Novel Bin Chapter 11: Vivian
Chapter 11: Vivian
The silence that follows is the most dreaded.
They lock eyes, just like their chance encounters at the corner yesterday.
Yesterday, he was a scavenger and she was a robber.
Today, she unveils herself as an innocent young girl.
And he stands in the clinic as a polite and well-mannered doctor.
Charlotte couldn't fathom that the girl with an amateurish modus operandi from yesterday could appear before him so quickly.
All the lies he spun yesterday must have been exposed!
Could it be that she acted on impulse and would kill him?
Charlotte nervously tightens his grip on the magic talisman. If she exhibits any dangerous behavior, he must immediately suppress her.
Vivian, looking at Charlotte dressed appropriately at the clinic entrance, also appears bewildered.
"This man used to make a living by scavenging and catching bugs, right? Doesn't he still have a crippled daughter? Why does he look like a doctor at this clinic?"
Vivian's mind feels like mush, and after a moment of confusion, she suddenly realizes that she may have been deceived yesterday.
So, was his pitiful appearance yesterday all an act?
The contents of the package were not stolen goods but ingredients for making potions.
And the girl with a limp, who touched her heart, was also fabricated?
Vivian's round face gradually turns red, and she feels that her emotions invested in him have all gone to waste.
This level of emotional investment, only to find out in the end that she has become a joke, is no less humiliating than being played by a scumbag.
Charlotte senses the chilling aura and feels bitter inside, but he dares not show it on his face. He calmly says, "The clinic is closed today. If it's an emergency, you can go to another place."
Yes, he pretends not to recognize the other party.
Since she has revealed her true identity by tearing off the facade, it means she wants to turn over a new leaf.
"A young lady like you wouldn't want others to know that you were once a robber, right?" Charlotte looks into the girl's eyes, the implication clear.
"What? He pretends not to recognize me!" Vivian's pupils dilate, her anger and indignation increasing.
But she quickly understands Charlotte's gaze.
She feels humiliated.
Just as Charlotte hinted, she knocked on the door of the clinic to find a job.
After being beaten down by society for a few days, she has realized that she cannot survive robbery alone.
For example, the man standing in front of her is enough to pin her to the pillar of shame!
She wants to find a job as a doctor. There are not many medical halls in the Abyss, and the three larger ones draw too much attention due to their large number of patients, so she ruled them out.
This private small medical hall, which only receives about ten patients a day, became her best choice.
But she never expected that the one opening the door would be her target from yesterday's robbery.
"I... I..." Vivian's well-developed chest rises and falls slightly, as she struggles to restrain her emotions. "I'm not here for medical treatment. I'm looking for a job."
After speaking, she lowers her eyelids, afraid to look at Charlotte. Her face turns red to her ears.
Yes, she can only pretend not to recognize Charlotte as well.
"Looking for a job?" Charlotte looks at the blushing girl in front of him, and his initial thought is to reject her.
She looks like a gullible and pampered rich girl who is clearly a magic practitioner with healing abilities and suddenly ended up on the streets of the Abyss.
It's hard to believe there isn't a story behind all this.
However, when the words reach his lips, he hesitates.
The clinic is indeed in urgent need of an assistant, and this young girl in front of him, despite her mysterious background, fits all his requirements perfectly.
If he had one more assistant with healing abilities, it would make the treatment of trauma patients much easier.
If she also knows cleansing magic, they could even save on cleaning potions, which would be a significant amount of money.
In the Abyss, you should never fantasize about finding an employee with a clean background, kindness, and loveliness.
You even have to be on guard all the time, as they might try to harm you for your wealth while you're asleep.
Even the original owner of this body was recognized by the Calvarian authorities as a "medical butcher" and was imprisoned for a year before being expelled as a criminal.
And this girl in front of him, who looks like a little white rabbit, obviously just arrived in the Abyss, the big cesspool.
He had just tested her yesterday, and she lacked depth and was prone to emotions.
She is much easier to control than the succubus sisters at the club.
"If you become my assistant, what would be your expected salary?" Charlotte looks at Vivian and asks.
Vivian seriously contemplates for a while.
If she had just arrived in the Abyss, as a mid-level healing magic practitioner who received elite education at the Imperial Medical Academy, she couldn't accept anything less than ten to twenty thousand per month.
But after being beaten down in the Abyss, all she wants now is a stable environment, enough food to eat, a good sleep, and not worrying about waking up being sold to an old man.
"Um... I need room and board, and a monthly salary of 1,000 copper coins," Vivian cautiously stated her requirements, her gaze somewhat anxious as she looked at Charlotte.
Although Charlotte had deceived her just yesterday, in the Abyss where monsters and demons ran rampant, the fact that Charlotte, a fellow human, made her feel a sense of closeness that she couldn't help but develop.
After all, it was she who had initially intended to rob him, and his lies to escape could be understood.
Now, she was worried whether Charlotte had truly failed to recognize her and would reject her because of what happened yesterday.
Charlotte's eyes lit up at the offer. To get a healing magic practitioner as an assistant for just 1,000 copper coins was not only reasonable but also a great deal!Foll𝑜ow current novÊls on nov3lb((in).(com)
He was satisfied with the appearance of a girl who had been tamed by society.
He even wanted to sing a line: 'I love your lonely walks in dark alleys, I love your modest appearance!'
Even if it was just hiring a maid to help with cleaning, 1,000 copper coins wouldn't be a loss at all.
Although he was quite satisfied, Charlotte didn't show it on his face. He scrutinized Vivian and said, "Briefly describe your abilities. I need to assess whether you're capable of working at the clinic."
Vivian's spirit trembled, realizing that Charlotte hadn't outright rejected her, indicating that she still had a chance. She composed herself and said, "My name is Vivian. I'm a mid-level water magic practitioner. I know Cleansing Magic, Hemostasis Magic, and Intermediate Healing Magic."
"Mid-level magic practitioner?" Charlotte was somewhat surprised. This girl named Vivian, who looked no more than fifteen or sixteen, had already reached the third rank among magic practitioners, just one rank lower than he was in his youth.
She could be called a genius!
As for the three magic skills she mentioned, they were the most fundamental and practical skills for a doctor, sufficient to handle the majority of patients' conditions.
"With your abilities, even if you opened your clinic, you could easily handle it and earn more money. Why would you come to this small place and settle for less?" Charlotte stared at Vivian, directly asking the question.
Even though he was quite interested, he still needed to have some control over Vivian's situation.
Vivian's face clearly showed some panic. She bit her lip and tried to avoid Charlotte's gaze.
"It's hard for me to trust you and let you join the clinic if you can't be honest with me," Charlotte shrugged.
Vivian hesitated and struggled for a while. She looked into Charlotte's eyes, took a step forward, and whispered, "I won't hide it from you either. People are hunting me down, and I hope to find a haven. You should understand what kind of attention it would attract if a new clinic opened in the Abyss, and the doctor is a young human girl."
Charlotte understood, and it was close to what he had expected.
"You came from the imperial capital of the Lance Empire?"
"Yes," Vivian nodded firmly. Mentioning the imperial capital, her gaze regained focus, becoming resolute.
Although the girl seemed a bit disheveled, her neatly tied hair and clean face showed her determination to maintain her dignity.
The imperial capital was thousands of miles away from the Abyss, and it was hard to imagine how she had made it here alone. She must have endured a lot of hardship along the way.
A tinge of pity rose in Charlotte's heart.
"Come inside," Charlotte stepped back.
"You agreed?" Vivian's face lit up with joy. She took a deep breath and stepped into the entrance of the clinic.
Charlotte glanced around at the neighboring houses. It was lunchtime, and no one noticed what happened there, so he quickly closed the door and slid the heavy iron bolt into place.
Vivian's hands were clasped behind her back, somewhat fidgety and uneasy, but her gaze discreetly surveyed the clinic.
The clinic was very clean, from the floor to the walls, including the consultation stone bed and stone stool. It was completely different from the scenes she had witnessed in other places in the Abyss over the past two days.
This increased her fondness for Charlotte a bit more.
Her gaze fell on the cabinet, where various organs were soaked in jars, which surprised her. But as a medical student, she wasn't scared, just puzzled as to why Charlotte would collect so many organs.
Her gaze shifted upward to the dozen or so bottles of various potions.
Her attention was quickly drawn to the white cat nestled inside the cabinet. Its pink paws were intertwined, and its snow-white long fur was so smooth. Especially its golden and blue heterochromatic eyes, Vivian instantly fell for them.
"What a beautiful kitty!" Vivian exclaimed softly.
The Maine Coon cat seemed curious about this new guest and stretched lazily. It jumped from the cabinet onto the counter, walking elegantly to the edge as it appraised Vivian.
"Her left front leg seems to be injured," Vivian keenly noticed the cat's gait problem and instinctively asked Charlotte, "Is she, Anna?"
Charlotte couldn't help but find it amusing. However, he didn't expose her and simply nodded slightly, saying, "Yes, her name is Anna."
Vivian realized the flaw in her words and blushed again, her recently recovered face turning red.
"Why are you blushing like a tea kettle?!" Charlotte was speechless.
If his enemy offered a reward, all they needed to do was add the phrase 'blushes habitually,' and the difficulty of finding her would significantly decrease.
"According to what you said earlier, you want to act discreetly and avoid being found by your enemies?" Charlotte continued the conversation.
"Yes, they have a significant influence, and I'm afraid they might track me down to the Abyss," Vivian nodded.
"Then aren't you afraid that I might sell you off for a handsome reward?" Charlotte sneered.
"You won't," Vivian shook her head confidently.
"And how can you be so sure?"
Vivian pointed at Anna with a serious expression, "I believe that someone who treats a cat like a daughter wouldn't sell me off for a small reward."
She now felt that Charlotte hadn't lied to her yesterday. He indeed had a little elf in his home who needed care.
How could such a loving person be a bad guy?!