Chapter 175 Dark Clouds Over the City

The sky had darkened, though no one knew when. Heavy, almost tangible clouds layered thickly over the city-state. A slightly fishy, salty sea breeze swept through the streets, seeming to pour cold air into people's bones.

Old Captain Lawrence walked out of the church, shrinking his neck against the oncoming wind. He looked up at the sky, grumbling about the terrible weather. "Damn it, rotten luck. Finally finish the observation period, and now I have to walk half an hour in this wind back to—"

On the church square's streets, people hurried along, as if a rainstorm was about to fall. Everyone was thinking about uncollected laundry at home, or windows that weren't closed properly. The first thing the old captain thought of was his hot-tempered wife...

He had been in 'quarantine observation' in the church for many days, without even sending a message. Wouldn't he be met with a barrage of scolding, or even a black eye?

Lawrence rubbed his arms and hands, sighed, and prepared to step into the wind. But just as he took two steps, he saw a church guard hurrying towards him from the corner of his eye.

Further away, the young psychological counselor who provided counseling—Heidi or Heli, something like that—was standing.

"No way!" Lawrence muttered subconsciously. Then he saw the church guard reach him, give a polite salute, and then, in a businesslike manner, hold out a hand to block his path. "I'm sorry, Captain Lawrence, but we've just received an urgent notice. You cannot leave yet."

"Wasn't the observation period over?" Lawrence felt it coming as soon as he saw the guard, but he still couldn't help but look crestfallen. "You need to have a good reason."

"I'm not at liberty to say the specifics." The young church guard looked somewhat embarrassed, but still spoke officially. "It's a direct order from the Inquisitor—events have changed. All civilians who had contact with the *Lost Country* are to remain in the church."

Lawrence's lips twitched. The moment he heard the words "*Lost Country*," he knew he had to obey. But he couldn't control his bad mood. The old captain frowned. "Alright, Captain, I understand. But who's going to explain it to my wife? I've been—"

"Excuse me," Heidi's voice came from the side before the old captain could finish. "Is there something you're concerned about?"

Lawrence turned to look at Heidi. During his days of quarantine observation in the church, he had interacted with the young psychological counselor. He knew that although she looked young, she was a reliable 'expert,' and had indeed helped him and the crew resolve a lot of tension and resentment. So his expression softened slightly.

"I've been away from home for too long. My wife isn't exactly known for her gentle personality. I was supposed to be on vacation after my last sea voyage. Can't spend the first half of my vacation in quarantine and the second half in bed, right?"

Heidi sighed, feeling empathetic. She then took out a glass-encased vial of medicine from her medical kit and handed it to the old captain. "Indeed, no one wants to run into something like this," she said, "but the situation is a bit complicated right now. It's best to follow the cathedral's instructions for now. Don't worry, someone will contact your family."

"What is this?" Lawrence took the vial, looking suspiciously at the liquid inside, and then at Heidi. The psychological counselor always had some strange things in her medical kit, which made him nervous.

"Calming, soothing, and it also strengthens your mental defenses to some extent," Heidi said casually. "To prepare for the next phase of quarantine observation."

"Damn it, there's really no way around it..."

Lawrence's teeth ached at the words "next phase of quarantine." He pulled the stopper off the vial and downed the salty, bitter liquid in one gulp, then handed the glass tube back to the psychological counselor.

The medicine took effect quickly. The old captain shuddered in the cold wind, his eyes shifting a few times before quickly calming down. He let out a complex, long sigh.

"Would you like me to escort you back?" Heidi asked gently, observing the old captain's expression.

"No need, I know the way," Lawrence's mood was a bit low, but he shook his head, resigned. "Ah, it's good to be back there. There's someone to chat with, at least a few novice monks are quite interesting to talk to."

He turned around in the cold wind, walking forlornly towards the church door. Two guards were already waiting there, ready to take the old captain back to the quarantine observation area.

But just as he was about to walk through the door, Heidi's voice rang out, "Mr. Lawrence, as a mental health professional, I still advise you sincerely—it's about time to retire. The boundless sea is not good for your mental health."

Lawrence didn't speak, but waved his hand in the distance to indicate that he had heard. Then his figure slowly disappeared into the towering, solemn door.

Only Heidi with her medical kit and the guard in his black trench coat remained on the square.

The guard looked at the old captain with a hint of respect in his eyes.

Then the guard turned to look at the psychological counselor beside him. "Miss Heidi, do you know what's going on?"

Heidi rolled her eyes. "You're with the church. If you don't know, how would I, an 'external consultant' from the city hall, know?"

"But you and the Inquisitor..."

"She hasn't told me anything, and I haven't even seen her since yesterday," Heidi shook her head. Then she looked curiously at the guard. "But I heard she suddenly issued a lot of investigation assignments? This morning, a team of clerical officials even ran to the city hall to borrow archives."

"Yeah, a lot of investigation assignments," the guard sighed. "Borrowing archives, visiting communities, investigating a lot of old cases, and setting up checkpoints at the port to monitor twelve french fries stands..."

"So now even we're guessing what happened," the guard sighed, looking up at the dark, gloomy sky. "Tsk, this damn weather."

Morris sat upright at his desk, gently stroking the rough edge of a heavy tome with his finger. His mind gradually calmed down until he could even hear his own heartbeat.

He lowered his head and slowly opened the *Rahm Scripture* before him, skillfully turning to the chapter on mental protection and wisdom identification, and silently reciting the admonitions within.

After completing the most basic self-hypnosis and mental reinforcement, he stood up and lit the candles and incense on the nearby table in sequence, dripping extracted essential oils into three of the candle flames.

In the suddenly rising flames, he looked at the mirror in front of the altar, looking at his reflection in the mirror, a somewhat self-deprecating smile on his face.

"It's really lucky that I can still accurately execute the details of these rituals."

The crackling of the candles gradually weakened, and the smoke rising from the heavy incense slowly condensed into an unscattered cloud above the mirror. The cloud obscured the old man's vision, preventing him from clearly seeing his reflection in the mirror. At this point, the blessing from the wisdom god Rahm for mental protection was complete.

"I have turned away from you for eleven years, yet you are still willing to bless me," Morris sighed softly, seeing the ritual completed so smoothly. "Do you still have any expectations of me?"

The room remained quiet. The Wisdom God would certainly not manifest so easily, but Morris still listened intently. He seemed to hear the deity's entrustment in the silence, his expression gradually calming down. He opened a drawer beside him.

A bracelet made of colorful stones lay quietly in the drawer. There were twelve stones in total.

Morris hesitated for a moment, then picked up the bracelet and put it on.

In that instant, he felt a burst of clarity in his mind, as if a veil that had shrouded him for many years had suddenly been lifted. Then he glanced at the cloud of smoke still condensed in front of the mirror, and finally made up his mind, pushing open the door and leaving the room. Heidi wasn't home, and the spacious mansion felt particularly quiet.

His and his wife's bedroom was not far away on the left. The door was ajar, the inside dim and silent.

Morris touched the stone bracelet on his wrist, afraid to look at the half-open door. He fled quickly down the corridor, then through the living room, out the front door, started the car parked in the yard, and drove towards Lower City District 5.

At the same time, a white

A pigeon was flying swiftly over the low, dilapidated buildings of the lower city.

Unnoticed, the white pigeon passed through the window of the second floor of Duncan's antique shop. A moment later, a cluster of eerie green light flashed behind the window.

Duncan walked out of the flames, glanced at the terrible weather outside, and then looked at the clock on the wall not far away—there was still a little while before Nina got home from school.

He came to the first floor, opened the shop door, moved a chair, and sat in the doorway, watching the street ahead with a calm expression, pondering quietly.