<<Could they be running a scam?>>

After Edmund fled in panic, he was still somewhat disoriented.

What was that?

He took the necklace outside and was horrified to find that the hexagram pendant, which had never changed before, now showed signs of slight melting.

He had encountered many dangerous anomalies while working at the Inspection Bureau, but he had never seen the pendant react so strongly.

Who exactly was that person in the Psychotherapy Room?

At that moment, Edmund’s mind flashed back to what the leader had told him about the hidden world and the evil gods. His heart sank as he hurried back to the police station.

The Inspection Bureau was a special security agency independent of, but superior to, the police system. 

Since arriving in Arkham, they had been operating from the police station, and naturally, their overbearing attitude had garnered the dislike of many officers. As Edmund rushed into the police station, he received a number of disapproving looks, but he had no time for such trivial matters. He urgently entered the office designated for Inspection Bureau members.

“I-I discovered something…”

The people in the office glanced over, but when they saw it was Edmund, they quickly looked away, showing little interest.

Edmund opened his mouth to speak, but the initial surge of urgency he felt was suddenly cooled by their indifference. Even so, he forced himself to continue, “I have an important lead to report.”

The Inspection Bureau was an organization that constantly walked the line between madness and darkness, tasked with protecting the public by preventing the emergence of anomalies and thwarting the schemes of evil gods.

The oath he took when joining the Bureau echoed in his mind. Edmund gritted his teeth and raised his voice, “I’ve found evidence of an evil god’s presence in Arkham City!”

The leader immediately stood up. “What did you say? Are you sure?”

“I’m sure. The evil god has already descended into this world.”

“Did you see it? How can you be certain of your judgment?” someone asked skeptically.

“I…” Edmund hesitated. The reason he was so sure was because of the necklace’s abnormal reaction and his direct experience with Ranen.

The feeling that his mind had become strange was deeply imprinted in his memory, which was why he was certain this wasn’t just some anomaly. The records in the Inspection Bureau clearly stated that anomalies didn’t possess normal human intelligence, yet Ranen had clearly been able to communicate with him normally. The fact that Ranen could hide within human society without raising any suspicion was a feat only a god could accomplish.

However, he couldn’t explain this to his colleagues. His necklace was obviously a peculiar artifact, but he had no way to explain its origin, and since it was a keepsake from his mother, he couldn’t risk losing it.

At that moment, he recalled the various abnormalities that had occurred when he faced Ranen. His mental state had clearly been unstable; if it hadn’t been for the necklace, he might have fallen into complete despair.

“If you just see him, you’ll understand! His appearance… it’s somewhat unusual,” Edmund hesitated for a moment, realizing that his explanation was lacking credibility, so he added, “He’s so beautiful that it’s almost unnaturally so.”

The people in the office exchanged glances, their expressions turning odd. Finally, someone couldn’t help but burst out laughing.

That laughter set off a chain reaction, and the office quickly turned into a sea of mirth. Edmund stood there, bewildered, while the leader, somewhat pitying him, said, “Edmund, did someone at headquarters tell you something?”

Edmund was somewhat confused by the leader’s meaning. “Some of the more experienced investigators have told me that anomalies, the followers of evil gods, and even some of the gods themselves do have facial features that differ from normal humans.”

“That’s true,” the leader responded awkwardly. “But often, new recruits misunderstand this and think that anyone who looks too ugly or too attractive must be an anomaly or a follower of an evil god. In reality, most of the time, it’s just your imagination.”

“But… that’s not it. I’m certain that when I was facing him… You’ll understand if you see him for yourselves! He’s in the Psychotherapy Room on Seventh Avenue!” Edmund shouted anxiously.

“Psychotherapy Room?”

A voice unfamiliar to Edmund came from outside the room. In his haste to return, Edmund had left the office door open, and a passing police officer had overheard their argument. He casually remarked, “You’re not talking about Dr. Ranen, are you?”

“Oh, sorry, but your voices were loud enough to be heard from the hallway.”

The leader shot an embarrassed glare at the careless Edmund. After all, the existence of the Inspection Bureau and its mission were supposed to be kept secret from the general public.

However, Edmund, too agitated to notice the leader’s look, was relieved to finally have someone respond to him. He quickly asked, “You know Ranen too?!”

“Of course, Dr. Ranen helped us out a while back. If it weren’t for him assisting with the interrogation of a criminal, we’d probably still be stuck with that case,” the officer shrugged. “And he’s a friend of our Captain Albert. Not only is he good-looking, but he’s also a remarkable psychologist.”

“He… helped with an interrogation before? He’s been here?”

“Of course, many of us have met him,” the officer replied matter-of-factly.

Edmund’s lips moved slightly, his voice so faint it was nearly inaudible, “Don’t you think there’s something… strange about him?”

“Strange? You’re imagining things. Dr. Ranen is very skilled in hypnosis,” the officer laughed. “Maybe he was just playing a little joke on you? Haha.”

With that, the officer left, leaving Edmund to silently lower his head.

Helping with interrogations, showing no unusual behavior around others, and most importantly, having normal social interactions with friends while running a Psychotherapy Room—such a person was hard to imagine as being an evil god, far removed from the unfathomable entities the Inspection Bureau had previously investigated.

Amid the mocking gazes of those around him, the team leader wordlessly patted Edmund on the shoulder. “You’ve probably been overworked lately. Take some time to rest.”

The unspoken implication was that he would be withdrawn from the current operation.

With that, the leader left the office with the other investigators to continue their work, leaving Edmund alone in the room.

In the empty office, Edmund clenched his hand into a fist and suddenly realized he had been holding a piece of white paper all along.

It was the paper he had taken from Ranen’s psychotherapy office, and on it was a drawing of a standard clock.

…

Since Edmund left, it didn’t seem like he intended to return.

However, Ranen wasn’t bothered for long, as new NPCs soon came knocking.

It seemed that the recent influx of players had created a strange illusion for the people in the nearby neighborhood, leading them to believe that a renowned psychotherapist had opened a clinic there.

And so, some people actually came, drawn by this reputation.

When Ranen realized that his new visitors weren’t players, he was momentarily shocked, but quickly welcomed them warmly.

“Hello, who among you is in need of psychological treatment?” Ranen glanced around at the two or three people who had come, unsure which of them needed help.

The ones who came to the psychotherapy office were two men and a woman with slightly dark skin, who appeared to be siblings. The moment they saw Ranen, they predictably fell into a daze, taking a full minute to recover.

The man at the front immediately frowned and began discussing something in a low voice with his brother and sister. The language they were speaking was slightly different from the official language, so Ranen couldn’t quite make out what they were saying.

However, judging by their facial expressions, it seemed like they weren’t discussing anything good.

Ranen wasn’t wrong in his assumption—they were debating whether or not to proceed.

—-

“Sis, is this really the famous psychotherapist you mentioned? He looks too young and also…” The man hesitated, almost saying that Ranen was too good-looking.

“Yeah, he looks more like a TV star than a therapist.”

“I’m not sure either. I just saw that this place has become really popular lately, so I assumed a renowned therapist had opened a clinic here.” The sister admitted she hadn’t done much research. Their uncle’s illness had come on suddenly, and they didn’t have the budget to hire well-known doctors.

But now that she saw Ranen, she had a different thought. It wasn’t just anything—this doctor was just too handsome, and their uncle had always been a bit of a lookist. “Don’t you think… having this doctor might work?”

As soon as she finished speaking, the two brothers twitched slightly at the corners of their mouths. But when they looked at Ranen’s confused face, they had to admit that their sister might be right.

After all, their unreliable uncle had always been very open about his love for beautiful things.

Ranen stood calmly to the side, waiting for their discussion to wind down before asking, “Have you made a decision?”

“Yes, we apologize,” the man leading the group switched to a language Ranen could understand, the official language. “We’d like to invite you to make a house call. The patient cannot be moved due to special circumstances. Could you come to our home to see him?”

That sounds like a lot of trouble…

Ranen was just about to decline.

“Of course, we can offer you a visit fee of 400 Western Dollars. You’ll receive this amount just for agreeing to come. If you can cure our uncle, there will be an additional 600 Western Dollars as a reward.”

“Well then, what are we waiting for? Let’s go,” Ranen’s expression turned serious as he quickly began packing up. There wasn’t much to pack anyway—psychotherapy didn’t require any medical equipment. All he needed to do was hang a sign outside the clinic to let the players know he was temporarily unavailable.

The series of actions was performed with such efficiency that, while the siblings were reassured, they couldn’t help but worry.

For seasoned doctors in the industry, a treatment fee of just 1000 Western Dollars was not considered high. It was the reluctance to spend on medical expenses and the fear that a lower cost might mean less effective results.

However, in the end, they said nothing and decided to take their chances.

Unaware of the siblings’ concerns, Ranen followed them to a more secluded part of the city. Upon entering, he keenly noticed a number of covetous glances in the vicinity.

“Sorry, outsiders rarely come here,” the younger sister whispered, signaling to her two brothers. Immediately, the three of them positioned themselves on either side of Ranen, causing the furtive gazes to vanish.

Ranen also noticed that the people around him and the surroundings were indeed different from the outside. The most obvious difference was the skin color; although Arkham was a fictional city, its cultural roots and demographics were more aligned with Europe of the past, while the skin color of these people was noticeably different.

In addition, the distinctive features of the siblings and the characteristics of the surrounding buildings suggested to Ranen that they were likely from the Kamui tribe.

The Kamui tribe was a special ethnic group in the later stages of the game that frequently interacted with players. They were a nomadic people with specific activity areas in a city, known for their skills in divination and potion-making. They also held trading gatherings on special days.

Their daily life was very insular, and only those considered friends—i.e., players who had increased their faction reputation to a friendly level or higher—were invited to their gatherings and had the opportunity to trade items.

While this might not seem significant at first, one should not underestimate these trading gatherings. Although small in scale, they often featured valuable items.

For example, one of the long-coveted “artifacts” among players, the Old Seal, was often found at these gatherings.

Similarly, some potions with unique effects could only be obtained at these events.

Considering this, Ranen began to speculate about the purpose of this group seeking him out. Soon, the three siblings led Ranen to a somewhat shabby two-story building.

When the door opened, a beautiful woman with wrinkled eyes but still graceful emerged. Seeing the three siblings, she first expressed great joy, but then, with hands on her hips, angrily scolded them:

“Where have you been messing around while your uncle is still ill?!”

“Mom, I was taking my younger siblings to find a psychologist,” the older man explained with an embarrassed expression. “Uncle obviously has a problem here… We can’t avoid treatment at a time like this.”

“Nonsense! That’s not a psychological issue; a psychologist won’t be able to cure it. I’ve brought in the local shaman. Only the shaman can heal your father’s illness!”

“Mom…”

The younger sister suddenly spoke up, “The money has already been given and won’t be refunded, so let the psychologist take a look.”

That remark was a game-changer. Ranen finally understood why they had been so quick to pay the deposit. Sure enough, the woman’s gaze shifted to Ranen. First, her eyes showed a strong sense of amazement, then clear signs of hesitation and reluctance.

It was evident that this amount of money was not trivial for them.

The woman stood there for a few seconds before reluctantly stepping aside. “Fine, let him take a look, but don’t disturb the shamans while they’re performing their rituals.”

Ranen didn’t mind her lack of trust. In fact, once he knew this matter involved the Kamui tribe, he had not expected to resolve it as easily as he had at the police station. Some members of the Kamui tribe were indeed capable and highly skilled in potion-making and divination. They also had some knowledge of the mystical world. If they were powerless to deal with this, the issue must be significant.

Moreover, he was very curious about the so-called “great shamans.”

Could they be akin to wizards? Wow, would he get to see magic so soon?

Ranen was certainly excited. After all, mid-game characters only started to gain significant combat abilities, and magic was not unusual in the late game. By then, the world was already crawling with minions and fanatics of the dark era.

Then, as Ranen watched with curiosity, the woman opened the door, revealing the true appearance of the great shamans.

He saw several mysterious young people draped in colorful feathers and wearing leather hoods, looking quite impressive, locking eyes with Ranen.

Both sides were stunned.

What the heck? Why is this evil god NPC here??

Ranen stared at the familiar white IDs floating above their heads, completely dumbfounded.

Aren’t they players???

Are these the great shamans? How could that be? At this point, players hadn’t even mastered magic; even learning combat skills was barely achievable, as they simply didn’t have enough attribute points.

Wait a minute.

A sudden possibility flashed through his mind, and Ranen’s pupils shook.

Could they be scammers?

Both parties fell into an eerie silence.

Meanwhile, in the live stream of “Ye Ye ^[1]Night after night Hao ^[2] Name or Vast, Grand,” the barrage of comments exploded the moment Ranen appeared.