Yue still gave the same answer.
After comparing every detail and routine confirmation, the man suddenly said, "You might want to know this news. This morning, the patrol fleet sent by the chairman returned to the port, and they... found nothing unusual."
Yue was stunned upon hearing this.
He hadn’t expected his father to ultimately send out the patrol fleet to verify the nightmare he had spoken of.
However, even he couldn’t confirm the location of the sinking.
Once the coordinates were lost, the ship would be completely lost at sea. Although every time during the descent, Yue wanted to see more clearly, all he could see was an endless ocean.
The man added, "At least, it is not within our territorial waters."
This was enough to prove that Yue had developed delusions. He opened the first document, "These are your diagnosis results. Your doctor believes that you have developed a mental disorder similar to nautical syndrome. Although this is not common among patients who have been sailing since childhood, it also cannot be completely ruled out."
The man was well-prepared, outlining all the important evaluation criteria.
Everyone thought Yue was ill and perhaps might never be able to sail again.
And the reason this conversation had taken place three times was that Yue was unwilling to accept the fact that he was ill and refused to accept further treatment.
The man said, "This is my hypothesis. The nightmare first appeared after you were forcibly subjected to a psychological evaluation. That evaluation was terrible. The diagnostician believed you were very ill and needed long-term medication to assist treatment, but this would only alleviate your symptoms. Once you accepted the treatment, you would almost never be able to sail again.
"This is very cruel for someone who loves adventure, so in order to fight such a fate, you conjured up an imaginary monster that does not actually exist, promoting a theory of an impending disaster. But do you know what I find even more cruel? It’s that you disregard your mental state and lead your crew to their deaths."
Such cases are numerous.
Captains suffering from navigational syndrome went mad during voyages, deviating from the course in panic, taking the entire crew on the ship to accompany them in death.
In the eyes of others, Yue is just such a mad captain, intending to forcibly search for the sea area in his nightmare despite his unstable mental state.
"Yue, let me tell you one more thing."
The man straightened up, his gaze sharp as a hawk, "The reason you didn’t manage to sail was because your crew reported you. They also think your mental state is no longer suitable to lead them in navigation. Originally, I shouldn’t have told you this, but after looking at your medical record, I realized that concealing the whereabouts of the Glorious Mariner only worsens your condition. You seem to believe this is a conspiracy against you."
He took out a mirror and placed it in front of Yue.
Although his hair and clothes were properly groomed by servants before going out, it couldn’t cover up his pale complexion. His mental state was poor, looking as if he had aged ten years overnight.
However, this was not the worst part.
Yue noticed that the image in the mirror had changed.
Black ink dripped from the corner of his eyes, and black lines like threads appeared under his pale skin, his face elongated, and then tiny tendrils emerged from his mouth.
Yue instinctively pressed his fingers to the ink-streaked corner of his eye, but then suddenly realized something, and his whole body stiffened.
"Your maid said that you haven’t been willing to look in a mirror for a long time now."
The man said, "Can you tell me what you saw in the mirror? Did something spill from the corner of your eye, was it blood? You should be aware that nightmares cannot intrude into reality unless there is a significant problem with your mind and perception... Yue, don’t you understand? We are all trying to help you, only you continually push away those extending a hand to you."
This assessment no longer needed to continue.
Yue’s symptoms had become severe and obvious, and as the third evaluator, the man decided to communicate directly with the chairman. He did not believe it was appropriate to heed the patient’s opinion in such a state.
Patients in this phase often experience extreme mental instability, often accompanied by intense hallucinations, until they can no longer distinguish between illusion and reality.
"Yue, you don’t have much time left."
Yue felt dazed, clearly seeing that the man’s skin opposite him had turned blue, his mouth turned into wriggling tentacles, and his words became incoherent, speaking a language he had never heard.
Cracks appeared on the walls of the evaluation room, with murky water seeping through the crevices into the room, the water rising until it flooded them completely.
Yue closed his eyes, took a few deep breaths, and when he opened them again, the man was back to normal.
"This might be your last chance, while there’s still time."
Yet another disastrous evaluation result, worse than the last.
Lily followed behind Yue, hesitated for a long time, and then softly said, "Young master, even if you can’t sail again, there are many things you can do, like researching Steam Technology. Didn’t you also have an interest in those machines when you were little? I’ve read some legal books; they’re actually quite interesting."
Yue suddenly stopped walking, turning his face as if he saw Lily standing in water with something wrapped around her ankle, "Do you also think I’m sick?"
This was the first time he asked her this question.
The response to Yue was a long silence.
Lily hung her head like she had done something wrong, "I just hope you’re healthy and happy."