Chapter 41: Grasping Psychology

Chapter 41: Grasping Psychology

Goodwill? Upon hearing The World Gehrman Sparrow’s question, Magician Forsi almost suspected that her ears had deceived her.

In her mind, the first thing that appeared was Mr. X’s head, pieced together, covered in cracks, seams, and bloodstains.

Just as Forsi was weighing her words, trying to invent a suitable explanation, Justice Audrey glanced at her from the side, then looked toward The World Gehrman Sparrow with a faint smile.

“What matters in making the Abraham family feel your goodwill is not what you have done, but what Miss Magician writes in her letter.”

That is true. Unless I directly appear before Miss Magician’s teacher, his understanding of me will be limited to various rumors and what Miss Magician tells him… As long as the story she tells is good enough, it doesn’t matter even if it doesn’t match reality… Klein abruptly realized that he had fallen into a dead end while thinking about the corresponding issue.

“Ah?” Magician Forsi had vaguely grasped Miss Justice’s meaning, but not thoroughly enough.

Justice Audrey looked at The Hermit, The Star, and the others, then said to Forsi, “You need to convey Mr. World’s goodwill to your teacher. To do that, you can weave a few stories, rather than simply state the truth.”

“What should I say?” Magician Forsi took the initiative to ask.

It was not that she was bad at making up stories. Quite the opposite—this was exactly what she was best at. The problem was that writing a novel others liked and writing a story others believed were not the same thing. For the latter, obtaining advice from a “senior” psychologist would undoubtedly make things much easier.

Justice Audrey had already thought through the details of the letter before speaking. At this moment, her pace was neither rushed nor slow.

“Clearly, your teacher must already have noticed your rapid advancement. Because of Mr. X’s death and the many sensitive issues involved, he likely holds a certain degree of doubt and wariness toward the Beyonder circle you are involved in.”

“Mm.” Forsi nodded almost imperceptibly, agreeing with Miss Audrey’s judgment.

If her teacher, Dorian Gray Abraham, were someone careless and slow to react to all kinds of abnormal signs, he would never have survived until now. He would long ago have been captured by the Aurora Order, or killed by some other force interested in the Abraham family.

Justice Audrey continued, “Under such circumstances, he still keeps in contact with you, teaches you knowledge, gives you formulas, and provides materials. This shows that, on one hand, he acknowledges your character and moral quality. On the other, he also holds expectations toward you becoming a Sequence 4 demigod, and toward you obtaining important intelligence from that mysterious, dangerous Beyonder circle.

“What we need to do is make use of that psychology.”

Audrey had originally wanted to use the more neutral word “grasp” in place of “make use of.” But after a brief pause, she still chose to face herself and face the essence of the matter.

Seeing Magician Forsi adopt a posture of serious listening, and seeing Judgment, The Star, and The Hermit also clearly interested in what she would say next, Justice Audrey pressed her lips together and said, “After you return, you can write to him and tell him that you have already become a Traveler. This will make him both happy about your growth and alarmed by such an exaggerated speed of advancement.

“Then, answer the question he previously raised. Say that the gentleman seeking to purchase a Star Worm mentioned something: the ancient curse within the Abraham family’s bloodline seems to come from a hidden existence called Mr. Door.

“This is a question your teacher has never told you about, yet absolutely cares about.

“Without a doubt, he will feel fear toward the gentleman who appears to know that you have a connection with the Abraham family, and he will want to avoid him. However, he will also inevitably crave more information. He will want to understand what secret is hidden behind the curse that has tormented generation after generation of the Abraham family, and whether there is any way to resolve it.

“At the same time, communication through letters rather than a direct meeting will give him a certain sense of safety. He may move residences, change identities, and adopt more indirect ways of sending and receiving letters, but there is a high chance he will not cut off contact.

“Maintain that connection. Reveal more valuable information step by step. Awaken your teacher’s desire, and use that to shape Mr. World’s image, letting your teacher feel a kind of goodwill.”

At this point, Audrey stopped and once again looked toward The World Gehrman Sparrow.

She could roughly tell that Mr. World was expressing goodwill toward the Abraham family because he wanted something from them. But as for what exactly he wanted, she was not a Prophet, nor had she read Gehrman Sparrow’s mind. Naturally, she could not guess, and therefore could not continue speaking further.

Klein nodded. With a hoarse chuckle, he said to Miss Magician, “Once that kind of indirect connection has been established, I may propose a transaction to your teacher: a promise to remove the curse in exchange for certain valuable items.”

Through the Demoness Trissy, he had actually already grasped a method to resolve the Abraham family’s curse. However, he did not intend to trade that directly for the Planeswalker potion formula and Grade 0 sealed artifacts.

On one hand, their values were not equal; the gap was far too large, and Klein would feel guilty. On the other hand, he did not want to release the dangerous existence known as Mr. Door back into the real world just like that. That would be irresponsible to himself and to all innocent civilians.

What he was considering was to seek another method—to make the Abraham family’s curse disappear to a certain degree. In other words, perhaps it would still exist, but it would no longer affect the Abrahams’ normal lives or their advancement within a certain range.

So that is how it is… Mid- to high-Sequence Beyonders of the mind domain are truly impressive. They can make people unconsciously act according to their arrangements… Compared to when we first met, Miss Justice is practically transformed. She inspires both fear and admiration… Magician Forsi glanced at Xio and seemed to read the same feeling in her friend’s eyes.

After thinking for a moment, she gathered her courage and asked The World Gehrman Sparrow, “What if my teacher refuses your transaction request?”

Do you think I would kill and rob him? Klein lampooned in Chinese inwardly and gave a “heh.”

“Do not worry. I will not harm him, nor will I use force.”

Whew… Although Mr. World is a little terrifying, he still keeps his promises… Magician Forsi slowly nodded.

“I will write a letter to my teacher according to Miss Justice’s suggestion later.”

Klein inclined his head slightly, looked around, and said, “You may begin discussing the hunting operation.”

The Hermit Cattleya took control of the conversation and said, “The greatest problem in this operation is: how do we find the Saint of Secrets, Botis?”

Forsi immediately remembered her previous chance encounter with Botis. She raised her hand and said, “If I can borrow that powerful sealed artifact from my teacher, I can carry it and frequently wander around Backlund, attracting Botis nearby through the convergence between Beyonder characteristics.

“Uh, this may also attract other demigods of the Apprentice pathway, or Zaratul, leader of the Secret Order, or the Blasphemer Amon…”

The more Forsi spoke, the lower her voice became. She increasingly felt that this method was far too dangerous.

If Zaratul or Amon truly appeared, she did not know what would happen to the other members participating in the operation. But as the bait, she would undoubtedly be unable to run.

The Hermit Cattleya nodded and said thoughtfully, “If it is only a Grade 1 sealed artifact of the Apprentice pathway, the Law of Beyonder Characteristics Convergence should not attract neighboring pathways so strongly. The range would likely be limited to demigods of the Apprentice pathway. As far as I know, there are not many of them. One could even say they are few. The vast majority exist in the form of characteristics or sealed artifacts.”

I suddenly don’t want to become Sequence 4 anymore… Magician Forsi’s eyelid twitched as she listened.

Cattleya then turned her gaze toward The World Gehrman Sparrow.

“Putting aside for now whether there is a Grade 1 sealed artifact of the Apprentice pathway available, the prerequisite for making the Saint of Secrets and Miss Magician encounter each other is that he must also be in Backlund, and that he must not be too cautious and should go out frequently.”

Hearing this, The Star Leonard spoke from the perspective of a professional official Beyonder.

“That is actually not difficult. As a demigod of the Apprentice pathway, Botis is definitely the high-ranking member of the Aurora Order responsible for handling accidents and supporting different places. He has enough mobility—heh, that is a term that appeared after the invention of steam trains and airships.

“As long as you create some incidents targeting the Aurora Order in Backlund, there is a high chance he will come.”

As Leonard spoke, he glanced at Klein.

As far as he knew, in that melee outside Bayam caused by Gehrman Sparrow, the Saint of Secrets had appeared and picked up a glove.

“That is one method…” Justice Audrey and the others nodded one after another.

At that moment, The World Gehrman Sparrow suddenly said, “Let me remind you of one thing. The Aurora Order is an organization that worships a true god. Once you act against them, and your hidden objective is to hunt their high-ranking member, the True Creator may foresee it and give some warning.”

That can happen? Audrey’s eyes widened slightly. She observed The Hermit Cattleya, The Star Leonard, and the others, and discovered that they were equally stunned.

This was something they had never considered before.

It was not that they were not clever enough. Rather, before now, they had never participated in matters involving such high-level existences. Or rather, even if they had participated, they had not known anything at all.

“What should we do, then?” Magician Forsi could not help asking.

Klein answered in a guiding tone, “Use a softer method—one that is not directly aimed at the Aurora Order—to fish out the Saint of Secrets Botis.”