Lan'urus? The fraud who swindled both money and charm? He's actually connected to Hude Egen of the "Psychological Alchemy Society"... Kline was momentarily stunned, then recalled the significance of the name Lan'urus. This is the fraud who drained over 10,000 pounds in wealth! This is the one who offers a mere ten pounds for a clue and a hundred pounds when helping to apprehend a mobile treasury! This is the contemptible figure who has betrayed the bodies and hearts of innocent women! Yet he knows Hude Egen and has visited the asylum three times to see him—does this not suggest he has been in contact with the circle of the extraordinary, or even that he himself is an extraordinary being? At that moment, Kline suddenly remembered a specific potion name: "The Thief's Path," Sequence 8—"The Con Artist!" Such extraordinary beings often delight in deceiving others. It's very likely. Klein nodded thoughtfully, carefully controlling his facial expressions and body language, and casually asked, "When was the last time Mr. Laneru visited Hude Egen?" "Early July. To be precise, I'll have to go back to the asylum and check the corresponding records." Dastur Gudrian paused for a few seconds before answering. Early July—then Laneru's scheme had not yet collapsed, and he had not yet fled to Tinggen... Klein then asked, "Did Hude Egen ever mention Mr. Laneru to him?" "No, you should know— a Sequence 7 'psychologist' rarely leaks information accidentally. Every word they utter has been carefully weighed and considered in their mind. Unless they have another purpose, it's very difficult to extract secrets from them. I only managed to obtain the 'Mind-Reader' formula during the time when Hude Egen went mad. By the way, have you verified the authenticity of that formula?" Dast skillfully concealed his pride in his own sequence. "Dast was genuinely moved. Kline responded with a humble expression, saying, 'This is exactly what I should have done.' 'Let's return to what we discussed earlier. You mentioned that a psychologist carefully considers every word before speaking and is reluctant to reveal secrets. Then, why did Hude Egen tell you that El is from Larnuus? Is he hinting at something, or is he drawing your attention to a particular matter?' Dast was momentarily stunned and only after a while furrowed his brow, saying, 'This is indeed very unusual—I hadn't noticed it at all. But aside from that, Hude Egen didn't mention anything else. Could it be that his intention was simply to ensure that, should he encounter any difficulties, I could pass on the name Larnuus to the senior leadership?' "The reality is also a bit problematic. After I reported the incident that drove Hude Egen mad, someone did come to follow up. But once I went into detail—mentioning even the name Lanelus—there was no further response from the higher-ups. It felt as though a stone had been thrown into the sea, suggesting they might have already guessed something. 'That's a very reasonable inference,' said Kline. He took out his archmage's bullets, one by one, loading them into the revolving cylinder and tried to aim at the target. 'From this perspective, Hude Egen may have anticipated either a full breakdown or even his death—something connected to Lanelus. Yet, if he had anticipated this, why didn't he reach out to the higher levels earlier?' Daster stared blankly ahead, struggling to find answers. 'Unfortunately, he's now completely mad and unable to communicate effectively.' 'Perhaps there was some compelling incentive that prompted him to take the risk,' Kline suggested." At the same time, he was regretting that Hude Egen had truly become mentally ill, which had caused many leads to vanish. Oh, even the dead were better than the mad—while the dead I could bring to life through spirit communication, what could I possibly do with a madman? Ah, yes. Lady Dailie once attempted to awaken my lost memories through mediumship, drawing on theories from the "Psychological Alchemy Society." This demonstrates that spiritual rituals can indeed be performed on living people, creating direct communication between spirits. I wonder whether Hude Egen remains mad in this state. Unfortunately, I'm not yet sufficiently proficient in this field—probably unable to achieve much on my own. Hmm, I'll first summon a messenger to write a letter to Lady Dailie, asking what techniques she might offer. If she believes only she can complete the task, I'll inform the captain to send a telegraph to the Beckland parish for assistance. I'm not doing this merely to learn new techniques or to practice the ritual of summoning messengers. Thoughts keep flashing through my mind, gradually forming a clear path toward solving the issue. Dastar strongly agrees with my conjectures: "Ambition often renders people foolish—despite knowing clearly that ahead lies a deep abyss, they still strive to approach the edge and peer into it." "That's just pushing one's luck to the edge and beyond..." Renly muttered, then thoughtfully added, "After you return to the psychiatric hospital, make every effort to treat Hude Egen, and strive to keep him conscious for a period of time—offer him cues and prompts." "Also, don't hide your concerns and anxieties. Stay in close contact with the members of the 'Psychological Alchemy Circle,' and urge them to address Hude Egen's condition. This is the most natural and reasonable response." Dastar nodded seriously. "I'll do my best." Renly said no more, then paused and asked with careful consideration, "Has Hude Egen's body recently shown any abnormalities? For instance, have any fine scales started to appear on certain parts of his body?" "Half-crazy," "fully crazy," and "out of control" are different degrees of manifestation when extraordinary individuals face genuine challenges. Mild cases involve a shift in worldview—like having become a different person—yet they remain rational, able to think clearly and act normally, which is referred to as "half-crazy." More severe cases entail a loss of logical coherence, resulting in confusion and manic agitation that makes communication difficult, known as "fully crazy." In the most irreversible instances, both body and mind transform into monsters, leading to complete "out of control." At times, if underlying issues are not addressed promptly, the individual may gradually progress from being merely crazy to ultimately becoming out of control. Previously, to prevent exposure of informants embedded within the "Psychological Alchemy Society," Dunn instructed the night watch to refrain from immediately taking control of Hude Eugen, instead opting for monitoring and investigation as a preventive measure. However, should any signs of deterioration or "out of control" behavior emerge, decisive action must be taken. Dastar shook his head with a wry smile. "No, on this point you can rest assured—I'm quite afraid of Hude Egen's losing control. I won't miss a single detail. After all, I spend six days a week in the asylum." After a few more conversations, they parted ways, leaving the range several minutes apart. Kline endured his strong sense of drowsiness and took a public carriage all the way back to the street of Narcissus. He opened the door and saw his sister sitting on the sofa in the living room, neither reading nor tinkering with parts or machinery, simply gazing straight ahead, as though her soul had vanished. Tapping his teeth and activating his spiritual sight, Kline asked with curiosity, "Meredith, what's happened?" "Looking at the energy colors, she seems really healthy—much better than before, not malnourished anymore... Melissa pulled her gaze back, pressed her lips together, and glanced toward the kitchen where voices were coming from, then opened up uncertainly, "Bella has been recommending her family's special breakfast method, saying it's absolutely delicious. I agreed to let her try it this morning." At that moment, the sound of the water flushing came from the restroom on the first floor. Bassen, holding the newspaper, opened the door and said, "Dear Claryn, would you like a breakfast?" "No, I've already had breakfast," Claryn firmly shook his head, especially grateful to have arranged to meet with Dastor this morning, otherwise he wouldn't have asked Rosan to bring breakfast early. "It's a pity, though—otherwise you'd have formed a new, confident opinion of my cooking," Bassen self-consciously remarked. At this moment, Melissa noticed something and turned her eyes toward Claryn, saying, "You came back rather late today." Sister, be a little more naive, a little more lively—don't always worry so much... Your demeanor just now was excellent! Claryn immediately smiled. "I have some good news." "You've passed the police hall's evaluation and will now receive additional pay, correct?" Melissa almost didn't think twice before asking. Bassen nodded in agreement, smiling. “…” Caine held his hat, standing by the edge of the living room, and said with a good-natured smile, “How am I supposed to surprise you with this?” He cleared his throat and added, “Yes, my weekly salary has doubled.” He had kept silent about the recent addition of four pounds per week, intending to save for a small reserve—after all, he couldn’t rely solely on the funds in his unnamed account—and a doubling was certainly enough to astonish his brother and sister. “Six pounds?” Melissa exclaimed, both astonished and moved. “I really do need to look for a new job,” Benson said, running a hand over his hairline. With the information Caine had provided, he had been diligently self-studying recently. Before Caine could speak, Melissa brightened and said, “Then, aside from regular expenses, you’ll be able to accumulate enough wealth within two or three years to meet a gentleman’s minimum standard for marriage, yes—this standard, I learned from Elizabeth.” “…,” Klein said, blinking in surprise, "This is something that happened a long time ago. Shouldn't we be celebrating now? I declare that from today on, our staple meal will be white bread. Once I finish with these tasks, we'll go out to different restaurants and enjoy a variety of cuisine." Melissa glanced at him, as though she hadn't heard a word, and spoke: "Benson and I are going to Mass at Saint Serenella Church. Will you be joining us?" I've been praising the goddess every day... Klein chuckled. "I must catch up on my sleep." That night, he slept until half past twelve, then, after lunch with Benson and Melissa, continued his investigation into the red chimney houses. As the evening deepened, he sealed his bedroom with spiritual energy, preparing to attempt the summoning ritual for the messenger offered by the 'Lich Mentor' Dely.