After dinner and another hour of training with Yato, it's dawn already. Lin Yie can't help but feel he went back in time, reliving his arduous life in high school.

Ansel is not sleeping yet. When he hears the door open, he looks up briefly from his book, "You're half an hour earlier than usual. Did you slack off?"

"Of course not." Lin Yie hangs his sword on the wall, "I do my best every day to become a sword saint, alright."

Ansel chuckles, "Sure you are. And I'm a girl"

That I'm not too sure yet

Lin Yie asks, "What're you reading?"

"It's a medical book," Ansel says lightly, "I need to study even during my break."

Lin Yie gives him a thumbs-up, "I'm impressed. You really humbled me."

Ansel frowns. Lin Yie is obviously praising him, but he can't help but feel Lin Yie needs a beating. He slams his book shut and sets it aside, "I'm sleeping now."Lin Yie shakes his head helplessly. A little tease is enough to upset Ansel, not to mention it was Ansel who started the conversation. Still, teasing Ansel is one of his few entertainments here in Rhodes Island. Unfortunately, Ansel is a boy.

Lin Yie feels he's turning gay slowly.

Ansel suddenly asks, "Did you interview Ptilopsis today?"

"Yeah," Lin Yie asks, "You know her?"

"Of course, she's one of the medical staff," Ansel says, "But I have to say, you really know how to cause trouble for yourself."

Lin Yie steps out of the bathroom and asks, "What do you mean?"

Ansel didn't want to explain, but after some hesitation, he decides to tell Lin Yie, "Do you know Rhine Lab?"

"A little bit. That's where Silence and Ptilopsis worked, right?"

"Um. That's a crazy place," Ansel doesn't want to say too much,

"Dr. Silence came from Rhine Lab. To this day, she still holds many ideals that conflict with most people's here in Rhodes Island, even though I believe we are all on the same side."

Lin Yie is still confused.

Ansel rolls his eyes. Does he have to make everything clear?

"In other words, even in Rhodes Island, there exist many factions, and they believe in different things," Ansel turns around on his bed to face Lin Yie,

"You know Dr. Silence already, and you are taking care of Ifrit. Now you have Ptilopsis as your assistant. I hope…"

"You hope I'm still one of Rhodes Island's people?"

"You already are one of us. They are too."

Lin Yie smiles weakly, "I'm just a psychologist."

"Don't underestimate yourself," Ansel says,

"Or rather, your ability. That's why I want you to use it properly, not… on some immoral experiments."

Lin Yie frowns, "You mean Silence asked Ptilopsis to…"

"That's not what I meant," Ansel cuts him off, "Dr. Silence and Ptilopsis are my colleagues. I'm just giving you some advice as to your roommate in a very ordinary chat."

Lin Yie nods.

"Good."

Before Ansel turns off the lights, Lin Yie asks him about the factions in Rhodes Island.

"Why do you have to ask something so sensitive?" Ansel sounds irritated, but Lin Yie is an employee of Rhodes Island. It's only a matter of time before Lin Yie learns about the factions, so Ansel decides to tell Lin Yie now.

"Listen," Ansel says with a serious tone, "

Rhodes Island is a group of people who share some common beliefs. They can be kins, friends, or simply colleagues. Do you understand?"

Lin Yie nods.

"Let's start with the people you know," Ansel says,

"Shining and Nearl are part of the group called 'Followers.' Shining and Nightingale are from the same race, and Nearl met them before joining Rhodes Island. Because of Shining, the Sarkaz's in Rhodes Island and the Followers are really close."

Ansel pauses for a moment, "Shining and Nearl joined Rhodes Island to treat Nightingale's sickness. That's their primary objective. As for the other Sarkaz's, because they experienced the Sarkaz civil war, they are tired of conflicts. That's why they are the most sociable group in Rhodes Island."

Devils are most sociable...

Lin Yie is speechless.

"Former Rhine Lab employees, as I said," Ansel continues,

"They mainly consist of Silence, Ptilopsis, and Ifrit. We don't know much about them. Well, the Doctor and Dr. Kal'tsit know more than us. We only know they came here after something nasty happened in Rhine Lab."

"What happened there?"

Ansel rolls his eyes, "You think I know? You should ask the Doctor or Dr. Kal'tsit about that. Amiya might not even know the details."

"Alright." Lin Yie nods, "So, there are Silence, Ptilopsis, and Ifrit?"

"No, there is another person," Ansel says,

"Saria."

"Who's that?"

"Someone really powerful. She left Rhine Lab with Silence, but Silence seems to have issues with her," Ansel shakes his head,

"I don't know much about Saria, since she rarely comes to Rhodes Island, but I heard she's similar to Nearl in terms of personality."

"What about the others?"

"There's us," Ansel says,

"People who have been part of Rhodes Island since the beginning, such as Yato, Orchid, and Noir Corne."

Ansel adds, "There's another group that you came in contact with, the Karlan Commercial Co."

"Karlan Commercial?"

"Uhm, the folks from Kjerag. You know, Matterhorn, Pramanix, and Cliffheart. It's pretty simple. Pramanix works here, and Cliffheart came to treat oripathy. Matterhorn is their servant. But Pramanix seems to have some problems with her brother, so he didn't come with her."

Lin Yie nods.

Ansel frowns, "There're… Penguin Logistics and Blacksteel Worldwide. They're our partners. Sometimes, those groups have people stationed here, and their operators are quite reliable."

Lin Yie thinks for a moment and says, "So, the people I need to watch out for are those from Rhine Lab?"

"Uhm, basically," Ansel says, "I might just be paranoid. Dr. Silence didn't do anything bad after joining us, and we only heard a little bit about her past. I just don't understand why Dr. Silence recommended Ptilopsis to you."

Lin Yie chuckles, "Maybe she wants to earn more? And Ptilopsis is pretty smart. She can help me with a lot of things."

Ansel nods, "Everyone from Rhine Lab is quite excellent… Wait."

Ansel suddenly facepalms.

Lin Yie asks, "What's wrong?"

"How did I forget this?" Ansel sighs,

"Why did I ask you to watch out for Rhine Lab when there are people much more dangerous near you?"

Lin Yie raises an eyebrow, "Who?"

"The fourth floor," Ansel says slowly,

"We all think that's the most dangerous place."

Lin Yie's face freezes, "That's an overstatement, right? Right?"

"No. Of course not." Ansel shakes his head,

"The former Rhine Lab employees or the devils at least look harmless on the surface, but…" Ansel takes a deep breath before continuing,

"The fourth floor of your office building houses the real lunatics, the real killers."

Translator's Note

Did I say Shining and Nearl are part of the group called Confessors in the past? They are members of the Followers. Shining WAS part of the Confessors. I'm sorry if I said that.