The next morning, Ed sat listlessly at his desk, working through the pile of reports on his hands, sorting them into files and labeling them.
Training in a dream means that your mental state will not be very good during the day. But fortunately, dealing with the paperwork doesn't require a lot of energy.
Arthur's personality crystallization has greatly enhanced his memory ability and multi-dimensional thinking. Now he just needs enough time to finish these tasks.
Click, the door was pushed open, and Mr. Eaton walked in dusty.
Eaton stayed away all night last night. He has been busy with the case related to "Mr. Smile" in the past few days. Due to his leg injury, Ed knew very little about the case.
"Good morning, Mr. Eaton," he greeted politely.
"Good morning." The old man looked a little tired, but still responded politely.
Ed picked up the notepad beside him, lowered his head and said:
"By the way, while you were away, two more missing cases and one murder case were reported to the police station. According to the information sent by Crow's Nest, one of the missing cases can be presumed that the missing person tried to steal the goods of the Woodcutter and Fishing Gang... …I think we could try our luck underwater in the Sword Coast or Ivy Bridge?”
"No need, we can put aside the gangster gang for now. The woodcutter and fishermen gang is not our biggest threat at the moment."
Eaton gently took off his hat and put it on the clothes hanger. He slowly sat in front of the sofa, leaned against the backrest and closed his eyes to relax:
"There are still many doubts about Issyk's death. Rowan and I talked about the examination of the body last night. Issyk's personality crystallization has been destroyed. This is contradictory to the 'ritual failure' we speculated before: If If the nirvana ritual fails, the personality crystal is more likely to be contaminated or malignant, rather than directly fragmented.”
"...In other words, the failure of the ceremony is most likely caused by man-made factors. There is another force in Silvermist City that we don't know about."
Hearing this, Ed's sleepiness immediately disappeared. He lowered his head and capped his pen, nodded and agreed:
"Well, if that's the case...then we really need to be careful."
"Speaking of which, did you notice anything unusual when you fell into the lower passage?" Eaton asked calmly.
Ed raised his head and secretly glanced at Mr. Eaton's expression. He still had his eyes closed and raised his head slightly towards the ceiling, not paying attention to himself:
"No... the situation was critical at that time. My leg was seriously injured and I was not suitable to continue moving. So Tia helped me out of there."
"Well, you are right. When losing combat effectiveness, agents should prioritize ensuring their own safety."
Eaton did not continue to ask further, and instead said:
"You can take the time to go to the East District stronghold later. The psychoanalyst from Crow's Nest has arrived."
After performing important tasks, agents need to re-evaluate their mental state to confirm whether they can continue to perform the task. This process is designed to reduce the rate of sudden loss of control by agents.
"I know, I'll be there right away."
As far as Ed knows, there is only one psychoanalyst in the entire Silver Mist City, and he will not wait too long at the East Area stronghold. Although Ed's leg injury has limited mobility, he can still travel by carriage every day without any problem.
"By the way, please set an alarm for two hours before you leave. I need a little rest."
he said in a voice that grew smaller and smaller. After giving the instructions, Eaton fell asleep completely, and the turbid breathing characteristic of old age became more and more steady.
Looking at the old detective in front of him, Ed felt emotional and complicated. He picked up the alarm clock beside him and set the time, picked up his cane, put on his coat and walked out.
…
Perennial rain and industrial dust have made the city dark and cold, giving off a gray atmosphere from the inside out. Uneasy shouts could be heard faintly from the mental hospital opposite.
After paying the money, Ed got off the carriage.
Looking at the roof of the hotel, the hydrangea grown by Charlotte on the balcony turned into a melancholy and beautiful blue due to the acid rain caused by industrial dust, which was particularly bright in this gray city.
Byakuya was leaning against the door and smoking, his lipstick making a gaudy red color on the cigarette. Even after getting used to it for several days, the pale and exaggerated makeup on his face still evoked goosebumps in Ed’s skin:
"Morning, handsome boy. These leggings are really good. They must be the latest trend this year, right?"
"Is your arm feeling better?" Ed stopped and rolled his eyes at him.
"It couldn't be better." He waved his arm proudly, as if to show off his healing speed.
"If your arm had healed faster, I wouldn't have had to limp around like this." Ed sarcastically said, "Is the psychoanalyst here?"
"Of course, I just finished my psychoanalysis and came out for some air." Bai Ya shook off the cigarette ashes on his hand, "Guess how many points I got?"
"I guess you're going to move across the street soon?"
"Wrong, A-." He smiled, "Don't doubt it, I'm one of the most mentally healthy people on the team."
According to Ed's knowledge from the investigator's manual, the mental health status of the agents of the Bureau of Investigation is divided into five grades: A (completely healthy), B (partial impairment exists but does not affect behavior), C (psychological impairment) Significantly affects behavior), D (severe psychological disorder), E (unable to assess).
"I don't know why, I didn't see it at all." Ed shrugged, "Will the test be difficult?"
"Of course it's difficult, and it's scary. The doctor turns a pocket watch in front of your eyes and snaps his fingers, and you'll be obedient. Even if he asks you to take out a gun and kill yourself - just kidding, in short, he just lies down and chats. Then guide you into the dream to see if it’s normal.”
Sounds like the ability of a dream peeper.
"What will happen if there is a problem?" Ed asked.
"Normally, Class C will be required to be suspended for two weeks for observation, and Class D will be sent to a specialized nursing home to receive rehabilitation treatment. If the treatment is ineffective, they will be forced to retire. But this regulation does not apply to the East District Team."
"Why?"
"Remember what I said? Only lunatics, fools and hopeless people will join the East Area Special Operations Team. As long as we are not truly crazy, we must continue to fight. Just like a rag, until it is worn out. Fall for it.”
Bai Ya held a cigarette in his right hand, patted Ed's shoulder with his left hand and said with a smile:
"But don't worry, you are still very young and have plenty of time to slowly accept the torture."
