Waiting for a cake? That's truly an answer I never expected... Wait, if I could have guessed a psychiatric patient's answer, wouldn't that mean I'm already quite there? A thought flashed through his mind, and Klein maintained his relaxed smile, chatting casually as if to a friend: "Who's bringing you the cake?" Hude Egen's expression instantly collapsed; his face grew paler and longer, and he mournfully said, "No, no cake... no cake!" "You took my cake!" His voice suddenly rose sharply, his eyes wide with anger fixed on Klein. Before Klein could think of a response, Egen suddenly gave a loud "Woof!" opened his mouth, and revealed a gleaming row of white teeth. Then, dribbling saliva, he leapt off the bed, taking a step toward Klein, extended both hands to grasp at his shoulders, and tried to pull him forward, finally biting down firmly. Faced with this sudden assault, while克莱恩 was slightly disoriented, he promptly reacted—bending his knees and crouching down at the same time, then twisting his torso to lean sideways and raising his left arm. *Pff!* With a sharp elbow to Hude Egen's abdomen, he sent the latter blinking, spilling more saliva from his mouth. Yet Hude Egen didn't halt his motion—he smoothly lowered himself and spread his arms wide, aiming to cradle his opponent firmly.克莱恩 shifted slightly and rolled sideways, fluidly and as if it had been practiced hundreds of times. He then used his right hand to push off and executed a backflip to rise to his feet, intending to transition from defense to offense and launch a decisive attack. At that moment, however, he noticed Hude Egen standing frozen in place, his eyes losing focus, vacant and bewildered. ……克莱恩 paused momentarily, then turned his head toward the corner, where Dunning Smith—dressed in a black lightweight coat and wearing a matching silk hat—was clasping his hands tightly and lowering his head. The captain had drawn Hude Egen into his dreams... With a dawning awareness, he paused, seized the opportunity, and drew forth the ritual silver dagger—completely harmless—using it to create a spiritual barrier that sealed off the single patient room. Then, Caine produced three candles infused with mint, arranging them in an inverted triangle on the windowsill: one symbolizing the Night Goddess, one representing the Mother of Secrets, and one standing for himself. Soon, he set up a simple altar and lit all the candles through the gentle friction of spiritual energy. As he turned to remind the captain, Dunn had already lifted his head, speaking in a low, warm tone: "Hude Egen's dreams are chaotic—there's no way to guide them." Before he finished speaking, the light returned to Hude Egen's eyes, no longer vacant. Then, the once-mentally-unstable psychologist straightened his back and yawned comfortably. …Klein was momentarily at a loss for words, so he said nothing and simply picked up the small metal bottle containing the "Amandala" essence. He dripped the clear, transparent liquid—distilled and extracted from a blend of night-blooming jasmine, deep sleep, and chamomile—into the flame of the candle representing himself, releasing its serene and tranquil fragrance instantly, allowing it to spread throughout the room. Hood Egen’s sense of tension, anger, and comfort completely dissipated. He lounged back lazily by the bed, once again gazing呆ly out the window at the crimson moon, his eyes now blurred and peaceful. Klein too felt the transcendent calm that comes with the stillness of night. He set down the "Amandala" essence, sat down beside Hood Egen, and resolved to find something that would draw the latter out of his final defenses. Only then could he use the "Eyes of the Spirit" potion to gradually bring Hood Egen’s spirit into a state of drowsy unconsciousness. After all, I'm just an amateur medium... He had already thought of a plan and pulled out a set of tarot cards from his pocket. This set consists of only twenty-two major cards—compact and practical, secured through Klein's successful request as a "weapon." Each card is embedded with pure silver and other metals capable of harming undead beings; the intricate, elaborate designs are so refined that Klein simply wants to collect them, never to use them against his enemies. Holding the cards with one hand, Klein smiled at Hude Eugen and said, "Let's play cards." "Play cards?" Hude Eugen turned his gaze from the window, repeating the word with mild confusion. Klein said nothing, instead gently and firmly placing the tarot deck into Hude Eugen's hands. Hude Eugen then imitated Klein's gesture, carefully cutting the cards with one hand and successfully completing the action. Among these extraordinary individuals, the psychiatric patient gradually shifted his attention to the cards in his hands—firm yet elastic, with an exceptional texture. He opened the topmost card: a man dressed in tattered garments was bound at the wrists and suspended upside down, with a faint halo appearing at the top of his head. The inverted man... Klein nodded thoughtfully, rose to his feet, grasped the "Eye of the Spirit" potion, and dripped the amber liquid onto the candle—still the one representing himself. A delicate, ethereal aroma of wine spread out, so immersive that merely inhaling it evoked the sensation of being drunk. Hood Egen's expression began to fade, his focus wavered, and his tarot cards slipped one by one onto the bed. Yet he remained seated steadily, not collapsing at all. Klein relied on "meditation" to resist the effect that was making his body and soul light, floating, and hazy. From his pocket, he produced another small metal bottle, twisted the stopper open, and poured the deep blue liquid into his mouth. "The Calm Elixir!" The cool liquid flowed over his tongue, down his esophagus, and into his stomach, instantly restoring him to a state of exceptional clarity—no more dizziness. He exhaled slowly, then skillfully reached for the essential oil vapor and herb powder, and dripped them into the two candles symbolizing the Night Goddess. He did not dodge, nor resist; he allowed this profound "night" to envelop him. In an abnormally clear state of awareness, he felt his spirit shedding the protection of his physical body and entering a vast, empty void akin to the depths of the cosmos—surrounded by boundless, silent, absolute darkness, while above, the sky was filled with translucent, formless shadows, each a radiant, pure stream of light of varying colors, brimming with countless forms of knowledge. The spirit realm... Klein had grown familiar with it. As the thought formed, a hazy world, wrapped in a gentle storm of soft light, appeared before him. Klein recognized this as the spiritual essence of Hude Egen—the embodiment of his mind—and approached it, stepping through the storm that now served as a wall. In an instant, he felt countless specks of light striking his body, and heard the soft murmurs of thousands, tens of thousands, or even hundreds of thousands of people simultaneously whispering about something. This babbling was extremely disordered, illogical—just moments ago praising women's grace, then suddenly describing the ease of using the toilet, crying one moment and then erupting into celebration the next. A frenzied mental storm was pulling and gnawing at Caine's spirit, attempting to assimilate him, yet Caine remained absolutely clear-headed and rational, swiftly moving inward toward Hude Egen's inner mental realm. Compared to the terrifying babblings and dreadful shrieks he had experienced before entering that mysterious space above the gray mist, this was truly like a beautiful concert. Caine smiled quietly, cutting through the storm and seeing Hude Egen—blurry, hazy, and translucent. The Sequence 7 "psychologist" maintained his outward appearance, his gaze expressionless as he looked at Caine. Caine stopped before him and asked softly, "Do you know about Lanelus?" Hude Egen replied blankly, "I know." The light and shadow around them shifted, as if revealing Hude Egen's "sea of the mind." Soon, interwoven patterns of light and shadow outlined a young man with an ordinary face, a full forehead, round glasses, and a constant, wry smile—his dark brown eyes unmistakably matching the one克莱恩 had seen on the wanted poster: Lan'Urus. Klein nodded in satisfaction, steadied his emotions, and asked in a gentle, guiding tone: "Why has Lan'Urus come to you?" "He said..." Hude Egen's voice gradually softened. Then, suddenly, he switched to a vibrant, magnetic tone, speaking with a touch of wild enthusiasm: "Hude Egen—this is the worst of times, and the best of times. As long as we seize the opportunity, we too can become masters of the world, true immortals!" "If you offer your assistance, I will not only reveal to you the methods of mastering the magic potion and preventing its unraveling—but I promise you, in the future, a share of divinity, a divinity of immortality!" "You should be able to see clearly that there's someone behind me—my commitments are His commitments, and in a certain sense, psychological alchemy is also connected to Him." "Don't doubt it. Right now, psychological alchemy isn't strong enough to offer you sufficient support unless you're willing to remain at your current level indefinitely." The methods for mastering potion power and avoiding collapse—there's something about me using the 'role-playing' technique to entice others. How ambitious Lan'urush is! He's already thinking about divine matters, despite being only at Sequence 8. Who exactly lies behind him? It seems as though he's plotting something far beyond mere financial gain. Is financial gain merely his hobby? Klein found his thoughts swirling. When Hude Egen stopped speaking, he quickly asked, "What kind of support does Lan'urush wish you to provide?" "Hude. Eugen didn't answer immediately, and the entire 'world of the mind' fell silent. Then, he burst into laughter, responding in a very disordered manner: 'Help... help... help!' 'Hahaha, I've provided help! I've provided help!' 'I've made...' At that moment, his words cut off abruptly. The blurry ethereal form bent and curled, and the light and shadow symbols representing the 'sea of the mind' rapidly shifted and coalesced into a solemn, terrifying, dark altar. On the altar stood a cross, upon which something seemed to hang upside down, with a hazy accumulation of matter at the base. The light and shadows stirred, and the hanging object gradually became clearer. Suddenly, the entire 'world of the mind' trembled as if struck by a magnitude-10 earthquake. Wow! Kline instantly sensed the imminent danger and, without hesitation, turned and plunged into the chaotic storm of thoughts, attempting to escape."