City of Silver.
Derrick Berg had no idea how he got home. All he remembered was the indescribable horror.
Darc Regence's character and behavior didn't appear too different from his former self. However, it was true that there was a change to him that was unsettling. Derrick was afraid that the City of Silver would be targeted by the evil god, the Fallen Creator; afraid that the City of Silver would be obliterated before he could become The Sun, saving it from its more than two-thousand-year-long curse; and give hope and sunshine to the residents here.
At that moment in time, he hated himself for not being strong enough—that he was still only at Sequence 8.
No! I can't just watch idly! Derrick suddenly stood up, and he prepared to rush to the spire and tell the other elders of the six-member council and Chief Colin Iliad of what he had discovered.
However, Derrick knew that such anomalies weren't suspicious. Every time they explored the depths of the darkness, the members would have a period of intense tension lasting for days, tens of days, or even more than a month.
In addition, the uninhabited desolate plains and the hopeless journey would bring about extreme depression. In addition, in order to be safe, the members of the exploration team wouldn't be allowed to release any sexual urges that had been pent up during their excursions, which caused them to act differently after every exploration. If they ended up with more than half the team ending up dead or injured, a huge change in personality wasn't a rare occurrence.
The manner of handling such people could only be dealt with via the usual quarantine and treatment with almost zero exceptions.
The City of Silver had the first three Sequences of the Dragon pathway, so there was no lack of Psyche Analysts.
Derrick rushed to the door and suddenly slowed down.
He knew that this method of reporting to the six-member council might not be effective. It would likely arouse suspicion, and there might even be the threat of being targeted by the Shepherd, Elder Lovia.
After pacing back and forth for more than ten seconds, Derrick gritted his teeth and pulled the door open.
He felt that he had to warn the elders of the six-member council, even if it would be a huge risk for him!
For the vast majority of the residents of the City of Silver, sacrificing their lives to maintain the existence of this city and the continuation of this civilization was the belief that was ingrained into their bones.
Selfish people often didn't live long in such environments regardless of whether it was outside or inside.
Of course, Derrick wasn't completely reckless. Under the tutelage of the members of the Tarot Club, especially The Hanged Man, he clearly understood that there were times when one had to be patient, protect himself properly, and avoid unnecessary sacrifices in order to better defend the City of Silver.
I'll only talk about the abnormality I observed. It shouldn't be dangerous... Derrick consoled himself, running faster and faster.
Finally, he saw the spire that represented the highest authority in the City of Silver.
He found a Beyonder on duty and made a request to meet with the Chief.
To Derrick's surprise, the Beyonder didn't ask the usual questions. After simply passing on the information, he was led up the stairs to the Chief's room.
Very strange... It's different from before... Derrick felt that the changes in the details made him more uneasy.
Entering the room, he saw Chief Colin Iliad standing in front of a wall.
This tall elder, with his deep blue eyes and messy white hair, had his back facing two swords that hung on the wall. He wore his usual flaxen-colored shirt and brown coat, and it was hard to believe that he was an expert who had successfully hunted many devils and monsters.
"Derrick Berg, what matter would actually require you to tell me it, face to face?" Colin asked in a deep voice.
"Your Excellency." Derrick saluted. "I met the team that was sent to explore that temple at the training grounds today. I-I found that the Darc Regence I know has experienced a strange change. He's no longer as cheerful as he was before, and his smile is as polite as a stranger's. Also, Elder Lovia doesn't frequently change the way she speaks like she usually did."
Colin looked deeply at Derrick and asked in a low voice, "Just these two things?"
"Yes, yes." Derrick lowered his head. "I think there might be something unusual about that."
Colin waved his hand and said, "I got it, I'll get Aiflor to do an investigation. You may return. In the future, you just need to report such matters to the guardian of the spire directly."
Aiflor was the City of Silver's most experienced Psyche Analyst who was closest to Sequence 6. It was a pity that there was no potion formula after Sequence 7.
After receiving such an answer, Derrick left gloomily.
Looking at Derrick's back as he disappeared by the door, Colin sighed in disappointment.
...
After talking to Dr. Aaron about Will Auceptin's situation for a while. Klein got off the carriage and took the steam metro. After three stops, he arrived near Minsk Street and switched to a trackless public carriage to return home.
As it was still early, he used divination to confirm that the previous tenant wasn't lying, and then he diligently continued to study the Book of Secrets.
Ever since he had obtained this mysterious book, Klein's use of the mysterious space above the gray fog became more and more ingenious as he completed many more outstanding techniques.
"What limits me now is my own Sequence, my own strength, and spirituality." Late at night, Klein hid the Book of Secrets and went to the bathroom to wash up, in preparation for bed.
That night, he slept soundly. Even the church bells in the morning only made him turn over.
Winter is the best time to stay in bed... Klein grunted and got up.
To reward the Hero Bandit Dark Emperor, he had a sugared hard-boiled egg and strawberry jam he specially bought to match with white bread.
Just as he was enjoying his meal, the doorbell suddenly rang.
"Didn't I tell Mike to come after breakfast?" He took a sip of the sweet soup and wiped his mouth with a napkin.
According to his agreement with Reporter Mike, he would only arrive half an hour after breakfast before they began interviewing the rescued girls of East Borough. If Mike didn't appear after half an hour, then it meant that the matter would be delayed by a day.
Klein walked to the door, but before he could reach out his hand, the outline of a visitor appeared in his mind. He wasn't Reporter Mike Joseph but Dr. Aaron Ceres.
"Good morning, Aaron. Did you sleep late last night?" Klein noticed that Aaron's face was pale, so he quietly activated his Spirit Vision to take a look.
Aaron took off his hat and cane and started to take off his coat, but the cold air in the room stopped him.
Klein laughed dryly and said, "As you know, I'll be going out today. Mike might come looking for me, so I didn't light up the fireplace."
Aaron nodded and didn't say anything else. He followed Klein into the living room, found a seat and sat down.
"Sherlock, I had a nightmare last night. I dreamed about that child, Will Auceptin!"
Nightmare? This is within the limits of my knowledge... I'm a professional when it comes to interpreting dreams, far more professional than deduction... Klein leaned forward, clasped his hands, and said, "What kind of nightmare?"
Aaron recalled and said, "There are some details and processes that I can't remember. What I remember most is a tall, pitch-black steeple with a huge silver snake coiled around it. It was moving slowly, looking at me with its cold, merciless red eyes.
"I don't know why, but I entered the steeple, and I would go up the stairs and, at other times, down the stairs, going through walls after walls, and one locked door after another. Finally, I found the child called Will Auceptin in a dark corner. He hopped a few steps on one leg and curled up against the wall, with tarot cards scattered everywhere beside him.
"When he saw me, he was scared and happy. He called out, ‘Dr. Aaron'... The whole dream was roughly like that before I woke up."
Klein listened attentively and thought for a while before asking, "Did Will Auceptin say anything else?"
Aaron frowned in thought before suddenly saying, "Yes, he said, ‘Dr. Aaron, a snake wants to eat me!'
"Following that, a giant silver snake hung down from the ceiling, its head facing me...
"Its mouth was very big, but it has no teeth, no tongue, and it was completely blood-red!"
Silver giant snake... A pitch-black steeple... Will Auceptin protected under layers of protection... Klein said to Dr. Aaron in a measured voice, "It's not a very strange dream. It likely has you subconsciously sensing some kind of predicament he was in while you were talking to Will Auceptin, that he was being threatened by something. That's why you dreamed of something like this: a child hiding in the depths of a tall steeple, behind countless walls and doors, huge silver snakes coiling around the top of the steeple...
"Heh heh, as a detective, we know a little bit of psychology. It's also often talked about in the newspapers.
"What I don't understand is why you didn't have such a dream until today."
Klein didn't lie about his interpretation, but he didn't reveal the possible true reasons behind it.
Aaron opened his mouth and said, "I was in too much of a hurry just now and forgot to mention something."
As he spoke, he took out a leather wallet and took out a fairly exquisitely folded paper crane.
"After realizing that Will Auceptin and his family had moved away, I remembered that he had given me this before he left the hospital, saying, ‘Doctor, this will bring you good luck.'
"I didn't pay much attention to it at the time and casually threw it into the office drawer. After parting with you last night, I went to retrieve it and put it in my wallet. As a result, I had a nightmare that very night."
Klein looked at the paper crane, nodded thoughtfully and said, "Dr. Aaron, it looks like Will Auceptin didn't deliberately bring you bad luck. He had made up for it later. The paper crane invented by Emperor Roselle is meant to act as symbolism for wishing you well; besides, he said it would bring you good luck."
Aaron subconsciously asked, "Origami was invented by Emperor Roselle?"
I don't know if it's him, but I think it's likely him... Klein smiled.
"Probably."
