Chapter 12: Goddess of the Dark Night

Out of the six rooms, only the first one's door could be opened.

Was this the only room "set to be opened," or was it because, just like with the door he had knocked on for five years, his current strength allowed him to open only this one? 

Lin Qiye had knocked on that door for five years, and it wasn't until after he opened his eyes that his spiritual senses had enhanced, allowing him to open it and enter the asylum.

Did this mean that the second, third, fourth, fifth, and sixth rooms could only be unlocked once his strength increased again?

He wasn't sure, but right now, he didn't have the time to dwell on it.

Because right in front of him, the door to the room that had been sealed for so long was slowly creaking open.

The space inside the room was small, and the light was dim. In the center of the room stood a chair, upon which sat a woman dressed in a starry black gown. She stared blankly ahead, unblinking.

Apart from her and the chair, there was nothing else in the shadowy room.

Lin Qiye cautiously approached the door, then paused to think for a moment. He forced a polite smile onto his face and waved at the woman inside.

"Hello, I'm Lin Qiye."

No matter who she was, it wouldn't hurt to be polite. As the saying goes, "You don't strike someone who offers a smile." If he showed some courtesy, even if she was a goddess, she probably wouldn't make things difficult for him.

However, as Lin Qiye stood outside with his smile frozen on his face, the woman in black remained completely still, like a statue.

His smile stiffened, frustration bubbling up. With a sharp breath, he finally decided to step into the room.

**Chapter 12: Goddess of the Dark Night (Continued)**

The moment Lin Qiye stepped into the room, lines of text suddenly appeared on the wall behind the woman in black.

---

**Room 1**

**Patient: Nyx**

**Task:** Help Nyx treat her mental illness. Once treatment progress reaches the specified values (1%, 50%, 100%), parts of Nyx's abilities may be randomly extracted.

**Current Treatment Progress: 0%**

"Nyx?" Lin Qiye gasped after reading the text on the wall.

Although he wasn't well-versed in mythology, he had at least heard of Nyx, the Goddess of the Night, who was one of the primordial deities in ancient Greek mythology.

She was one of the gods at the very top of the mythological hierarchy!

So, the woman before him, sitting motionless, was the famed Goddess of the Night?

Her cold and elegant aura, flawless features, smooth black hair cascading like a waterfall down her back, and the starry black dress that matched the depths of the night sky—all contrasted beautifully with her pale skin, which looked delicate enough to break at a touch.

Though her eyes were vacant, the presence she exuded could never belong to a mere mortal.

Even the most revered empresses of history couldn't compare.

Nyx was a goddess, a ruler—an empress of the night!

Lin Qiye stroked his chin, studying Nyx carefully. Having seen gods before, he couldn't shake the feeling that something was missing in Nyx. 

Divinity? Power? Authority?

Or perhaps all of them?

He couldn't say for sure, but one thing was clear: Nyx's current state had everything to do with her illness.

But how could a god, one standing at the pinnacle of mythology, fall ill?

Was her disease natural, or… man-made?

If it was natural, Lin Qiye found it hard to believe. But if it was caused by someone… he couldn't fathom who could make the Goddess of the Night sick.

And not just any illness, but a mental illness.

According to the text on the wall, Lin Qiye needed to try and help Nyx, but what kind of illness did she have?

As someone who had once been a "patient" himself, Lin Qiye was somewhat familiar with mental illnesses. These could generally be categorized into conditions like depression, OCD, schizophrenia, delusions, and so on.

To help Nyx, he first had to figure out what exactly was wrong with her.

Lin Qiye pondered for a moment before crouching down in front of Nyx. He waved his hand in front of her eyes.

"Can you hear me?" he asked softly, right by her ear.

Suddenly, Nyx's body trembled, startling Lin Qiye, who instinctively stepped back!

Then, with a stiff movement, Nyx's head slowly turned to face him. Her vacant eyes locked onto him.

Lin Qiye swallowed hard, frozen in place.

One second, two seconds, three seconds...

Just as Lin Qiye's scalp began to tingle from her unwavering stare, Nyx's expression shifted.

From vacant to confused,

From confused to shocked,

From shocked to tearful!

Nyx's body trembled, and tears welled up in her eyes. Her lips parted painfully, struggling to speak.

After a long pause, she croaked, her voice hoarse:

"I finally found you… my child!!"

In that moment, Lin Qiye felt as though an electric shock had rushed from his feet straight to his brain, leaving his mind in a blank, stunned state!

She?

I?

Child?

Wait…?

Lin Qiye couldn't remember what his parents looked like. After he was born, they had left him with his aunt, and he never saw them again.

But… his mother should have been… a human.

Not the Goddess of the Night.

No, wait… why was this foreign Goddess speaking fluent Chinese?!

Oh right, this is a dream. I guess it's not that strange to understand the language of gods... Maybe it's some kind of brainwave transmission signal?

As Lin Qiye was lost in these thoughts, Nyx stood up, opened her arms, and began stumbling toward him!

She ran faster and faster, her expression more and more excited!

At this point, Lin Qiye's mind was in complete chaos, and out of instinct, he opened his arms, preparing to embrace the Goddess of the Night!

But—

Nyx ran past him, brushing against him, and immediately hugged the—

Flower vase on the windowsill.

She clutched the vase tightly, tears streaming down her face. "My child... you're still alive, I finally found you!"

Lin Qiye: …???

Then, Nyx's gaze fell upon the chair where she had been sitting for who knows how long.

After a moment of hesitation, she rushed forward and embraced the chair and the vase once more, crying even harder.

"Somanus! My child, so you're here too!!"

Lin Qiye stood there like a statue, helplessly watching as Nyx mourned over the vase, the chair, the wall, and the air, calling them her "children" and crying uncontrollably.

Lin Qiye: I think I have a pretty good idea about what her illness is…

And it's not a light one…

---

Morning came, and Lin Qiye woke up with a groan, staring at the bare ceiling, sighing in frustration.

After spending the whole night with Nyx, Lin Qiye felt like a shell of himself.

Just as he was about to get up, something caught his attention.

He suddenly let out a quiet "Hmm?"

In his mind, the asylum shrouded in mist seemed to be shifting, and there was now a tight connection between him and the institution. 

Now, he didn't need to sleep to enter the asylum with his consciousness. At any time, he could now sense everything happening there.

So this was the benefit of opening the door, huh… Lin Qiye thought as he began focusing on entering the asylum, able to sense all the events within.

Of course, the five sealed rooms were still out of reach.

At that moment, Nyx could be seen in the courtyard, holding a vase and a chair, speaking to the air beside her, seemingly having a conversation with someone invisible.

Lin Qiye sat on his bed, rubbing his tired eyes in frustration.

"Treating a disease... I'm not a doctor. How am I supposed to help her?"

Suddenly, his eyes brightened, as if an idea had struck him.

His eyes narrowed slightly, a smile tugging at his lips.