Backlund, Queens.

Audrey Hall sat on a hanging chair in a shady corner, looking at the flowers blooming in the sun, thinking about the matter that Fors Wall had asked for help.

Viscount Greylint had verified that there really was a girl named Xio Dilcha who was being held in a temporary prison in the northern district of Backlund.

Her crime was that she had seriously injured a respectable gentleman due to a property dispute, causing him to remain lying in bed in the hospital, perhaps never to stand up again.

In response, Fors explained that the gentleman was not a good person. He was the gang leader of the East District of Backlund and made a living by loan sharking.

The incident started when a certain borrower found that the interest was several times higher than he expected and that he could not repay it even if he went bankrupt. After negotiations with the gentleman failed, he found the well-known "arbitrator" Hugh Dilcha nearby, hoping that she could persuade the other party to waive the unreasonable part.

The gentleman did not obey Hugh Dilcher's "ruling" and even threatened to arrest the borrower's wife and children that night. So Hugh Dilcher changed his persuasion skills and used physical means, which accidentally caused serious harm.

Viscount Glint investigated what happened and confirmed that Fors Wall's description was true. He also confirmed that the gang leader had lost control of his men and that after a midnight "visit" by someone, he forgave the borrower's debt and issued a statement to the prosecutor for forgiving Hugh Dilcha. However, serious injury cases do not mean that the victim will not be prosecuted if he does not want to pursue the matter.

"Grillant hopes to resolve the issue through normal means, and sent someone to consult a familiar barrister. The barrister said that he is certain to get a light sentence, but it is very difficult to defend innocence, unless the client can obtain a medical certificate proving that he has mental problems or mental retardation." Audrey muttered to herself, leaning towards her friend's opinion.

The most important thing for her was not to have an overt relationship with Fors Wall and Hugh Dilcha. After the "Tarot Club" incident, Audrey felt that she was no longer an innocent girl.

"There will be a dance at Count Wolfe's house tomorrow night. Tell Greylint then to follow the barrister's advice." Audrey nodded slightly and made a decision.

In the Kingdom of Loen, lawyers are divided into barristers and transactional lawyers. The latter are responsible for matters that do not require going to court, such as collecting evidence, talking to clients, helping people draft wills, supervising property distribution, and providing legal consulting services. Of course, they can also represent clients in the most basic magistrates' courts to defend simple cases.

Barristers are lawyers who study evidence and defend clients in court. According to the laws of the Kingdom of Loen, they must maintain an objective attitude, so they cannot directly contact the parties. They can only collect information through assistants, that is, transactional lawyers. Each of them is a true legal expert with outstanding eloquence and a very high level of debate.

Audrey regained her composure and looked at the colorful flowers outside, hiding in the darkness and peeking into the light. She suddenly thought of one thing:

"A psychiatrist with a medical certificate showing that he or she has mental problems or is mentally retarded"

"If the Psychological Alchemists have mastered the 'method of acting', does that mean we can look for them among the psychiatrists?"

Thinking of this, Audrey felt that her idea was absolutely right, and her eyes shone like sparkling gems.

Just then, she saw the big golden retriever Susie sneaking behind the flowers, to a place where only the gardener would go.

"Susie, what is it going to do?" Audrey was hiding in the shadows, staring in amazement.

The big golden retriever seemed to have its sense of smell confused by the fragrance of the flowers and did not notice its owner behind it. It opened its mouth and made loud "ahhhh" and "ahhhh" sounds in a hoarse voice.

Then, it made the air around it vibrate, and rang out the words that were not smooth enough:

"Hello."

"Are you OK?"

Audrey's mouth opened little by little, completely forgetting the etiquette of an elegant lady. She couldn't believe the scene she saw and the stiff voice she heard.

She stood up suddenly and blurted out:

"Susie, can you speak? When did you learn to speak?"

The big golden retriever jumped up in fright and turned to face his owner.

It shook its tail quickly and panickily, and opened and closed its mouth several times before shaking out the surrounding air:

"I"

"I don't know how to explain it. After all, I'm just a dog."

Hearing this, Audrey was speechless for a moment.

On Monday morning, Klein, who was on vacation, reviewed and consolidated his knowledge of occultism as planned, and then took a public carriage to Hoy University.

He wanted to get in touch with Mr. Azik more and see what he knew.

In the three-story graystone building belonging to the History Department, Klein chatted with his mentor Cohen Quentin for a while, discussing matters related to the ancient ruins on the main peak of Honachis.

With nothing extra to gain, he took the opportunity when his instructor was out doing something to enter the office diagonally opposite and walked to the desk of teacher Azik who stayed behind.

"Mr. Azik, can I talk to you for a minute?" He looked at the teacher with a bronze complexion, soft features, and a small mole under his right ear, took off his hat and saluted.

Azik, with brown eyes that concealed an indescribable sense of vicissitudes, sorted out the books and said:

"No problem, let's go for a walk along the Hoy River."

“Okay.” Klein picked up his cane and followed the other party out of the three-story gray stone building.

Along the way, both of them remained silent and no one spoke.

When the flowing river came into view and there were no more teachers and students around, Azik stopped, half turned around, and said to Klein:

"What do you want from me?"

Klein pondered for a long time and thought of many euphemistic ways, but gave up one by one.

So he asked frankly and directly:

"Mr. Azik, you are a trustworthy and respectable gentleman. I want to know what you see in me, or what you know. I mean the last time you said there was something inconsistent with my fate."

Azik nodded his cane, sighed and smiled:

"I didn't expect you to be so direct. I don't know how to answer."

"To be honest, the inconsistency in your fate is the only thing I can see. Apart from that, I know no more than you do."

Klein hesitated and asked:

"But why can you tell that? I don't believe this is due to divination."

Azik turned his head to look at the Hoyi River, his tone tinged with a bit of desolation:

"No, Klein, you don't understand. Divination can be done to this extent. It just depends on who is doing the divination. Of course, my divination is just an excuse to cover it up."

"Some people are always special, born with some strange abilities, and I should be one of them."

“Should?” Klein keenly grasped the problem with the other party’s choice of words.

"Yes, I don't know if I was born with this ability. Perhaps the price of such ability is to forget myself, the past, and my parents." Azik looked at the river with a slightly sad look in his eyes.

The more Klein listened, the more confused he became:

"Forget the past?"

Azik smiled without any smile and said:

"Before entering the History Department of Backlund University, I lost most of my memories. I only remember my name and basic knowledge. Fortunately, I have an ID, otherwise I would have become a homeless person. Over the years, I have used the ID to look for my parents, but to no avail, even though I could see a glimpse of fate."

"During my college years, I gradually discovered that I had some unique abilities, abilities that were beyond common sense."

Klein listened very attentively and asked:

"Mr. Azik, why did you lose your memory? No, I mean, did you find the reason for your amnesia at the scene?"

He suspected that Mr. Azik was a member of the School of Life with amnesia, or even a mid-sequence member of high status - this was the counterpart of the "monsters", a secret organization that had produced "prophets" and was mainly passed down from master to apprentice.

Azik shook his head heavily:

"No, it's as if I had a good sleep and forgot the past."

He took his cane and walked a few steps forward, saying as he walked:

"After leaving Backlund, I started to dream about many strange things."

Dream? I’m good at interpreting dreams! Klein, who had entered the professional field, immediately asked:

"What kind of dream was it?"

Azik chuckled vaguely:

"Many, many different dreams. Sometimes, I dreamed of the dark interior of a mausoleum. I dreamed of ancient coffins with corpses lying prone inside and white feathers growing from their backs. Sometimes, I dreamed that I was a knight in full armor, holding a three-meter-long spear, and charging at the enemy."

"Sometimes, I dreamed that I was a lord, with a rich estate, a beautiful wife and three children. Sometimes, I dreamed that I was a tramp, walking on a muddy road in the rain, cold and hungry."

"Sometimes, I dream that I have a daughter, a daughter who is different from the previous children. She has smooth black hair, likes to sit on the swing I made, and always asks me for candy. Sometimes, I dream that I am standing next to the gallows, coldly looking up at the corpses floating on it."

Listening to Azik's mumbling, Klein found that he was unable to interpret his dreams, because the symbols of different dreams were opposite and contradictory!

Azik retracted his gaze and said in a no longer erratic voice:

"The Feynaport Kingdom in the south believes in the Mother Earth, and the Church of the Mother Earth promotes a concept. They believe that every life is a 'plant', absorbing nutrients from the earth, slowly growing, flourishing, and declining."

"When they wither, these lives will fall to the earth, return to the mother's arms, and the next year, they will grow again. Flowers bloom and fall, year after year, and life is the same, life after life."

"Sometimes, I am willing to believe this statement, and believe that because of my own specialness, I can dream about fragments of my previous life and the life before that."

Having said this, he looked at Klein and sighed:

"I haven't even told Cohen about these things. The reason I told you is because I..."

Azk paused and smiled:

"I'm sorry, my description just now was not accurate enough. The inconsistency in your fate is not the only thing I can see. I also noticed something else."

"Klein, you are no longer a normal person. You possess extraordinary and strange abilities, much like me."