Whispering Verse

Because he slept in a strange place, Shade woke up very early the next morning. He touched the pocket watch on the bedside and saw that the time was half past six, so he thought of going downstairs to see if there would be a newspaper delivered. He knew that people in Tobesk City generally had the habit of ordering newspapers.

The former detective could be considered middle-class by any means, and the nature of his job also required him to read newspapers to understand the news. Therefore, it is indeed possible for the current Shad to inherit the future newspapers.

Wearing slippers, I walked along the stairs to the first floor foyer. I looked at the sealed first floor with some curiosity, thinking that if I had time, I could take apart a piece of wood and take a look inside.

I turned on the gas lamp in the foyer. Unfortunately, I didn't see the newspaper inserted through the delivery port on the doormat.

Shaking his head with regret, he wanted to change clothes and go out for breakfast. But just as the slippers touched the first step, I heard the sound of the bell.

There is a door rope outside the door of this apartment building. When pulled, the rope will pull the gear mechanism inside the door and ring the bell on the inside. It is a kind of simple doorbell.

"The newspaper delivery guy is here? No, why is the newspaper delivery guy knocking on the door... Could it be that it's time to pay for the next month's newspaper subscription?"

Shade, who had little savings, thought with some horror in his heart. He calculated the remaining money and turned to look at the door uneasily. No matter who was outside the door, it was impossible for him to recognize him, and the possibility of collecting money was not high. It was most likely that he was looking for the owner of the place.

"Maybe a new client?"

Worse case scenario, maybe the rent collecting landlord has arrived.

There was no structure like a cat's eye on the door, so Shade could only come to the door, use the language knowledge he gained yesterday to translate and asked:

"Who is it?"

Immediately I got the answer from outside the door, it was a familiar voice:

"Is it Hamilton Detective Agency? I'm Bill Schneider, remember me? We were the psychiatrist yesterday. We exchanged business cards at the door of the newspaper office opposite the Lark Club."

On this early morning, which was also shrouded in fog, one of the few people in this world whose name Shade knew came to visit him.

Unexpectedly that the visitor was Dr. Schneider, Shade stood behind the door, wondering whether he should open the door. He only hesitated for a moment before letting the psychiatrist outside the door know the detective's precautions:

"Mr. Hamilton, you don't have to think too much. Although it is strange to come to visit at this time, I have no ill intentions. After all, there is not much time. Please take a look at this first."

The man outside the door spoke and sent a piece of paper in through the newspaper delivery port.

"Remember what I said yesterday? Adult education, correspondence teaching. Detective, you have a very special talent."

Shade bent down and took the piece of paper, then raised his hand to slightly adjust the light of the gas lamp in the foyer. Through this light, I saw that it was an admissions brochure.

"Um?"

He suspected that he was dazzled or had not yet woken up.

The paper in his hand, which is about the same size as A4, outlines the shape of a parchment roll with silver edges. This is an admissions promotion document for an institution of higher learning called "St. Byrons Comprehensive College". Except for the school emblem in the shape of a "chained book" directly above, there are not many patterns, and the printed text takes up most of the paper.

St. Barrons Comprehensive College is not recruiting regular students, they are recruiting "correspondence" adult students.

In addition to this, the paper also lists the ten departments of the college, including tuition fees, admission time, academic year, admissions conditions and restrictions, and the recommendation-based registration process. At least in these respects, it's just an ordinary school.

"But why is there no school address?"

It took Shade a long time to ask, and then he was surprised that he did not ask whether the other party had a mental illness, but actually came over to deliver admission documents to a stranger early in the morning.

"You are very observant."

The psychiatrist outside the door praised, and then asked:

"Well, at least let me talk inside, okay? Maybe I can answer your questions about...the other you in your head."

The voice in his head did not appear because of the mention. Shade opened his mouth and opened the door anyway.

A middle-aged doctor carrying a briefcase, wearing a brown coat, a small silk hat, and a pair of thick black boots stood on the steps. He still has a neat mustache, and his blue eyes make people feel very good:

"Don't forget your milk."

He pointed to the milk crate on the left side of the door. He spoke with a standard accent and was probably a native of Tobesk City:

"When I came here just now, the milkman had just left."

"Okay, please come in."

Shade nodded hesitantly, looked at the doctor, and tried his best to make a kind expression. He picked up the key on the shoe cabinet to unlock the milk box, and the psychiatrist followed Shade into the apartment door after he got the milk bottle.

He was also surprised by the sealed part on the first floor, but the doctor didn't say anything more. Instead, he and the silent Shade walked along the stairs to Room 1 on the second floor.

Letting the doctor wait, Shade went back to the bedroom to change his clothes, and then boiled hot water to entertain the guests. Although there was no food in the kitchen, at least there was black tea for the client of the detective case, otherwise Shade would have had to serve the guests with boiled water.

After everything was put away, the two sat down to talk.

The fabric sofa set in the living room has a sense of age. I don’t know if it is an antique. Two long and two short, surrounded by wooden coffee tables from all sides, it is very suitable for discussing business with clients.

The doctor and Shade were sitting on the couch facing each other.

"There's no need to introduce yourself. First, I want you to trust me."

The mustached psychiatrist Schneider spoke first. He smiled and thanked Shade for the black tea:

"I'm really here because of the college brochure I just gave you. First, let me describe your current symptoms -"

"Wait a minute, are the symptoms related to school?"

Shade asked, but there was already a guess in his mind. He is not a "local", he has seen those crazy fantasies, and is more adaptable to this situation. The "St. Byrons Comprehensive Academy" mentioned by the other party is probably the same type of school as Hogwarts.

"Of course, please listen to me. Mr. Shade Hamilton, can you hear another voice in your head?"

Although Shade tried hard to control his expression, he could see his failure in the smile of Mr. Schneider opposite him.

The doctor added:

"Is that voice saying some incomprehensible words? And, are some words helpful to you? He will whisper in your ear and speak suddenly when you don't expect it, but he has no malice towards you."

Shade knew he couldn't hide it, so he nodded.

"And, detective, your symptoms must have appeared within 72 hours."

"To be precise, 24 hours."

Shade said.

"That's even better. Then we still have a lot of time. It seems we are very lucky. After all, the talent awakening time is 72 hours. This way, I have more time to explain the situation to you."

Dr. Schneider smiled and said:

"The above symptoms are similar to those of schizophrenia, but they don't actually appear to me."

He pointed to himself, looked at Shade with his blue eyes, and spoke very slowly:

"For a certain group of people, the existence of 'another self' is a wonderful and dangerous talent. No, it should be said that this is the early manifestation of a talent. If it can be guided, then you can see more reality A mysterious and dangerous world, if not guided..."

"Return to the ordinary?"

"No, worse."

The doctor shook his head:

"I don't want to deceive you, at least there is no need for it now. To be clear, this is a symptom of the 'Circle Warlock' talent. It is a very rare talent. You can regard it as a gift of fate or a curse of fate. As for the 'Circle Warlock', you can think of it as a special profession, a profession that can use... mysterious power. I hope you understand what I mean."

The doctor was deliberately observing Shade's expression. This era was still an era of ignorance, and people who believed in the righteous gods generally did not accept concepts such as "witchcraft." But fortunately, just like the doctor's investigation, the detective opposite had a brain problem a few days ago. He only returned to normal due to the awakening of his talent, so he had a different concept from normal citizens.

On the other side, the suspicion was confirmed, and Shade nodded hesitantly. He wanted to pretend to be surprised, because normal people would definitely be surprised, but at this moment, he felt particularly calm inside, even a little too calm. He thought this might be the reason for being too stressed yesterday:

"In other words, hearing strange sounds in your ears is actually a manifestation of some... system, a power system? Many people do this? It's like some people can see further, and some people can hear further. many?"

Shade asked.

"Yes, 'I am you, you are me', every Ring Warlock is like this. If you successfully become a Ring Warlock, then this voice will accompany you throughout your life and help you throughout your life. That voice is another you, just yours. The perspective is just different. He will help you contact this crazy and noisy world in a more real way, and contact the secrets and weirdness. Knowledge, information and even words have dangerous power, and outside the safe world of ordinary people, we cannot Use your soul to get directly close to the power that can distort yourself."

The doctor waited for a moment and gave Shade time to think:

"But the awakening time of the Ring Warlock's talent is very short. From the first whisper in the ear to the complete disappearance of the sound, it usually takes 72 hours, and not every talent can hear the sound frequently and realize the sound. It's not their own thoughts. They will only think of it as an illusion or something wrong with their ears.

Therefore, Detective Shade Hamilton, whether it is the three major colleges or the church, it is very difficult to recruit and train new personnel. That's why I say we are all lucky. "