"Yanan?"
At Empress Borough's Earl Hall home, Audrey was wearing a loose and comfortable home dress, sitting in front of the floor-to-ceiling window in the living room, repeating this somewhat awkward word in confusion.
"Well, I had never heard of this place name before that day."
Her brother, Alfred, who had just become an army major general and returned from the Southern Continent, nodded.
He did not wear the general's uniform that proved his many years of military service, but a shirt, vest and casual pants, trying not to put any pressure on his newly grown sister. His adjutant and Audrey's personal maid also wisely left the room and stood guard at the door, so as not to disturb the reunion of the brother and sister who had not seen each other for several years.
Even Audrey's beloved dog Susie, who almost never left his side, was driven outside for a walk.
"So, where exactly is that place?"
Taking a sip of black tea, Audrey guided Alfred to continue the topic.
"Because the army's large units will not rotate until early next year, and the navy fleet's destination is Desi Bay, so some civilian officials and I took the Passenger Ship back to Pritz Harbor," Alfred leaned back on the chair, relaxed his body and said slowly, "But when passing the dangerous route of the Berserk Sea, Passenger Ship lost his way and met Storm."
"In order to avoid the wind and waves, we came to the port of a small island in the south of the Rhoside Islands. However, the captain and the pilot made a mistake. The ship stopped at an unfamiliar pier. It belongs to a small city with only 5,000 people, Yanan."
"Is there anything special about it?"
Audrey tilted his head and expressed his doubts at the right time, allowing his brother to tell his experience at the most comfortable pace.
She learned this action from Miss Empress. Unfortunately, when she tried it in front of the mirror, she always felt that she couldn't express the kind of inner nature that makes people want to get close and care for her. She could only rely on the affinity of "Spectator" to make up for it.
As expected, Alfred immediately showed a doting smile. He bowed his body and got closer to Audrey, and then said:
"At first, I didn't think it was anything special. I just followed other passengers off the ship and enjoyed delicious Pig Blood at a place called 'Lime Restaurant' at the pier. I never knew that animal blood could be cooked so smooth and delicious... Then some passengers stayed at a nearby hotel at the pier, while others went to Yarnam City, planning to experience the city's customs and customs on the day the ship docked.
"But I heard from the young female owner of the hotel that Yarnam City at night is a bit weird and not friendly to outsiders - that's what they call all guests - so..."
Audrey's eyes became brighter, just like his previous interest in occult knowledge, and he asked excitedly:
"So you went to the city to investigate? What secrets does that city hide?"
"... No, I took my adjutant and retinue back to Passenger Ship and spent the night on duty in turns. After that, all passengers returned to Passenger Ship safely, and we successfully completed the rest of the flight and arrived at Pritz Harbor."
Alfred replied.
Huh?
Audrey Although he had guessed the result from the other party's movements and demeanor which were obviously calmer than when he left home, he still made a surprised expression.
Seeing this, Alfred suppressed his smile and said in a serious tone:
"Audrey, this is the most important thing I want to remind you: You must not put yourself or your companions in danger because of temporary curiosity, even if you have certain strength and think you can solve all problems.
"I learned from my father that you have become the real Beyonder. This reminds me of when you wrote a letter asking me to find Seven-Colored Lizard Dragon... Are you now 'Spectator' Pathway? How old is Sequence?"
As he spoke, he seemed to realize that his tone sounded like he was lecturing his subordinates, and he added softly:
"This is just a discussion between Beyonder. By the way, I am already the 'Disciplinary Paladin' of 'Arbiter' Pathway Sequence 5. Most Beyonders in the royal family and the military E belongs to this Pathway. The pressure and involuntary submission you feel when facing King, Prince and certain generals are the manifestation of the power of this Pathway."
Well, I know all this, and I also know that this Pathway should be called "Justiciar"... Even Xio is "Disciplinary Paladin", and he is preparing to be promoted to Demigod made preparations, and what she lacked was mainly money rather than acting experience... My brother probably didn't know the real Acting Method... Many thoughts flashed through Audrey's mind, and she pursed her lips and replied:
"I am already a qualified Psychiatrist. Both my father and mother can testify. Well, Archbishop of Saint Samuel Cathedral also knows about this."
Sequence 7's "Psychiatrist"...Alfred's expression was startled. It has only been two years since I provided Beyonder Ingredients to Audrey, and Seven-Colored Lizard Dragon is most likely the Main Materials of Sequence 8. This means that the girl in front of me was promoted to Mid Sequence in a shorter time, and she is considered a genius even in the army.
But fortunately, it was just Sequence 7, and he had not gone deeper. Faced with the madness and terror contained in Potion... He breathed a sigh of relief in his heart, and no longer talked about the Yarnam City that the subsequent investigation found was likely to appear in Partis Island overnight. Instead, he combined his experience of fighting Intis, Feysac, and the crazy cultists in the Southern Continent, and warned his sister to stay alert to the danger and madness of Potion, and not to forget about the extraordinary power gained.
Scenes of enemies and teammates losing control and turning into monsters due to Spirituality exhaustion and serious injuries, "Primordial Moon" believers becoming cold-blooded and violent due to being contaminated by the evil existence of their faith, Catastrophe caused by the leakage of Sealed Artifact's power... Alfred spoke in a more serious tone, and his expression also changed.
During this period, Audrey did not feel impatient at all because he was talking about information that she already knew. Instead, she listened attentively, put forward her own opinions from time to time to cater to the other party, and quietly used "comfort" to eliminate the psychological risks caused by these topics, so that Alfred unknowingly changed from the role of educating her sister to a patient receiving psychological treatment.
All this was done in a very subtle way. Alfred only felt that he had released some negative emotions in the process of caring for his sister. He felt relieved about the losses in the Southern Continent war over the past few years, the sacrifices of teammates and the madness of the enemy.
Phew—stopping this serious topic, Alfred let out a long breath, and inexplicably felt a lot more relaxed. He looked thoughtfully at Audrey with a calm smile on his lips, and the End emphasized as if:
"In short, although the war is over now, the Southern Continent situation is still not optimistic. I can feel that there are traces of the church's Beyonder fighting with the cultists in the jungles, deep valleys, and even in the cities owned by the kingdom... The extraordinary world is more dangerous than you think. My suggestion is, stay here Sequence, and don't seek promotion until you truly realize that you are ready."
But I am already the "Manipulator" of Sequence 4, and the digestion progress is very fast. Maybe I can consider promotion within a year... I also learned about the situation of the Southern Continent from "Empress" Miss. Recently, I cooperated with Angel from the church, severely damaged "Abomination" of "Rose School", and saved a city... Audrey, your psychological superiority is too strong. This is not the way to face your brother or your relatives, be careful!
Audrey Thoughts flashed, his expression also became serious, he nodded solemnly and said:
"Okay."
Alfred smiled with satisfaction, stood up, and glanced at the garden outside the floor-to-ceiling window. He saw that his sister's Golden Retriever was walking towards this side with a cheerful pace, so he said:
"Then I'll take my leave first and thank you for your 'hospitality'."
He also guessed... Well, this is a normal behavior when facing Psychiatrist... Audrey also stood up and sent his brother to the door. When he saw the other party suddenly turned around, he added as if he remembered something:
"Father said that at the recent ball held by the royal family, you should be careful to keep your distance from the young King."
Edessak? There seem to be a lot of rumors about his marriage partner recently. As the new King who was supported by the church and the military and has an unstable foundation, he might be interested in me, the relationship between his father and Goddess Church?
While Audrey was thinking, Alfred had already left the living room. Before the door was closed, Susie's dexterous body slipped in through the crack in the door.
"Susie, be careful not to get caught in the door next time."
Audrey, who was still immersed in the previous topic, squatted down, stroked Golden Retriever's head, and ordered in a low voice.
The latter shook his neck to break away from her hand, opened his mouth uncontrollably, and let out a deep male voice:
"Miss Audrey Hall, I am Chairman Eric Drake from Psychology Alchemists. I hope to meet with you to discuss your becoming a member of Review Council.
"I'm waiting for you at City Hall Square in King's Avenue."
On Yarnam City's City Hall Square, Fors and Xio looked at the black church with a bell tower and buttresses, dumbfounded.
The symbols of "Pupil-less Eye" and "Contorted Lines" carved on the opposite arch are very familiar to them. They are part of the ritual that each Tarot Club member often uses to make sacrifices to Mr. "Fool", obtain gifts, or seek help.
Is this the church of Mr. "Fool"?
I only heard that Mr. "Sun" is planning to spread the faith of Mr. Fool in his New City of Silver. How come this strange city that appeared overnight has already established a church of "Church of the Fool"? Does this have something to do with Miss Angelica of "Dream City"?
Full of doubts, the two entered the church and quickly exited. They looked at each other and confirmed what they were thinking.
Based on the deeds described in the exquisite murals, they were able to determine that this was the church of "Fool" who led the City of Silver residents of "Forsaken Land of the Gods" to leave the darkness and return to the light. However, some of the murals that praised Fool's Angel could not yet tell where they belonged.
But now that it is confirmed that Yarnam City believes in Fool, there is nothing to worry about... Fors breathed a sigh of relief and became less wary of unfamiliar places.
As "Traveler" who often travels to strange places Travel, with Xio's expression that was a little dazed ever since she got off the short-distance steam train, she found a restaurant specializing in the Southern Continent dishes next to City Hall Square, prepared to have a good dinner, and then stayed here for the night.
She heard that there was something weird about this city at night that was different from what it was during the day, and she didn't want to miss such a good story!