Chapter 176: Dark Clouds Over the City

Chapter 176: Dark Clouds Pressing Down on the City
The sky did not know when it was overcast, the thick clouds that were as thick as substance covered the sky above the city state, the slightly fishy and salty sea breeze blew through the streets in bursts, as if it wanted to pour cold air into the bones of the people.

Old Captain Lawrence walked out of the church door, shrinking his neck in the cold wind blowing in his face, he looked up at the sky and began to mutter and complain about the terrible weather, “X, terrible luck, it’s hard to end the observation period, but also have to walk half an hour back home against this wind …… “

In the streets of the church square, pedestrians are in a hurry, it seems that a rain is about to fall at any moment, everyone is remembering the uncollected clothes at home, or left the windows open, and the first thing that comes to the mind of the old captain is his grumpy wife – he has been in the church “isolated observation” for many days, in the middle of which he has been “isolated observation” for many days, in the middle of which he has been “isolated observation”. “He had been in the church for many days, and in the middle of it he had not even sent a message, so that he would not go back to receive a head-banging or even a bruised face of love?

Lawrence rubbed his arms and hands, sighed, ready to walk towards the front of the cold wind, but he just walked out two steps, the corner of his eye will see a church guard hurriedly ran towards himself, and in the farther place, there stood the young psychiatrist responsible for providing psychological counseling …… seems to be called Heidi or Hailey to come! I’m not sure if it’s a good idea.

“No way ……” Lawrence subconsciously muttered, and immediately after that, he saw the church guard come to himself, first politely saluted, and then solemnly stretched out his hand to stop his own way: “Excuse me , Captain Lawrence, just received an urgent notice, you can …… not leave yet for the time being.”

“Isn’t the observation period already over?” Lawrence had a feeling in his heart the moment he saw the other party appear, but he still couldn’t help but collapse at this time, “You have to have a proper reason.”

“It’s not convenient to tell you the specifics, but …… “The young church guard’s face also seemed to be a bit embarrassed, but finally spoke in a businesslike manner, “It’s a direct order from the Inquisitor-… -things have changed, and all ordinary people who have had contact with the Lost Country are to remain in the church.”

The corners of Lawrence’s mouth quivered, the moment he heard the words “Lost Country” he knew he had to obey the order, but there was no controlling the bad mood, the veteran captain’s brow furrowed, “Okay, prolong it, I get it- -but someone explain this to my wife? I’m connected to ……”

“Sorry to interrupt,” Heidi’s voice came from the side before the old captain’s words left his mouth, “Do you have any concerns?”

Lawrence turned his head to look at Heidi – during the days of isolation in the church, he had some dealings with the young psychiatrist, and he knew that although she looked young, she was indeed a reliable “expert”, and had helped himself and the crew to solve their problems. He knew that although he looked young, he was really a reliable “expert”, and he did help himself and the crew to relieve a lot of tension and indignation, so his face eased a little: “I’ve been away from home for too long, and my wife isn’t a mild-mannered person – I’m taking a vacation when I finish my last shipping order, so I can’t spend the first half of the vacation in isolation at the church, and the second half of the vacation in bed, recuperating. Recuperate from the injury ……”

“…… Indeed, no one would want to run into anything like that,” said Heidi, with a sigh of considerable empathy, and then handing the old captain a potion encased in a glass tube from the medicine chest he had with him, said, “but things are more complicated now, and it would be best to do what the Cathedral tells you to do first – don’t worry, someone on your side of the family will be contacted.”

“What is this?” Lawrence took the potion tube and gave the liquid inside a somewhat skeptical glance, then looked at Heidi suspiciously – the psychiatrist always had something odd in her medicine chest that made people oddly nervous.

“Tranquilizing, soothing, and incidentally enhancing mind protection to some extent,” Heidi said casually, “in preparation for the next stage of isolation and observation.”

“…… Damn it, there’s really no accommodation ……,” Lawrence said with a toothache at the sound of “the next stage of isolation” Lawrence then removed the stopper from the potion tube and downed the salty, bitter contents in one gulp, handing the glass tube back to the psychiatrist.

The effects of the potion soon became apparent, and the old captain shivered as he stood in the cold wind, his eyes shifting a few times before quickly calming down and letting out a long, complicated sigh.

“Would you like me to take you back?” Heidi asked in a soft voice as she observed the old captain’s expression.

“…… No need, I know the way,” Lawrence’s mood was a bit low, but quickly shook his head in relief, “Alas, it’s quite good to go back and stay, to have someone to talk to, at least there are a few trainee cultivators who are quite interesting to talk to ……”

He turned around in the cold wind and walked alone towards the church gate, where two guardsmen were already waiting, ready to pick up the old captain and return him to the place of isolation and observation.

Still, as he was about to walk through those doors, Heidi’s voice rang out, “Mr. Lawrence, as a psychiatrist, I’d like to give you a serious word of advice – it’s almost time to retire, the Infinity Sea is very bad for your mental health.”

Lawrence didn’t say anything, but just waved his hand from afar to indicate that he had heard, and then his figure slowly disappeared into the towering and stately door.

Only Heidi, who was carrying a medical kit, and the Guardian warriors in long black trench coats remained in the square.

The guardsmen looked at the old captain with a hidden respect in their eyes.

The guardian then turned his head and looked at the psychiatrist beside him, “Miss Heidi, do you know what exactly happened?”

Heidi rolled her eyes, “You’re a member of the church, if you don’t know, how would I, an ‘external counselor’ sent by the city hall, know?”

“But you and the Honorable Inquisitor ……”

“She hasn’t told me anything, and she and I haven’t even met since yesterday,” Heidi shook her head, then gave the Guardian warrior in front of her a curious look, “but I heard she’s suddenly issued a whole bunch of assignments for investigative operations? There was even a team of civilian clerics running down to City Hall this morning to borrow the files ……” “Yeah, a whole bunch of investigative missions,” the Guardian sighed, “borrowing files, visiting neighborhoods, lining up a whole bunch of old scores, and setting up a stakeout at the harbor to watch twelve french fry sellers …… “

Heidi: “……?”

“So now even we’re guessing what went wrong,” the guardian sighed, tilting his head to look up at the cloudy, overcast sky, “Tch, this damn weather.”

……

Maurice sat at his desk, his fingers gently running over the rough edges of a heavy tome, his mind settling a little until he could even hear his own heartbeat.

He lowered his head and slowly flipped through the Rahm Canon in front of him, skillfully opening the chapters on Mind Protection and Wisdom Discernment and mentally reciting the above admonitions.

Only after completing the most basic self-suggestion and mind reinforcement did he stand up, lighting the candles and incense on the tabletop next to him in order, and dropping extracted essential oils into three of the clusters of candle flames.

In the midst of the suddenly rising flames, he gazed at the mirror in front of the altar and watched his own reflection in it, a somewhat self-deprecating smile appearing on his face.

“It’s really old …… Luckily, I can still perform the details of these rituals accurately.”

The crackling of the candle flames faded, while the smoke rising from the incense slowly coalesced into an unbroken cloud above the mirror, which obscured the old man’s vision, preventing him from accurately seeing his own reflection in the mirror, and at that point, the mind’s enchantment and the blessing from Rahm, the God of Wisdom, became a done deal.

“I have turned my back on you for eleven years …… and you are still willing to favor me,” Maurice couldn’t help but sigh softly when he saw how smoothly the ceremony was completed, “is there something you still expect from me… …”

The room remained quiet, the God of Wisdom would not of course just show himself, but still Maurice listened with his sideways ear, and as if in that silence he heard the divine bidding, his face gradually calmed with it, and he opened a drawer at hand.

A string of colorful stones braided with twelve stones lay quietly in the drawer.

Maurice hesitated for a moment and picked up the string to put it on.

In this instant, he felt a clearing of his mind, as if a curtain that had been shrouding him for years had suddenly withdrawn, and then he glanced at the layer of smoke that still coalesced in front of the mirror, and finally made up his mind to push the door and leave the room.

The empty mansion seemed extraordinarily quiet in Heidi’s absence from the house.

His own bedroom with his wife was a short distance to the left, and the door, which was at the moment hidden, was dim and silent within.

Morris touched the stone string on his wrist, not daring to cast his eyes toward the hidden door, but darting across the corridor as if fleeing, then through the living room, out the front door, starting the car parked in the courtyard, and driving in the direction of the downtown area.

At the same time, a white pigeon was flying over the low, old buildings of the lower city.

Unnoticed, the dove passed through the second-floor window of Duncan’s Antique Shop, and a moment later a cluster of ghostly green flames flashed behind it.

Duncan stepped out of the flames, glancing at the terrible weather outside and then at the clock hanging on the wall not far away – it would be a little while before Nina got home from school.

He made his way to the first floor, opened the door to the store, moved a chair, and just sat in the doorway, his face stoic as he gazed out at the street in front of him, quietly contemplating.

(End of chapter)