On the veranda covered by the autumn sun, Audrey wore a refreshing vacation straw hat and sat on a lawn chair as she leisurely flipped through a fashion magazine.
There were exquisite pastries and a cup of black tea made from tea leaves from her family's manor on the round table beside her.
Suddenly, she looked up to the edge of the veranda and saw Gehrman Sparrow walking over in a black trench coat and silk top hat.
Audrey turned her head and glanced at her maid, Annie, and realized that she, like the servants around her, ignored the stranger who had appeared out of nowhere.
At the same time, Audrey noticed that the surroundings seemed to darken a little.
She stood up, lifting the corners of her skirt as she curtsied.
During this process, she had originally planned on seriously discussing the matter between the Psychology Alchemists and Mr. Wrath, but on second thought, she smiled again and said in that infectious and brisk tone, "Mr. World, are you here to seek psychological counseling, or to deal with Mr. Wrath's problem?"
If it was just the former, Audrey believed that The World Gehrman Sparrow would let her meet him above the gray fog. That would be more convenient and faster. Therefore, this angel was definitely here under Mr. Fool's instructions to complete a mission in the real world.
At the same time, she acutely sensed that Mr. World's emotions were rather mixed. He was satisfied and happy, yet depressed and sad.
As Gehrman Sparrow's main doctor, this situation wasn't rare. It often meant that he needed a certain degree of counseling or comfort.
"Both." Klein pulled a chair over and sat by the round table.
"Do you want black tea or coffee?" Although Audrey hadn't taken the initiative to investigate Mr. World, she had met Dwayne Dantès many times before. They had attended meetings, banquets, and dances together, and under the keen observation of a Spectator, many details weren't secrets.
For example, Audrey knew that when Dwayne Dantès was Gehrman Sparrow, he preferred food that was sweet with a little sourness. He liked to drink coffee with sugar without milk; for black tea, he loved having lemon slices; out of all the pastries, his first choice was the cream pastries. He loved foie gras, roasted chicken skin, and loved rib-eye steaks more than beef tenderloin. His love for Desi pie far exceeded bread.
In addition, Audrey was undoubtedly certain that the other party was a spice enthusiast. He had high expectations of condiments, and his preferences in this aspect were inclined towards that of Desi County.
Due to these details, Audrey believed that it would be very rude to not invite Mr. World to enjoy the pastries on the table. And the beverage of choice to match these snacks was undoubtedly either black tea or coffee.
"Black tea," Klein answered after some thought.
Miss Justice's relaxed and amiable attitude made him feel much more at ease. He felt that this state would be more beneficial for the subsequent "Placating."
Since that was the case, it would definitely be better for him to enjoy the pastries while receiving psychological treatment.
"Give me another cup of black tea and add a lemon slice," Audrey said to her maid, Annie.
Annie wasn't surprised by the instructions, finding everything reasonable. She turned around and walked to the veranda's entrance, giving instructions to the servants standing there.
Audrey wasn't in a rush to begin the psychological treatment process, nor did she ask Mr. World why he was in a complicated mood. She smiled as she carefully introduced the local products of the manor. She made a comparison with Dwayne Dantès's Maygur Manor and naturally informed him of the present situation regarding his butler and servants.
Some stayed in the manor and continued their previous work. With Maygur Manor's production, it was perfectly fine sustaining them. There was even some surplus that could be converted to funds to repair the houses and be donated to charity organizations. Audrey only sent an accountant, an assistant butler, and a staff member from the foundation to do a check on them. Some felt that, without a true employer, they couldn't play their role to their fullest potential. They felt ashamed of the salary they received and chose to resign and look for work. Some of them developed an interest in charity work and found a new calling to life and joined one of the foundations under Audrey's name...
Klein listened silently, occasionally raising a question, as though he was chatting with a friend.
When the tea was served, he took a sip and nodded in satisfaction.
After watching him eat a piece of cream cake, Audrey's green eyes darted around as she said with a smile, "Food doesn't seem to be necessary for an angel, right?"
"Yes, it's just a hobby," Klein answered simply before adding, "It can be used to maintain one's humanity."
Maintain one's humanity... Audrey ruminated over the sentence. "This is to resist the godhood within you? Your mental problems come under such a category?"
She gently guided the topic to his psychological treatment.
Klein nodded slightly and said, "That's right.
"You should've experienced it. Every Beyonder who has obtained godhood will definitely experience it in some way. The difference is in the quantity."
Audrey seriously recalled and said, "I occasionally dream of a ball of light that illuminated the entire world. Occasionally, I would hear an indescribable sound, and I would see a blurry, strange, illusory ocean that seemed to contain many conflicting thoughts. I'm certain that it was an illusion, but it was also so real.
"Well, I occasionally dream of a huge cross. I heard someone praying softly but I couldn't tell the specifics no matter how I tried."
The second is likely from the sefirah, Chaos Sea, and the indirect corruption from within. The third is Visionary Adam beginning to exert influence on the Beyonders of the same pathway... The first one is the Primordial One awakening in the ancient sun god's body, the ancient God Almighty? Klein thought for a moment before saying in a deep voice, "The original Creator created all living things and also split into various Beyonder characteristics. This is the source of being extraordinary.
"Therefore, every one of us has godhood in our bodies. They have the original Creator's will. The more Beyonder characteristics gathered, the more ‘He' will awaken and replace us."
He used the most common and most ambiguous method to explain the root of the problem in a way that wouldn't lead to corruption.
This had been discussed to a certain extent at the Tarot Club, so Audrey didn't find it difficult to understand. She said thoughtfully, "That's why one needs to use one's humanity to resist godhood. At the same time, anchors are needed?"
"Yes, the light you dream of, the indescribable sounds you hear, and the illusory ocean that you see are all a type of corruption. And the gigantic cross and prayer sounds should be a result of the influence that Visionary Adam has on the Beyonders of the same pathway," Klein explained the two different situations.
Audrey subconsciously sat up straight and looked around. She appeared a little afraid.
Gehrman Sparrow actually said the name of the He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named!
"Don't worry. ‘He' can't hear me with me by your side," Klein explained.
Audrey retracted her gaze and didn't hide her surprise and astonishment.
"You've already advanced to Sequence 1?"
Isn't that too fast... "He" had only become a Sequence 2 angel slightly more than half a year ago!
Klein answered frankly, "More like a King of Angels."
"..." Audrey was silent for a few seconds. She pursed her lips and said with a "vexed" smile, "I nearly had a psychological problem just now."
Klein chuckled as well.
"To me, becoming a King of Angels isn't necessarily a good thing.
"Yes, High-Sequence Beyonders of the Spectator pathway have to pay particular attention to their mental state. To other pathways, the enhancement of godhood and the worsening corruption is rather obvious. But this isn't the case for a Spectator. You have to constantly inspect and check yourself. Any tiny changes to one's personality and their understanding of things should be traced back to the source. It must be confirmed that there are no problems and that the difference can be considered a normal change. Otherwise, you'll unknowingly become another person who can coldly kill those who you originally wanted to protect.
"It's not easy for Beyonders of the Spectator pathway to go crazy, but it's also the easiest for them to go crazy."
Audrey replied in shock, "I understand."
She continued the topic and began asking, "Your mental state is unstable, and you have a psychological problem. Is it because you became a King of Angels in such a short period of time that it exceeded your expectations?"
"Yes." Klein drank a mouthful of black tea and said, "The will that doesn't belong to me within me has mostly awakened. I can only barely suppress it and maintain some basic level of mental stability."
As Audrey listened to Gehrman Sparrow's description, she used her Beyonder powers to observe and analyze him.
After the other party finished speaking, she revealed a comforting smile and said, "I roughly understand your current situation. The initial treatment plan is divided into two steps: I'll first enter your mind world and awaken the memories related to your humanity. Oh, it doesn't include the kind that will make you so miserable that you wish to give up. Then, when your godhood reacts, I'll use Placate, Hypnotism, and other Beyonder powers to reduce the corruption and the negative effects it brings, so as to help you better suppress it."
Klein was silent for a moment before saying, "Okay."
He decided to use his unique trait of maintaining lucidity in the dream and the mind world, and first gather up the memories related to The Fool before "Grafting" them to the Worms of Spirit above the gray fog.
At that moment, Audrey got her maid, Annie, to bring over a white silk scarf.
Then, she used the thin scarf to cover her eyes and ears.
Klein watched this scene in puzzlement as he waited for Miss Justice to explain.
After tying the scarf, Audrey smiled and said, "This is a hypnotism that allows me to seal my Spirit Body's perception.
"This way, even if I were to enter your mind world, I wouldn't be able to hear or see those awakened memories. Of course, I'll keep my spiritual intuition; otherwise, I wouldn't be able to find your island of consciousness, and I wouldn't be able to sense the changes in your godhood.
"I could've just hypnotized you, but you're already a King of Angels. I'm worried that I'll be affected by your consciousness, so I'm using this symbolic ritual to achieve the state of being hypnotized and strengthen the effects."
She calmly explained, calming Klein's mood without him realizing it.
He nodded gently and said, "Alright, let's begin."
