Considering the Red Cup's third-category secret art, [Transfiguration], this didn't seem impossible... But the fluctuation from the dream spirit was unmistakably genuine. Could she be an apostate who turned to the Red Cup?
But how could an apostate possibly obtain a physician's license certified by the Secrets-Hunter Cult?
Her thoughts were in tangles. Dorothy quickly walked out of the Chamber in the Mirror and into the club's inner corridor.
"Dawn!"
"Coming, High Priestess. What do you need?"
Hearing the call, the receptionist hurried to Dorothy's side. She was curious about what could make the High Priestess so anxious.
"Go and wait outside the club. I might need you to contact the Secrets-Hunter Cult later... or perhaps the Veiled Assembly."
"Ah, contact the Hunters and the Main House? Is there a dangerous situation?"
Hearing "Veiled Assembly," Dawn immediately understood the seriousness. Under normal circumstances, this High Priestess wanted nothing to do with her Lamp Moth brethren from the Main House...
"I'm not sure, but saving someone might be urgent right now..."
After instructing Dawn, Dorothy quickly arrived at the Calcite Room, turned the handle, and opened the door.
Inside, Fran was sitting primly in her seat, holding her face with a smiling, expectant look, as if she had been waiting.
Beside her, Child, who had just gotten up from the grey velvet bed, was cracking his neck, looking quite content.
"Thank you, Dr. Fran. I feel much better. There are no more fragmented noises in my head now..."
Dorothy walked behind Child, trying to find the spot where Fran had opened his skull, but there wasn't even a trace of a scar on the skin at the back of his head.
"Just a small effort, nothing worth mentioning. The divination fee is half a Norlington silver coin. Thank you for your patronage. Please visit again."
"Alright. I'll bring Professor Terence next time. You must be here, Dr. Fran."
Fran maintained a standard customer-service smile as she saw Child off.
She then slowly turned to the somewhat bewildered Dorothy, a trace of teasing amusement curling at the corner of her lips.
"If you peek at others, you should be prepared to be startled. Did you like my surprise?"
Dorothy pursed her lips and gave a soft tch.
Did she use some method to fake the [Mirrored Image] feed? Indeed, as fellow Mirror-Wipers, she should be very familiar with the Lamp system's secret arts. I should have thought of that earlier...
---
With Luyala's help, falling asleep and reaching the depths of the dream became effortless. Fran could perform dream divination without any burden.
In truth, she knew almost nothing about the Lamp cult's divination secrets.
The reason she could flawlessly impersonate a Mirror-Wiper was, firstly, years of psychotherapy gave her a wealth of clinical experience, and secondly, she was proficient in various magic-like tricks...
With these two points, one could become an excellent fortune teller without mastering the Lamp cult's secret teachings. After all, what most clients need isn't "truth," but "solace."
Taking advantage of the lull with no clients, Fran followed Dawn to the club's inner hall to mingle briefly with several other diviners also waiting for clients.
Sometimes, she would integrate into ordinary social circles under various identities. To broaden her horizons and prevent her language skills from deteriorating from living alone for too long...
If she was lucky, she'd pick up some interesting information. Perhaps a local ghost story, or someone's bizarre encounter.
Maybe fabricated out of thin air, or perhaps there was some truth to it...
Even the hunters of the Burial Court, famed for their keen senses, would inevitably have oversights. If Fran was sufficiently interested, she didn't mind stepping in to resolve some hidden dangers for the city she was in.
"Miss Fran, I heard you're from Attilan? It must be very hot there, right?"
On the sofa in the inner hall, a slightly plump but well-proportioned, curvaceous middle-aged woman holding a white porcelain teacup looked at Fran with curiosity.
"Of course, Mrs. Belinda. The land of flowing sand and sun, how could it not be hot? If you want to experience it, you can visit the Sun-Forging Spire in the East District. The temperature inside is at least ten degrees higher than outside..."
Fran covered her lips with a light laugh, handling the numerous questions about a foreign land with ease.
"That's true... The last time I went to the East District for a banquet, even a street away, I felt it was hotter near the Spire than elsewhere."
As if remembering that dry heat, Belinda fanned her face.
She then admired the grey gauze robe with moth patterns that Fran wore, offering praise.
"The patterns on your dress are so delicate. I've heard such fine gauze isn't even common in Attilan... A colleague of mine has an evening gown from Ahanta, similar in material to yours. I always feel a bit envious whenever I see her wear it."
She sighed briefly, then thought of another question.
"But if it's so hot there, why do you still wear such robes? Wouldn't it be even hotter?"
"Compared to just 'heat,' the scorching sun and howling sandstorms are far more deadly. Also, it gets very cold there at night. Dressing too lightly could lead to frostbite."
Fran explained knowledgeably, like a true traveler from Attilan.
"Hmm... 'Desert regions have large temperature differences between day and night,' right? My son mentioned that before."
Mentioning her son, Belinda smiled.
"Exactly." Fran nodded in agreement.
"Miss Fran, is divination your main profession?" Belinda was quite curious about this.
She had seen many visitors from Attilan, but most were merchants traveling between the two places. Their clothing and mannerisms had already taken on a Norlington style. They were nothing like this gauze-robed girl who gave off an air of professionalism and mystery.
"For now, yes."
To enhance the immersion of her identity, Fran admitted without any psychological burden.
"I'm more skilled in dream divination. Of course, I know a bit about other forms like Tarot cards."
Belinda's eyes widened slightly in surprise.
"Dream divination? Goodness, I've always wanted to learn that, but I always fail at the stage of putting the client to sleep... And even if they do fall asleep, I can only listen to them describe the bizarre sights in their dreams afterward. I can't interpret them at all."
"I've always wondered, can diviners really see other people's dreams?"
"Regarding that, I cannot answer you directly."
Fran appeared to tactfully avoid Belinda's question, then shifted the topic.
"However, you can experience it for yourself. The fee is half a Norlington silver coin."
Belinda felt a bit disappointed hearing the initial refusal, but Fran's subsequent proposal successfully piqued her interest.
"Hmm... Then I'll give it a try."
Mrs. Belinda was a lecturer at Norlington Central Academy, one of the most frequent members of the Mirror of Enlightenment Club, and also a rather seasoned enthusiast of the occult.
The fee Fran charged, while slightly above average, wasn't expensive.
At least for her, it was a fair price.
---
Mrs. Belinda lay on the grey velvet bed, hands folded over her chest, looking almost radiantly at Fran.
Although she knew high spirits might negatively affect the divination, she couldn't quite suppress her excitement.
Miss Fran was using the Calcite Room for divination... She'd heard this was the High Priestess's former room, rarely used.
"Give me a 'theme.' What do you want to know, Mrs. Belinda? It doesn't have to be about you personally, but it's best if it has some connection to you."
Fran lightly tapped the metal cover of the brass pocket watch with her fingertip, each tap precisely timed with the second hand's movement.
"Theme..."
Belinda pondered briefly. Although she was eager to experience the mysterious dream divination, she couldn't immediately think of anything to ask about.
Love? She and her husband were an old married couple of over twenty years. That didn't seem suitable.
Career? The office politics at Norlington Central Academy were severe, but Mrs. Belinda was just a lecturer. She didn't usually have needs in that area.
Besides, her husband ran a shipping company in Gormouth and was quite well-off...
Should she ask something mundane like "recent fortune"?
"Mrs. Belinda?"
After waiting a moment and seeing no reply from Belinda, Fran inquired.
"Oh! I've got it. Recently, there have been fewer vagrants around the academy, and the White Cup's Error-Purgers have increased their patrols. The students have even changed the original seven academy rumors to eight..."
"Can I seek some revelation related to this?"
After saying this, Belinda reflected and suddenly realized her question might be asking too much.
If it was a situation the White Cup's Error-Purgers needed to guard against, how could divination possibly provide clues?
"I'm sorry, Miss Fran. I spoke without thinking and mentioned something irrelevant... Shall we change the question?"
Fran's eyebrows raised slightly; she was clearly quite interested.
"No need. I think this question is very suitable. Mrs. Belinda, I believe compared to trivial little matters, you are much more interested in the recent anomalies at the academy, correct?"
Amid the rhythmic metallic tapping, Belinda's gaze gradually grew unfocused.
She felt strange. Fran was right in front of her, but her voice seemed veiled in mist, distant and hazy.
"Yes, that's right."
"Good. Have you personally witnessed any abnormal situations around the academy recently? Have you seen any suspicious people or things?"
Belinda thought hard for a moment and spoke somewhat uncertainly:
"Lately, cockroaches have been frequently crawling out of the sewers, and sometimes I hear indescribable faint noises. It's not even pest control season. It's as if they're being disturbed by something... But it's only cockroaches. I haven't seen any rats."
The sewers were high-risk areas; Red Cup cultists used to like hiding in the sewers... And if you were unlucky, you might even run into four pizza-loving turtles.
Fran gave a slight nod, then followed up on the topic.
"Aside from that, have you encountered any other abnormal situations?"
"... I don't think so." Belinda shook her head.
Fran clasped her hands together, fingers interlocked.
Belinda was now in a state of moderate hypnosis. She retained her faculties but wouldn't refuse her questions.
Before entering her dream to ask Luyala for help, she could take this opportunity to gather some more information. She wouldn't remember afterward anyway.
"Mrs. Belinda, please tell me, what exactly are the 'Seven Academy Rumors' of Norlington Central Academy?"
Unexpectedly, Belinda visibly perked up upon hearing this question, and her previously stable hypnotic state wavered.
"It's eight rumors now. The new one is called 'The Sewer Man-Eating Crocodile.' Supposedly, some students saw a monster in the sewers that can eat people."
"As for the other seven, there are three I don't know about. But the remaining four are very famous."
Even in her hazy hypnotic state, Belinda recounted these rumors with relish.
"'The Whispers of Room 404.' The rumor is about a professor who went mad for unknown reasons. He appears in Office 404 at midnight during finals, uttering hysterical murmurs. Things like, 'This one can write their own name, let's give them a pass,' 'This one didn't write anything but the paper is very neat, heh, let's give them a pass'..."
Fran forcefully suppressed the urge to cough. To avoid affecting the hypnosis stability, she continued listening.
"'The Phantom That Steals Meal Boxes.' Some students order lunch and dinner delivery services. Among the many delivery boxes, some always vanish without a trace. But no matter how carefully the delivery person checks identities, losses still occur."
"Phew..."
Fran exhaled lightly, suppressing the urge to laugh.
"'The Cursed Library Seat.' Rumor has it there's a cursed seat in the academy library that changes location daily. Simply sitting on it won't bring misfortune, but if a student leaves personal belongings there for a long time without being present themselves, they'll vanish into thin air..."
By now, Fran had a pretty good idea of the nature of these "rumors." Her expression couldn't help but turn wry.
"There are still good curses in this world..."
"Finally, 'The Drowned Professor Lando.' Legend has it a professor named Lando, unsettled by a student's thesis, fell into water and drowned due to negligence. Her resentment would seek out the author of a too-perfunctory paper, then seawater would pour out and fill the room, suffocating them."
After finishing, Mrs. Belinda sank into a satisfied mood and gradually fell asleep.
"For some reason, I've suddenly become interested in the remaining three rumors..."
Fran shook the brass pocket watch in her hand, swung it in a circle, and grasped it again.
She was ready to enter Mrs. Belinda's dream.
---
Pale mist swirled, fine as silk smoke. Her perspective shifted once more from reality, floating up into the dream.
The surroundings abruptly blurred, transforming from the dimly lit divination room into the wide streets of an academy.
"Norlington Central Academy... Another clear and stable dream. Luyala should be here this time too."
+++
T/N: Hey readers~! New Translator here! Before I say anything, I'd first like to thank the original author for creating this wonderful story. Without them, I wouldn't have the chance to share this adventure with you. I hope my translation does justice to their work, and that together, we can enjoy this story.
With that said, I'm happy to let you know I'll be uploading daily chapters. And for those who wish to support my work and gain early access, I've set up a Patreon where advanced chapters will be available.
[email protected]/PeakTL