“I dream of a town that’s enshrouded in fog. The crimson moon in the sky would be clear and blurred at random.
“In the middle of the town is a black cathedral. Corpses are hung up inside. They wear clothes from different eras as they sway in the wind and produce strange sounds.
“Apart from that, there’s a beautiful lady whose gaps in her teeth were filled with blood-colored human flesh, a mushroom man formed of countless tiny mushrooms…”
To treat his psychological problems, Klein reconstructed his dream in a rather complete manner. However, he didn’t say that he had encountered those things in reality, nor divulge that he knew the beautiful lady’s identity and the strange mushroom’s origins. At the same time, he hid the existence of the cluster of translucent maggots and Zaratul.
Audrey listened intently and seriously. Based on her Beyonder intuition and knowledge from mysticism and psychological, she said as she contemplated, “Mr. World, I can imagine such a terrifying and sinister dream. I can also experience the immense horror that it brings you.”
Seeing that there wasn’t any rebuttal from the other side of the wooden partition, Audrey grew in confidence. She silently did another round of Placate and began “Guiding.”
“The horror that appears in dreams will often stem from feelings hidden deep in one’s heart. And there are only two sources of horror in one’s heart. One is the unknown, and the second is what cannot be resisted.
“The terrifying things you see in your dream are only superficial. What you are really afraid of is what they represent and symbolize—the truth hidden behind them.”
As she spoke, Audrey suddenly asked, “What is it?”
Klein was gradually relaxing and scrutinizing himself as he took in Miss Justice’s gentle and sweet voice. When he suddenly heard this question, he subconsciously answered, “The existence that created all of that.”
He paused and hesitantly added, “They are both an unknown and also cannot be resisted.”
At this point, Klein knew why he was having nightmares, as well as the true reason for his terrible mental state.
He instinctively felt horrified over certain matters and instinctively had latent negative emotions.
The former included the cluster of translucent maggots and Zaratul’s terrifying performance. There was also the Eraser angel’s baffling actions and the fact that using the Dark Sacred Emblem was the key to opening the door. They separately created a mood of despair that seemed impossible to resist, as well as the feeling of not knowing who was friend or foe, and their ploys.
Audrey used Placate once again and discovered that Mr. World’s tense mind had essentially relaxed. She was delighted as she boldly said, “One of the biggest sources of fear is a lack of confidence. Try recalling if you had any oversight or had committed any mistakes in the related matter. This results in your spirit repeatedly warning you and hinting to you. It eventually transformed into part of the nightmare.”
Soon, his expression turned heavy, bit by bit, as he discovered a problem.
Klein’s heart sank bit by bit as the horror that stemmed from the unknown was greatly alleviated.
He didn’t reply nor did he wait for Miss Justice to speak again. He switched to asking, “If you will face one or even many difficult-to-challenge enemies, what would you do?”
Audrey wasn’t annoyed by her patient’s question. Instead, she felt that it was a good sign. After some deliberation, she said, “First avoid them and hide. Try harder to improve yourself.
“What if the time won from avoiding and hiding isn’t enough to make you grow to a level that is sufficient enough to face your enemies?” Klein pressed, “What if the gap between the two is difficult to bridge?”
Audrey answered him seriously while also consoling him, “Find enough helpers.”
“What if there are helpers who are plotting something that might be beneficial to you, but they might also bring you harm?”
Audrey drew a blank, and after a few seconds of thought, she replied, “You can pray to a deity.”
She nearly said to The World: you can seek Mr. Fool’s help.
And from the question and answer session, Audrey was able to confirm a matter. The mental problems that Mr. World was suffering stemmed from powerful and terrifying enemies, but there was a worry that, at a deeper level, the “helpers” had unknown stances.
He organized his words and said, “Deities can only provide help in certain areas. And what if that isn’t enough?”
“…”
Audrey originally wanted to say that there was always a way and that good was bound to defeat evil, but she couldn’t convince herself of it. She couldn’t provide any relevant case studies, so eventually, she pursed her lips and said, “I don’t know…”
In the confessional, it was a still darkness. The two temporarily stopped speaking as they fell into their respective inner struggles.
Finally, Audrey broke the silence and looked at the wooden partition.
“Regardless, something needs to be done. Work hard at it. You can’t just give up like that and not put up a fight.”
Audrey sensed his change and immediately added a Placate. With that, Klein’s mental condition was completely restored back to normal.
“I feel much better. Thank you for your treatment. What kind of consultation fee do you want?” Klein offered.
“The consultation fee that I charge isn’t much at all.
“Yeah, wish me happiness!”
This was a request he had never heard of before.
Klein hesitated for a moment. Finally, he pretended to coldly say with The World’s identity, “Since you requested…
“I wish you happiness.”
Audrey’s smile turned into a beaming smile.
“I wish you happiness too!
“Mr. World, don’t always keep everything inside. Smile more and be happier. It can eliminate most of the latent problems.
“Alright, your mental problems have been resolved, but you will need a follow-up appointment in a few days or by next week.”
Klein was at a loss for an answer as he tersely acknowledged in affirmation.
Then, he heard the door on the other side creak open. With The Fool’s angle, he saw Miss Justice retreat from the confessional and straighten her body.
After sending her to the real world, Klein didn’t dare stay above the gray fog for too long. He quickly left and got into bed.
At that moment, his mental condition had been restored. With his body and mind at ease, he realized something. He had digested quite a bit of his Marionettist potion! The progress had surpassed his expectations.
…
In the basement of Saint Samuel Cathedral, Leonard, Cindy, Bob, and company looked at Captain Soest who had returned from a meeting as they patiently waited for him to introduce new clues.
Soest drank a mouthful of aromatic coffee and said, “The missing servant has been found.
“And in the room he was left in, there were some clothes left behind by the infiltrator.
“It has been confirmed that it belongs to the crazy adventurer, Gehrman Sparrow, who had previously been active at sea.”
“No one knows. The only thing that can be confirmed is that this crazy adventurer had appeared at sea in the recent few weeks and had hunted a few pirates,” Soest said in an unhurried tone. “The Church of Storms knows more. MI9 also seems to know quite a bit. The higher-ups will send people to liaise with them.”
Just as Soest finished his briefing, a telegram was sent over.
It came from the Nighthawks in Desi. The content which was decoded read:
“Dwayne Dantès’s present identity is fake. In the past ten years he spent in the Southern Continent, he had relied on adventuring to amass a significant amount of wealth… Further confirmation will require some time. As this place is very chaotic and there are often wars, the jurisdiction of zones are frequently changed.”
