“Oh, Detective, what are you doing?”
Mr. Gims was so startled he almost stood up. Xia De quickly reassured him, “Don’t worry, I have a gun license.”
He then really took out his identification.
“Detective, do you think that’s what I’m worried about?”
Mr. Gims asked, somewhat terrified, then looked at Psychologist Schneider, but he shrugged, “He really is legally armed.”
Xia De had already taken out a bullet at this moment, placing it in his palm to show Mr. Gims for inspection, “You see, this is a genuine bullet.”
He opened the cylinder of the gun of kindness, allowing Mr. Gims to confirm that there was nothing in the six chambers. Then, Xia De pressed that bullet into one of the chambers, and with a click, returned the cylinder to its position. He casually spun the cylinder, rotating it until none of the three could confirm the position of the bullet.
Pressing down the hammer with his thumb, Xia De placed the revolver on the table and pushed it towards Mr. Gims.
The thin middle-aged man looked at Xia De with the gaze one would use for a madman, “Detective, I just want to treat my psychological illness. I don’t want a condition that, if not cured, will only affect my quality of life. But if I’m unlucky enough to fire the gun correctly, I could lose my life.”
“So, this is truly putting yourself in danger. You have a five-sixths chance of being fine, but the feeling of facing death at the moment you pull the trigger, with past memories flooding your mind, might just wash away the illusion of constantly facing a fatal crisis.”
Xia De said, and for a moment, Mr. Gims actually seemed tempted, but then immediately shook his head, “Oh, I must really be crazy; I almost let you persuade me. Detective, I admit there’s some truth to your words, but this is too risky. No, I absolutely won’t do this.”
“Xia De, it’s better to be conservative with treatment methods.”
Psychologist Schneider also said cautiously; he actually knew which gun Xia De carried with him.
“Alright then.”
Xia De reached out and picked up the gun from the table. Because it was already in a ready-to-fire state, Mr. Gims, sitting opposite him, carefully avoided the muzzle.
“Detective, be careful of accidental discharge!”
Mr. Gims carefully leaned his body backward.
“My gun won’t accidentally discharge.”
Xia De said, aiming the muzzle at his own chest.
Click~
At the moment he pulled the trigger, Mr. Gims’s body visibly trembled, and then he realized the Detective was very lucky.
“Oh, Psychologist Schneider, your Detective friend is truly… I admit this method sounds very effective, but for the sake of my heart, Detective, please put the gun away. No, please wait a moment.”
The middle-aged man took a deep breath and surprisingly reached out to Xia De. Xia De raised an eyebrow in surprise and handed the gun to him. Mr. Gims pressed down the hammer and then aimed the muzzle at the back of his left hand.
“This is courage.”
Psychologist Schneider praised softly from the side.
The accountant took a few more deep breaths, then closed his eyes, tilted his head to the right, and finally pulled the trigger, aiming at the back of his hand.
Click~
Again, no bullet was fired, and Mr. Gims, breathing heavily, opened his eyes, a smile actually appearing on his face, “This, this is truly interesting.”
He handed the pistol to Xia De, who noticed his hands were already sweating.
“Do you still feel like you’re in danger now?”
Psychologist Schneider immediately asked, performing his duty diligently.
“Yes.”
Mr. Gims said, picking up his wine glass and taking a big gulp, then emphasized, “Although I still feel surrounded by danger, the Detective’s suggestion was effective; the sense of danger has significantly lessened.”
Xia De did not offer an opinion. As he put the pistol away, he touched Mr. Gims’s hand and noticed a very faint trace of Miracle elements on him. The trace was almost imperceptible, probably similar to someone who had just walked out of a church.
“May I ask which deity you worship?”
Xia De asked as he put the gun back into its holster. Mr. Gims hesitated for a moment, then finally said softly, “The Oak God, the White Sacred Tree.”
“Hmm?”
Psychologist Schneider showed a surprised expression, and Xia De also slightly frowned.
In the current sixth epoch, although most mortals in the material world believe in the five Righteous Gods, and a small number believe in Evil Gods, there are indeed very few groups who still believe in the Old God who has departed. The number of these groups is very small, and these people generally do not actively expose their beliefs.
The White Sacred Tree mentioned by Mr. Gims is a lesser-known Old God. Besides being called the “Oak God,” it is also known as the “Tree of Fortune,” rumored to bring good luck to people.
“Mr. Gims, why didn’t you tell me about this?”
Psychologist Schneider put down his pen and asked with a serious expression.
“This shouldn’t have anything to do with my problem, should it?”
Mr. Gims retorted.
“But—”
“Mr. Gims, is this a family tradition of faith?”
Xia De interrupted the Psychologist, who then did not press further. He could tell that Xia De seemed to have realized something.
“Yes, my father, grandfather, and great-grandfather have always believed in that great one.”
Mr. Gims said devoutly, drawing a tree-shaped holy emblem on his chest.
“Do you have any family heirlooms, holy relics, or idols on you?”
Xia De continued to press, and Mr. Gims hesitated, clearly not wanting to speak. But his prolonged silence itself implied the answer.
This matter is most likely not a psychological problem, but rather a supernatural item related to the Old God the White Sacred Tree, passed down in Mr. Gims’s family, warning him that he will indeed encounter a fatal danger soon.
Although the deities have departed, magical items containing the power of the Old God, even if they don't transform into relics, might still be effective. As for why it suddenly became effective in Mr. Gims’s generation, perhaps that item is also on the verge of complete destruction, and this is its last bit of power.
“The Old God the White Sacred Tree is also known as the Tree of Fortune, which means that the item glimpsed a bit of fate, and Mr. Gims will indeed face a fatal crisis in the near future. The increasing sense of crisis means the danger is getting closer.”
Xia De thought to himself, while Psychologist Schneider suddenly raised his hand and waved it in front of Mr. Gims. The middle-aged man’s eyes immediately became hazy, then he closed his eyes and lay down on the table.
“He’s temporarily Sleep.”
The Psychologist said. The three of them were in a secluded corner, with no one around paying attention to them. He then lowered his voice and asked, “Does Mr. Gims have any special items on him?”
“Not on him, it should be in his luggage.”
Otherwise, Xia De would have sensed it earlier: “That item isn’t important. The problem now is, Psychologist, your patient really might encounter a fatal danger soon, but we don’t know the exact time.”
Psychologist Schneider nodded slowly, picking up his wine glass with some annoyance, “I’m just his Psychologist, not his bodyguard; I can’t protect him constantly. If your analysis is correct, then no one can help him; he can only face his impending fate himself.”
Both fell silent, looking at the middle-aged man Sleep on the table. Ring術士 can counter immediate dangers, but for unknown future dangers, they have no good solutions either.
“However, since it’s a danger detected by what seems to be a divine artifact, it’s most likely related to the mysterious.”
The Psychologist added; he had more experience than the Outsider who had only been a Ring術士 for half a year:
“In my opinion, this gentleman is likely to die from a relic out-of-control incident in the future.”
“Then we can’t help him even more. Last autumn in Middlesburg, I met someone who was prophesied to die of a brain disease during the first snow, but that guy, in order to avoid fate, actually ran into my hands… I understood a long time ago that trying to toy with fate will surely be toyed with by fate.”
Xia De said definitively, because he had learned a profound lesson. The Psychologist sighed helplessly; if they could help him, both Xia De and Psychologist Schneider would be willing to lend a hand. But the problem now was that they were powerless.
“I’ll charge him less for the consultation.”
The blue-eyed Psychologist finally concluded, “May the God he believes in protect him. Sometimes, people really shouldn’t know their fate in advance.”
Xia De sighed and said no more. The Psychologist was preparing for a short, quick dream-entry to modify Mr. Gims’s memories before he Sleep, so he wouldn’t notice anything amiss. Afterward, they would check Mr. Gims’s room to see what was there, but even if they found a divine artifact with Old God power, it would be of no help in averting the danger Mr. Gims was about to face.
Entering a normal person’s dream is simple; the Psychologist’s briefcase contained the necessary materials, and it could be done in a few minutes with a little setup.
While the Psychologist was preparing, Xia De held his wine glass and looked towards the direction of the staircase, to prevent anyone from noticing what was happening.
But just as it happened, the Psychologist had just begun his preparations, and at the second-floor staircase, where no one had come for half an hour, two people actually walked up.
One of them wore a turban and had somewhat dark skin; he was Mr. Alan Madison, the leader of the Letter-based Ring術士 group of Success Higher Medical College in the local area. Following him up the stairs was a young woman, wearing a floral dress, with light blonde hair simply tied back behind her head.
Xia De had never seen that face before. He initially thought she was another Letter-based Ring術士 from Success Higher Medical College in the local area, but then he realized:
“Isn’t that—”
Margaret Anjou.
Xia De and Psychologist Schneider were sitting in a very secluded corner. From the staircase, the two could be seen, but the two who ascended to the second floor did not immediately notice Xia De and the other two.
Besides the poor lighting, it was also because Mr. Madison and Princess Margaret Anjou, after reaching the second floor, walked towards the other side of the second floor and then looked at the middle-aged woman sitting alone at a table, drinking.
Xia De looked at the woman again, then saw her take off her head, remove a peanut stuck in her throat, and then put her head back on her neck to continue drinking alone.
---Out of Topic---
PS: There are so few comments on these chapters. Is the story boring? (covers face)
