Julie dodged the muzzle flash while simultaneously using a joint lock to pin Wu Chang to the ground.
"Is this how you repay someone who saved your life?"
Wu Chang slapped the ground in surrender, "That's exactly how I helped Doctor Charles take off his uniform just now."
Julie released Wu Chang and said irritably, "That wasn't helping him get rid of the uniform's control; you just kicked him off the cliff."
Wu Chang retorted righteously, "Just tell me if his uniform came off or not."
The fight between Charles and Wu Chang shattered the silence of the sanatorium night. The medical staff in the hallway, as if receiving some kind of instruction, approached the location where the noise originated.
Julie glanced at the approaching sleepwalkers. Ignoring the need to waste words with Wu Chang, she grabbed him and slipped into an empty room nearby.
She covered his mouth with one hand and raised her index finger with the other, making a "shush" gesture.
A few minutes later, the hallway returned to silence, and the sleepwalkers dispersed, resuming their sleepwalking state of struggling with their uniforms.
Julie leaned close to Wu Chang's ear and whispered, "Moving around outside at night is forbidden; it's a rule of the sanatorium."
"What exactly is the situation here?" Wu Chang asked in a whisper, mimicking Julie.
There were too many mysteries within the Moonlight Sanatorium, and too few clues. Even after reviewing the Grudges of several Players, the Intelligence he possessed remained pitifully scarce.
Now that an informed person had finally appeared, how could he possibly let her go easily?
Just like an NPC providing clues in any game, Julie cooperated fully and recounted everything happening inside the Moonlight Sanatorium.
The Intelligence Julie provided was close to Wolf's, with the only difference being the addition of two crucial pieces of information.
The first concerned the Anderson Family.
Legend has it that before the invention of the Steam Engine, when Human Faith had not yet been usurped by industry and technology, some fortunate individuals favored by a God could master the powers of Mysticism.
The Royal Family once gathered these people together to form the Arcane Knights.
The ancestor of the Anderson Family was the first, and final, commander of the Arcane Knights.
The merit that granted the Anderson Family the fiefdom of White Stone was his leading the Arcane Knights to Seal an Evil God named Lyman, and the Evil God worshiped by the Tranquility Sect is named Lyman.
Legend states that Lyman is an Evil God five meters tall, composed entirely of Gold.
After the Arcane Knights Sealed Lyman, they melted its Body down into gold coins for storage. These coins retained Lyman's evil Divine Power, hence they are called Cursed Gold.
The second point concerned the Dean of the Moonlight Sanatorium, Randy Anderson himself.
Randy is a complete materialist, firmly believing that so-called Mysticism is nothing more than trickery designed to fool people. Yet, ironically, he possesses a Talent for Mysticism comparable to his ancestor.
Under his strong Will, the entire Moonlight Sanatorium was constructed by him into a massive Spell Formula.
Anyone who enters the sanatorium is assigned an identity and bound within the Spell Formula.
Identities are divided into two types—medical staff and patients—in the form of uniforms. Once merged with an identity, one cannot break free or escape.
Those wandering the hallways, struggling with their uniforms in a Sleepwalking State, are Evil God Followers who infiltrated the Moonlight Sanatorium attempting to obtain the Cursed Gold.
Even with the power bestowed by the Evil God, they cannot escape the Spell Formula.
At this point, Julie's tone grew solemn.
"The Spell Formula inside the sanatorium is like mandatory make-believe with a brainwashing function. It erodes and modifies everyone's Will, turning them into puppets named medical staff and patients."
"I could resist before, but the power of the Spell Formula has been strengthening recently. If this continues, sooner or later I won't be able to maintain my clarity and will be Assimilated by the Spell Formula. That's why I need your help to find a way to break free from the Spell Formula."
Wu Chang was worrying about the next step when the NPC providing the Prompt actively sought him out. He suppressed his excitement and asked calmly:
"What can I do to help you?"
Julie said, "The Delusion Syndrome has developed to this Stage. Only Dean Randy has the Ability to stop all of this. I can use Phase Magic to help you pass through the obstacles and enter the Dean's Office. What you need to do is persuade him to recognize Reality, accept his magical Talent, and end all of this."
"Persuading the Dean, you are clearly more suited for it. Why don't you go yourself?" Wu Chang asked with a frown.
As a mature NPC, Julie should learn to clear the Instance herself instead of relying on Players for everything.
Julie said helplessly, "I mentioned before that once you merge with an identity, you are restricted by the Rules of the sanatorium, and I am no exception. Without permission, I cannot enter the Dean's Office arbitrarily, but as a Newcomer, you are not bound by the Rules."
"How long after entering the sanatorium does one merge with their identity?"
"One week."
Wu Chang clicked his tongue, thinking the Moonlight Sanatorium Instance was quite insidious.
The Instance introduction only emphasized leaving the sanatorium; it didn't mention a time limit. If the Instance Strategy wasn't completed within a week, one might never be able to leave.
It was clearly a trap for Players who favor a Steady and Firm approach, like the Veteran Doctor. He spent almost a week just figuring out how to change from a patient to a doctor, meaning he had already lost the game before the exploration truly began.
"Miss Julie, regarding persuading the Dean, do you have any suggestions?"
Wu Chang was self-aware; he wasn't the protagonist of a hot-blooded manga who could defeat an Arch-villain with just the power of love and justice rhetoric.
Julie pulled out a metal badge the size of a cookie from her bosom and placed it in Wu Chang's hand.
"It will ensure Randy doesn't kill you on sight, but how you persuade Randy is something you'll have to figure out yourself."
Wu Chang looked at the warm badge in his hand.
「Item Name: King's Emblem.」
「Item Type: Dungeon Item」
「Item Description: A token of the King. Only an envoy personally appointed by the King can hold this emblem. The Bearer will gain the respect of the Kingdom Faction and the Arcane Knights Faction, and has a chance to unlock an extra Ability when obtaining Kingdom Faction related Items.」
「Remark: Manufactured by the First Generation Secret Knight Order. It can only be activated with the Bearer's permission and cannot be replicated.」
No wonder Julie knew so much Intelligence; she was a secret agent sent by the King.
"Aren't you worried I'm someone from the Tranquility Sect?"
Julie shook her head, "Not worried."
"Because I look upright and imposing?"
"..."
After a brief silence, Julie said, "Because I saw you kill Jinton. Jinton had a talisman bestowed by an Evil God; those who worship Evil Gods cannot harm him."
Wu Chang remembered something, and his expression became strange, "You didn't warn every Newcomer entering the sanatorium not to provoke Jinton, did you?"
He seemed to know the source of the heavy Grudge surrounding Jinton.
Julie said without any guilt, "I need an efficient method to screen companions, valuable companions."
"You've figured out my background now?" About to face the Dean directly, as an Outsider, Wu Chang needed a credible identity.
Nothing was more suitable than the identity Julie had fabricated in her mind.
Julie wore an expression of revealing the secret and slowly said:
"You possess a magical Item carrying a sacred aura, and its condition is Perfect, but the details show traces of history. Moreover, when you saw the King's Emblem, you didn't proactively ask me about its effects; instead, you looked surprised, clearly recognizing it."
"Coupled with your actions of killing Evil God Followers and investigating the Cursed Gold, it's not hard to guess that you must be a descendant of a member of the Arcane Knights."
Wu Chang applauded Julie's guess.
"You guessed correctly; I am."