Roan thought for a moment, then said, "I'll teach you how to play gomoku."