1015 March of War
Backlund, at the residence of the furniture merchant, Hampres.
Audrey once again met the councilor of the Psychology Alchemists, Hvin Rambis.
This old gentleman remained warm and elegant, his white but lush hair was neatly combed. His blue, deep eyes seemed to contain infinite knowledge.
Upon seeing him, Audrey’s eyes wore a vacant look before she came to a realization. It was as though she had finally awoken from a long dream and recovered her lost memories.
She wasn’t surprised or puzzled by this at all, accepting this fact without any resistance as if it was something very normal.
“Good afternoon, Mr. Rambis,” Audrey greeted with the etiquette that was flawless.
Rambis nodded slightly and replied with a smile, “Good afternoon, our girl.”
Over the past month or so, he had gradually adopted the idea that she was the “pride of the Psychology Alchemists” and the “most important girl.”
Audrey glanced at the diamond brooch at her chest and sat down with a smile, waiting for Hvin Rambis to speak.
In regard to the cue and guidance, she hadn’t been affected at all due to her preparations. At that moment, when she heard Hvin Rambis call her that, she wished to ignore everything, etiquette or whatnot, rolling her eyes without being afraid of being exposed. However, she ultimately held back without exposing any problems.
Hvin Rambis looked at Audrey for a few seconds before saying with the same smile, “You’ve done well during this period of time. As a reward, we’ve decided to give you the potion formula for Dreamwalker.”
As he spoke, he took out a folded piece of paper from his shirt pocket and placed it on the coffee table. He then pushed it towards the noble lady.
Audrey pressed down on her skirt and got up slightly. She picked up the piece of paper and unfolded it in front of Hvin Rambis.
Her gaze first fell on the main ingredients before she quickly skimmed the ritual.
“Main ingredients: One Dreamcatcher’s heart, one mind illusion crystal or a mature mind dragon’s complete brain.” “Ritual: Seek out a harpy in the spirit world and sign a contract with it. Then, holding one tail feather, consume the potion amidst intense feelings of either joy or anger.”
As though sensing Audrey’s puzzlement, Hvin Rambis explained with a smile, “A harpy has the ability to give nightmares. It can snap people awake from their dreams, so the entire ritual’s essence is to be immersed in a dream and be unwilling to wake up from it. Get pulled out of the dream via an external force, or else you might sleep forever or lose control and turn into a monster.”
Audrey nodded in thought.
“The requirement to consume the potion amidst intense feelings is to prevent myself from sleeping too soundly and deeply?”
Yes, you’ve already grasped the crux of the matter,” Hvin Rambis said with a smile. “If you don’t know much about the spirit world and can’t find a harpy, we can provide some help.”
If the ritual’s essence is for me to wake up from a dream, that means that the harpy isn’t necessary. The blessings of Mr. Fool’s angel can allow me to remain lucid in dreams. I can wake up whenever I want… Audrey’s green eyes darted about and said with looks of anticipation, “I can try it myself first.”
“Alright,” Hvin didn’t mind the girl’s desire to take risks.
He paused and said, “I have another matter for you. If you do it well, we will provide you with all the ingredients of the Dreamwalker potion.”
“What is it?” Audrey asked without any resistance, just like before.
Hvin Rambis said with a slightly solemn expression, “Find out the attitudes of your father, Earl Hall, the present Duke Negan, Admiral Amyrius, and the other nobles about a relatively major war.”
“War…” Audrey repeated the word that she had often heard but found somewhat unfamiliar. She had a vague feeling that ripples had suddenly formed under the surface of a seemingly calm lake.
War… Above the gray fog, Klein listened to Miss Justice’s prayer and fell into deep thought.
He was unable to determine whether the Psychology Alchemists; Hermes, or maybe even Adam—who was lurking behind them—welcomed or objected to a war.
As for whether the Loen king, the prime minister, and a number of nobles and the Members of Parliaments wanted war, the answer was relatively clear.
Last year, The Hanged Man had once asked Miss Justice a similar question. Her answer was that the king and prime minister had the tendencies of being war-mongers, but they had chosen to first focus on internal reforms and settle the connections over various matters.
Now, about a year had passed, and all the policies that had been implemented were on track.
In other words, it was time to start a war to snatch back the interests which Loen had lost in East Balam!
It’s a revolutionary era. The strife between countries are intense, and once war begins, it’s unlikely that it can be controlled… Furthermore, Adam, Amon, and the other Kings of Angels have appeared one after another, have already retrieved key items, or are seeking breakthroughs. A storm is about to descend on the mysterious world, and danger is lurking… Klein sighed and returned to the real world.
The next day, he first went to Saint Samuel Cathedral to pray according to his schedule and donated tens of pounds. Following that, he went to 22 Phelps Street, planning to participate in some of the business of the Loen Charity Bursary Foundation.
The moment he stepped inside, Klein saw Miss Audrey Hall and a few of the foundation’s staff coming down the stairs and walking towards the door.
This noble lady was dressed very simply today. Her hair was tied up into a simple bun, and she wore no other accessories. Her dress was light green in color, and her sleeves had a circle of frills. There were no laces or tassels.
“Good morning, Miss Audrey.” Klein took off his hat as usual and bowed. He then nodded at the staff and greeted them.
After Audrey responded, Klein casually asked, “Where are you going?”
He knew that Miss Justice’s main role in the foundation was to seek donations from the various ladies and gentlemen in high society.
Audrey replied with a faint smile, “Visit the various universities and show some concern to the students we helped previously.”
Having said that, she blinked her eyes as her smile widened.
“Mr. Dantes, do you want to go together? Take a look at the children who had the chance of changing their fates due to your ideas and kindness. Oh, some of them are already young adults.”
Although Klein had never thought of obtaining anything in return from the Loen Charity Bursary Foundation, he truly wished that these actions could help the target group. Therefore, he was rather concerned about the progress and the actual situation. He nodded with a smile after some hesitation.
“I have no way of rejecting such an invitation.”
The group went out the door, and under Miss Audrey’s suggestion, they chose an untracked public carriage.
After getting into the carriage, Klein, in a gentlemanly-like manner, let Miss Audrey sit down first. Then, he sat opposite her and asked with a smile, “You seem to be very used to it?”
Audrey looked at the foundation’s staff beside her and said with a smile, “It’s not the first time. It’s impossible for us to take my own carriage every time we head out. They have to use public transportation.”
Upon saying that, she blushed in embarrassment and said, “The first time I was on a public carriage, I took out notes with one-pound face value. The lady who collected the money got me to buy a few copies of newspapers before going back to her.
“Oh, it’s cleaner than I imagined. The smell of the air isn’t that unbearable either.”
Klein nodded slightly and said, “This is because the truly poor are unable to take public transport like this. They’d rather walk. Under normal circumstances, they don’t have to head out, nor do they go somewhere too far.”
“Mr. Dantes, you seem to be familiar with such matters?” Although Audrey had guessed the reason, she still asked in front of others.
Klein smiled.
“Although I’ve never experienced it directly, I’ve seen too much of it.”
Audrey didn’t continue on the topic. Instead, she mentioned to the beneficiaries that they were visiting to confirm their education and living conditions.
Amidst their idle chat, they arrived at their first destination—Backlund University of Technology.
Based on Audrey’s identity and Dwayne Dantes’s social relations, they met the chancellor of the newly established university directly. He was a resident of 100 Boklund Street, Mr. Portland Moment.
This elder had a large build, a ruddy complexion, and a loud voice. Whenever he talked to his neighbor, Dwayne Dantes, and the distinguished Miss Audrey about the university’s establishment, he would complain about the Higher Education Commission from time to time.
Audrey and Klein listened with a decent smile and occasionally echoed his words.
Finally, they found an opportunity to raise the need to begin work.
Portland was just about to get his secretary when he suddenly heard someone knock on his office door.
“Please come in,” the chancellor said loudly.
The door opened without a sound. A black-haired, brown-eyed girl entered. She didn’t doll herself up and was rather thin. She had nice facial features, and she looked to be seventeen or eighteen.
Klein’s gaze suddenly deepened before he reined it in.
The girl hadn’t expected the chancellor’s office to have guests. In her anxiety, she hurriedly lowered her head and said, “I’m sorry.”
“It’s fine. They were about to leave anyway,” Portland said without minding it. “Have you finished the item I got you to make last week?”
,fYes.” The girl walked through the door and stood to the side.
Portland Moment then smiled at Dwayne Dantes and Audrey.
“Her name is Melissa Moretti. She’s very talented with machinery. I happened to chance upon her and got her to help in my laboratory. Of course, she can only do some miscellaneous chores for now.”
“Not bad.” The corners of Klein’s mouth curled up as he commended her with an obvious smile.
Audrey glanced at him and smiled.
There are always arrogant people who say that women have no talent in machinery, and this lady has proven them wrong.”
Portland laughed and shook his head.
“There’s no need to bother about such comments. Alright, I’ll get my secretary to help you in understanding the conditions of those beneficiaries.”
Audrey and Klein didn’t stay any longer as they left the office.
Once they were out the door, Audrey stole a glance at Dwayne Dantes, but she didn’t say a word.
