"Good morning, Professor Anthony."
Audrey Hall took off her hood, lifted the corners of her skirt, and bowed with impeccable etiquette to the elderly scholar opposite her. "My visit today has caused you some trouble."
"I really want to deny that, but..."
The white-bearded old scholar gave a wry smile. "To be honest, a place like this is not somewhere a noble lady like you should come."
Behind Audrey, her personal maid, Annie, nodded in deep agreement.
While attending a dinner party a few days ago, the young lady had mentioned her recent interest in psychology. Out of politeness, Anthony said he would be seeing patients at Saint Elizabeth's Hospital soon and that she could visit.
Originally, he had only mentioned it in passing, as he couldn't imagine a delicate noble lady ever coming here. Who would have thought that the high-born Miss Audrey would actually use his invitation to force a date for the meeting and then truly show up on that day!
It would be fine if it only affected his work, but if this noble lady got involved in the diagnosis and treatment, and a patient suddenly had an episode and injured her, how would he explain it to Earl Hall...
The old scholar thought somewhat bitterly.
"Please rest assured, I won't do anything that interferes with your work."
As if guessing his concerns, Audrey said with a smile, "I'm only here to observe today. I've heard about the dangers of psychiatric patients and won't get close. Of course, if you still find it unacceptable, I will leave out of respect for you."
Her words were very persuasive and gave the old scholar a way out. However, since things had reached this point, it was impossible for him to refuse her.
Sure enough, she was pleased to see the latter sigh.
"I understand. Then please keep your distance from the patients. If you have any questions, consult with me first, alright?"
Anthony said.
"Of course."
Audrey said.
Having received her promise, the old professor breathed a slight sigh of relief. He sat back behind his desk and signaled to his assistant that work could begin.
The assistant left the consultation room and called the patients in one by one.
Audrey sat in a corner of the room, with Annie bringing her a stool. The hard stool in the consultation room was certainly not as comfortable as the leather sofas in the Earl's manor, but she still appeared enthusiastic, observing each patient as they entered.
As expected, their behavior was very different from normal people... but at the underlying logical level, they all maintained biological instincts...
As she observed the patients, Audrey gradually gained some insights.
The state of psychiatric patients varied according to the severity of their condition. Those with mild symptoms were basically no different from normal people, while those with severe cases had speech, behavior, emotions, and consciousness that seemed extremely chaotic and indecipherable.
Indeed, observing the state of the mentally unstable helps my understanding of normal human psychology...
Feeling signs of the Potion digesting within her, Audrey couldn't help but think that with these gains, this trip had not been in vain.
Although she had encountered an unknown Beyonder and felt some excitement...
"The next one can come in."
Just as Audrey was recalling her encounter in the hallway, she heard Professor Anthony's assistant call outside.
A smell of alcohol mixed with the strong scent of cheap perfume quickly wafted into her nose. She looked up and saw a woman in a gaudy long dress entering. She wore heavy makeup, and her expression was a mix of numbness and a hint of depravity.
She looked like a streetwalker.
Audrey could sense the maid Annie beside her frowning slightly, seemingly very dissatisfied with the woman before them.
"What's going on? There are other people besides the doctor?"
As soon as the woman entered, she saw the two of them and raised her eyebrows, shouting.
Annie's body shifted as if she wanted to retort, but she didn't act on it after a look from Audrey.
"Don't be noisy. They are my students. If you have a problem, you can go to someone else," Anthony said, clearing his throat. His stern attitude successfully silenced the woman. "What is your problem?"
"...I can't sleep well."
The heavily made-up woman scratched her hair and sat across from the desk. It was clear she wasn't very happy to be there.
"Just because you can't sleep well, is it worth coming here?"
Anthony glanced at her and continued to ask.
"I keep seeing strange things in my dreams. After being woken up by fear, I can't fall back asleep."
The woman became a bit more honest. "The customers say I scream terrifyingly in my sleep. None of them want to sleep with me anymore, and I'm about to stop making money. I asked a few smart customers, and they said I could get cured here... Sigh, I say, can you give me a discount? Or I could sleep with you for a night..."
She really is a streetwalker.
Audrey thought to herself.
But what kind of strange illness is this? A scary dream? Scary enough to make her let out terrifying screams?
"What did you see in your dreams?"
Professor Anthony was already quite old and completely ignored the streetwalker's seductive offer, asking directly instead.
"I forgot."
The woman shook her head.
Forgot?
Such a terrifying dream, and she could actually forget it?
Audrey thought in surprise from the side.
"Such things do happen. It might be related to a subconscious evasion within the mind."
Anthony thought for a moment and said, "How about this: I will try to hypnotize you to help you recall what you saw in your dreams. Generally speaking, once you know what your heart fears and resolve it, your condition will improve."
Hearing this, Audrey couldn't help but feel her spirits lift.
She could see a Psychiatrist's hypnosis!
Of course, a normal doctor's hypnosis was only based on psychological theories, using verbal suggestions to tap into the patient's subconscious. The effect was mediocre and couldn't compare to the abilities of Beyonders, but for Audrey, it held some value as a reference.
Hearing that this method might cure her, the streetwalker naturally did not refuse. With the help of the doctor's assistant, she lay down and closed her eyes.
"Now you feel very relaxed, very relaxed..."
Professor Anthony spoke in a calm voice, taking some effort to make the woman's breathing steady and stable.
"Now, you can feel your inner world."
Anthony guided her, "You are walking slowly, and then you discover the thing that has been hidden in your dreams..." Audrey observed the hypnotized streetwalker and found that her breathing suddenly became heavy, and her expression slightly distorted. A certain depraved and profane aura was slowly emanating from her body.
It seemed... a bit strange.
Almost subconsciously, she wanted to activate her "Telepathy" ability to investigate the other's abnormality. But remembering the lesson from the hallway just now, she immediately stopped.
"Tell me, what do you see?"
Anthony's spirituality was thin, so he naturally didn't notice anything unusual. Thinking his hypnosis was successful, he continued to ask.
The streetwalker lay on the bed, murmuring as if in a dream with a faint sense of pain:
"I see... an Inverted Giant..."
Audrey's eyes suddenly became alert.