Chapter 69: The Footsteps of War

Chapter 69: The Footsteps of War

Backlund, inside the home of the furniture merchant Humphreys.

Audrey once again met Hvin Rambis, a member of the Psychology Alchemists’ Review Council.

This elderly gentleman remained gentle, refined, and scholarly. His thick, pure-white hair was combed neatly, and his deep-blue eyes seemed to contain countless pieces of knowledge.

The instant she saw him, Audrey’s gaze first turned blank, then dawned with realization, as though she had finally awakened from a long dream and recovered lost memories.

Yet she felt neither surprise nor astonishment about this. Without any resistance, she accepted the fact, as if this were an utterly normal matter.

“Good afternoon, Mr. Rambis.” Audrey greeted him with etiquette so standard that not the slightest fault could be found in it.

Hvin nodded lightly and responded with a smile:

“Good afternoon, our girl.”

Over several meetings in the past month or so, he had gradually guided Audrey’s self-positioning into that of “the pride of the Psychology Alchemists” and “the most important girl.”

Audrey lowered her head and glanced at the diamond tie pin before her chest. Smiling, she found a place to sit and waited for Hvin Rambis to speak.

As for the so-called suggestions and guidance, she had actually prepared herself every time and had not truly been affected. At that moment, hearing Hvin Rambis’s way of addressing her, she very much wanted to abandon her image, ignore etiquette, forget the risk of exposure, and roll her eyes. In the end, she still endured it and revealed no trace.

Hvin Rambis watched Audrey for several seconds. His smile unchanged, he said,

“You have done well during this period. As a reward, we have decided to give you the Dreamwalker potion formula.”

As he spoke, he took from his coat pocket a sheet of paper folded with great neatness, placed it on the tea table, and pushed it toward the noble girl seated diagonally opposite him.

Audrey pressed one hand against her skirt, rose slightly, and took that sheet of paper. In Hvin Rambis’s presence, she unfolded it.

Her gaze first fell upon the main ingredients, then quickly slid to the ritual portion:

“Main ingredients: one Dreamcatcher’s heart, one Heart Phantom crystal, or the complete brain of an adult Mind Dragon.

…

“Ritual: Find a spirit world Human-headed Bird Demon and sign a contract with it. Then, while holding one of its tail feathers, consume the potion amid intense emotions, whether joy or anger.”

Seeming to notice Audrey’s confusion, Hvin Rambis smiled and explained briefly:

“Human-headed Bird Demons possess nightmare-related abilities. They can awaken a person from a dream. Therefore, the essence of this entire ritual is that, when you are immersed in a dream and unwilling to wake, an external force pulls you out. Otherwise, you might sleep forever, or you might lose control on the spot and turn into a monster.”

Audrey nodded thoughtfully.

“Consuming the potion amid intense emotions is also to make oneself sleep restlessly and prevent the dream from being too deep?”

“Correct. You have grasped the key point.” Hvin Rambis smiled. “If you do not understand the spirit world well and cannot find a Human-headed Bird Demon, we can provide some assistance.”

If the essence of the ritual is to wake me from a dream, then it might not necessarily require a Human-headed Bird Demon. Mr. Fool’s angelic blessing can let me stay conscious in a dream and wake whenever I wish… Audrey’s emerald eyes shifted slightly, and she revealed a hint of anticipation.

“I can try by myself first.”

“All right.” Hvin did not pay much attention to the young lady’s wish to take a small risk.

He paused, then changed the topic.

“There is one more matter for you to handle this time. If you complete it well, we will provide all the materials for the Dreamwalker potion.”

“What matter?” Audrey asked as she always did, without showing much resistance.

Hvin Rambis’s expression turned slightly more serious.

“Find out the attitudes of your father, Earl Hall, the current Duke Negan, Admiral Amyrius, and other nobles toward a relatively large-scale war.”

“War…” Audrey repeated this word, one that she often heard yet still found faintly unfamiliar. She vaguely felt as though layer after layer of ripples had suddenly spread beneath the surface of a calm lake.

…

“War…” Above the gray fog, Klein listened to Miss Justice’s prayer and fell into thought.

For the moment, he could not determine whether the Psychology Alchemists—or rather Hermes, who hid behind them, and even Adam—welcomed or opposed war.

As for whether Loen’s king, prime minister, certain nobles, and members of Parliament desired war, the answer was relatively clear.

Last year, The Hanged Man had once asked Miss Justice a similar question. Her answer had been that the king and prime minister leaned toward war, but had chosen first to complete internal reforms and smooth out relationships in every area.

Now, almost a year had passed. The various policies introduced back then had basically gone onto the right track.

In other words, the time had come to start a war and reclaim the interests Loen had lost in East Balam!

This is an era of change. Internal contradictions in every country are intense. Once war begins, its scale will most likely be impossible to control… And angels like Adam and Amon, Kings of Angels, are returning one after another. Some have already obtained key items; some are seeking breakthroughs. The mysterious world is also approaching a storm, with crises hidden beneath the surface… Klein sighed for a while, then returned to the real world.

The next day, according to his scheduled itinerary, he first went to Saint Samuel Cathedral to pray, donated several dozen pounds in cash, then came to 22 Pessfield Street, intending to take part in some matters of the Loen Charity Bursary Foundation.

The moment he entered, Klein saw Audrey Hall and several foundation staff members walking down the stairs together toward the entrance.

This noble young lady was dressed quite plainly today. Her hair was simply pinned up, and she wore no ornaments. Her dress was pale green, with only a circle of ruffles at the cuffs and no lace or tassels.

“Good morning, Miss Audrey.” Klein familiarly removed his hat and bowed, also nodding toward the staff members and greeting them with good morning.

After Audrey responded, Klein casually asked,

“Where are you preparing to go?”

He knew Miss Justice’s main work at the foundation was to solicit donations from ladies and gentlemen of high society.

Audrey replied with a gentle smile,

“We are going to visit different universities and check on the students we previously helped.”

At that point, she blinked, and her smile became a little more obvious.

“Mr. Dantès, would you like to come with us? To see those children who, because of your idea and your kindness, have gained a chance to change their own fate? Mm, some of them are already young adults.”

Although Klein had never expected to obtain any repayment from the Loen Charity Bursary Foundation, he sincerely hoped that it could help its target groups. Therefore, he still cared quite a lot about its actual current progress and true situation. After only slight hesitation, he smiled and nodded.

“This is an invitation impossible to refuse.”

Their group left the building. At Miss Audrey’s suggestion, they chose a trackless public carriage.

“You seem to have gotten quite used to this?” After boarding, Klein gentlemanly let Miss Audrey sit first, then sat opposite her and asked with a smile.

Audrey glanced at the foundation staff nearby and said with a smile,

“It is not my first time. It would be impossible for me to take my own family’s carriage every time I go out while they use public transportation.

At this point, she paused, somewhat embarrassed.

“When I first rode this kind of public carriage, I took out a one-pound note, and the lady collecting the fare told me to get off, buy several newspapers, and then come back.

“Mm, it is cleaner in here than I imagined, and the smells in the air are not too hard to endure.”

Klein nodded lightly.

“That is because the truly poor rarely take even this kind of public transportation. They would rather walk. And normally, they do not need to go, nor can they go, to places too far away.”

“Mr. Dantès, you seem very familiar with these things?” Although Audrey could guess the reason, she still asked in front of the others.

Klein smiled.

“Although I have not personally experienced it, I have seen too much.”

Audrey did not continue the topic. Instead, she spoke about the recipients whose study and living conditions they would be checking that day.

Amid idle conversation, they arrived at the first stop of their visit: Backlund Technical University.

Relying on Audrey’s status and Dwayne Dantès’s social connections, they directly met the president of this newly established university, Mr. Portland Moment, a resident of 100 Böklund Street.

This old gentleman was tall, ruddy-complexioned, and loud-voiced. He spoke to his good neighbor Dwayne Dantès and the noble Miss Audrey about the many things that had happened since the university’s founding, occasionally complaining a few times about the Higher Education Committee.

Audrey and Klein listened with proper smiles, occasionally echoing him.

Finally, they found an opportunity to propose beginning their work.

Portland was just about to call his secretary in when he suddenly heard someone knock on the office door.

“Come in,” the president replied in a loud voice.

The door opened without much sound. A young girl with black hair and brown eyes entered. She had made no special effort to dress up. Her face was somewhat thin, her features decent, and she looked only seventeen or eighteen years old.

The gaze Klein cast in that direction suddenly deepened slightly before he quickly withdrew it.

The young girl had not expected there to be guests inside the president’s office. For a moment, she grew nervous, hurriedly lowering her head.

“I’m sorry.”

“It’s all right. They were preparing to leave.” Portland did not care too much. “Have you finished making the item I asked you to make last week?”

“It is finished.” The young girl stepped aside through the doorway.

Portland Moment then smiled at Dwayne Dantès and Audrey.

“Her name is Melissa Moretti. She has talent in mechanics. I discovered it by chance, so I asked her to help in my laboratory during her spare time. Of course, for now, she can only do odd jobs.”

“Very good.” The corners of Klein’s mouth lifted as he praised her with an obvious smile.

Audrey glanced at him, then followed with a smile.

“There are always some arrogant fellows who say women have no talent in mechanical fields, and this young lady has proved them wrong.”

Portland shook his head with a smile.

“There is no need to care about such remarks. All right, I will have my secretary lead you to understand the circumstances of those recipients.”

Audrey and Klein did not linger and left the office.

After going out, Audrey glanced once more at Dwayne Dantès, but said nothing.