Chapter 138: Irreversible Mental Damage

Irreversible Mental Damage

To implement her luring plan, she needed the assistance of at least one “Psychologist.”

However, Ciel didn’t know any trustworthy “Psychologist”—or rather, she hardly knew any transcendents at all.

The only one relatively close and trustworthy was Avena, a first-tier “Listener.”

But judging from previous simulations, Avena seemed stuck at the first tier for unknown reasons.

Even Adele had completed her Reconstitution Ritual and successfully advanced to the second-tier “Plague Doctor.” Avena in the simulation felt quite frustrated because of this.

What method could be used to help Avena complete her Reconstitution Ritual?

For this, Ciel had to understand clearly what the perfect Reconstitution Ritual for the second-tier “Psychologist” was. Only then could she better help Avena formulate an advancement plan.

Currently, Ciel should be the one among these few people who had completed the most Reconstitution Rituals and consumed the most potions. She had some experience digesting various different potions.

The best and fastest way was probably for Ciel herself to digest it once in the simulation, then bring the successful experience to Avena, letting her follow the reconstitution path Ciel walked in the simulation in reality.

Ciel sat at the desk, took out a piece of letter paper, and began writing on it with a pen.

Soon, a letter was written by Ciel.

The content of the letter was roughly some greetings to Avena, as well as inquiries about the potions and Reconstitution Rituals for “Listener” and “Psychologist,” and Avena’s own difficulties encountered with the Reconstitution Ritual and advancement.

Ciel’s spirit hadn’t fully recovered yet. It was a good time to communicate with Avena via letter.

After doing all this, Ciel also took a bottle of potion—the “Coroner” potion.

This was one of the five potion bottles Ciel previously purchased at Deton Manor. Now that Ciel had completed saving the “Coroner” file, this potion bottle naturally had no use. It was just right to entrust Avena to help sell it for some cash.

After all, she couldn’t always keep spending Avena’s money... Although Ciel in the simulation would choose to borrow money from Avena whenever she encountered anything, as this was the fastest way to get money besides predicting the future to bet on horse races.

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Ciel put the written letter and the potion into her canvas bag, rolled the canvas bag into a bundle, and secured it with a few paper clips.

It wasn’t that she wanted to package it so crudely, but these were the only tools at hand.

Ciel stood up holding the items.

Her body and spirit had recovered slightly now, at least not to the point where even walking was a problem.

She went downstairs, opened the door, handed the items to the maid across the street, asking them to deliver them back to Avena’s manor as quickly as possible.

Basically, by the time Ciel crossed the street back to the door of her rented house, the maids had already boarded the prepared carriage and were rushing towards Avena’s manor at full speed.

Just as Ciel fumbled in the dark to open the door with her key again, preparing to rest for a while and wait for Avena’s reply, right after opening the door, two illusory hands lifted up before her eyes.

This was Ciel’s “Precognitive Sight.”

Although this ability sometimes caused problems even with cooking in the early stages, she was now used to having a phantom acting one step ahead of her.

Why did I raise my hands? Thanks for reading on ManaNovel!

Ciel was stunned for a moment, then raised her hands in advance. Immediately after, she felt a sharp, metal-like object pressed against her back.

“Hands up... Don’t turn around, get inside.” A hoarse voice sounded from behind Ciel. Hearing the voice, she frowned slightly.

What is this?

Burglary?

Was it because I touched the potion bottle just now? Then encountered an everyday, painless misfortune?

These minor disasters clinging to her, although not substantially dangerous, did indeed slightly disrupt Ciel’s original rhythm.

Before Ciel could take two steps forward to pull out “Deadly Blood Roland,” a muffled groan came from behind.

“Ugh hmm!!”

Ciel turned around to look.

A middle-aged woman wearing a simple maid’s uniform held a dinner knife, currently pressed against the neck of a masked person wearing a black cloak.

The masked person held a dagger, unable to speak with the dinner knife against their neck. Drops of blood dripped down from the hem of the masked person’s clothes at the waist; apparently, the maid had already stabbed them once.

This was the other maid Ciel recognized, also living across the street, sent by Avena.

It seemed these maids were also professionally trained, considered outstanding among ordinary people.

“Sorry, Miss Ciel, I’ll dispose of her immediately.” The maid showed a hint of apology towards Ciel, seemingly blaming herself for incompetence.

“Wait a moment.” Ciel raised her hand, stopping the maid’s action.

She reached out and tore off the masked person’s mask, and the maid, understanding Ciel’s intention, helped Ciel pull down her hood.

Blue eyes, blonde hair... Although ordinary-looking, the height fits... just the face needs changing, cheekbones too high, nose too flat...

After carefully scanning the woman, Ciel waved her hand and said, “Lock her up in prison, heal her.”

“Miss Ciel, you don’t need to be so generous to these dregs.” Upon hearing Ciel’s words, the maid took a slight breath and reminded her.

“Your kindness will only invite more trouble.”

Good people are bullied, especially in this era where laws and systems are incomplete. Kindness won’t bring commendation, only attract more bloodsucking leeches.

In the maid’s eyes, Ciel seemed like a naive young girl. Even though she was almost robbed just now, after the opponent was subdued, instead of thinking about sinking them in the river, she actually thought about healing her and putting her in prison.

Social dregs like this, from whom not even a drop of oil could be squeezed, even if imprisoned, would probably be released after a month or two. Prison was just free food and lodging for the opponent.

In the maid’s eyes, the beautiful red-haired young girl lowered her head slightly, seemed to be thinking about something, then looked up at her, showed a faint smile, and said:

“It’s fine, just do as I say. Thank you for your trouble. I will personally visit her in prison after some time.”

After speaking, the young girl closed the wooden door, leaving the stunned maid behind.

Alright, now the chance to secretly dispose of this scum is gone too.

The maid dragged the woman by the back of her collar and said mockingly, “Consider yourself lucky, running into the ‘Saintess’ of the Church of the Savior Goddess.”

And the robber, who thought she was certain to die just now, her heart beating violently, finally calmed down her heartbeat gradually.

She had always thought the frail young girl lived alone... Unexpectedly, there was a hidden maid protecting her... Could she be the daughter of some merchant or noble? Experiencing life?

Anyway, in a few weeks, she would be released from prison. Then she would gather her accomplices, bring guns, and definitely rob a large sum... As for the young girl, whether used as a hostage or sold, she could gain a considerable reward.

Enough for her to make this score and never worry about money again.

Unfortunately.

Both the maid and the female robber misjudged Ciel.

Or rather, with their perception, they couldn’t possibly guess how extreme and crazy the thoughts in Ciel’s mind were...

-

At this moment, Ciel had already walked into the house and locked the wooden door behind her.

The woman she encountered just now didn’t feel like misfortune to Ciel... rather like the good luck her simulated self mentioned after following daily life.

Otherwise, how could a pillow appear just when feeling sleepy? Just as she had a new stitching plan, good material arrived at her doorstep.

Unfortunately, not a corpse.

Directly killing an ordinary person for stitching still posed a certain psychological burden for Ciel—some, but not much.

After all, the other party committed wrongdoing first. It could only be said this was the other party’s karma.

Ciel walked back to her room, lay on the bed, closed her eyes to rest her mind, while reviewing her simulations from beginning to end, checking for any omissions.

Just lying there thinking, gradually, Ciel fell asleep.

But after sleeping for less than twenty minutes, Ciel woke up abruptly from the dream.

Almost the moment she woke up, Ciel had already forgotten what the dream was about, only vaguely remembering hazy purple mist floating in the dream.

The mental impact from the last 【Spiritual Summoning】 hadn’t fully recovered for Ciel.

Gently rubbing her temples, which still felt a dull ache, Ciel got up, walked to the desk, and began silently reciting the Old Ansu dictionary.

Entering that state of high-speed learning allowed Ciel to temporarily set aside her thoughts, forget the dull ache in her brain, and the efficiency of mental recovery was actually higher.

Like rusty parts starting to turn again after adding lubricant, each grind between gears removing some rust.

Thinking activities like learning languages, which weren’t intense under the system skill’s enhancement, were more conducive to Ciel’s mental recovery.

About another ten minutes or so passed. The sound of wheels and horse hooves pressing on the stone road came from outside the house.

This sound temporarily pulled Ciel out of her learning state.

Knock knock knock—

Knocking sounded. Ciel went downstairs, opened the door, and received a new handbag from the maid.

After receiving it, Ciel returned to the living room, closed the main door, opened the handbag, and glanced inside.

Inside were about six hundred and fifty Su pound banknotes, and a letter clipped between the bills.

Ciel spent about 800 Su pounds when purchasing potions and Reconstitution Rituals. Items bought from Deton Manor were overpriced, only guaranteed to be genuine, quality wasn’t necessarily top-notch.

Avena only spent 650 Su pounds helping Ciel dispose of this potion. It was considered a relatively fair price, without adding extra money for Ciel.

But no service fee was charged either.

Ciel opened the letter. Inside was Avena’s reply, answering all the questions Ciel previously raised in her letter.

Avena seemed very curious why Ciel brought up her advancement, because Avena had just returned to the clinic today.

She briefly recounted today’s events in the letter, such as encountering the few third-tier transcendents who came to visit the clinic.

Ciel already knew those things. She skipped the idle chat at the beginning and focused on the Reconstitution Ritual Avena mentioned later.

The digestion of “Listener” wasn’t like other potions with a specific set of Reconstitution Rituals that could digest the potion by killing people or completing designated rituals.

Its ritual was more like prying into secrets, seeking the hidden stories behind various people, and required drinking the potion beforehand.

However, the “Listener” potion’s properties were relatively mild compared to other potions, without specific time limits.

If there had to be a limit, it was that you must complete the potion digestion before the whispers completely eroded your spirit.

Therefore, Avena acted together with the police department’s investigation department, digesting the “Listener” potion through “Detective” methods, finally completing the final digestion with Ciel’s assistance.

And progressing from “Listener” to “Psychologist” was quite a leap.

This also required drinking the potion beforehand to obtain part of the “Psychologist” abilities.

The target of the potion digestion ritual also changed from ordinary people at the first tier to transcendents.

One could continuously purify the spiritual pollution of first-tier transcendents, slowly accumulating potion digestion progress—but this method had side effects.

The “Listener’s” healing wasn’t cost-free. Each treatment, the “Listener” would directly face different whispers from each individual and suffer varying degrees of spiritual pollution.

And the “Listener” herself couldn’t resolve her own spiritual pollution. Other “Listeners” or “Psychologists” of the same tier wouldn’t dare treat the spirit of someone on the same path—because they knew this would bring unimaginable, multi-type pollution upon themselves.

Accumulating like this, even if one successfully digested the “Psychologist” potion and became a second-tier transcendent, the possibility of further advancing to the third tier was basically completely cut off.

They would definitely be assimilated by the third-tier potion, completely changing their life form.

There was another method: directly cure or hypnotize a severe case of spiritual pollution or brainwashing. The specific pollution level was equivalent to a second-tier transcendent about to go mad.

The mental treatment Avena currently performed on ordinary people was also accumulating experience for this step.

So Avena was already preparing to drink the second-tier potion.

Ciel looked at the envelope before her, lost in thought.

Regarding this advancement condition, Ciel did think of a solution.

That is, directly have Avena, who had already drunk the second-tier “Psychologist” potion, treat herself after she entered the Other Side...

The spiritual pollution of the Other Side definitely exceeded the potion whispers of a second-tier transcendent. This intensity was still too great for Avena, easily leaving lasting mental effects.

Moreover, Avena in the simulation had already treated Ciel for Other Side pollution once.

But Avena didn’t digest the potion because of it. Instead, she was contaminated by the Other Side, her spiritual vision greatly enhanced, seeing the raven shadow.

Thinking about it, if it were useful, Avena would have treated Nia long ago. After all, Nia’s pollution was also related to the Other Side.

Thinking of this, Ciel couldn’t help but shake her head helplessly.

No wonder Avena was stuck for so long. Although Berren City was still rapidly developing and expanding, after a month, it only had 233,157 people. Finding a half-mad second-tier transcendent among them for treatment was too difficult.

Even catching a brainwashed cultist to reverse-brainwash back was difficult, because the cultists in Berren City had already been slaughtered by Ciel.

However, creating such a person was quite simple.

After all, Tara had plenty of confidants who fit this profile quite well.

For example, that second-tier noblewoman named Gemma, brainwashed by cultists.

Letting Avena independently remove the Divine Advent Church’s brainwashing on her might quickly increase Avena’s potion digestion progress.

All these still needed her simulated self to verify for Ciel.

Ciel opened the simulation, looked at the time inside.

【Future Days: 7 Days (Holy Year 741, July 1st, 20:00) (Cost: 10 Fate Points)】

【Past Days: 3 Days (Holy Year 741, June 21st, 00:01) (Cost: 10 Fate Points)】

【Old Days: ***, *** Days (???) (Cost: 10000 Fate Points)】

Seven days later... Then she would have already met Tara.

Ciel took out the “Endless Manual of Instant Forgetfulness,” continued writing on it, adding her speculations and the matter of helping Avena complete the Reconstitution Ritual.

Ciel originally wanted to let Avena try brainwashing Tara, freeing her from the Divine Advent Church’s control, but after thinking about it, decided against it.

Tara was too fanatical, and her worldview established throughout her life revolved around the Mother Goddess and the Divine Advent Church. If her worldview were forcibly reversed, Tara would likely suffer a mental breakdown.

It was better to have Tara call over some second-tier confidants who hadn’t been brainwashed for too long.

Soon, Ciel finished writing all the precautions and returned the sealed artifact manual to the system inventory.

Although she could indeed use Past Days simulation to return three days earlier and directly grab Kitty for Avena’s experiment, doing so would miss the detail of her simulated self collecting legal corpses for her.

Helping Avena advance and trying to lure out the quill pen sealed artifact—one of these two things had to succeed.

Next, was to wait for her spirit to recover a bit more...

Ciel pushed aside the book in her hand. She now had to use the limited time to recover more spirit. She had to try falling asleep again.

Using learning to recover spirit was forced when normal sleep was impossible. If she could sleep, it was still better to sleep a bit longer.

Ciel lay on the bed, closed her eyes, emptied her mind, slowed her breathing, letting herself slowly enter a state of sleep.

But this state of sleep only lasted for half an hour. Ciel abruptly opened her eyes in the darkness, the whites of her eyes already covered with a faint layer of bloodshot veins.

Only then did Ciel fully realize that her spirit had already suffered irreversible damage.