[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-whispers-of-the-nether":3,"chapter-whispers-of-the-nether-whispers-of-the-nether-chapter-6":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","Whispers of the Nether",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2233604,4233,"Chapter 6: Correspondence Education","whispers-of-the-nether-chapter-6",6,"\u003Cp>Only after leaving the house and stepping onto the street did he truly enter this world. Compared to the city's clamor, Xia De, now immersed within it, was as inconspicuous as a single drop of water merging into the vast ocean.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He spoke little, simply walking toward his destination, the \"Lark Club.\" Along the way, he walked and listened, seeking to understand this world, this city, and everything around him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Simply put, this world resembled the era of the Steam Revolution in the nineteenth century of his past life, except that here, steam industry had developed even more prosperously, giving the strong impression of charging straight ahead along the path of steam without ever turning aside.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just as noxious black fog spewed from factory chimneys, all manner of strange and peculiar inventions were being created, and the economy soared alongside the development of productivity.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just as Xia De had guessed, the city he now occupied was Tobesk, the capital of the northern human kingdom of Dralion. It was the pearl of the northern continent, the gathering point of human civilization, and the essence nurtured by the age.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A great city naturally had to look the part; although limited by the shackles of the era, turning off the main streets into alleys inevitably revealed piles of excrement and garbage, yet the aspect of a major city still impressed itself upon Xia De's eyes during this brief one-hour journey.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fortunately, the \"Lark Club\" was not far from the city center; had he needed to cross the entire city, Xia De feared he would not have arrived even by midnight. The crux of the matter was that Xia De had no money for a carriage.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Along this route, from the perspective of an observer, he had gathered more information about this world. The most important point was learning the currency system; at least in the current realm, the common coins were divided into Jin Bang, shillings, and pence, wherein 1 Jin Bang equaled 20 shillings, and 1 shilling equaled 12 pence.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, these names closely resembled British currency, not by mere coincidence, but because Xia De had translated three different foreign terms into familiar designations, since the numerical conversion methods were remarkably similar.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The unfortunate fact, however, was that the banknote bearing the number \"10\" which Xia De had found was worth only 10 pence. Given current purchasing power, this was not even enough for him to take a carriage from his doorstep to the club's entrance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But if he practiced strict economy, using those 10 pence at a bakery nearing closing time in the evening to compete with slum children and housewives for the cheapest bread crumbs, he could at least ensure he would not starve to death within three days.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"At least it is currently an era of peace; our own Dralion Kingdom, as one of humanity's greatest kingdoms, has only localized friction with the other powerful southern kingdom, the Carsonric United Kingdom. Relatively speaking, this is an age of peace and development, an age of progress... my luck is fairly good.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xia De was quite skilled at comforting himself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This world was temporarily at peace; the Dralion Kingdom occupying the north of the Old Continent and the Carsonric United Kingdom holding the south had nearly partitioned the world between them. Total war had ended decades ago, and although undercurrents still surged, at least on the surface, there was peace.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Club culture seemed to be a distinctive feature of this era; from the investigation report, Xia De learned that the mistress under surveillance, Lady Lasoya, visited the \"Lark Club\" every weekend and would remain there for at least three hours.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Detective Hamilton's report speculated that this was the rendezvous point where Lady Lasoya met with Mr. Lawrence, for whenever Lady Lasoya appeared at the club, Mr. Lawrence was certain to enter as well.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was a private club with membership requirements; since Xia De lacked permission to enter, after walking to the street corner and turning onto Valente Pedestrian Street, he lingered to observe at the entrance of the newspaper office opposite the club, just as recorded in the investigation report.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That was the office of the \"Tobesk Evening Post,\" which reportedly had royal shareholding. Saturday was the newspaper's busiest day, as it was the customary time for the King's speech and parliamentary reports.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At such times, a crowd would gather at the office entrance, awaiting the transmission of new news; while full-time reporters had long since departed, those remaining at the entrance were people waiting to try their luck.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xia De's plan was to blend in among them; although it was already noon, the mistress Lasoya usually did not appear at the club in the morning. Therefore, if luck held, he would soon spot his target appearing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As long as he recorded the lady's arrival and departure times, the report would be considered complete.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Completing this matter so easily gave Xia De a sense of unreality. But since Hamilton had already nearly finished everything, this was, in truth, one of the \"legacies\" left behind by that deceased gentleman.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Holding in his hand the pocket watch, one of Mr. Hamilton's legacies, Xia De stood by the mailbox at the newspaper office entrance, pretending to wait for someone while scrutinizing the surroundings for a long time; finally spotting the target appear, he immediately compared her repeatedly with the black-and-white photograph clipped within the report. He confirmed and recorded the time as one twenty-three; this was the moment the mistress Lasoya appeared.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That lady was fashionably dressed; the lace trim on her skirt and the jeweled hair ornament in her hair clearly indicated an exorbitant price. She had arrived directly at the club entrance via carriage, and even though the weather was overcast, she still held aloft a fabric parasol.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Judging by her age, she was around thirty; her height was ordinary but her figure voluptuous, and although the powder on her face was applied somewhat thickly, it was evident she was a beauty.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fearing discovery, and knowing he lacked experience in tailing, Xia De immediately averted his gaze once he confirmed she was the target.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Observe her ring.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"What?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The woman's whispering voice emerged in his mind once again; although Xia De did not know exactly what she was, he still shifted his gaze back to Lady Lasoya.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At that moment, the club's doorman was already greeting guests; as the woman turned, Xia De clearly saw that ring. Strangely, set upon the ring was neither a gemstone nor a diamond, but rather something resembling a small pebble.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, since he was observing from across the street, where pedestrians occasionally blocked his line of sight, he could not be certain whether he had misseen it. Lady Lasoya quickly entered the club, affording Xia De no further opportunity for observation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"What does this mean? Why ask me to pay attention to that ring?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He questioned the voice in his mind again, but the whispering did not spontaneously arise in response to his inquiry. This irritated Xia De somewhat, yet he knew he must control his emotions; he was not the type to lose his temper easily.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Sir, what time is it now?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lost in thought, he suddenly heard someone speaking beside him. Xia De started, fearing his stance by the mailbox and his blatant scrutiny of the club entrance across the street had been too conspicuous, but upon hearing the voice, he realized someone was merely asking for the time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Apologies, I forgot to bring my pocket watch.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The one explaining his impertinent inquiry was a middle-aged gentleman of about forty, who appeared quite refined and amiable. He wore a black silk hat, and his attire—a formal suit and white shirt—seemed fit for attending a banquet. His face was somewhat broad, with a neatly trimmed tuft of beard on his chin, and his blue eyes were extremely likable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The middle-aged man smiled at Xia De; after a moment's hesitation, Xia De took out the pocket watch he had just placed in the right pocket of his coat.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"One thirty.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He said, feeling somewhat curious about the reason for the middle-aged man's presence here; this attire did not resemble that of a reporter waiting for news at all, whereas Xia De's own outfit, clutching a notebook, fit that description perfectly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As if he had heard Xia De's thoughts, the middle-aged gentleman said with a smile:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Thank you for your time; I have an appointment with the newspaper editor and, having forgotten my pocket watch, feared I might be late. It seems I have arrived just in time.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Saying this, he extended his business card; Xia De politely accepted it and handed over his own. In truth, that was the card of the deceased Mr. Hamilton, bearing the detective agency's address and scope of business, with the name written simply as \"Detective Hamilton,\" without any given name prefix.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Since Xia De had chosen \"Hamilton\" as his surname, he could naturally use these cards. He was delighted that there was essentially no household registration system here; he did not even need to forge identity documents.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The middle-aged man was named Bill Schneider and operated a private psychological clinic. Unlike Xia De's currently unstable profession, the Schneider Psychological Clinic was quite legitimate, and its income was evidently greater than that of a detective like Xia De, who relied on an inheritance to conduct his first investigation. The evidence lay in the fact that Xia De's card looked shabbier than the doctor's; the paper quality and printing standard of the other's card were far superior.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"If you have any matters, you may find me here.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mr. Schneider said quite amiably, pointing to the clinic address on the card, which was located in the eastern district of Tobesk City:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"My scope of treatment is very broad.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He looked at Xia De, and amidst the inexplicable situation, Xia De actually felt a creepy illusion that those blue eyes were about to see right through him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Including schizophrenia.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The psychiatrist said amicably; he was highly skilled at communicating with strangers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"What?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xia De's heart gave a sudden leap, but before he could ask, Mr. Bill Schneider quickly changed the subject:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Speaking of which, Mr. Detective, have you considered accepting adult education? Correspondence courses.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Correspondence adult education?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The topic shifted too rapidly for Xia De to follow the train of thought:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I currently have no intention of studying psychology.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He mistook the other man for an enthusiastic graduate of some psychology specialized school.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Having been rejected by Xia De, the doctor did not persist:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Very well then, farewell.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The doctor nodded to the detective, tucked the detective's card into his pocket, and then turned to walk toward the newspaper office courtyard.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Correspondence... come to think of it, what did Dr. Schneider mean by specifically mentioning schizophrenia?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xia De stood in place, thinking silently, then realized that hearing a voice in his head indeed sounded very much like so-called \"schizophrenia.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You need not laugh inside my head; I admit your laughter is pleasant and charming, but you are certainly not a product of my schizophrenia.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xia De said to the voice in his head.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Although he was certain his situation stemmed from contact with the mysterious and was absolutely not schizophrenia, what he remained unsure of was what this accidentally encountered psychiatrist had actually discerned.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I have only just stepped out and already encountered someone who might be involved with supernatural powers; is my luck simply terrible? Or is the density of supernaturals in this world greater than I imagined? Or perhaps this psychiatrist merely mentioned it casually, and I am overthinking it?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thinking thus, Xia De carefully stored Dr. Schneider's card. Regardless, the current commission was most important; since he now knew the psychiatrist's address, he could visit anytime.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At least from that brief exchange just now, Dr. Schneider seemed to harbor no hostility. But a brief exchange could not reveal true intentions; Xia De still wished to understand this world a little better before engaging in deep interaction with others.\u003C\u002Fp>",2010,"2026-06-18T07:21:54.551Z",1,"Qwen3.5 397B","3eac9fbb58ed7c22fc3c493c7f17a508ff0e3c3369c6617fb4602d60b28fdfbf","whispers-of-the-nether-chapter-7","whispers-of-the-nether-chapter-5",8,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fwhispers-of-the-nether-cover.jpg"]