Mysteries: Arcana Wars

As they approached Audrey's clinic, Klein's spiritual intuition told him that there were several gazes directed at him from hidden places.

In order to solidify his image as an unlucky magician, Klein knocked on the doors of every store along the street, asking if they needed a cheap, short magic show.

These eyes noticed Klein very early, but never attacked him. They probably recognized Klein's identity as a street performer.

Is Audrey being targeted by someone?

The ambushers did not act rashly, but Audrey's series of void identifications made Klein unable to cope.

Uh...are you taking me for some poor homeless person?

Klein felt a little embarrassed by what Audrey had just said.

Are you being too stereotypical?

Who says that lone wanderers must be lonely and bullied? Can't I enjoy it? As a circus performer or a magician, performing while traveling, life is full of travels that can be taken at any time. Shouldn't it be romantic and free and easy? How come you become "a weirdo who is forced to live alone because of the hardships of life and is not tolerated by the world"?

Originally, Klein had set himself up as a carefree, happy but very unlucky wandering magician. Audrey's analysis of him made Klein a little confused.

But things had developed to this point. He finally had a chance to get to know Audrey better. Klein was ready to just throw the can down the drain and just be a "patient" today.

The land price in Backlund is very shocking. It can be seen that Audrey only bought this small store. The compact Carlo Psychological Clinic only occupies half of the front street, and the remaining back hall should be Audrey's own living space.

The income of a psychologist is not low, and with the extra income from being a radio host, Audrey was able to buy a street-side store in a prime location.

Even a decorated veteran like Geraldine can only buy an old, dilapidated house in a remote area after working for a few years.

"Ms. Carlo, is this store rented?"

The magician looked around curiously and even found a large and exquisite doghouse in the corner of the door. Judging from the size and fur, the owner of the doghouse should be an adult golden retriever who was not in the store at the moment.

"Oh, I didn't rent it. I bought it. Of course, it's a loan. The monthly repayment is my motivation to work hard - just kidding, Mr. Magician! I can always listen to you. It's my pleasure to solve problems for my visitors."

"Such a good store actually allows you to borrow money for most of the transactions?"

"Yeah, I was also surprised. Maybe I got along well with the previous landlord, so he gave me a very low down payment and agreed to let me pay the rest with a loan. There are still many good people in this world!"

Audrey made a cup of tea for the unexpected guest.

"Susie's nest at that time, she is a golden retriever who has been with me all my life. Now she should be playing outside - never mind, she always likes to play outside, sometimes even stays outside overnight, and comes back by herself when she has had enough fun.

"Although Susie and her nest are cute, please don't touch it. She is very sensitive to other people's smells and doesn't like others touching her nest."

The magician looked around the small clinic curiously, and was particularly interested in the topic about dogs. Audrey saw it all, and she calmly wrote down her judgment on the tablet:

Long-term wandering has made him have a strong desire for stable residence, while long-term solitude has made him yearn for companions and company...

How come your understanding is getting more and more distorted...

Klein recognized Audrey's record through her movements and felt a little puzzled.

"Well then Mr. Hermes, let's get started."

Audrey immediately went into career mode.

"Relax, Mr. Magician, we can chat about something light... What is your faith?"

"I believe in the lost god who has lost his way."

"Wow, as expected. I've heard before that performers who choose the surname Hermes as their stage name are mostly believers in lost gods, especially those wandering circuses."

A lost god who lost his way? Or a lost god who lost his way? Audrey was not interested in this marginal sect. She only knew that it was one of the few sects that would not be troubled by the six major orthodox churches. Therefore, wandering circuses generally traveled freely on various continents.

When I was in school, it seemed that history books mentioned that the fact that circus performers are respected in today's society is inseparable from this small sect. Audrey was not sure about the details.

"Uh... Actually this isn't my stage name, or rather, this is my real name..."

The magician scratched his head and awkwardly took out a temporary ID to prove to the psychiatrist that he was not lying.

"…So sir, how do you feel about your life lately? Is there anything you want to talk about?"

“To be honest, I am very satisfied with my life! I like my current life very much, performing magic, learning new tricks from my peers, and then moving to the next city when I get bored... It’s so romantic!

"If there is anything that is bothering me... it is that my 'identity' was stolen when I first arrived in Backlund! This drove me crazy for several days. Later, I reported the case and found a temporary job as a detective's assistant. I was able to get a temporary identification certificate."

"The 'identity' was stolen?" Audrey caught the key words, "Was it your ID number?"

"No, no, no, it's not just the ID code, it's much worse than that!"

Maybe it was the influence of his professional habits, or maybe it was his love for "life", but when talking about this bizarre experience, the magician couldn't help dancing and clapping, as if at this moment he was back on stage, telling the children a thrilling adventure story.

"It was as if in the blink of an eye, another person suddenly appeared in this world. He used your name, did what you did, wore your clothes, and even held all the things that could prove your identity, claiming that he was the real you!"

"Is it possible that you simply lost your ID card by accident?"

"No, no, no, absolutely not! I did see another me!

"Just think about it, miss. What if one day, someone suddenly appears here with your medical certificate and ID code, your bank card and real estate, and your clothes, claiming to be the real Dr. Audrey Carroll? And when you wake up, you find that you have lost your mobile terminal, and all your friends are happily chatting with another Dr. Audrey Carroll..."

As the magician spoke, he even took a deep breath, as if he wanted to liven up the atmosphere by moving himself before he could move the audience.

"This is really, amazing! So unlucky!"

Audrey maintained a professional smile, quietly listened to the magician's somewhat exaggerated narration, and then quickly took notes.

There is a tendency towards histrionic personality, suspected hallucinations or delusions, and the possibility of self-cognition disorder and personality disintegration. Currently, our understanding is insufficient and further research is needed.

"So how did Mr. Hermes choose to become a wandering magician?" In order to obtain more useful background information, Audrey changed the subject at the right time.

"Me? Oh! There's really no particular reason."

The magician drank some water to moisten his throat and continued talking.

"My teacher was a wandering magician who believed in the lost god. One day, he found me abandoned on his way to another city, so he gave me a name, raised me, and taught me all kinds of magic skills. So I followed my teacher and became a wandering magician.

"But my teacher died before I came of age, and I became a wandering magician. But I enjoy my free life now, and I don't envy those people living in the city. Although I may not make much money, every time I see the fleeting happiness of those city people when they see magic, I think maybe they are actually trapped in the city.

"It seems that I have been quite unlucky in my life, especially since I came to Backlund. I have encountered all kinds of unlucky and strange things! But I have to think on the bright side. I can have a lot of creative inspiration now!"

...childhood trauma, death of a loved one, setbacks in his acting career, poor financial conditions...

Audrey quickly summarized the situation to the magician, but the magician seemed to be completely unaware of it. He was still happily stirring the tea and milk in his cup, making fun of himself without any burden, and even picked up the kettle to refill his tea when he was in high spirits.

"I think we are destined to be together, Dr. Carlo!"

He spoke in a familiar manner, then suddenly made a mysterious look at Audrey and lowered his voice.

"I'll tell you a secret, Dr. Carlo. My magic is so good not only because of my superb skills, but because... I really know magic!

"Magic?" Audrey raised her eyebrows.

"Yes, magic! The magic that makes children's fairy tales come true! So there are no flaws in my magic! Because they are real 'magic'!"

"There is no magic in the world, sir. You should know better than me that magic is just a set of performance skills and mechanical operations. Fairy tales are certainly not real. They are just text carriers woven by people to educate children and convey certain ideas."

Audrey answered immediately, lowering her head and writing something quickly on the tablet.

"What you saw might just be your hallucination, or the mental excitement and excessive imagination caused by mania, which blurred the boundary between performance and real life, so you would have these thoughts. Of course, this might be related to your histrionic personality tendency..."

"Oh, you misunderstood me, Dr. Carlo. These little magics are real! They are miracles bestowed upon us followers by the lost god. He will protect every circus performer and bless them with better skills and life. Let us bring more hope and dreams to the world on his behalf! Wait, if you don't believe me, I'll show you now..."

Looking at the psychologist's professional smile that seemed like it was welded on, the magician rolled up his sleeves and was eager to give it a try.

She does not believe in the existence of the extraordinary world.

Klein suddenly understood.

Audrey no longer believed in mysteries and miracles.