Lord of Mysteries

Chapter 92 "Psychology Expert"

"Mass hysteria?" Sir Deville, who had seen quite a few psychiatrists during this period, pondered the term given by Klein.

His butler, his bodyguards, and his servants, no matter how curious they were, made a sound without his permission.

Sheriff Gates, however, looked at Klein with a puzzled expression, as if he had never heard of such a concept before.

Klein controlled the inertia of tapping his fingers on the sofa armrest and explained in a calm, low voice:

"Humans are very easily deceived by their own senses. Mass hysteria is a psychogenic problem caused by the mutual influence of factors such as mental stress within the same group."

His string of technical terms left Sir Deville, Inspector Gate, and the others bewildered, and they instinctively chose to believe him.

"Let me give you a simple example. This is a case I once handled. A gentleman hosted a dinner party and invited a total of thirty-five guests. During the dinner party, he suddenly felt nauseous and vomited on the spot. This was followed by severe diarrhea. Once, twice, three times, he began to think that he had food poisoning. While going to the hospital, he told his guests about this suspicion."

"In the next two hours, more than 30 of the 35 guests had diarrhea and 26 vomited, and they filled the hospital emergency room."

"The doctors conducted a detailed examination and comparison and concluded that the gentleman was not poisoned initially; the cause was gastrointestinal inflammation resulting from the combination of weather changes and cold, strong alcohol."

"What's most surprising is that none of the guests who came to the hospital were poisoned, and none of them were actually sick."

"This is mass hysteria."

Deville nodded slightly and exclaimed in admiration:

"I understand now. Humans are indeed prone to deceiving themselves. No wonder Emperor Roselle said that a lie repeated a hundred times becomes the truth."

"Officer, what should I call you? You're the most professional psychologist I've ever met."

"Inspector Moretti," Klein said, pointing to his epaulets, "Sir, your troubles have been initially resolved. You can try to sleep now so I can check if there are any other problems. If you have a good dream, please allow us to take our leave now and not wait for you to wake up."

"Okay." Deville rubbed his forehead, picked up his cane, and went upstairs to his bedroom.

Half an hour later, a carriage bearing police insignia drove away from the fountain in front of Lord Deville's gate.

After Sheriff Gates got out of the car midway and returned to his station, Inspector Toller looked at Klein and said, half-complimenting and half-jokingly:

"I actually thought you were a real psychology expert..."

He didn't finish his sentence because he saw that the young man in the black and white checkered uniform opposite him showed almost no expression. His eyes were dark and deep, and the corners of his mouth were forced upwards as he said:

"I've only had some experience with it before."

Inspector Tolle fell silent until the carriage stopped outside 36 Zotland Street.

"Thank you for your help, which has finally relieved Sir Deville of his troubles and allowed him to get some sleep." He extended his hand and shook hands with Klein. "Please give my thanks to Dunn."

Klein nodded slightly and said:

"OK."

He climbed the stairs, step by step, back to Blackthorn Security Company, and knocked on the door to enter the captain's office.

"Is it resolved?" Dunn was waiting for his lunch.

"It's resolved." Klein rubbed his forehead and said succinctly and truthfully, "The root of the problem lies in the lead and porcelain factories under Sir Deville's name. Since their establishment, there have been too many deaths from lead poisoning. And with each incident, Sir Deville would reap a little resentment from his residual spirituality."

"Normally, these won't cause any major problems; at most, they might cause nightmares." Dunn has handled similar cases and is quite experienced.

Klein nodded slightly and said:

"Yes, that's how things were supposed to go, but unfortunately, Sir Deville encountered a female worker suffering from lead poisoning on the street one day. She happened to be lying by the roadside and happened to see the coat of arms of the Deville family. At the same time, she was filled with intense resentment, anxiety, and longing. These emotions only dissipated when the Sir gave her parents, brothers, and sisters a sum of 300 pounds as compensation."

"This is a social problem, not uncommon in this age of steam and machinery." Dunn took out his pipe, sniffed it, and sighed. "Workers who process flax commonly suffer from bronchitis and joint diseases because they wet the materials and themselves in the process. In factories with heavy dust, even without poisoning, lung problems accumulate... Ah, we don't need to discuss these things. I believe they will all be resolved as the kingdom develops. Klein, tonight, shall we find a restaurant to celebrate you becoming a full member?"

Klein thought for a moment and said:

"Tomorrow night... Captain, I used my spiritual vision for too long today, and I also used the technique of 'dream divination' to communicate directly with those resentful spirits. I feel very tired. I hope I can go home in the afternoon and get some rest, is that okay? Hmm, I'll go to the divination club around four or five o'clock to observe the members' reactions to the sudden death of Hynas Vancent."

"No problem, that's only right," Dunn chuckled. "Then let's meet tomorrow night at the Old Will Restaurant next door. I'll have Rosanne make a reservation."

Klein stood up, holding his police cap, and saluted, saying:

"Thank you, Captain. See you tomorrow."

Dunn raised his hand and said:

"Wait a minute, didn't you just say that Sir Deville gave the female worker's parents a compensation of 300 pounds?"

"Yes." Klein nodded, then understood why the captain had called him back. "Are you worried they'll suffer because of this wealth?"

Dunn sighed:

"I've seen this kind of thing many times. Give me their address, and I'll have Cohen arrange for them to leave Tingen and go to another city to start a new life."

"Okay," Klein replied in a deep voice.

After doing all this, he left Dunn's room, went to the lounge diagonally opposite, changed into his original suit, and left his police uniform in his own locker.

Klein silently and unsteadily returned to Narcissus Street by public carriage. He took off his coat and hat, found the leftovers from last night, heated them up, and ate them with the last piece of oat bread to fill his stomach.

Then, he climbed up to the second floor, hung up his clothes, collapsed, and lay down on the bed.

When he woke up, his pocket watch showed 2:10 p.m., and the sun was high in the sky, its rays shining through the clouds.

In this brilliant golden light, Klein stood beside his desk, gazing out of the bay window at the pedestrians in their worn and tattered clothes, watching them enter or leave Iron Cross Street.

He let out a slow breath, finally shaking off his gloom.

You have to take things one step at a time, and you have to climb the ladder step by step. You have to do everything this way.

He shook his head, sat down, and began to summarize and organize his experiences from the previous week, reiterating the key points he had memorized to avoid forgetting or overlooking anything.

2:55.

Above the hazy, boundless, gray, and desolate mist, a majestic and grand temple stands tall, with an ancient and mottled bronze table resting quietly.

At the head of the long table, in a high-backed chair, sat a man shrouded in thick gray mist.

Klein leaned back in his chair, pondered silently for a while, and then suddenly reached out and pointed at the deep red star that symbolized "justice" and "the Hanged Man".

…………

Backlund, Queens.

Audrey lifted her skirt and walked lightly toward the bedroom.

Suddenly, she sensed something, turned her head, and looked into the shadows of the balcony. As expected, she saw Susie, the golden retriever, sitting quietly and watching.

Audrey sighed silently, drew a crimson moon on her chest, then leaned closer, looking down at the golden retriever, and said:

"Susie, what you're doing is wrong. You're spying. 'Audience' should watch openly and honestly from their own positions."

The golden retriever looked up at its owner and wagged its tail obediently.

After rambling on for a few minutes, Audrey didn't dare linger and headed back to the bedroom.

In the few seconds it took to open and close the door, a strange thought suddenly occurred to her:

"I wonder if Mr. Fool could allow Susie to enter that mysterious space as well, so that our Tarot Club would have four members! And 100% of them would be extraordinary!"

"No way, Susie can't talk. What am I supposed to do if I want her to express her opinions or share her thoughts? Woof woof woof? Howl howl howl? Ugh, why would I want to bark like a dog here..."

"Just imagining such a scene is incredibly strange... a dog barking suddenly breaking out in a mysterious and serious gathering... Mr. Fool would definitely kick us out of the Tarot Club immediately..."

Audrey locked the bedroom door, sat down on the edge of the bed, and took out a yellowish-brown, old piece of paper from under her pillow.

She watched it several more times, beginning to immerse herself in the role of an "audience member."

…………

In the Sunya Sea, somewhere in the ocean, the ancient sailing ships that once chased the "Listener" have long since left the Roside Islands.

"Navigator" Alger Wilson, worried about errors in the mechanical clocks, entered the captain's cabin a full half hour early to avoid any unexpected situations being seen by his men.

A nearly transparent glass of strong liquor sat before him, its rich aroma wafting into his nostrils.

Thinking of the upcoming gathering, the endless gray fog that stretched out in the hotel corridor, and the mysterious Fool sitting in the center of it, Alger trembled slightly once again.

He picked up his glass, downed it in one gulp, and used the burning sensation in his throat to soothe the emotions in his heart.

He quickly regained his composure, remaining as calm and steady as ever.

PS: It's almost Monday again, there will be a make-up update in the early morning.

(End of this chapter)