"Where is this place?" Audrey asked without much change in expression, as if she were asking about the location of tonight's ball.
Bailey Delair, who called herself the president of the Psychology Alchemists, also turned her gaze to the window and smiled as she said:
This is the city in everyone's heart.
It can be found wherever there are people.
Audrey nodded thoughtfully:
"So, it means you can enter from any corner of human society?"
Delair, stroking his wheelchair, said:
"Right."
He didn't explain further, but instead pointed to the pedestrians outside the carriage window and said:
"Everything here has a corresponding psychological symbol, which they call ' Bestial Desires '."
"Bestial Desires... "Audrey repeated the word silently, while maintaining her dignified posture and looking further into the distance.
Among those "pedestrians," besides Werewolf, there were upright-walking bears, languid-looking cats, strange people with a face shaped like a colorful spider, giant rats with bloodshot eyes, pythons flicking their tongues, and some kind of canine creature scrutinizing every passerby with eyes full of mating lust...
They wear top hats and trench coats, or elaborate and dark long dresses, trying their best to imitate humans in every detail, but they can't make themselves truly like humans.
The carriage traveled through the dim night, passing by "pedestrians" and various Gothic buildings, and soon arrived at a church in the very center of the city.
The church is over eighty meters tall, supported by massive black pillars, each inlaid with a number of skulls. Some are from humans, others from different creatures, but all have empty eyes that point downwards, as if watching over every living being that enters the church.
Like most of the buildings here, this church is exquisite in every detail, but what makes them up are elements that lean towards nightmares, horror, terror, and mystery.
Stepping down from the carriage and through the main gate, Audrey saw a magnificent yet empty hall.
Deep within the hall stood a massive cross, around which a greyish-white Dragon statue was coiled.
Unlike ordinary churches, there are no rows of seats for believers to pray here, nor is there a place to place candlesticks. Instead, there is a small long table in front of the Dragon statue, with five chairs on each side, and the head and bottom seats are empty.
Bailey Delair Manipulation her wheelchair to the top of the long table and then pointed to her left:
Please have a seat.
Audrey followed him at a leisurely pace, glanced to the left and right, casually pulled out a chair, and sat down.
She was neither too close nor too far from the president of the Psychology Alchemists, which was just the right amount of time to show her wariness without making her seem guilty.
Bailey Delair raised her hands, clasped them together, and placed them on the surface of the long table:
"Miss Audrey, I have something I'd like to ask you."
"Please speak." Audrey turned her head slightly, meeting the other person's gaze with her emerald green eyes.
Delair nodded slightly and said:
"I'd like to know how you advanced to Sequence 4 ' Manipulator ', and where you obtained your Potion recipes and Beyonder Characteristic?"
Audrey answered frankly:
"From a deal."
"A client sought the assistance of Demigod through the ' Spectator ' pathway, and prepaid for the ' Manipulator's' Potion recipe and Beyonder Characteristic."
Delair chuckled immediately:
"Such a thing actually happens? The generous offer is like a father finding an excuse to give his daughter a gift."
"Could you tell me specifically what kind of help you provided?"
"To surround and kill another Demigod. In this matter, mental control is quite crucial," Audrey explained briefly.
Her demeanor was very calm, as if she were discussing the homework assigned by the tutor.
Delair's long, bushy eyebrows twitched slightly as he said:
"It worked?"
"The result is obvious," Audrey gave a relatively tactful answer.
Delair looked her up and down a few times, seemingly only then realizing that the noblewoman on his left was actually a " Manipulator " capable of killing other Demigod.
Audrey read his thoughts and added:
"I'm just one of the participants."
Delair nodded and said:
Do you know where the client's ' Manipulator ' Potion recipe and Beyonder Characteristic came from?
"He didn't address the issue directly," Audrey replied with a pre-prepared statement.
"Him? Can you tell me who he is?" Delair asked after a moment's thought.
Audrey had been on guard against the other person creating a " Virtual Persona " to infiltrate her mental island, but from the beginning until now, she had not noticed anything unusual.
This made her wonder if the other person could discern her truest thoughts simply by observing the movements of the Sea of Collective Subconscious around them, without needing to infiltrate.
She didn't try to hide anything and answered calmly:
"This involves my agreement with him. I think keeping promises should be a universally recognized moral standard, and in the realm of mysticism, it involves even more."
At this point, Audrey spoke up:
"If you can't truly believe me because of this issue being kept secret, I'm willing to accept that."
"I can simply be an ordinary member, exchanging my contributions for the psychological research data I can obtain."
Delair smiled upon hearing this:
"Everyone has their own secrets, that's normal. What I need to assess is whether your secret will affect the safe operation of the entire Psychology Alchemists."
He looked at Audrey intently and then said:
"Then can you tell me how you came to know this client?"
"I remember I once reported to you that before joining the Psychology Alchemists, I had already made contact with some people in the occult circles and met a few Beyonder," Audrey said, her words as truthful as could be.
As for the actual logical order of those answers, that's another matter entirely.
Moreover, Herabergen Rambis's "disappearance" stemmed from the investigation of Fors and Hugh, a fact that neither party had discussed but both absolutely agreed upon.
Delair withdrew his hands from the table and placed them between his chest and abdomen:
"One more question: when was the last time you saw Herabergen Rambis?"
Audrey frowned slightly and said:
"I remember you asked that before."
After Herabergen Rambis's death, she did not immediately sever ties with the Psychology Alchemists. She maintained contact with the upper echelons through Hilbert, Stephen, and Islante, among others. It was only when war approached Backlund that she discovered that the members of her psychological research group were unable to be contacted for various reasons.
"I need to confirm this again in person," Delair said calmly.
Audrey nodded slightly and said:
"The last time I saw Commissioner Herabergen Rambis was at Glaint Viscount's mansion, where, as he instructed, I Hypnosis two of my Beyonder friends and asked them why they were investigating Viscount Stratford and who was behind it all."
"At that time, Commissioner Herabergen Rambis was nearby to ensure the Hypnosis went smoothly. Once he received the answer, he quickly left."
I never saw him again after that day.
During the answering, Audrey remained wary of her inner island being invaded, but there was nothing to be done there; all was calm.
This did not make Audrey feel at ease; on the contrary, she became even more vigilant and dared not even think about anything related to Mr. The Fool and "The World" Gehrman Sparrow.
She was certain of only one thing: as long as she was in danger of being exposed, Mr. The Fool would surely provide her with protection.
"Consistent with my previous answer." Delair nodded slowly.
He then looked into Audrey green eyes and said frankly:
"I cannot trace the source of that Beyonder Characteristic within you using mystical methods, which suggests that there is an unimaginable force behind that provider."
Audrey nodded slightly, indicating that she thought so too.
"I can't force you not to cooperate or trade with other Beyonder; that's unrealistic. I only hope you promise one thing: don't reveal anything about the Psychology Alchemists to anyone. At the very least, when you want to delegate certain tasks, you'll have to package them properly and cover up the secrets," Delair said calmly, withdrawing his gaze.
Audrey responded without hesitation:
"I promise not to disclose anything related to the Psychology Alchemists to any beings who do not possess the appropriate authority."
She proactively expanded the concept of "human" to include all living beings in order to fill the gaps in the promise.
As soon as she finished speaking, she felt one thought after another emerge on the island of her mind.
These thoughts intertwined, forming an illusory net that seeped into Audrey's inner world, becoming part of her subconscious.
Because this "net of restriction" originates from Audrey's own Spirituality, even if she becomes Angel, she will be powerless to remove it. She will lose the willingness to communicate about matters related to the Psychology Alchemists Psychology Alchemists Psychology Alchemists members who are not members or do not have sufficient authority.
But she herself is unaware of this.
He didn't invade my mental island; he made the promise a reality solely through my own words... Audrey was startled, but her expression wasn't so obvious.
Of course, she wasn't entirely restrained either, because she was surprised by this tactic—it was an instinctive reaction from a " Manipulator."
Based on this, she suspected that either there was something wrong with the city within her mind, or that the head of the Psychology Alchemists, Delair, was more than Saint.
Seeing that Audrey had made a commitment, Delair pointed to the long table with satisfaction and said:
"From now on, you are a member of the Psychology Alchemists Council's council."
You can choose a Persona Mask as your code name.
As he spoke, seven gray-white, rather ethereal, and unusually cold masks appeared on the long table. Five of them were placed in their respective positions, seemingly already having owners.
"The remaining two Persona Mask are ' Wrath ' and ' Pride, '" Delair explained. "They originate from the sacred texts of the Creator of the Third Age."
Audrey thought for a second, then reached for the Persona Mask that did not show anger:
"I choose ' Pride '."
Delair glanced at her and chuckled softly:
"That was also Herabergen Rambis's choice back then."
P. S.: Requesting monthly votes and recommendation votes on Monday!