On the sun-drenched terrace in autumn, Audrey, wearing a stylish straw hat, sat on a deck chair, leisurely flipping through a fashion magazine.
On the small round table beside her were delicate pastries and a cup of black tea, a specialty of the family estate.
Suddenly, she raised her head and looked towards the edge of the terrace, where she saw Gehrman Sparrow, walking towards her step by step.
Audrey turned her head and glanced at her personal maid, Annie, noticing that Anne, like the other servants, seemed oblivious to the strange stranger who had appeared.
At the same time, Audrey also noticed that the surroundings seemed to have darkened a little.
She immediately stood up, lifted her skirt slightly, and gave a curtsy.
During this process, she had originally intended to discuss the issues of the Psychology Alchemists and Mr. " Wrath " in a relatively serious manner, but then she changed her mind and smiled, speaking in a lighthearted tone that could infect others with her emotions:
"Mr. World, are you here for psychological counseling or to deal with a problem of ' Wrath '?"
If it were simply the former, Audrey believed that "The World" Gehrman Sparrow would arrange for her to meet above the Gray Fog, which would be more convenient and faster. Therefore, this Angel must be carrying out a task assigned by Mr. " The Fool " that needs to be completed in the real world.
At the same time, she keenly sensed that Mr. World's emotions were quite complex, a mixture of satisfaction, joy, depression, and sadness.
For Gehrman Sparrow's attending Doctor, such situations are not uncommon, often indicating that the patient may need some reassurance or Placate.
"Yes, we have them all." Klein pulled up a chair and sat down at the small round table.
"Black tea or coffee, please?" Although Audrey had not actively investigated Mr. World's intelligence, she had met Dawn Dantès many times and attended meetings, dinners, and balls together. Under the keen observation of the Spectator, many details were not secrets.
For example, when Audrey knew that " Dawn Dantès " was Gehrman Sparrow, his tastes were sweet, oily, and slightly sour: he liked to add sugar to his coffee rather than milk; he liked to put lemon slices in his black tea; of all pastries, his first choice was the kind with cream; he loved foie gras, the skin of roast chicken, ribeye steak more than tenderloin, Desi pie far more than bread.
In addition, Audrey was absolutely certain that the other party was a spice enthusiast with high standards for seasonings, and that his tastes in this regard were more inclined towards Desi County.
Based on these details, Audrey believed that it would be extremely impolite not to invite Mr. World to share the numerous pastries on the table, and that they would be served with either black tea or coffee.
"Black tea," Klein replied after a moment's thought.
Miss Justice's relaxed, natural, and friendly attitude put him at ease, making him feel that this state would be more conducive to the subsequent " Placate."
In that case, enjoying pastries while receiving psychotherapy is definitely better than other options.
"Another cup of black tea, with extra lemon slices," Audrey said to her maid Annie.
Annie was not at all surprised by such an order, finding it all perfectly reasonable. She turned and walked toward the entrance to the terrace, giving instructions to the servants standing there.
Audrey didn't rush into therapy or inquire about the reason for Mr. "World's" complicated emotions. With a smile, she earnestly introduced the estate's specialties, using this to contrast with Dawn Dantès's Megro Manor, naturally explaining the current situation of the latter's butlers and servants:
Some stayed on the estate, continuing their previous work. The Megro Manor's output was more than enough to support them, with a surplus to be used for house repairs and donations to charity. Audrey only periodically sent an accountant, a deputy housekeeper, and a staff member from her affiliated Foundation to inspect the estate. Others felt they lacked a true employer and couldn't fulfill their roles, feeling unworthy of their salaries, and chose to resign and leave to find other work. Still others developed an interest in charitable activities, found new meaning in life, and joined one of Audrey's Foundation...
Klein listened quietly, occasionally asking a question as if chatting with a friend.
When the black tea was served, he picked up the cup, took a small sip, and nodded in satisfaction.
After watching him eat a piece of cream cake, Audrey eyes flickered slightly, and she smiled and said:
"For Angel, food no longer seems to be a necessity?"
"Yes, it's just a hobby," Klein replied simply, then added, "It can be used to maintain one's humanity."
"Maintaining one's humanity..." Audrey repeated thoughtfully, "Is this to fight against divinity? Is your current mental problem of this type?"
She very gently steered the conversation towards the field of psychotherapy.
Klein nodded slightly and said:
"Right.
"You should have some understanding of this by now. Every Beyonder has attained divinity will inevitably have this experience; the only difference is the degree."
Audrey thought about it carefully for a moment and said:
"Sometimes I dream of a light that illuminates the whole world, sometimes I hear indescribable and incomprehensible sounds, and sometimes I see a blurry, strange, illusory sea that seems to contain many contradictory concepts. It is definitely an illusion, but it is also so real."
"Hmm, I sometimes dream of a huge cross and hear someone praying softly, but I can never make out the exact words."
The second should be the indirect pollution from the Sefirah and the spiritual will within the " Chaos Sea," and the third seems to be the influence that " Visionary " Adam began to exert on the Beyonder of this path... The first is the " Primordial " awakening within the Ancient The Sun God, that ancient " God Almighty "? Klein thought for a moment, then said in a low voice:
"The Original Creator created all things, which also split into various Beyonder Characteristic, and this is the source of the extraordinary."
"Therefore, each of us possesses divinity, the will of the Original Creator. As Beyonder Characteristic accumulate, He will gradually awaken and take our place."
He explained the root of the problem in the simplest, most ambiguous, and least polluting way.
This had been discussed to some extent at the Tarot Club, Audrey understood it without any difficulty. She said thoughtfully:
"That's why we must use humanity to fight against divinity, and at the same time, rely on an anchor?"
"Yes, the light you dreamt of, the indescribable sounds you heard, and the illusory sea you saw belong to this kind of pollution, while that giant cross and the sound of prayer should be the influence that ' Visionary ' Adam exerted on the Beyonder of this path." Klein pointed out the difference between the two situations in detail.
Audrey instinctively sat up straight, looked around, and seemed somewhat frightened.
Gehrman Sparrow actually said that name that shouldn't be mentioned!
"Don't worry, He can't hear me here," Klein explained.
Audrey withdrew her gaze, making no attempt to hide her surprise and astonishment:
"You've been promoted to Sequence 1?"
That's so fast... He's only been Sequence 2 Angel for a little over half a year!
Klein answered frankly:
"He's practically the Angel King."
"..." Audrey was silent for several seconds, then pursed her lips and said with a slightly annoyed smile, "I almost had a mental breakdown just now."
Klein smiled and replied:
Personally speaking, becoming the Angel King is not necessarily a good thing.
"Yes, those with High-Sequence ' Spectator ' pathways should pay particular attention to their mental state. For other pathways, the manifestations of increased divinity and deeper contamination are relatively obvious, but not for ' Spectator '. You have to constantly examine yourself and check yourself. Any slight change in personality or cognition must be traced back to its source to make sure there is no problem and it is a normal change. Otherwise, you will unknowingly become a different person who can ruthlessly kill those you originally wanted to protect the most."
" Those Beyonder through the ' Spectator ' route are both less likely to go insane and most likely to go insane."
Audrey responded alertly:
"I see."
She started by asking questions related to this topic:
"Your unstable mental state and psychological problems are because you became the Angel King in a faster-than-expected time?"
"Yes," Klein said, taking a sip of his red tea. "The will within me that isn't my own has largely revived; I can only barely suppress it and maintain a preliminary state of mental stability."
As Audrey listened to Gehrman Sparrow's description, she used her extraordinary abilities to observe and analyze.
After the other person finished speaking, she gave a Placate smile and said:
"I have a general understanding of your current situation. The initial treatment plan consists of two steps: First, I will enter your Mind World to awaken more of your memories related to humanity—well, not the kind that would cause you so much pain that you want to give up. Then, when the divine reacts, I will use supernatural abilities such as ' Placate ' and ' Hypnosis ' to reduce the pollution and negative impact it brings, helping you to better suppress it."
Klein paused for a moment and then said:
"Good."
He decided to take advantage of his unique ability to remain conscious when others entered his dream and Mind World, to first gather up the memories related to " The Fool " and " Grafting " them onto the " Worm of Spirit " above the Gray Fog.
Just then, Audrey had her maid Annie bring her a pale white silk scarf.
Then, she used the thin silk scarf to cover her eyes and ears.
Klein watched this scene with some surprise, waiting for Miss " Justice " to explain.
After Audrey tied the scarf, she smiled slightly:
"This is Hypnosis, Hypnosis that shuts down the spiritual senses."
"In this way, even if I enter your Mind World, I cannot see or hear those awakened memories. Of course, I retain my Spirituality intuition, otherwise I would not be able to find your island of consciousness or perceive the divine changes."
"I could have just Hypnosis directly, but since you are already the Angel King, I was worried about being influenced by your consciousness. So I used a symbolic ritual to complete the Hypnosis and enhance its effect."
She explained calmly, which gradually calmed Klein down.
He nodded slightly and said:
"Okay, let's begin."
P. S.: Updated first, revised later.