A true psychic... Klein murmured this description, then remained silent and followed Dunn Smith down the carriage.
Welch's residence in Tingen was a single-story house with a garden. The iron gate had a镂空 design, allowing four carriages to pass simultaneously. Every fifty meters along the road were street lamps, which were different from what Klein had seen in his previous life. They were gas lamps, with pillars slightly taller than an adult, facilitating lighting by igniting them.
The black metal was tightly attached to the glass, forming a grille, and casting a series of classical "artwork" lantern-like shapes. Coldness and warmth danced together, shadows and light coexisted.
Walking on the dimly lit road, Klein and Dunn Smith entered Welch's rented place through the half-closed iron door.
Right in front of the gate was a passage for two carriages to pass, paved with cement, leading directly to the two-story house.
On the left was the garden, and on the right was the lawn. The faint fragrance of flowers and the refreshing smell blended together, making one feel at ease.
As soon as they stepped in, Klein suddenly felt his hair stand on end, looking around.
He felt that in the garden, in the shadows of the lawn, on the top floor of the house, behind the swings, in each dim corner, there were pairs of eyes watching him!
Even though there was no one around here, Klein felt as if he was in a bustling street.
This strange contrast, this strange feeling, made his body tense, and a chill ran up his spine.
"Something's wrong!" He couldn't help but remind Dunn.
Dunn remained unchanged in expression and walked beside him, calmly answering:
"Don't worry about it."
Seeing that the "night watchman" had said so, Klein endured the creepy feeling of being followed, being spied on, and being observed but not finding the target. He walked step by step towards the main door of the single-story house.
After staying like this for a while, I'll become neurotic... When Dunn reached for the door handle, Klein quickly turned around and looked again. The flowers swayed in the wind, and there was no one in sight.
"Come in, gentlemen," a slightly ethereal voice came from inside the house.
Dunn twisted the handle and entered, addressing the woman sitting on the sofa:
"Deeley, have you got any results?"
The chandelier in the living room was not lit. The leather sofa with two main and two secondary pieces surrounded a marble-topped coffee table.
On the coffee table, a candle was burning, but the flame emitted a bright blue color, casting a strange and wavering color on the semi-open layout of the living room, dining room, and kitchen.
In the center of the sofa sat a lady, wearing a black hooded robe, with blue eyeshadow and blush applied, and a silver chain with a white crystal pendant wrapped around her exposed wrist.
At first glance, Klein had an inexplicable feeling: dressed like a true psychic...
Was she playing a role?
The "psychic" Delye, with her sparkling green eyes, swept over Klein and looked at Dunn Smith:
"The original spirits have disappeared, including Welch and Naya's. Now these little ones here know nothing."
Spirit? Psychic... Those unseen observers earlier were spirits? There were so many of them? Klein took off his hat and placed it on his chest, bowing slightly:
"Good evening, madam."
Dunn. Smith sighed:
"It's really tricky..."
"Deeley, this is Klein. Mordeti. Try to find something from him."
"Delye," her gaze immediately turned to Klein. She pointed to the single-person sofa on the other side:
"Please sit down."
"Thank you." Klein nodded and walked over a few steps, sitting obediently, his heart unconsciously rising.
Whether it's life or death, whether it's a smooth passage or a secret being exposed, it all depends on the development that follows!
And what makes him most powerless is that he lacks something to rely on, and can only hope for something special...
This is really a very unpleasant feeling... Klein thought bitterly. As Dunn sat down on the double sofa opposite him, "The Seer" Daley took out two glass bottles the size of thumbs from the hidden pocket on her waist.
Her emerald eyes smiled at Klein as she said:
"I need some assistance. After all, you're not an enemy, so you can't treat me so directly and roughly. That would make you uncomfortable, cause you pain, and even leave serious after-effects. I'll give you some fragrance, enough tenderness and lubrication to let you gradually relax and truly immerse yourself in that feeling."
This sounded a bit off... Klein gasped in surprise, his eyes wide with astonishment.
Opposite him, Dunn smiled and said:
"Don't be surprised. Unlike the bunch of guys from the Storm Lord's Church, here, ladies can verbally tease men. You should be able to understand this. Your mother is a devout believer of the goddess, and you and your brother have also attended the church's Sunday school."
"I understand, but I didn't expect it to be like this, so... " Klein gestured with his hands, but couldn't find the right word to describe it, almost blurting out the corresponding translation for "old pro".
Dunn's lips curled upwards:
"Relax, Daley rarely does this. She just wants to help you calm down and relax in this way. She likes corpses more than men."
"I feel like a pervert," the "Seer" Daley smiled and chimed in.
She opened one of the small bottles and sprinkled a few drops into the vivid blue candle flame:
"Night orchid, deep sleep flower, chamomile mixed distillation and extraction into pure essence. I call it 'Ammanda', the meaning of tranquility in Greek. It smells very pleasant."
As she spoke, the candle flame swayed a few times, and the few drops of pure essence evaporated quickly, filling the room.
A delicate and enchanting fragrance entered Klein's nose. His emotions no longer tightened, his mind quickly became calm, as if looking down at the darkness in the dead of night.
"This bottle is called 'Eye of the Spirit'. It is made from the bark and leaves of the dragon-leaf tree and the white birch tree, exposed to the sun for seven days, boiled three times, and soaked in Lanzi wine. Of course, there will be a few incantations in between... " The amber liquid dripped onto the vivid blue candle flame as the "Seer" Daley described.
Klein smelled the wine aroma, the ethereal and elusive wine aroma. He saw the candle flame swaying violently, saw Daley's blue eyeshadow and blush shining with a strange luster, and even saw double images.
"It is a good helper for spirit communication, and also a very attractive spirit... "
As Daley spoke, Klein felt her voice coming from all directions.
He looked around in confusion, and discovered that everything was swaying and blurring, like being covered by a layer upon layer of thick fog. Even his own body was shaking, blurring, floating, and losing weight.
The red became redder, the blue became bluer, the black became blacker, the colors mixed like impressionist paintings, dreamy and fantastical. And the faint overlapping whispers kept coming, like countless invisible people discussing.
"This is similar to the feeling I had during the 'Fortune-Telling Ritual', but without that crazy, explosive taste... " Klein looked at all this, wondering.
Just then, his gaze was drawn to a pair of crystal-like eyes as green as emeralds. Daley, wearing a black robe, sat on the blurry "sofa", her gaze strangely focused on Klein's head, and her voice softly smiled:
"Let's formally meet, I, 'Seer' Daley."
... I can still think calmly and rationally... just like during the 'Fortune-Telling Ritual' and the "Party"... Klein thought, deliberately showing a dazed state: "Hello..." "The human mind is extremely vast, concealing many secrets. Look, that vast sea. What we can understand is only the islands that are exposed on the surface. But in fact, beneath the surface, there are even larger parts of the islands. But also, apart from the islands, there is the entire sea, and the boundless sky that symbolizes the spiritual realm... "
"You are the spirit of the body. Not only do you know the islands that are exposed on the surface, but you also know the parts of the islands that are hidden beneath the sea. You know the entire sea..."
"Everything that exists leaves a trace. The memories on the surface of the islands can be erased, but the part beneath the sea and the entire sea surely have their residual corresponding projections..."
Deli repeatedly prompted, and the blurry wind and shadows around also transformed into similar shapes, just like Klein's spiritual sea completely unfolded here, waiting for him to search for and discover.
Klein calmly looked, occasionally "tumbling" the sea, and finally replied in a vague tone:
"There isn't... I can't remember... I forgot..."
She appropriately displayed her pain.
Deli tried to prompt again, but the sober Klein was not affected.
"Alright, that's it. Let's go back."
"Let's go back."
"Let's go back..."
In the lingering ethereal voice, Deli disappeared, the wind and shadows began to calm down, and the faint smell of tranquility and a hint of wine aroma became more prominent again.
All the colors returned to normal, the blurry and confused feeling no longer appeared, and Klein's body trembled slightly, regaining its weight.
He opened his eyes that had closed for no reason, and found that in front of him was still that bright blue candle, still the comfortable sitting figure of Dunn Smith, and still the "psychic" Deli with a hooded black robe.
"How did you use the theories of those evil lunatics from the Psychological Alchemy Society?" Dunn frowned slightly and looked at Deli.
Deli put away the two small bottles and calmly replied:
"I think it's quite correct. At least it conforms to some of the things I saw and came into contact with..."
Before Dunn could speak again, she spread her hand and said:
"It's a troublesome guy, leaving no trace at all."
Upon hearing this, the nearby Klein let out a long sigh of relief, and feigning ignorance asked:
"The matter is over? What happened just now? I felt like I had slept..."
Is this considered a pass?
Fortunately, there was the "Exercise of the Transmutation Ritual"!
"Just think like this." Dunn interrupted his words, looking at Deli, "Have you checked the bodies of Welch and Naya?"
"The bodies can tell us more than you imagine. Unfortunately, Welch and Naya did commit suicide. All we can say is that the power that affected them was terrifying, and no trace was left." Deli stood up and reached out for the candle, "I need to rest now."
The bright blue light vanished, and the room was instantly filled with a hazy crimson color. ......
"Congratulations, you can go home now, but remember, you mustn't tell your family or friends about this. You must keep it a secret." Dunn led Klein towards the gate.
Klein was surprised and asked in disbelief, "Don't you need to check for any traces of curses or evil spirits?"
"Daly didn't say anything, so there's no evidence," Dunn replied briefly.
Klein's worries eased, and thinking of his previous concerns, he asked again:
"How can I be sure there are no more troubles ahead?"
"Don't worry too much," Dunn said with a slight smile, "According to statistics, in similar situations, about eighty percent of the living victims didn't encounter terrifying consequences. Well, this data is based on my impression, roughly, something like that."
"There are still twenty percent unlucky ones..." Klein couldn't risk saying "face" out loud.
"You can consider joining us and becoming a civilian. In this way, if there are any precursors, we can detect them in time," Dunn said as he approached the carriage, casually adding, "Or you can become an extraordinary person directly. After all, we aren't your nanny and can't keep watching you all night long, including what you and the woman do."
"Can I do that?" Klein asked following the sentence.
Of course, he hardly had any hope. After all, how could one join the night watchmen so easily and obtain extraordinary powers!
That was extraordinary power!
Dunn stopped and looked at him sideways:
"... "It's not impossible, depending on the situation..." What? This sudden turn of events surprised Klein. He stood stunned beside the carriage for a moment before he said:
"Really?"
What kind of joke is this? Can one become an extraordinary person so easily?
Dunn chuckled softly, his grey eyes hidden by the carriage's shadow:
"Don't believe it? Actually, becoming a night watchman means you'll lose a lot, such as freedom."
"Even leaving this aside, there are other issues. First, you're not a heroic clergy member or a devout believer, so you can't be picky and can't choose the safest path."
"Secondly..." Dunn grasped the handrail and climbed onto the carriage lane. "We, the punishers, the mechanical heart, and other similar judicial bodies, handle a quarter of the cases each year where extraordinary individuals lose control."
A quarter... extraordinary individuals losing control... Klein was stunned for a moment.
At this point, Dunn turned slightly and his grey eyes were deep. His mouth moved without a smile:
"And among this quarter, a large part are our teammates."