Payment

The doctor quickly recovered his compsure.

"Well,you should be able to pay at the reception desk in a few minutes. I'll notify them."

Arthur nodded again, his face unreadable but his mind already racing. 

'This is going to cost me everything I've worked for. But, It's worth it.'

The doctor glanced at him once more, a glint in his eyes that was hard to decipher, before leaving the room.

As the door clicked shut behind the doctor, Arthur turned back to Charlotte, giving her hand a gentle squeeze trying to reassure her.

"I'll be right back," he said softly. "I need to take care of the payment."

Charlotte's expression remained conflicted, her lips pressing into a tight line, but she didn't try to stop him and nodded.

Arthur stood up and slowly walked out of the room, closing the door behind him.

In the hallway, he exhaled deeply, steadying himself. 

'This is what I've made so far,' he thought, his fingers brushing the edge of the player ring.

'Her treatment is worth every coin, in fact, it's worth everything.' 

With that thought, he headed toward the reception desk, ready to get Charlotte the treatment needed, no matter the cost.

Arthur approached the reception desk, his face calm despite the storm of thoughts in his head. The receptionist looked up, her kind eyes softening as she saw the young man before her.

"How can I help you?" she asked, her tone polite.

Arthur gave her a small nod. "I need to pay for the treatment for the patient in room 24," he said, keeping his voice steady. "Charlotte Fate."

The receptionist's expression faltered for a moment, a flicker of hesitation crossing her face. "The payment required is $20,000, sir," she said gently, clearly expecting him to buckle at the amount. Her tone held the same sympathy Arthur had encountered from others, the kind that was more of a pity.

Arthur didn't waver. Instead, he nodded and reached up to open his player system interface, his fingers moving as he accessed the currency conversion feature.

[Ding! $20,000 has been transferred to your bank account. The account balance is $21,100.05.]

Arthur's gaze flicked to the remaining balance in his account, he let out a small sigh.

'The $1,100.05 left is from the previous exchange of 20 silver coins,' he thought. He recalled spending $500 for the diagnostic tests and another $400 to cover two days of hospital bills for Charlotte.

'I'm back to being broke again.'

The realization hit him hard.

He had fought tooth and nail for every coin he'd earned, and now most of it was gone in an instant.

He clenched his fists for a moment before relaxing them.

'It's fine,' he told himself. 'I'll just have to make more money again. Otherwise…'

He didn't allow the thought to finish, knowing it would only distract him.

The receptionist waited patiently, and when Arthur handed over his bank card, she ran it through the POS terminal.

The machine processed the payment with a faint beep before displaying the message:

[Ding! Payment Successful.]

The receptionist glanced at the screen and offered him a warm smile. "Thank you, sir. The payment has been processed successfully. I hope your family has a speedy recovery."

Arthur nodded absentmindedly, his mind was already elsewhere.

'Twenty thousand gone just like that,' he thought, his expression hardening.

'I need to start grinding as soon as possible. This payment is going to be needed every week.'

Arthur spotted the doctor standing in the hallway, having a conversation with a nurse. He decided to approach him.

Spotting Arthur walking towards him the doctor turned toward him, recognizing him immediately.

"Mr. Fate," the doctor said, offering a professional nod. "How can I help you?"

Arthur stopped a few feet away, his posture straight. "I just paid the amount for the treatment," he said. "I had a few questions in mind."

The doctor adjusted his clipboard slightly and gestured for him to continue. "Go ahead, sir."

Arthur hesitated for a brief moment, choosing his words carefully. "I'd like to ask if I can take my sister out today. You mentioned the procedure and its consequences earlier, and I understand she won't have such opportunities going forward. I want to know if taking her out for a while would negatively affect her health."

The doctor's face softened as he processed the request. "I see," he said, nodding slowly. "That's a reasonable question."

He glanced at the clipboard in his hands before shaking his head. "You can take her out today. The treatment hasn't started yet—it will begin tomorrow. So yes, this is likely the only opportunity for her to enjoy herself without additional strain on her health."

Arthur nodded, though a small frown flickered across his face, the doctor's words confirmed the difficult times awaiting.

"Alright," he said, his voice quieter now.

He glanced back at the doctor, deciding to ask something else. "What about me staying in her room?"

The doctor raised an eyebrow and then gave a small, approving smile. "Ah yes, that's included in the package. The $20,000 covers a high level of patient comfort, which includes a private room equipped with a convertible guest bed. You're welcome to sleep there. Just inform the nurse when you're ready, and they'll prepare it for you."

Arthur nodded again. "Alright,"

The doctor gave a brief nod. "If you have any more questions, don't hesitate to ask."

Arthur nodded then turned and walked back toward Charlotte's room.