Lin Qiye's gaze fell upon the archaic metal plaque beside the ward door.
"Ward No. 2. Patient: Merlin.
Mission: Help Merlin treat his mental illness.
Once treatment progress reaches the specified values (1%, 50%, 100%), you may randomly draw a portion of Merlin's abilities.
Current treatment progress: 0%."
Merlin.
The legendary archmage and advisor to King Arthur—the embodiment of wisdom.
And yet he was listed here as mentally ill.
Lin Qiye felt a complicated mix of curiosity and caution. This was the Asylum for the Gods; none of the patients here were simple.
Behind the desk, Merlin closed the ancient book and looked at Lin Qiye with a gentle expression, as if he could see straight through the turmoil in his heart.
"Young traveler, you seem troubled by the nature of this world."
His voice was mellow and magnetic, carrying a strange calming power.
Lin Qiye blinked, excitement flickering through his chest.
Did he know the truth behind everything?
Merlin smiled faintly.
"I spent many long years searching for the truth of this world. Eventually, I discovered the entrance to the 'Real World'."
His tone remained calm, yet his certainty was absolute.
"It is a wonderful place, deep beneath the sea. Strange little houses stand everywhere—some shaped like pineapples, others like Easter Island statues..."
"There is also a restaurant selling peculiar food."
"It is called... the Krusty Krab."
"Oh, yes. And there is also a very important friend."
"A bright yellow sponge."
Merlin became more animated with each sentence. The wisdom in his eyes slowly faded, replaced by an excited gleam.
Suddenly he stood up.
Pink smoke burst from his body with a soft "poof".
When the smoke cleared, the scholarly mage had disappeared.
Standing there instead—
Was a massive pink starfish wearing flower-patterned shorts.
He waved his stubby arms excitedly and transformed his ancient book-staff into a crude jellyfish net.
Then he looked at Lin Qiye and grinned with a silly, innocent smile.
"SpongeBob! Let's go jellyfish hunting!"
After shouting that, he turned toward Yang Yi.
"Huh? Mr. Krabs, why are you here too?"
The giant starfish—Merlin—looked around the room.
When he spotted Nyx sitting quietly in a rocking chair, his eyes lit up again.
"Plankton! You're here too!"
Nyx's expression, which had been slightly confused, suddenly softened into a warm, maternal smile.
She stretched out her arms.
The giant starfish waddled over and was immediately pulled into a tight embrace.
"My dear grandson..."
Nyx's eyes filled with tears.
Lin Qiye stared blankly at the scene.
His brain struggled to process what he was seeing.
What... is going on here?
He vaguely remembered watching a few episodes of SpongeBob SquarePants as a child. The Merlin before him was acting exactly like the characters from that cartoon.
Had the legendary archmage become so obsessed with an animated show that he lost the ability to distinguish fiction from reality?
Before Lin Qiye could think further, Yang Yi leaned close and spoke quietly beside him.
"He isn't completely insane."
His voice dropped to a mysterious whisper.
"That world... is real."
Lin Qiye froze.
"But it isn't the cartoon world you're thinking of."
Yang Yi's voice grew softer.
"They are the Yellow SpongeBob... the Crusty Squidward... and the Deep Patrick Star."
Each name struck Lin Qiye's mind like a hammer.
Yellow.
Crusty.
Deep.
These terrifying titles appeared only in forbidden texts, each referring to ancient horrors or deep-sea entities tied to the Cthulhu Mythos.
A chill ran up Lin Qiye's spine.
Without hesitation, he used [Milk Avenue] on himself.
Originally he had believed Merlin's illness was merely a form of cognitive confusion.
Now it seemed far more dangerous.
If Yang Yi was telling the truth, Merlin had not encountered a cheerful underwater cartoon world.
He had encountered a terrifying realm filled with Great Old Ones.
Treating such an "illness" would be unimaginably difficult.
Lin Qiye's thoughts turned to the two abilities he had just obtained.
[Milk Avenue] — remove almost any abnormal status effect.
[Sensory Manipulation] — control or distort sensory perception.
Perhaps he could approach this at the cognitive level.
If he could remove the mental influence affecting Merlin, then use sensory manipulation to guide his perception...
Lin Qiye took a slow breath and forced himself to calm down.
Since Merlin had placed himself in the role of Patrick Star and was treating Lin Qiye as SpongeBob, playing along might be the only way forward.
He tried to recall SpongeBob's voice and mannerisms.
Then he forced a slightly awkward smile.
"Pa... Patrick Star!"
He made his voice thinner, imitating the energetic tone he remembered.
"Where should we go jellyfish hunting today?"
At the same time, he quietly prepared to activate [Sensory Manipulation] if Merlin's emotional state became unstable.
"Jellyfish hunting?"
Merlin—still in Patrick form—tilted his enormous star-shaped head.
Then he clapped excitedly.
"Right! Jellyfish hunting! Then we'll make delicious jellyfish jelly!"
But suddenly his expression twisted with confusion.
"Jellyfish jelly..."
"What was the recipe again?"
"I can't remember!"
"I can't remember!"
Patrick-Merlin began spinning in circles in frustration.
His emotions rapidly spiraled out of control.
A strange pink light began glowing from his body. Thick, sticky pink liquid seeped from his skin, releasing an unpleasant smell.
The air in the study grew heavy and oppressive.
Lin Qiye's heart tightened.
He couldn't let Merlin remain in this unstable state.
Without hesitation, he activated [Milk Avenue].
"Patrick! Drink some sea-milk to calm down!"
He handed Merlin a glass of milk.
Patrick-Merlin blinked when he saw his "good friend SpongeBob" offering it to him.
Then he happily took a sip.
The change was immediate.
The strange pink glow faded.
The viscous liquid disappeared.
Merlin's frantic movements slowed until he stood quietly in place.
His expression turned blank and confused.
A system notification sounded in Lin Qiye's mind.
Merlin treatment progress +10%.
Lin Qiye felt a surge of excitement.
It worked.
[Milk Avenue] had successfully affected Merlin's abnormal mental state.
For a brief moment, clarity returned to Merlin's eyes.
The foolish daze of Patrick Star faded, replaced by the deep wisdom of the legendary mage.
Although the moment lasted only seconds, Lin Qiye noticed it.
He cautiously spoke again, still maintaining his SpongeBob tone.
"Patrick... should we still go jellyfish hunting?"
Merlin—still in Patrick's body—slowly shook his head.
On the giant pink starfish face appeared an expression strangely mature and melancholy.
"No."
His voice was no longer Patrick's silly tone.
It carried Merlin's gentle and magnetic voice, though slightly hoarse.
"I'm not interested anymore."
He looked at Lin Qiye with complicated emotions.
"Friend... it seems we have drifted apart."
"We were very happy once."
"But now we are no longer compatible."
"Perhaps we should go our separate ways."
"That is life."
He sighed softly.
"Life... you understand?"
"Perhaps someday we will meet again."
"Please don't forget me, Mr. SpongeBob."