On Monday afternoon, Doctor Schneider was very busy. When Xia De arrived by carriage, he was conducting psychological counseling for a patient suffering from severe insomnia, but he still took the time to meet with Xia De.
Doctor Schneider's psychological consultations were charged by the hour, so he was very skilled in hypnotic therapy. Treating insomnia caused by psychological problems was even more effortless for him.
Xia De did not hide what he was going to do, but he did not say that he had accepted a commission from the Witches.
After listening, the Doctor frowned and shook his head slightly:
"If it's not necessary, I don't recommend you do something so dangerous.
But since you have already decided, I will not interfere with your choice. It's better to be careful. I don't have any advice for you, after all, I've never been to the Between Life and Death you mentioned. It's true that you can't bring a relic into a dream, but I do have a way to keep you from being so embarrassed. Please wait."
He asked Xia De to wait in the reception room for a while, and then he left the room.
It was a long time before the Doctor returned, holding a black crystal pendant. A finely crafted black cord was connected to a golden hook at the top of the crystal with a sailor's knot. The crystal was hexagonal and flat, looking unremarkable. On the flat surface of the crystal, there were demonic incantations carved, and just one look at the twisted symbols made one feel a sense of defilement:
"An alchemical item I made myself, the 'Demon Amulet'. When you enter a dream, hold it in your hand, and you can use some of the Demon's power in your dream."
The Doctor handed the pendant to Xia De, then added:
"Don't worry, using this power will not corrupt your soul. But souls harmed by this power may be corrupted by demonic power, so don't let others see you use it or don't let others see that it's you."
If Xia De and the Doctor didn't have such a deep friendship, the Doctor would never have taken out such a thing. Because this was evidence, clear evidence that the Doctor was involved with a Demon.
Xia De also understood the risk of the Doctor doing this:
"I'll be careful. Doctor, how many pounds do I need to pay you?"
"No need, last time you took me to devour the Flame Demon, I haven't officially thanked you yet. If you really want to thank me, next time you encounter a Demon..."
He paused for a moment, then immediately shook his head:
"You must never encounter a Demon again. Those things are not meant for humans to touch. In short, be careful in the dream, and I hope the friend who commissioned you can truly guarantee your safety."
Since the Doctor could give Xia De the power of a Demon to bring into a dream, then Priest Augustus should also be able to give Xia De the power of the Death Angel to bring into a dream. But the Priest had already entered Sicar Mountain with the Church's team, and Xia De couldn't find him at all, so he temporarily had no chance to use the power of both a Demon and an Angel at the same time.
Seeing that it was still early, after dealing with matters in Tobesk, Xia De went to Middelburg to see Iluna. Iluna did not go into the mountain; she would stay in the Natural Church in the City, responsible for the core part of the ritual.
As the ritual approached, it was not easy to see Iluna in the Sun Church. After a hurried meeting with Xia De, Iluna also knew what Xia De was going to do. Although she was as worried as Luvia, her full confidence in Xia De meant she only reminded him to be careful.
"The ritual will be held tomorrow evening or the day after tomorrow evening. After the ritual, I will return to Tobesk by steam airship, and you should be able to see me in Tobesk by the weekend."
The seventeen-year-old girl looked very happy:
"Xia De, when I get back, let's have dinner with Luvia and then go to the opera. Although the scenery in Middelburg is nice, preparing for the ritual in the Church all day, or going with the team to clear out evil spirits in the City, is really boring. I've seen more evil spirits recently than I have since I finished my training and left the Holy See."
"Don't say such things before the dangerous matter is over."
Xia De admonished, and Iluna nodded:
"Then be careful. However, the Truth Society's local forces have been cleared out, and the Vampire, who was doing something unknown, has confirmed they will not enter the urban area. Now that the Academy and the Church are working together, I can't think of any other mishaps for this event, except for the unexpected Joey Barton."
Precisely because he couldn't think of any possible accidents, the subsequent events were full of risks.
After bidding farewell to Iluna, Xia De went to the Middelburg Post Office. Due to the City-wide fog and the City Hall's evening curfew, there were very few people in the post office. Although the people living here didn't know what was going to happen, they understood the unusual nature of this matter from the week-long fog.
Everyone looked worried. The local newspapers sold at the post office also reminded citizens not to enter the mountainous areas for the next two days and to keep their doors and windows tightly closed after dark. When inquiring about news, Xia De even heard rumors of a haunting at the post office last night.
The Church had already sent people to deal with it this morning, and people were forbidden to discuss the details of the matter. Even those who didn't believe in the existence of ghosts had to admit that Middelburg was becoming increasingly strange recently.
Before the post office closed this evening, it was the last chance to send letters to the Red Water Camp in the mountains. Xia De sent the amulet for expelling evil spirits that he carried with him, along with a letter reminding Captain Rades to be careful. The Captain would certainly participate in the Church's operation to blockade the forest, and Xia De hoped that his few ordinary friends in this world would be safe in this matter.
Stepping out of the post office and looking at the dense fog, Xia De knew very well that even if the Church was fully prepared, there would absolutely be no lack of casualties. All the Church could do was minimize the losses, but what the final outcome of Middelburg would be, even the most skilled diviner could not clearly state now:
"Before the Night of Divine Descent in Tobesk, I was unprepared, and before Darkness entered the Darkness Domain, I was only uneasy. This time, the situation seems even worse. Do the stories of the Chosen One always have to end in disaster?"
Since he had temporarily entrusted Mia to Dorothy before leaving Tobesk, after leaving the post office and finding a carriage, Xia De went directly to the Witches' manor to have dinner with Miss Aurora.
The coachman who drove Xia De to the manor was also very worried; he planned to rest for two days after dropping off Xia De. Even if there was no income at home, he couldn't work in such weather. From him, Xia De learned about the evil spirits that appeared in the City every evening, randomly boarding a carriage. Since last Wednesday, four coachmen had gone missing because of this, their bodies later found in Sicar Mountain.
And such things were no longer rare in Middelburg, which was shrouded in dense fog.
With nothing to do in the evening, Miss Aurora and Xia De sparred a few rounds in the manor's spacious basement. Xia De was no match for the Witch; even if she deliberately suppressed the power of her Miracle and spells, he still couldn't gain any advantage.
Miss Aurora wanted to test Xia De's current fighting style and then offered him a lot of advice.
From midnight to two in the morning, the two spent their time in the study. For a small part of that time, Miss Aurora told Xia De about the scenery of Carson Rick in the Southern Kingdom, and for most of the time, they analyzed the situation in Middelburg together.
The Witch believed that even if the 'Holy Tree Mark' sealing ritual succeeded, the accidents caused by the violent tremors and resistance of the Gap would still result in at least hundreds, or even thousands, of casualties in the City. She was not exaggerating, and the most tragic part was that this was the best possible outcome they could currently imagine.
At two in the morning, Miss Aurora and Xia De took a carriage through the deep night fog to the Cassandra Auction House in the center of Mi Fort.
The late autumn night was already quite chilly, and with the heavy fog emanating from the Gap, the entire City seemed to have fallen into a deep slumber. Besides Xia De, the Witch, and the female coachman, there was also Miss Aurora's maid and an accompanying 6-ring Sorceress in the carriage.
Xia De chatted idly with Miss Aurora about cat-raising tips, while his eyes watched the night through the thick fog.
When they turned left onto Elm Street and entered Constantine Commercial Street, the carriage suddenly stopped.
The Witch frowned, and the coachman's voice came at that moment:
"Miss, there's a little girl standing in the road ahead."
"More than ninety percent probability it's an evil spirit."
Miss Aurora said, getting out of the carriage with Xia De.
Horse lamps hung on the front and back of the carriage, but their light, like the gas lamps on the roadside, could only make the white fog glow faintly. In the thick fog ahead, the figure of a small girl flickered. She stood motionless in the middle of the road, and even when the coachman swung the horse lamp, he couldn't drive her away.
"Recent news of hauntings has been frequent locally, and citizens are avoiding going out at night, precisely because they worry about encountering such situations."
Miss Aurora explained to Xia De, then told Xia De not to move, as she would personally handle the matter:
"It's not very strong, and we're in a hurry, so don't come over."
The Witch's figure in a long dress walked into the fog and quickly disappeared, but the girl's figure still stood in the middle of the road.
Xia De raised an eyebrow and looked at the coachman, who shrugged, indicating that Xia De didn't need to worry.
Sure enough, dozens of seconds later, the thick fog ahead was illuminated by a golden light. Following a muffled roar, everything returned to peace.
The girl's figure disappeared, and Miss Aurora walked back, showing no signs of a struggle:
"Let's go. I hope we don't encounter any more evil spirits blocking the way."
"What did that evil spirit want to do?"
Back in the carriage, Xia De asked curiously.
"She asked me where her mother was."
The Witch sat opposite Xia De, leaning against the carriage wall, where there was a soft cushion:
"Souls always have all sorts of unwillingness and obsessions, but sympathizing with them only makes oneself foolish. What should leave cannot stay; many people just don't understand this principle."
"So, do you think I can successfully persuade Joey Barton to give up on resurrecting the dead?"
Xia De asked, and Miss Aurora smiled:
"Some people pick things up and can't put them down. They need to figure it out themselves, not be convinced by others. Xia De, don't you know the answer yourself?"
The clatter of hooves could not travel far, and the carriage, moving again, quickly disappeared into the dense fog. In the deep night, evil spirits patrolled the City, and Church teams hurried through the shadows. The march hung in the sky as usual, so peaceful and beautiful. It's just that this moon, for a short time, could not illuminate the Mountain City beneath the white fog.
