Secret: The years I served as a foreign aid for the Aurora Club

Chapter 220 The troops are divided into two groups
468
The big golden retriever pushed the bushes above its head with great effort and struggled to get out through the hole in the fence.

Susie looked around vigilantly, then lowered her head, licked her paw hair, and bit off a small tuft.

It checked its body again, turned around a few times, and carefully observed its own shadow.
"Well, I'm still a dog. I haven't become a human..."

It breathed a sigh of relief in a very human way, checked the leather bag on its chest, and quickly ran out of the manor.

Susie ran quickly, over the canals and wide roads for horse-drawn carriages, over the wild flowers on the roadside and the strange pedestrians passing by, and headed straight for the Storm Church located in the prosperous area of ​​the northern city.

However, as it ran, Susie discovered more and more people whose appearance, clothing and behavior did not match. It cautiously entered the urban area of ​​the northern city. The situation not only did not improve, but became worse.

Most people would not pay attention to a dog running around, let alone Susie, who was wearing a gold-rimmed glasses and a small necklace, carrying a small leather bag, and whose golden hair was soft and shiny and looked very polite. It was obvious that she was a bred dog carefully raised by a wealthy family, not a stray dog, so no one would pay attention to her.

Susie carefully navigated the loopholes in the "identity confusion" rules and moved forward.

While passing through a park, it gradually stopped and pretended to be an ordinary dog, sticking out its tongue, wagging its tail, and running around in the surrounding flower beds and grass.

A large group of people of different identities were strangely running in a specific direction, as if something was calling them there.

Susie, playing the role of an ordinary dog, followed carefully, lagging far behind, watching them rushing towards somewhere, constantly pushing and squeezing each other, causing many stampedes.

But the crowd did not stop, and the people being trampled kept trying to crawl forward instead of saving themselves. This weird scene made Susie feel a little uneasy. But soon, they stopped in the distance, motionless, silent, and fell into a dead silence, blocking the road ahead tightly.

"Wang."

Susie refrained from any human-imitating behavior, rested her front paws on the curb, and walked around curiously for a few times.

It instinctively felt that this might be related to the current abnormality, but it did not rely on the fact that it was an animal to approach rashly, because it knew that there must be huge dangers hidden there, and if it approached, it would most likely remain motionless.

After watching for a while, Susie wagged her tail and continued running towards the Storm Church Tidal Cathedral which was already within reach.

Just as it passed a corner, Susie suddenly braked, hid in the shadow of the wall, and widened her eyes in disbelief.

It saw a strange person standing in front of it, or rather, a group of strange people. This group of people were wearing white coats like doctors, kneeling together with dull expressions, their upper bodies leaning forward, their hands moving constantly, as if they were working together to do something.

Susie just took a quick glance and immediately turned her head away because her keen sense of smell as a dog detected a strange stench.

This small corner was dark and depressing, with a chilly atmosphere lingering. This strange and thick smell could not be dissipated even if there was ventilation around, because there was a source.

Susie rarely smelled this smell, but her mind told her that it was the smell of rotting meat, and it had been rotting for a long time.

This group of doctors is surrounding a piece of rotten meat?
The big golden retriever could hardly control his curiosity, but was afraid of possible danger and did not dare to approach.

Suddenly, it thought of a solution.

It ran to a puddle of water, looked into its own eyes in the water, and used "hypnosis" on itself:
"In the next half minute, you will forget your identity, your sequence, and all your mystical knowledge. You will gather all your spirituality and become an ordinary dog."

"In the next half minute, you should naturally pass by this corner and naturally look over there."

"Just take a look, then leave and go back to the corner to hide."

"These instructions will take effect as soon as I close my eyes."

Then Susie took a deep breath and closed her eyes.

The psychological suggestion and hypnosis it gave itself immediately began to work. After a few brief seconds, it opened its eyes, looked around in confusion, and put its nose close to the ground, sniffing back and forth on the ground, looking for the scent of its owner Audrey.

But there was no scent of its owner around, nor any scent of other humans that it was familiar with. After turning around a few circles on the spot, the big golden retriever turned its head according to its psychological cue, ran out of the shadow where it was hiding, and sprinted towards the corner ahead.

When passing the corner, the big golden retriever smelled a strange and unpleasant odor. It subconsciously looked towards the group of strange doctors, stretched its neck as if wanting to find out the source, lowered its head slightly, took a few steps forward while sniffing, and stepped its front paws into the boundary between light and dark in the corner.

The dull-looking doctors in white coats suddenly turned their heads and stared at Susie who was five or six meters away.

Susie, who was just an ordinary dog, was frightened by this scene. She took two steps back nervously, barking loudly, and backed away while barking. Finally, she retreated out of the corner and ran away.

After turning a corner, Susie suddenly stopped and closed her eyes.

When it opened its eyes again, a human-like "thinking" expression appeared on its face again.

It looked back and confirmed that it had passed that corner, so it chose a sunny corner to sit down and began to recall everything it had just seen.

Five doctors in white coats.

In their hands they held needles and transparent thread.

This line seems to be used for fishing. Audrey saw others using it when she took it to experience country life a few days ago.

They gathered around a piece of rotting meat.

No, not a piece of rotten meat, a pile of rotten meat.

They're putting this rotten meat...

Sew together.

Susie suddenly opened her eyes.

The canine instinct made it subconsciously tuck its tail between its legs when it encountered incomprehensible terror, with its ears pressed tightly against its head. It almost wanted to jump up, then run back to the castle to inform Audrey of the news - because Audrey could speak, and it could not tell the Storm Church of this news!

Even if it was a member of the Hypnosis Storm Church, it wouldn't work, because the church would definitely trace the source of this information, and his hypnosis would definitely not be able to resist the church's psychological suggestion. If it was discovered that one of Miss Hall's dogs spoke human language, then he would be completely exposed.

"The seal, this time it must be out of control."

Susie paced back and forth anxiously, with her tail between her legs, carefully recalling everything that she had just seen.

"There was something lying next to that pile of rotting meat."

"Round and flat, like a mirror."

"That mirror is the seal that went out of control? Um, it affected the people in the city, confusing their identities, controlling them, and stitching together an already ruined body?"

From Hall Castle to the northern urban area, all are within the range of influence of this seal. According to the church classification that Susie knows, this should be a terrible level 1 seal!

"No, I can't go back to look for Audrey now. Audrey can't come out, and I'll be wasting time if I go back!"

Its only advantage in this accident is that it is not a human, but an extraordinary animal. Its animal identity makes others naturally relax their vigilance towards it, and it can also escape the influence of most seals aimed at humans.

After thinking this through, Susie immediately continued running towards the Tidal Church.

After turning a sharp corner in a hurry, a series of loud noises suddenly came from the street ahead, and the sky darkened.

Dark clouds, thunder and lightning?
Susie still remembered the mystical knowledge she had learned, and she was suddenly happy—the people of the Storm Church began to take action!

……

Hall Family Castle.

Audrey sat in her bedroom, trying to stay calm and praying that Susie could successfully bring people from the church.

However, in just these ten minutes, Audrey suddenly heard the footsteps outside the door becoming more frequent, as well as the sound of the door opening and closing, as if many people had walked out of the room and were constantly walking in the corridor and on the stairs.

However, amidst the dense sound of footsteps, no one spoke.

Her heart suddenly rose to her throat. She quickly gave herself two "comfort" medicines and performed a "psychoanalysis" to stabilize her state and maintain her ability to think rationally.

She was still wearing her riding clothes, so she stood up carefully and tiptoed towards the gate, wanting to listen to the sounds outside.

When she was only two or three meters away from the gate, there was a sudden knock on the door.

"Audrey?" Someone called her name outside the door. The voice seemed so abrupt amid the dense footsteps. "Audrey, the afternoon tea is almost cold. I specially finished my work early today and waited for you on the balcony for a long time."

Audrey was shocked - she had previously asked Hibbert when he had time to have afternoon tea with her, to chat, and to get some inside information and gossip about the surrounding aristocratic families, but why did it happen to be today?
It's her oldest brother, Hibbert Hall...wait, that voice isn't Hibbert's!

Hibbert has experience in public speaking and has participated in many social and government activities. He has a good eloquence and an excellent voice, but now his voice sounds a little weak, much weaker than Hibbert. This is a man, but definitely not Hibbert... Audrey felt goose bumps on her arms. She rubbed her arms gently, making her voice as brisk and lively as usual, and answered the "Hibbert" outside the door:
"Wait for me, dear Hibbert!"

"It just occurred to me that I'm going to go riding next week, so I put on my new riding clothes in advance. It fits me perfectly."

"I'll change it back now."

The "Hibbert" outside the door laughed. This person whose real identity was unknown had acquired Hibbert's identity and joked with Audrey like a real brother:

"My sister is so anxious. Audrey, wherever you go, you are the most dazzling gem in the crowd."

"Our family afternoon tea doesn't require any special changes of clothes, but if you insist, I'll be waiting for you outside."

Audrey's palms felt cold, but she still smiled and said:

"Then I can't keep you waiting any longer." She wasn't sure whether this was a test or a "surprise", so in order to facilitate her escape, she chose to wear convenient trousers.

When she opened the door, her brother Hibbert was standing outside. Audrey was dazed for a moment, but she came to her senses immediately.

If she hadn't heard the strange sound in the room just now, she would naturally believe that this was "Hibbert"!
Audrey showed an impeccable smile. Her tied-up hair and light and easy-to-wear riding clothes made her look more refreshing. "Hibbert" praised:

"Pearl whites suit you very well, Audrey."

"Thank you."

Audrey walked over to "Hibbert" as if nothing had happened, and the two walked side by side towards the garden balcony.

Along the way, all the servants in the castle seemed to come out, moving back and forth with things big and small, and placing things covered with black cloth in every corner of the castle.

Audrey was confused and had a vague bad feeling, but "Hibbert" acted as if he was used to it, so Audrey did not dare to ask.

Finally, with Audrey feeling anxious, they reached the third floor. Two servants worked together to carry a huge object, passing by them and heading downstairs.

The wind as he walked blew a corner of the black cloth.

In the intersecting moments, Audrey caught a glimpse of the back of her head in the black cloth—the object was a giant mirror.

The servants were constantly moving mirrors from the room and placing them in the castle in a strange order and at different angles.

Audrey moved her feet slightly, and the mirror bracket just scraped her trouser leg.

She stopped and complained:

"What a shame, my brand new clothes."

Hibbert naturally stopped, followed Audrey's gaze, and comforted his sister:
"These servants are so careless. Don't be sad. I will ask the tailor to make you a new one."

"Audrey, forgive them. After all, decorating the castle is the most urgent matter."

Audrey heard this and said "sullenly": "I know."

She stood up again and continued to move forward. Before entering the balcony, she loosened her clenched right fist and let the sweat in her palm dry naturally to avoid attracting the attention of "Hibbert".

As one of the owners of the castle, she knew it better than anyone else.

——There is no requirement to "decorate the castle with mirrors" at all.

469
"...I have heard of your name. I never thought that the philosopher who proposed the doctrine that 'man is born free' is still alive in this world. I have also read your books. Your paper "On the Human Nature Formed by Man in the Natural State" gave me a lot of inspiration and gave me a deeper understanding of 'human nature'."

Amon expressed his views seriously like a philosopher.

Standing opposite him was an old man with white hair and beard, wearing a simple bishop's robe, tall and thin.

His beard was neatly trimmed, his face was friendly yet serious, and his sea-blue eyes sparkled with a wisdom that was almost non-existent among Storm followers.

“Man is born free, but he is always in chains.”

"The goodness of our nature is constantly being tested, and our freedom is also running in shackles. In reality, our world is full of dangers and chaos, and shackles are both constraints and protection."

The professor-like bishop smiled and talked to Amon.

He did not rush to attack with lightning speed, nor did he quickly ask for information about the other party's lost seal, nor did he show any vigilance or fear towards this young man who was higher in sequence than himself.

"That thesis was written almost ninety years ago. I used it to obtain my doctorate in philosophy from the University of Munich."

He smiled and sighed, "I'm honored that my immature works when I was young can inspire you. Your understanding of 'human nature' is also novel and innovative. If we hadn't met under such circumstances, I would have invited you to discuss it together."

"One of your views is very interesting... In the natural state, human beings live in harmony with nature in the struggle for their own survival, and form good and simple virtues in their mutual relationship with nature. There is no unified moral code, but human nature is natural and perfect. You believe that the development of civilization has destroyed these original virtues, people have become more and more intelligent, and private property has made people's hearts worse..."

Amon followed suit by changing his address, using honorifics, trying to make himself seem more human, more trustworthy, and less like a fraud.

——However, this behavior itself is naturally a kind of "fraud"!
After saying this, he made a humorous joke:

"If another professor I know well heard this view, he would probably be eager to debate with you."

"Oh?"

Lu Ermi asked with great interest: "It seems that my colleague does not agree with my idea."

"Not really." Amon shrugged. "After all, the textbooks he gave me still include your works and papers, don't they?"

"Sounds like an interesting man. Debate, it must have been a long, long time ago."

The professor showed a nostalgic look, then he broke away from the atmosphere of academic discussion, looked around at the people standing still, and said:
“What is your opinion on the current situation?”

"It's presumptuous, but you need to share some intelligence. Your seal has caused great problems for my city, and you should take responsibility."

Amon had no choice but to shift his focus from the topic of "human nature" that he was most interested in to the topic of hunting for sealed objects that he was not interested in:

"The seal I lost corresponds to the 'thief' path and has the ability of 'fraud'. The current identity confusion is its influence. The mental imprint left inside has strong malice towards me, but I'm not sure whether it will choose to escape or attack me."

"The crowds, obstructions, and car accidents you saw were all manipulated by it behind the scenes. It seemed that its purpose was to prevent me from getting close..."

Amon thought for a moment and said:

"Somewhere in the manor area outside the city."

"Well, that's a useful piece of information..."

At this moment, some slight noises attracted the attention of the two saints. They turned their heads together and saw a big golden dog with its tongue hanging out walking back and forth among the motionless crowd.

What they heard was the sound of the big dog's paws hitting the ground.

"animal?"

Amon was confused at first, but then he realized: "Animals may not be within the range of influence of that seal."

Lu Ermi had already walked over: "Maybe it represents someone's cry for help."

The silent crowd made a burst of dense footsteps and took a few steps back, exposing the position of the golden retriever.

The big golden retriever paced on the spot somewhat uncomfortably. Lu Ermi touched its head, then reached out and opened the small leather bag that the big golden retriever was carrying, and took out a note from it.

After unfolding it, a lady wrote in beautiful handwriting:

"Something unusual has happened in the Hall family castle, and I am trapped in the castle."

Lu Ermi looked at it, thought about it, and then said to Amon with understanding:

"Your intelligence is correct."

Amon heard this and leaned over to read the words clearly. He couldn't believe it:

"It actually hides in that area, this isn't a scam?"

"The northern urban area is my jurisdiction, as is the nobles' manor area. The Hall family is a believer of the goddess. I will contact the Church of the Night and go over there to check the situation. If conditions permit, I will rescue the survivors first." Lu Ermi put away the note and said to Amon in a friendly manner, "I am already an old man and have no courage, so I hope you can... protect the people in the northern urban area on my behalf."

He slightly emphasized the word "protect".

Amon frowned: "I should be the one to deal with my sealed object."

"And you shouldn't give me the responsibility of protecting the people. I'm a wild Beyonder."

He didn't want to take responsibility, and he didn't understand from the bottom of his heart why Lu Ermi did this. Although the reasons were very sufficient, he really couldn't understand why the other party trusted him so much.

Could it be that my "sincerity" actually led to the successful fraud?

"The citizens need protection, and I don't have the means to control them on a large scale."

Lu Ermi looked at the librarian's uniform and colorful scarf on him, and smiled kindly again: "I like the City Library in Stoen very much and go there often. The window seat on the fifth floor is the best."

"I also know that the number of thefts in Stoen has dropped significantly in the past two months."

"I am already an old man, and I just hope to live peacefully every day."

TBC
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I'm going to take the fourth subject in the afternoon. If I pass and get the certificate, I'll update today or tomorrow.

(End of this chapter)