"Mass hysteria?" Sir Deville, who had come into contact with many psychologists during this period, chewed over the term given by Klein.
His butler, his bodyguard, and his servants did not make a sound without his permission, no matter how curious they were.
Sheriff Gate, on the other hand, looked at Klein in confusion, as if he had never heard of such a concept.
Klein controlled his inertia of tapping the armrest of the sofa with his fingers and explained in a slow and low voice:
"Humans are creatures that are very easily deceived by their own senses. Mass hysteria is a psychological problem caused by the mutual influence of mental stress and other factors within the same group."
His string of professional terms confused Sir Deville, Sheriff Gate and others, and they subconsciously chose to believe it.
"Let me give you a simple example. This is a case I once handled. A gentleman held a dinner party and invited 35 guests. During the dinner, he suddenly felt nauseous and vomited on the spot. He then had severe diarrhea. This happened once, twice, and three times. He began to think that he had food poisoning. He went to the hospital and told his guests about this guess."
"In the next two hours, more than 30 of the 35 guests had diarrhea and 26 vomited. They filled the hospital's emergency room."
"The doctors made a detailed examination and comparison and concluded that the gentleman was not poisoned at first, but that the cause was a gastrointestinal inflammation caused by the change of weather and the cold liquor."
"And the most surprising thing is that not only were none of the guests who came to the hospital poisoned, but none of them were actually sick."
“This is mass hysteria.”
Deville nodded slightly and exclaimed:
"I understand. Humans are indeed prone to deceiving themselves. No wonder Emperor Roselle said that a lie repeated a hundred times will become the truth."
"Officer, what should I call you? You are the most professional psychologist I have ever seen."
“Inspector Moretti,” Klein pointed to his shoulder badge and said, “Sir, your problem has been initially solved. You can try to fall asleep now and let me confirm if there are any other problems. If you can have a good dream, please allow us to leave early and not wait for you to wake up.”
"Okay." Deville rubbed his forehead, took his cane, went upstairs step by step and entered the bedroom.
Half an hour later, a carriage with police arms drove away from the fountain at Lord de Vere's door.
When Sheriff Gate got off the car and returned to his police station, Inspector Toler looked at Klein and said half flatteringly and half jokingly:
"I actually thought you were a real psychology expert..."
He didn't finish his words, because he saw the young man opposite him, wearing a black and white checkered uniform, showed almost no expression. His eyes were dark and deep, and he barely raised the corners of his mouth and said:
“I’ve only been exposed to some before.”
Inspector Toller remained silent until the carriage stopped outside 36 Zouteland Street.
"Thanks for your help. Sir Deville finally got rid of his troubles and found sleep again." He stretched out his hand and shook hands with Klein. "Please thank Dunn for me."
Klein nodded slightly and said:
"OK."
He walked up the stairs, step by step, back to the Blackthorn Security Company, knocked on the door and entered the captain's office.
"Solved?" Dunn was waiting for his lunch.
"Solved." Klein rubbed his forehead and said concisely and truthfully, "The root of the problem lies in the lead and porcelain factories owned by Sir Deville. Since their establishment, there have been too many cases of death from lead poisoning. And every time an incident occurs, Sir Deville will gain a little bit of resentment from the remaining spirituality."
"Normally, these won't cause big problems, at most they'll cause people to have nightmares." Dunn has handled similar cases and has considerable experience.
Klein nodded slightly and said:
"Yes, that was the way things were supposed to go. Unfortunately, one day Sir Deville met a female worker who was suffering from lead poisoning on the street. She happened to fall down beside the road and saw the Deville family's coat of arms. At the same time, she was filled with strong resentment, anxiety, and desire. These emotions did not dissipate until Sir Deville gave her parents, brother, and sister a compensation of 300 pounds."
"This is a social problem, and it's not uncommon in this age of steam and machinery." Dunn took out his pipe, took a sniff, and sighed. "Workers who make linen generally suffer from bronchitis and joint diseases because they moisten the material and themselves. Factories with heavy dust will accumulate lung problems even if there is no poisoning... Phew, we don't have to discuss this. I believe it will all be solved as the kingdom develops. Klein, tonight, let's find a restaurant tonight to celebrate your becoming an official member of the team?"
Klein thought for a moment and said:
"Tomorrow night... Captain, I used my clairvoyance for too long today, and used the technique of 'Dream Divination' to communicate directly with those resentful spirits. I feel very tired. I hope to go home in the afternoon and have a good rest. Is that okay? Well, I will go to the Divination Club at four or five o'clock to observe the members' reactions to the sudden death of Heinus Vincent."
"No problem, that's as it should be." Dunn laughed, "Then let's go to the Old Weir restaurant next door tomorrow night. I'll ask Luo Shan to make a reservation."
Klein stood up with his police hat in hand, saluted, and said:
"Thank you, Captain. See you tomorrow."
Dunn raised his hand and said:
"Wait a minute, you just said that Sir de Vere gave the workingwoman's parents a compensation of £300?"
"Yes." Klein nodded and understood why the captain called him. "Are you worried that they will encounter disaster because of this wealth?"
Dunn sighed:
"I've seen a lot of things like this. Give me their addresses and I'll have Coenli arrange for them to leave Tingen and go to another city to start a new life."
“Okay.” Klein replied in a deep voice.
After doing all this, he left Dunn's room and entered the lounge diagonally opposite, changed into his original formal suit, and left the police uniform in his own closet.
Taking the public carriage, Klein staggered back to Daffodil Street in silence. He took off his coat and hat, found last night's leftovers, heated them up, and filled his stomach with the last loaf of oatmeal bread.
Then he climbed up to the second floor, hung up his clothes, fell down and lay on the bed.
When he woke up, his pocket watch showed 2:10 in the afternoon. The sun was high in the sky outside, and its light shone through the clouds.
In this brilliant golden light, Klein stood beside the desk, looking out the oriel window, at the pedestrians in old and ragged clothes, watching them enter or leave Iron Cross Street.
Huh... He exhaled slowly, finally getting rid of the depression.
The road must be taken step by step, the sequence must be improved layer by layer, and this is how it works for everything.
He shook his head, sat down, and began to summarize and sort out what happened last week, repeating the key points he had remembered before to avoid forgetting or missing anything.
Two fifty-five.
Above the vague, boundless, gray and empty fog, a majestic temple stands tall, and an ancient, mottled bronze table is placed quietly.
Sitting on the high-back chair at the top of the long table was a man covered in thick gray mist.
Klein leaned back in his chair and thought silently for a while. Suddenly, he stretched out his hand and pointed at the crimson stars that symbolized "justice" and "the Hanged Man."
…………
Backlund, Queens.
Audrey lifted her skirt and walked lightly towards the bedroom.
Suddenly, she felt something in her heart, turned her head, looked into the shadow of the balcony, and as expected, saw the golden retriever Susie squatting quietly and watching.
Audrey sighed silently, drew a crimson moon on her chest, then moved closer, looking down at the golden retriever and said:
"Susie, this is wrong. You are peeping. The 'audience' should watch openly from their own seats."
The big golden retriever looked up at its owner and wagged its tail cooperatively.
After mumbling a few words, Audrey did not dare to delay and went back to the bedroom.
In the few seconds between opening and closing the door, she suddenly had a strange idea:
“I wonder if Mr. Fool can let Susie enter that mysterious space as well. This way, we will have four members in the Tarot Club! And they will all be Beyonders!”
"No, Susie can't even talk. What should I do if I ask her to express her opinions and exchange ideas? Woof woof woof? Awoo woof? Bah, why should I learn to bark like a dog here..."
“Such a scene feels very strange just imagining it… A dog barking suddenly appeared in the mysterious and solemn gathering… Mr. Fool will definitely kick us out of the Tarot Club directly…”
Audrey locked the door, walked to the edge of the bed and sat down, then took out a piece of old brown paper from under the pillow.
She watched it several times over and began to put herself into the state of "audience".
…………
Somewhere in the Sonia Sea, the ancient sailing ship chasing the "Listener" has moved away from the Rorsted Archipelago.
"Navigator" Alger Wilson was worried that the mechanical wall clock might have errors, so he entered the captain's room half an hour early to avoid any sudden situation and be seen by his subordinates.
In front of him was a glass of almost transparent liquor, and the rich aroma penetrated his nostrils bit by bit.
Thinking of the party that was about to begin, the boundless gray fog that appeared before his eyes in the hotel corridor, and the mysterious fool sitting in the center of the gray fog, Alger shuddered slightly again.
He picked up the wine glass and drank it in one gulp, using the fire burning his throat to ease the feelings in his heart.
Soon, he regained his composure, still as cool and steady as ever.
PS: It’s Monday again, and there will be updates in the early morning.