"Haa—" A low, wheezing breath escaped the man's mouth, and the surrounding passersby couldn't help but retreat a few more steps.
Some had even quietly slipped away when others weren't paying attention.
Life was already hard enough; listening to supernatural tales was fun, but they didn't want to get dragged into any strange supernatural incidents.
Syl ignored the man on the ground, instead contentedly wiping down her surgical tools and placing them back into her surgical kit one by one.
Just as Syl stood up, preparing to leave, a petite figure blocked her path.
It was a little girl with freckles on her cheeks who looked a bit frail.
"Th-thank you, big sister." The little girl looked up at Syl, seemingly having gathered all her courage. "Thank you for saving my brother."
"You're welcome. I'm just a kind-hearted physician passing by." Although her mask hid her face, Syl tilted her head slightly and smiled at the little girl.
"Um... may I know your name? Big sister." Seeing that Syl was about to leave, the little girl spoke up again. "When the factory... pays my wages, I will pay you a reward."
When mentioning the wages, the little girl was clearly lacking confidence.
"Wages?" Syl looked at the little girl, who was clearly only about eight or nine years old, visibly puzzled.
Did this factory actually hire child labor? Although she might just look small due to malnutrition, there was no way she was over ten years old.
"Forget about the reward; helping others is just a hobby of mine," Syl said, waving her hand with a smile. "As for me? You can call me big sister Lucy."
After saying this, Syl turned and walked out of the alley, ignoring the fact that the little girl seemed to have more to say.
At this moment, everyone in the alley had scattered out of fear. In the shadows, only the little girl could be seen standing before the figure that had sat up.
And that figure was staring at his right hand, which had eyeballs growing out of the palm.
Then, through the eyes on his right hand, he saw the fingers inside his own eye socket.
"Aaaaaaaahhh—" The scream echoed behind Syl, but none of this had anything to do with her anymore.
The person had been snatched back from the hands of death; as for whether he would live or die later, that was entirely up to the "patient" to decide.
As for Syl, while walking down the street, she rubbed her stomach. So hungry...
Syl reached out and felt through all the pockets of her clothes, but couldn't find a single cent.
If only she had looted the corpse earlier... maybe she could have gotten some money.
Of course, Syl was only thinking this to herself; if it happened again, she would still run away as fast as she could.
As Syl walked aimlessly along the main road, the crowd gradually increased, and even the number of kerosene streetlights grew.
On the road, which was wide enough for three carriages to pass side-by-side, carriages passed by from time to time, most using curtains to block the windows, making it impossible for people to see what was inside.
These must be the "people above people," right? Sigh... so envious. If only she were a wealthy person above others, at least she wouldn't have to worry about eating.
Thinking about it this way, becoming a Saint worshipped by the entire church seemed like a genuinely good choice. At the very least, when it came to being a "person above people," it was firmly within her grasp.
As for tonight, she would just have to stay hungry; it was just one more night, nothing to make a fuss about.
However, she still had to find a way to solve the drinking water problem. She could go a few days without food, but Syl, who hadn't drunk any water yet, felt her lips getting dry.
She would see if she could find a river. Safety was paramount; Syl would rather drink river water than interact with other people.
Besides, cities were generally built along rivers, and she believed this wouldn't be any different in this other world.
"River... little river..." The more she thought about it, the thirstier Syl felt.
Along the way, strange gazes kept looking at Syl, but no one came to cause her trouble.
It was just a black robe and a silver bird-beak mask; among strange costumes, this was considered bottom-tier.
Finally, her efforts paid off. In the most crowded area, Syl finally found a small river without a fence.
This was also the brightest place, with all kinds of shops open, juggling clowns, children selling cigarettes... and passersby, forming a lively scene.
After walking along the riverbank for a while, Syl saw a bridge. Most importantly, next to the bridge, there was a staircase leading to a lower platform where she could reach the water below.
Syl couldn't help but quicken her pace. The water surface reflected the light of the streetlamps, which actually looked somewhat tempting in Syl's eyes.
However, after Syl walked down, she realized something was wrong with the river. It wasn't because it was dark that the river looked black, but because it was extremely turbid.
Taking off her gloves, Syl cupped some water in her hands and brought it up to her face to look, her brows knitting slightly.
She couldn't bring herself to drink this river water, which looked like it had been polluted by some kind of waste.
Compared to drinking this kind of water, it would be better to swallow her pride and ask a shop for a glass; at worst, she could perform a magic trick for them?
Having made up her mind, Syl shook the water from her hands with a look of disgust.
Also, her hands were wet, and she had no handkerchief to wipe them, so Syl simply kept her right hand hidden under her robe and held the other glove in her left hand.
"I'll find a shopkeeper who looks easy to talk to..."
Syl walked along the riverside, looking at the street-side display windows and glass doors, observing the shopkeepers inside through the doors.
Suddenly, an intoxicating aroma of baking bread bypassed her silver mask and the herbs used for filtering, drilling right into Syl's nose.
"Gurgle—" The aroma immediately stimulated Syl's stomach, causing it to let out a rumbling cry of misery.
Syl couldn't help but look up towards the source of the scent, and saw a bakery at the street corner, about two meters ahead.
An Old Granny with a towel wrapped around her head was packing up some bread from the display window, a kind smile on her face.
"Gulp." Syl swallowed hard, and involuntarily began walking towards that bakery.
Pushing open the shop door, the crisp sound of a bell alerted the shopkeeper that a guest had arrived.
When the Old Granny turned around somewhat slowly, she was startled by Syl entering the shop.
"Whoa... sir, what can I do for you..." She was clearly frightened by Syl's attire.
Syl quickly took off her mask, licked her lips, and bowed slightly to the old woman.
"Hello, my name is Lucy. I don't have any money, but could you please give me a glass of water? You look like such a kind-hearted Old Granny."