Chapter 523: Exchange Above the Gray Fog

Audrey noticed Rex's expression had eased, a genuine smile appeared on her face; after a pause, she spoke in a calm voice, carrying a soothing power:

"As your psychiatrist, I need to know what problem you are currently facing?"

"If this issue involves some of your privacy, we can request Mr. Fool for a private conversation, and I will also swear confidentiality in the name of Mr. Fool."

No, on this gray fog above, you cannot have a private conversation; sometimes knowing too much is also a trouble. Klein meanwhile complained in his heart while maintaining an upright posture without glancing sideways.

"No need." Rex shook his head calmly, paused, then continued: "Because I used some unconventional means, the madness accumulation of my divinity and the primal instincts from my extraordinary traits far exceeds that of ordinary beyonders; even with some anchors present, my state is still gradually deteriorating."

"Just now, in a virtual world, I again encountered a highly negative influence of extreme level and rank, somewhat like your 'Audience' pathway's 'mental plague'; I came into close contact with the source of contamination, and my mind was affected to some extent."

Audrey listened seriously, hands propped on the edge of the mottled long table, thought seriously for a while, then spoke again:

"I understand; my judgment is that this is the main cause of your mental state's decline, but besides that, your mental state might itself have some issues."

"It's like a water-retaining dam; if the dam itself has cracks, a breach appears, then when facing a flood it becomes a breakthrough, tearing a larger gap; even if the flood recedes, that gap remains, and water inside the dam will keep leaking out."

"And if the dam itself has no problem, then after the flood recedes, everything will quickly return to normal."

"From my observation, you have been restraining and suppressing yourself; from your behavior, this state has lasted a long time, not just these past couple days; this indicates that even before this problem arose, your mental state was already not good."

"That makes sense; I actually never realized—is this the authority of the 'Audience'? Klein looked back and forth between Rex and Audrey with some surprise."

Sitting upright, Rex spoke in a calm tone: "You are indeed a qualified psychiatrist."

Without waiting for Audrey's follow-up, he continued: "My mental state indeed had some issues from the start, stemming from self-doubt and negation."

"Do you know 'Theseus's Ship'?"

"'Theseus's Ship?' Audrey shook her head in confusion."

Klein, sitting quietly listening at the side, suddenly froze in place; something flashed through his mind, but he couldn't grasp it.

Rex straightened up slightly, chuckling as he spoke:

"This is a paradox concerning identity replacement."

"If the components of an object are replaced, does it remain the original object?"

"Is it still the original object after its components are replaced?" Audrey repeated softly.

Gradually, her brows furrowed deeper; her spiritual intuition produced a subtle premonition—this question should not be pondered deeply, or else problems will arise.

Thud! Thud! The clear sound of tapping the tabletop came from the lower end of the mottled long table; Audrey turned her head slightly and saw that the ever-gloomy, inscrutable Mr. World's eyes showed a hint of worry.

Feeling Miss Justice's gaze, Klein cleared his throat and said:

"Don't dwell on this problem; your current identities are doctor and patient."

Audrey barely exhaled, then gave a slight nod to Mr. World in acknowledgment:

"I understand, thank you for the reminder."

Then she turned her gaze to Rex beside her, speaking gently as in casual chat: "What is your confusion?"

Rex lightly propped his hands on the table edge, his body leaning against the back of the chair, arms crossed, he spoke in a somewhat low tone:

"A ship sails continuously at sea; as time passes, all its parts are replaced, even several times over—is it still the original ship? If not, when was the original ship replaced?"

"We consume potions to advance, continually gathering divinity, just like that ship sailing at sea; due to lingering habits from role-playing, the influence of extraordinary traits themselves, and changes brought by extraordinary abilities, we gradually drift from our original selves, becoming more like the apex existence of our pathway."

"When this similarity reaches a certain degree, beyonders can become vessels for divine descent."

"If this similarity progresses further, fallen entities can directly resurrect from within a beyonders' body."

At both ends of the mottled long table, Audrey and Klein, listening quietly, were somewhat moved; they unconsciously swallowed.

"The process of growth is the process of change; no matter how much we change, we remain ourselves."

Audrey's voice carried a natural affinity and infectiousness; even Klein, quietly listening on the side, felt he had received emotional solace.

While speaking, she again applied a 'soothing' to Rex; seeing his conflicted, stubborn expression ease, she then breathed a sigh of relief. Rex leaned back in the chair, right hand supporting half his face, index finger lightly pressing below his temple, his tone seeming somewhat low and lost as he spoke:

"I initially thought the same, until later I discovered some problems."

"For a period I believed I was a pre-prepared vessel for divine descent; later I rejected that idea, but precisely because of that, I began to doubt whether I am still the me I thought I was."

Audrey's body tensed slightly; she first gave another 'soothing', then continued speaking:

"As beyonders, our changes are influenced by many factors, unconsciously advancing toward a fixed direction, but this does not mean we become that 'him'; we remain ourselves, merely sharing a trivial commonality."

"No matter what you doubt, the present you is real—this includes your existence, your relationships, and your impact on this world."

"So you need not deny yourself; if one day you discover some differences, that merely adds another identity."

"Just like me, I am both 'Justice' of the Tarot Club and a noble from Loen."

"."

Rex rubbed his forehead, fell silent for a while, then suddenly rose from the high-backed chair, bowing to Justice Audrey in thanks: "Thank you for your help; my condition has improved considerably; let's end here for today."

Audrey examined Rex carefully, then smiled as she rose from her seat, performing a courtesy with her skirt:

"No problem; actually I haven't given much help—you've always had control over your own mind, needing only some guidance and soothing, and naturally you can get your state back on track."

"However, as your psychiatrist, I still need to remind you: you don't need to be too hard on yourself; proper relaxation of the mind is more beneficial for you."

"I can feel that your mental state has actually been tense all along, constantly monitoring whether your mind has issues; sometimes, relaxing yourself and going with the flow might yield unexpected effects."

Rex nodded, pulling a smile at the corner of his mouth:

"No problem, I'll pay attention. Haha. I'll promptly come to you for counseling."

Audrey lightly nodded, then turned to look at the upper end of the mottled long table, which remained empty.

When she had the thought of leaving this palace, a voice belonging to Mr. Fool suddenly sounded in her mind:

"I have heard."

Crimson light instantly flared; Audrey's body dissolved into the light, disappearing together with it in the space above this gray fog.

After sending Audrey away from this gray fog's space, Klein hesitated slightly, turning his head to Rex and asking: "She seems not to have asked for her fee yet?"

Rex calmly said:

"It has already been paid in advance."

"What is the transaction you just mentioned?"

Klein moved his body a bit in the chair, then said:

"I met Gilshies, the second mate of the Undying King Agalitu, on Toska Island. He has now become my marionette. I want to buy that pair of scissors from you; a dead marionette need not worry about those negative effects."

"You didn't even trade his head for a bounty; that's not your style."

"Hmm, 10,000 pounds—do you accept?"

Reckton sighed, then gave a price.

I had hard‑saved gold pounds; yesterday I was still lamenting that even without monetizing Gilshies, I could count myself as rich. I hadn't easily saved this money, and now it's all gone in an instant. Klein pressed his right hand to his chest, sighing in his heart as he nodded and agreed to the deal.

"Wait for Mr. Azek to deliver that magical item to Above the Grey Fog, then you can just keep it there; or you can have him help you perform a certain seal, which will allow better use."

"Although marionettes are essentially corpses, it's best not to play self‑harm with those scissors; if the lethal trait is triggered, your marionette could collapse into a pile of flesh or weather into white bones."

Reckton gave a few brief instructions, then had Klein send himself away from that space Above the Grey Fog.

A crimson light instantly flooded his vision, then quickly receded.

(End of chapter)