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 earthquakes, no large-scale infectious disease outbreaks, and even the gray fog that diffused the smell of rotten eggs throughout the winter has disappeared.
More than half a week has passed since the big 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, they just live.
Talent is more important.
So, on this sunny morning, in front of the Dawn Church on the west bank of the Elrond River in the northeast of the city, 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. On the other side of the bench sat an old man with a cane.
, was bending over to feed the pigeons, while the middle-aged gentleman on another 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:
"Put up your collar, detective, the marks on your neck are too obvious."
"oh!"
Shade hurriedly lowered his head to look, and then realized that it was difficult to see his own neck, so he had to raise his collar. Fortunately, the weather was still cold, so such an outfit would not 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 space 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 is a weekday morning, after experiencing a major disaster, citizens are obviously more willing to pray to gods and pray for peace more frequently than usual. This is not because they put their own safety on external forces, but because they really have no
There are other ways.
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 just 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 smiled and said as he walked up the steps:
"There will definitely be such inspections. What I'm more curious about is how the newspapers explained the landslides and fireballs 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 in town, as the girls at the Wilde Opera can attest.
"These are all 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 auroras before earthquakes."
The doctor said that the people around him did not pay any attention to the content of their conversation, because this was the topic that 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 have always been open, but once you step over the threshold, you immediately feel that the temperature inside is at least ten degrees higher than outside, and there is a reassuring scent of aromatic fragrance in the air. Coupled with the colorful colors of the main hall of the church
The religious murals on the glass windows, walls, and domes, the miraculous elements have a psychological impact, and the sacred feeling of the church arises spontaneously.
"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 explain? It wasn't even mentioned in the newspaper. Detective, these are just rumors among ordinary people. I think these should be people who were panicked during the earthquake.
Hallucinations caused by fear and worry. Coupled with the fact that it was dark night, 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 being."
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 the 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 superstitious era, people will be happy to find one for themselves.
Acceptable reasons.
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 was wearing clerical robes and looked older than Priest Augustus. Although he had white hair, he seemed to be in good spirits. When he spoke in Kasenric with a slight Randall Valley accent,
There is also a very charming accent in the tone of voice.
"you are......"
Shade looked at the old man's attire. Although it was the style of a traditional clergy robe, the edges and other details of the robe still showed his identity. Shade knew Bishop Canas Owen of his diocese and knew the bishop's attire very well.
:
"Are you Bishop Morpheus?"
Neither he nor the doctor expected that it would be so easy to find the person. 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 started talking in the corridor.
The doctor introduced himself:
"I am 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, sometimes some small psychological skills can also
It can help those poor people get rid of those bad memories as soon as possible."
Bishop Morpheus has a typical southern appearance, and his cheekbones are quite high, but the bridge of his nose is slightly lower. Like Dr. Schneider, he has blue eyes, but probably because he is older, the old gentleman's eyes are blue.
The eye color is a bit dull.
"Psychology can indeed play a role in this situation. I have always believed that the church fathers 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 not only involves the difference in funding for institutions of higher learning between the two countries, but also has to do with the different perceptions of psychology between the two peoples. The arrival of the steam age has comprehensively promoted the development of society, and 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 opened his mouth to talk 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."
