Chapter 117: Consultation Fee

Chapter 117: Consultation Fee

Nightmares?

Klein considered for two seconds before saying, “Yes.

“I dream of a small town shrouded in mist, with the red moon hanging in the sky, sometimes clear, sometimes blurred.

“At the center of this town, there is a black church filled with hanging corpses. They wear clothes from different eras, swaying gently in the wind and making strange sounds.

“Besides those, there is a beautiful woman with bloody human flesh caught between her teeth, and a mushroom-man made from countless little mushrooms…”

In order to treat his psychological problem, Klein restored the dream in fairly complete detail. However, he did not explain that these were things he had truly experienced, nor did he reveal that he knew the beautiful woman’s identity and the origin of that bizarre mushroom. At the same time, he concealed the existence of the cluster of transparent worms and Zaratul.

Audrey listened earnestly and attentively. Combining her Beyonder intuition with her dual knowledge of mysticism and psychology, she pondered while saying, “Mr. World, I can imagine how frightening and sinister those scenes in your dreams are. I can also feel the tremendous terror that would make you wake with a start.”

Seeing that the person beyond the wooden partition did not refute her, Audrey became more confident. She quietly performed another round of Soothe and began guiding him.

“The fear inside dreams often originates from emotions hidden in the depths of the heart. And most of the time, fear hidden in the depths of the heart has only two sources: the unknown, and the irresistible.

“The terrible things you saw in your dreams are only appearances. What you truly fear is what they represent, what they symbolize, and what they hide behind the curtain.”

As she spoke, Audrey suddenly asked, “What is that?”

Klein was following Miss Justice’s soft, sweet voice, relaxing little by little and examining his own heart, when he suddenly heard such a question. Almost subconsciously, he answered, “The existence that created all of this.”

He paused for a second, then added with hesitation, “They are both unknown and irresistible.”

At that moment, Klein already understood the true reason he had been having nightmares and why his mental state had been poor.

Instinctively, he was fearing certain matters. Instinctively, hidden negative emotions had formed within him.

The former included the terrifying performances of that cluster of transparent worms and Zaratul, as well as the inexplicable actions of the eraser angel and the fact that using the Dark Sacred Emblem had successfully “opened the door.” Each respectively produced an emotion of despair before a path that seemed impossible to resist, and a feeling of uncertainty about who was friend, who was foe, and who was plotting what.

Yes. I am afraid of that cluster of transparent worms suspected to be Sequence 1 Attendant of Mysteries of the Seer pathway. I am afraid of Zaratul, who achieved some unknown purpose through “opening the door.” I am afraid of the Goddess, whose thoughts are unknown, and of the eraser angel…

Klein slowly breathed out, inwardly admitting his own fear.

Audrey used Soothe again and discovered that Mr. World’s mental tension had essentially eased. Delighted, she grew bolder and said, “A major root of fear is insufficient confidence. Think back. Did you perhaps overlook something or make a mistake in the relevant matter? This caused your spirituality to keep reminding you, hinting to you, and gradually evolve into part of the nightmare.”

Overlooked something, made a mistake, reminder from spirituality…

Klein pondered Miss Justice’s words, earnestly combing through the details of the matters he feared.

Soon, his expression sank little by little. He discovered a problem.

When I swore an oath through the sacred sword under the Goddess’s witness, I had not yet become a Clown. The power of the gray fog had not yet entered the real world, so it could not be detected by special deities, demigods, or spirit world creatures. But it would have been difficult to conceal it from “fate”—that is, Beyonders of the Monster pathway.

And one of the Goddess’s titles is Queen of Calamity and Fear. She controls misfortune and belongs among deities of the domain of fate!

So, was I already being watched from that time?

Klein’s thoughts gradually settled, and the fear originating from the unknown seemed to ease by more than half.

He did not answer, nor did he wait for Miss Justice to speak again. Instead, he asked, “If you were to face one enemy, or even several enemies, who are almost impossible to challenge, what would you do?”

Audrey was not annoyed by being questioned by a patient. On the contrary, she believed this was a good sign. After considering her words, she said, “First evade. First hide. Work hard to improve yourself.”

“What if the time gained through evasion and hiding cannot allow you to grow enough to face the enemy?” Klein pressed. “What if the difference between the two sides is very hard to make up?”

Audrey answered, half soothing and half seriously, “Find enough helpers.”

Helpers…

Several names flashed across Klein’s mind. His heart settled quite a bit more, and he continued asking, “Even if you have helpers, what if you still cannot oppose the enemy?

“What if some helpers are plotting something unknown, perhaps beneficial to you, perhaps harmful?”

Audrey was briefly at a loss. After several seconds, she answered thoughtfully, “You can pray to a deity.”

She was only one step away from directly saying: World, you can ask Mr. Fool for help.

And from the questions and answers just now, Audrey had confirmed one thing: Mr. World’s psychological problem primarily originated from powerful and terrifying enemies, but deeper within lay worries brought by helpers whose positions were unknown.

Pray to a deity…

Klein did not dare directly ask, What if even a deity cannot solve it, and what if a deity’s thoughts are even harder to guess? After all, this was the Fool’s kingdom, and he himself was a Blessed.

He organized his words and said, “What if a deity can only provide help in certain respects, and that is not enough?”

Audrey had originally wanted to say that there would always be a way, that justice would certainly defeat evil. But she could not convince herself, nor could she find corresponding examples as reference. In the end, she pursed her lips and said, “I do not know…”

Inside the “confessional,” darkness fell silent. For a brief period, neither of them spoke again, as though each had fallen into different inner struggles.

At last, Audrey broke the stillness. Looking at the wooden partition dividing them, she said, “No matter what, one always has to do something. Work hard to do something. One cannot simply give up and offer no resistance.”

That’s right… At least I still have quite a few secrets and a few things I can rely on…

Klein closed his eyes, leaned against the wooden partition, and gradually turned his thoughts back to recent matters. His entire person no longer remained constantly tense and frequently agitated.

Audrey sensed this change and immediately added another Soothe. With that, Klein’s mental state completely recovered.

“I feel much better. Thank you for the treatment. How much consultation fee do you need?” Klein took the initiative to ask.

Actually, I should be thanking you for providing a case…

Audrey did not especially want to take a consultation fee. Looking at the wooden partition in the deep darkness, she involuntarily recalled Mr. World’s usual gloomy, cold, seasoned, and ruthless manner.

Mm… His psychological problem may also partly stem from his own personality…

Audrey suddenly had inspiration. The corners of her lips slowly lifted as she said, “The consultation fee I need is very small.

“Mm, wish me happiness!”

…What is going on?

Klein froze at once and nearly forgot that he was wearing the persona of Gehrman Sparrow.

He had never heard such a request!

After hesitating for a while, Klein finally spoke in the World’s identity, deliberately maintaining a cold tone.

“Since that is what you request…

“I wish you happiness.”

Audrey’s smile instantly brightened.

“I also wish you happiness!

“Mr. World, do not always keep things buried inside your heart. Smile more. Be happier. That can eliminate many hidden dangers.

“Alright. Your psychological issue has been resolved, but in a few days or sometime next week, we should do a follow-up session.”

Klein did not know how to respond and could only give a simple “Mm.”

Then he heard the door opposite him creak open. From the Fool’s perspective, he saw Miss Justice leave the “confessional” and straighten her body.

After sending her back to the real world, Klein did not dare linger above the gray fog for long. Very soon, he left as well and lay back down on his bed.

Only then, with his mental state recovered and his body and mind relaxed, did he notice something: his Marionettist potion had digested quite a lot more, far beyond his expectations!

Is it because, inside the misty town, I relied on a marionette to deceive the demigod Panatiya, manipulating her and Mr. A into completing the performance according to my expectations? So, aside from “one should remain behind the curtain as much as possible” and “each marionette should have its own persona, making it appear more real,” the Marionettist rules also include “using one’s marionettes as guides to manipulate enemies and stage puppet shows in reality”?

Klein thoughtfully muttered inwardly a few times. He believed that perhaps this year, he might finish digesting the potion.

With complicated emotions, he breathed out and turned his head, looking toward the crimson moonlight penetrating the curtains. He silently said:

“That missing servant should already have been found. The clues I left should have been discovered too…”

…

Underground beneath Saint Samuel Cathedral, Leonard, Cindy, Bob, and the others watched Captain Soest, who had returned from a meeting, patiently waiting for him to introduce the new clues.

Soest took a sip of fragrant coffee and said, “The missing servant has already been found.

“And inside the room where he was placed, some of the infiltrator’s clothes were left behind.

“After confirmation, they belong to the mad adventurer Gehrman Sparrow, who was previously active at sea.”

Why has a mad adventurer become involved too…

Leonard was slightly surprised and directly asked, “When did he come to Backlund?”

“No one knows. The only thing that can be confirmed is that this mad adventurer appeared at sea in recent weeks and hunted some pirates,” Soest said at an unhurried pace. “The Church of Storms knows more about this. MI9 seems to understand quite a bit as well. Those above will send someone to contact them.”

No sooner had Soest finished his instructions than a telegram came in.

It was from a Nighthawk team in Desi County. Once decoded, its contents were:

“Dawn Dantes’s current identity is fake. For the past ten years, he was in the Southern Continent and accumulated considerable wealth through adventuring… Further confirmation will take time, because that region is very chaotic, often at war, and territorial control changes frequently.”