Chapter 52: Seven Councilors

Chapter 52: Seven Councilors

Audrey’s right hand paused slightly, then returned to normal. She picked up the personality mask known as Arrogance.

“A fifty percent probability is not low.” She gave Pauli Delrau a simple response.

She was saying that, when choosing between two options, picking the personality mask Hvin Rambis had once worn was not a coincidence worth being surprised over.

After saying this, Audrey put that cold grayish-white mask on her face.

Almost instantly, she felt an additional virtual personality appear within her mind island.

It did not come from the outside world. Rather, it was a magnification and extremization of one part of her cognition:

“They are very poorly educated. They must be guided by me to make the correct choices.

“Not everyone possesses sufficient wisdom. Quite the contrary—most people are very foolish.

“Those workers act through impulse rather than reason. They are easily lured by small benefits. They are shortsighted. Only if I think, guide, and decide for them can they be saved.

“They deserve pity, but they are not worth communicating with.

“…”

Thought after thought echoed inside Audrey’s mind, making her almost believe that they were truths. After all, this was part of the feedback she had received during her previous observations and experiences, not something fabricated out of nothing.

As her gaze swept across the smooth surface of the long table, Audrey saw her present self reflected there:

On the cold grayish-white mask, the two eyes had moved upward and become fixed at the forehead, as if they only looked at high places and cared about nothing else. It gave one a feeling that was somewhat funny, somewhat grotesque, and concealed an undertone of horror.

Audrey fell silent all at once. After several seconds, she spoke in a low voice.

“So this is Arrogance?”

If she had not long since broken free of cognitive errors through exchanges with Mr. World, Mr. Hanged Man, Madam Hermit, and others, she might have truly been affected by the personality virtualized by the Arrogance mask just now.

As for what result being affected would bring, she could not currently judge.

“You returned to normal more quickly than I imagined. It seems you have not lost yourself in the experience of manipulating others.” Delrau praised her.

Audrey thoughtfully replied,

“Mr. Hvin Rambis always behaved a little arrogantly…”

Delrau clasped together the hands resting between his chest and abdomen.

“You could observe that?”

“Only occasionally, in certain details.” Audrey answered with two short phrases.

Delrau sighed, smiled, and shook his head.

“Hvin Rambis was influenced by this personality mask more severely than I expected. Furthermore, he usually disguised it very well.

“Under that premise, I am not surprised by his disappearance. Arrogance would make him fail to see the path under his feet. It would make him look down upon Beyonders weaker than himself, and that often brings tremendous danger.”

Audrey restrained her impulse to recall Hvin Rambis’s death and, after considering her words, asked,

“These seven personality masks can magnify corresponding cognitions and emotions, helping us realize our own problems so that we can solve them in a targeted way. At the same time, they bring certain negative effects, unconsciously changing the wearer’s personality?”

Delrau nodded slightly.

“In the domain of the mind, it is difficult for external assistance to be pure and harmless. There must be sufficient internal power to avoid the corresponding negative influence.

“The fact that you can recognize this means you are walking the correct path.”

Audrey had just been about to take the opportunity to discuss certain matters of the mind domain when she suddenly saw one personality mask on the table vanish.

She subconsciously turned toward the church entrance and saw a figure pass through the doorway and walk in.

The figure wore a three-piece formal suit and held a half-height silk top hat. On his face was the personality mask that had just disappeared.

The mask’s mouth split extremely wide, almost all the way to the ears, and remained open, as though it intended to swallow everything its two eyes saw.

“This is one of our Psychology Alchemists councilors, Mr. Gluttony.” Delrau briefly introduced him to Audrey.

After that, the other councilors of the Psychology Alchemists arrived one after another. They were Mr. Lust, Madam Greed, Miss Sloth, and Mr. Envy.

As a senior Spectator, Audrey first noticed the differences between their respective personality masks:

Greed was similar to Gluttony. Its mouth split to the ears, but it was not open, and its two eyes were closed.

Lust resembled Arrogance, except that its eyes were different from ordinary people’s. They had sunk to the middle of the nose bridge, as if looking upward at others from below.

Envy’s eyes, ears, mouth, and nose were all somewhat crooked, and it possessed an innately gloomy quality.

Sloth’s eyes were tightly shut, and its mouth drooped naturally, giving the impression that the wearer was asleep.

Seeing that all the original councilors had arrived, Delrau said with a smile,

“We will wait for one more friend. He will be the seventh councilor of the council. Heh, the eighth. I forgot to count myself.”

As soon as he finished speaking, a figure entered through the main doors of the church.

The figure wore a shirt and waistcoat on the inside, a black trench coat on the outside, and a half-height silk top hat. At first glance, he looked like a rather fashionable gentleman.

Yet after Audrey observed him briefly, she discovered that beneath the human clothing was a giant rabbit with scarlet eyes and snow-white fur.

The rabbit walked in step by step and stopped at the side of the long table, right beside Audrey.

“Unfortunately, you have only one choice.” Delrau smiled and pointed at the Wrath mask on the table.

The rabbit spoke with a male human voice:

“I have always been mild-tempered, so this is perfect for experiencing the feeling of wrath.”

As it spoke, it picked up the personality mask and put it on its face.

The mask’s eyes were wide open, and so was its mouth, as if it might roar in rage at any moment.

After this Mr. Wrath sat down beside Audrey, Delrau lightly clapped his hands.

“I formally introduce to everyone the two new councilors who have joined the council.

“This is Miss Arrogance, and this is Mr. Wrath. They are both demigods with deep attainments in the domain of the mind.

“Among them, Miss Arrogance will be responsible for the Backlund region of the Loen Kingdom.”

At this point, Delrau looked toward Audrey.

“You may still be unaware that we are rooted mainly in the groups of psychologists, psychiatrists, and corresponding enthusiasts. Our strength is concentrated primarily in large cities, rather than small towns and villages. Therefore, every councilor is responsible for a certain city, along with its surrounding region.”

Then Delrau continued,

“Mr. Wrath is responsible for Esara, the capital of Lenburg;

“Mr. Lust is responsible for Trier, the capital of Intis;

“Madam Greed is responsible for Saint-Milon, the capital of Feysac;

“Miss Sloth is responsible for Feynapotter City, the capital of Feynapotter;

“Mr. Envy is responsible for Dilsi City in the Republic of Intis;

“Mr. Gluttony is responsible for Constant City in the Loen Kingdom.”

After finishing the introductions, Delrau added a few sentences:

“The purpose of the Psychology Alchemists is exploration, discovery, and research. We do not particularly care about our sphere of influence, number of members, degree of resource possession, and similar matters. Therefore, in the Fog Sea, Berserk Sea, Sonia Sea, and Southern Continent, we have no councilors. Of course, there are often members who go out to sea or to the Southern Continent to explore ruins and pursue ancient history. Haha, I nearly forgot—myself included. I am the Black Throne King of the Five Seas.”

Saint-Milon, Constant, Dilsi… Almost half of the Psychology Alchemists councilors are in the Midsea region… Audrey keenly noticed a problem.

She came from a noble family and had received an excellent education from childhood. She was no stranger to the locations of the Northern Continent’s cities. She knew that Feysac’s Saint-Milon, Loen’s Constant, and Intis’s Dilsi were all major cities along the Midsea coast.

Although none could compare with the three great metropolises of Backlund, Trier, and Feynapotter City, each was still considerable in scale, with many medium-sized cities nearby. This made the Midsea coast the Northern Continent’s most economically developed and densely populated region.

Under such circumstances, it was not particularly surprising that the Psychology Alchemists’ center of gravity lay around the Midsea. What Audrey mainly had not expected was that the Psychology Alchemists seemed to have little interest in expansion.

After the councilors had become acquainted with one another, Delrau turned his head to Audrey and said,

“Miss Arrogance, affected by the war, the Psychology Alchemists in Backlund suffered no small losses. Many members have lost contact. I will later give you the specific list. You will be responsible for confirming the whereabouts of those members and reorganizing them.

“During this process, I suggest you not use your true appearance or real name. Virtualize one or even several identities to complete these matters. Hvin Rambis did not handle this point well enough. I think he truly was somewhat arrogant.”

Audrey gently nodded and agreed.

Delrau then withdrew his gaze.

“The second matter to be discussed today is the whereabouts of the mind dragon in East Chester County of the Loen Kingdom.

“The dragon-worship customs in Hedrak Village have not weakened in the slightest over the past two years. I suspect that the mind dragon is still influencing that place in some way. Perhaps we can use this to find its whereabouts.

“I wonder who is willing to handle this matter?”

Only after raising the question did he remember that the newly joined Miss Arrogance and Mr. Wrath did not have sufficient understanding of the situation. He briefly explained the Psychology Alchemists’ previous exploration, as well as the complete death of the subordinate archaeological team.

Audrey had, in fact, participated in some of the earlier matters. Seeing a suitable reason to intervene, she could not help feeling tempted.

It was not that she truly wished to hunt that mind dragon. Rather, she hoped to communicate with the other party and grasp more knowledge and secrets of the mind domain.

However, she did not hurry to raise her hand and accept the mission. As a member attending the council meeting for the first time, she would rather miss the opportunity than appear overly eager.

“This is a Loen matter. We are not very suitable to interfere,” Mr. Lust said after looking around. “Unless Miss Arrogance and Mr. Gluttony truly do not have time.”

Audrey waited a few more seconds. Seeing that Gluttony did not speak, she looked toward Delrau and said,

“I will attempt an investigation, but I need more detailed information.”