Whispering Verse

"Good morning, doctor."

Although the distant city of Tobesk ushered in early spring rain, Wednesday in the Randall Valley was a long-lost period of good weather.

There was no snow, no earthquake, no large-scale infectious disease outbreak, and even the gray fog that diffused the smell of rotten eggs throughout the winter had disappeared.

More than half a week has passed since the major earthquake, and the lives of the citizens of the Randall Valley have gradually returned to normal. After all, everyone has to eat and support their families. It’s not that people don’t remember the dead, it’s just the living who are more important.

So, on this sunny morning, in front of the Dawn Church in the northeast of the city and on the west bank of the Elrond River, the brisk Shade waved hello to Dr. Schneider.

The doctor obviously arrived earlier than Shade. He sat on a bench on the river bank facing the door of Dawn Church, reading a local newspaper. The old man on crutches sitting on the other side of the bench was bending over to feed the pigeons, while the middle-aged gentleman on the other bench next to him was patting the soil on his children's knees.

"Oh, detective, good morning. The weather is really nice today, it looks like spring now."

Dr. Schneider put down the newspaper and stood up and said with a smile. Shade shook his hand warmly:

“How was your two days of sightseeing in the Randall Valley?”

"It's very good. Since I started running my clinic, I haven't been able to go out for a long time. Maybe I should take a short trip every year. This will help me, a psychiatrist, stay in a happy mood."

The doctor replied, folded the newspaper and stuffed it into the outer pocket of his coat, then lowered his voice and reminded:

"Turn up your collar, Detective, the marks on your neck are too obvious."

"oh!"

Shade hurriedly looked down, then realized that it was difficult to see his own neck, so he had to turn up his collar. Fortunately, the weather is still cold, so this outfit doesn't look weird.

"Then let's go. I hope that priest Morpheus, I mean Bishop Morpheus, is in the church today."

With that said, the two of them walked towards the bustling church together.

The church is facing the river bank, separated by a wide road from the gas lamps, benches and rectangular wooden flower beds on the river bank. After crossing the street facing the river, you enter the small square in front of the church, followed by the steps.

Because it is adjacent to the river bank and considering disaster prevention issues in summer, there are thirteen steps in front of the local Dawn Church, which makes the church look even more majestic.

Although it was a weekday morning, after experiencing a major disaster, citizens were obviously more willing to pray to gods and pray for peace more frequently than usual. This is not to put their own safety on external forces, but that they really have no other choice.

Passing by those truly devout believers, Shade asked while adjusting his collar:

"Speaking of, doctor, has there been any big news in the Randall Valley in the past few days?"

"Of course, hotels all over the city are checking the identity of outsiders. I was even checked three times in two days because of my appearance as a Delarian."

When this topic was brought up, the doctor looked quite unhappy, then lowered his voice and muttered in Northern Mandarin with a Tobesk accent:

“These old southerners are discriminating against the people of Delrayon.

Shade did not ask the doctor how he escaped the examination, nor did he remind him that "old southerner" was also a discriminatory language. Instead, he said with a smile as he walked up the steps:

"There will definitely be such inspections. What I'm more curious about is, how did the newspapers explain the landslides, fireballs and other sights before Saturday morning?"

Although the final battle is outside the city, whether it is the battle between the thirteen-ring warlocks and the guardians, Yin Luna's power of the earth and earth energy cannon, or the subsequent battle between gods and gods, the sound and light effects can be clearly seen. Observed around town, as the girls at the Wilde Opera can attest.

"These are secondary disasters caused by earthquakes. Landslides are earthquakes, fireballs are flammable gases ignited underground, songs are hallucinations, and skylights are unknown astronomical phenomena similar to aurora before earthquakes."

The doctor said that the people around him did not look at the content of their conversation, because it was what everyone in the city was talking about these days.

"That's it..."

Shade nodded, and the doctor came to the end of the steps, and then followed the crowd into the main entrance of Dawn Church.

The church-style metal double doors were obviously always open, but once you stepped over the threshold, you immediately felt that the temperature inside was at least ten degrees higher than outside, and there was a reassuring smell of aromatherapy in the air. Coupled with the stained glass windows in the main hall, the religious murals on the walls, and the dome, and the psychological impact of miraculous elements, the church has a sense of sanctity.

"Then how do you explain the monsters? Fossil creatures and fallen elemental djinn also appeared in the city, right?"

Shade asked in a low voice. The doctor gave him a surprised look:

"This is a strange question. Explanation? Why do we need to explain? It was not even mentioned in the newspaper. Detective, these are just rumors among ordinary citizens. I think these should be people who were panicked during the earthquake. Hallucinations caused by fear and worry. In addition, it was dark night, and it was easy to amplify fear and regard normal things as monsters. In the process of spreading rumors and rumors, they were exaggerated, and this kind of urban legend-like story came into existence. "

He said seriously:

"As a licensed professional psychologist, I want to give you a suggestion. If you encounter this kind of patient, you can introduce it to me for treatment. 'Post-traumatic stress disorder' after a catastrophe has become a major trend in psychology in recent years. It is a cutting-edge and popular research direction in the field, and I am happy to help these patients...my fees are very cheap."

Hearing what he said, Shade nodded knowingly. Obviously, the city hall will explain the parts that can be explained, and keep silent about the parts that cannot be explained. After all, in this already superstitious era, people will be happy to find an acceptable reason for themselves.

Local unicorn legends, elven tribe rumors, and the stories of the Randall Valley that Shade came into contact with were mostly formed in this way.

Only this land can remember the truth of all stories. It was like this before and it is like this now.

"Excuse me, sir, are you a psychiatrist?"

Shade and the doctor did not stop in the main hall, because that was obviously not the place to talk. They walked toward the interior of the church while chatting in low voices. Although Dr. Schneider believed in the righteous god [the God of Nature and Evil Thoughts, the Lord of All Things], Shade At least on the surface they believed in [Mr. Dawn, the God of Light and Shadow], so the two of them originally planned to let Shade pray first.

But they had just passed through the main hall where a group interrogation ceremony was being held and came to the side corridor. Before they could enter the side prayer hall, the old man coming out of the prayer hall curiously interrupted their conversation.

He wore clerical robes and looked older than Augustus. Although he has white hair, he seems to be in good spirits. He speaks in Kasonlik with a slight Randall Valley accent, and has a rich accent in his voice.

"you are......"

Shade looked at the old man's attire. Although it was the style of a traditional clergyman's robe, the details such as the edges of the robe still showed his identity. Shade knew Bishop Canus Owen of his own diocese, and he knew the bishop's attire very well:

"Are you Bishop Morpheus?"

Neither he nor the doctor expected that someone would be found so easily. Originally, they thought it would take some effort.

"Yes, two friends from the North. I'm sorry to interrupt your conversation."

The old man said with a smile. It happened that there was no one in the corridor for the time being, so the three of them talked in the corridor.

The doctor introduced himself:

"I'm a psychiatrist. Is there something wrong?"

"Yes, after last week's earthquake, more believers came to the church to pray than before. Although I am very happy that people can rely on our Lord as a spiritual support, but sometimes some small psychological techniques can also It can help those poor people get rid of those bad memories as soon as possible."

Bishop Murphy has a typical Southern appearance, with fairly high cheekbones but a slightly lower bridge of nose. Like Dr. Schneider, he has blue eyes, but probably because he is older, the old gentleman's eyes are a little darker.

"Psychology can indeed play a role in this situation. I have always believed that church priests should study psychology in addition to theology. Unfortunately, this subject is far less popular than 'machinery manufacturing' or 'business' People's recognition. For people who have suffered major disasters, psychological counseling is also very important after ensuring their life safety. The Psychological Association of Delrayon has done statistics and surveys on earthquakes, tsunamis, storms, etc. After a major disaster, there will be an obvious peak in the suicide rate. By the way, the people surveyed include the poor and the middle class, and the results are very rigorous."

The doctor talked about his professional field seriously, and then talked about the differences between Delarion's psychological research and Kasenrik's.

This is not only related to the difference in funding for institutions of higher learning between the two countries, but also to the different perceptions of psychology between the two peoples. The arrival of the steam age has comprehensively promoted the development of society. Rapid changes mean that people cannot accept all changes at once.

But Bishop Murphy was obviously very interested in the topic of psychology, and he chatted with Dr. Schneider for a full twenty minutes.

When the topic was almost over, Shade spoke about the real purpose of his and the doctor's visit today:

"Bishop Morpheus, we actually have something to ask you."

He took out a letter, which was written by Shade when he went to Dawn Church to find Priest August after leaving Carina Manor this morning:

"This doctor and I are actually from Tobesk. Before we left our hometown and came to the local area, an old priest from the Tobesk diocese asked us to send you a letter."