Chapter 50: The Roman Palace
Xiao En slept until three o'clock in the afternoon.

He was awakened by knowledge.

"Master, it's time to get up." Knowledge whispered in the brain.

Xiao En felt a little dizzy. He got up, washed his face, made himself a cup of strong tea to refresh himself, and then said coldly: "Shut up and stop making noise."

In front of the mirror.

A young handsome man with dark circles under his eyes appeared in front of him, his hair was messy, his expression was a little listless, and he had some bags under his eyes. His complexion was normal, but there were a lot of bloodshot in his eyes. He felt that he slept very soundly, but in fact the quality of his sleep was not good at all.

"The master is still so handsome!..." Knowledge retracted into the brain and whispered softly.

To shut up.

Xiao En rubbed his temples and sat on the balcony in silence for a long time. Then he slowly stood up and prepared to change his clothes.

Reason has reached the spiritual threshold.

"The madness of extraordinary people is divided into three states: temporary madness, indeterminate madness, and permanent madness."

The last one was almost beyond saving.

In Sean's understanding, permanent madness is basically equivalent to being completely out of control. One is no longer a human being because human nature has completely disappeared.

This situation can be regarded as completely turning into a "monster creature", and the anchor of self-cognition is no longer human, but monster.

"I should now be experiencing a sign of temporary madness."

"Because I came into contact with too many strange beings at once, my rationality has seriously declined, and my perception has touched the crazy nature of the weird country."

Xiao En's brain began to work, analyzing his current situation.

Temporary madness is not terrible, it can only be regarded as a bit neurotic. After understanding the nature of the professional promotion sequence, in Xiao En's heart, he has understood that it is normal for extraordinary people to be a bit crazy occasionally.

Xiao En also guessed why ordinary people were restricted from becoming extraordinary people. This path was indeed not something that ordinary people could take.

“Temporary insanity is the first mental threshold.”

"When rationality drops to a certain level, negative mental states such as auditory hallucinations, paranoia, mania, and hysteria will occur."

Xiao En took out a pen and paper and began to analyze his current mental state.

He didn't really want to see a psychiatrist.

Xiao En had read some psychology books in his previous life, and he was prepared to rely on his own will to adjust and recover. You can't always have a psychologist by your side, and sometimes you can only rely on yourself to get through it.

“No one knows how rational they are.”

"But you can calculate the degree of decline in your rationality based on your current state."

It's ok.

If anyone else had gone through as much as Sean had, and had faced off against ancient evil creatures of the unspeakable kind, they would have gone mad long ago.

He had been holding on until now, when one of the signs of temporary madness appeared: auditory hallucinations.

"Everyone should have some mild mental pollution, but the extraordinary people have come a long way, and their willpower is far superior to that of ordinary people, so the mental threshold they can resist is also higher."

"As long as I don't touch the second mental alert line, I should be able to recover quickly."

If the second warning line is crossed, it is unstable madness, which is similar to some mental illnesses. Occasionally, the disease will suddenly occur and there will be a tendency to self-harm. Once this situation occurs, the investigator must be suspended from work and take leave, the night watchman will arrange for long-term rest, and a psychologist must also be arranged until the mental state slowly returns to normal.

However, the haze of the past will not completely dissipate.

This also involves a blind spot in self-cognition, that is, some people are obviously crazy, but they don't realize it.

"This is the truth behind the high suicide rate among investigators." Sean murmured.

The madness of ordinary people is more obvious.

The madness of extraordinary people is different because of their different sequence pathways. Extraordinary people with strengthened flesh and blood are prone to self-harm and mania, while extraordinary people with strengthened spirits are more likely to have auditory and visual hallucinations.

Auditory hallucinations are not serious, but visual hallucinations are very serious.

Because investigators are highly inspired people, they are more easily contaminated than ordinary night watchmen. The higher the inspiration, the more madness they perceive.

There was a knock on the door.

Sean got up, opened the door, and saw Benjamin and Daisy.

Benjamin just glanced at Xiao En, and then said solemnly: "Are you okay?"

"Not bad." Xiao En nodded and said, "Not much of an impact."

He is pretty normal at the moment, except that Knowledge keeps whispering, which makes him a bit irritable.

This negative state greatly affects his mood.

Benjamin did not relax, but whispered: “Do you need to arrange a psychiatrist for you?”

Xiao En shook his head and said, "Not for now."

Daisy tilted her head up and looked at Sean in front of her, with a hint of worry on her face. She raised her hand and said, "I used to have trouble sleeping and my mind was in a mess. When I heard animals talking, I would run wildly in the forest."

"I ran from sunrise to sunset, without thinking about anything, until I was too tired to wait."

"Go back and have a good sleep, you'll feel better the next day."

Ok?
Is this okay?
Sean had a thoughtful expression on his face, and couldn't help but reach out and rub Daisy's little head. She subconsciously bared her teeth, but didn't dodge. She just looked at Sean with a slightly angry expression.

"Sorry. I'm sorry." Xiao En quickly withdrew his hand, with a hint of fear on his face.

Daisy snorted proudly.

Benjamin pondered for a moment and said slowly, "Take a rest for a while. I will apply for a vacation for you."

"When you feel you have recovered, report back to headquarters."

Xiao En nodded and said, "Thank you, Captain."

Benjamin shook his head, stared at Xiao En in front of him, and said softly: "We should be the ones to say thank you."

Before leaving, Daisy waved and said loudly to Sean, "When you feel unhappy, run as hard as you can, and run like a cheetah. This is what the wise man in the forest told me."

Xiao En couldn't help but smile when he heard this.

Daisy has a pure heart.

Of course, if she got angry, Xiao En was still a little scared.

3: p.m.

The sun outside was a little smaller, so Sean took a shower, changed into looser clothes, took his wallet and went out, then jogged along the street on the other side of the pendulum clock.

He decided to try Daisy's method.

After Xiao En advanced to a transcendent, his physical fitness was greatly enhanced. He ran a lap without even breaking a sweat. He went straight to the park and ran along the large artificial lake. Finally, after running a large lap in the park, he finally broke into a little sweat.

"I didn't expect my physical fitness to be so much stronger."

Xiao En simply ran towards the dock, and finally ran along the road at the dock, making a semi-circle around the city of Dorne. Along the way, he saw some scenery of this era, and slowly felt a lot more relaxed.

He worked up a sweat and felt much better both physically and mentally. Perhaps because he was concentrating on running, the whispers of knowledge also faded a little.

Half past five in the afternoon.

After running for two hours, Xiao En felt a little tired, so he slowed down and walked towards the apartment building where he lived.

Knowledge would still grumble occasionally, but Xiao En's mental state was much better.

"It's somewhat useful."

"But running from sunrise to sunset like Daisy, or galloping through the forest, is something that the extraordinary people on the wizard path can't do at all." Galloping like a cheetah.

Sean doesn't have as strong physical strength as Daisy.

Apartment downstairs.

Sean saw a bearded figure smoking, Hank Brandt. He hadn't shaved for a while and he almost didn't recognize him.

"Going for a run?" Hank handed over a cigarette.

Xiao En waved his hands. He would only smoke a cigarette when his brain was thinking frantically. However, many investigators smoked, probably because the work pressure was too great.

Hank took back the cigarette box and laughed, "When William was on duty, he saw you running wildly in the dock area."

"Daisy taught you that, didn't she?"

"Haha. This method is useless. Only children like it. Adults have their own ways to relax."

"Go take a shower and change your clothes."

"I'll take you to a good place."

Hank is actually a very cheerful and talkative person, but he is very indifferent to ordinary people and looks like a cold and ruthless man.

Xiao En hesitated for a moment and nodded.

He was also curious about how other investigators regained their sanity, and as a newcomer, it was necessary for Sean to get along well with his colleagues, as he might be able to save lives someday.

I took three showers today.

Sean changed his clothes and when he went downstairs, Hank bought two ice creams and handed one to Sean.

Creamy ice cream.

I should have bought it opposite the villa area. Only there are relatively expensive desserts, and most of them are consumed by ladies. An ice cream costs at least 2 dinars.

Hank is supposed to be an investigator for Ranger Path, good at tracking, and Sean heard that he is a sharpshooter.

"To the Roman Palace."

He waved his hand to stop a carriage and said to Xiao En, "Get in."

Horse-drawn carriages are still the main mode of transportation in Dorne.

Tram lines only run in the city center, and private cars are extremely expensive, unaffordable for the wealthy. They are also not mass-produced.

The driver handled the carriage very well and the carriage quickly turned into a shady path.

The Roman Palace is on the other side of Dorne, close to the direction of the Misty Mountains. It is said that there are natural hot springs there. Sean has also heard some rumors about the Roman Palace. Its nature is a bit like a combination of a private club and a holiday villa. It is the most expensive den of money in Dorne.

The boss behind the scenes is said to be a famous socialite with great connections among dignitaries.

But investigators will also go there, and Xiao En feels that things are not that simple.

"Walk."

Half an hour later, a luxurious building complex built against the mountain and by the water appeared before their eyes. Hank should be a regular customer here, because as soon as he walked to the door, a waiter came to greet him.

Xiao En walked into the spacious courtyard, and was greeted by a large garden with lush vegetation, pavilions, bridges and flowing water. Directly in front of him was a small fountain with an artistic sculpture, a bit like Venus. The artistic atmosphere revealed a hint of luxury and debauchery.

This place looks like a luxurious resort.

Hank took off his coat and handed it to the waiter, then took out a sign and handed it to him, saying, "Arrange it."

Xiao En was a little confused.

The architectural style of this place is very Roman, built with marble and paved with inlaid stones. It is very spacious and bright. There are murals and statues on both sides, which are close to the artistic style of ancient Greece and Rome. The house is very tall, divided into three floors, with round arches. The interior is magnificent, and the hanging crystal lamps complement the murals and statues. There are also gyms and two fountains on both sides, covering a large area. The bathing area is divided into three types: cold water, hot water and steam, each occupying a house.

"What the hell? Isn't this a large bathing center?"

"wrong."

"The bathing culture in Rome seems to be very popular as well!" Xiao En's head was hazy, and he had the illusion that he had arrived at one of the top bathing resorts in the north.

This place is basically designed in the style of the Roman Imperial Baths.

There are entrances, changing rooms, massage rooms, steam rooms, etc. on both sides. Because the history of the Kingdom of Dorne is rather special and it belongs to the Roman Empire with faults spliced ​​together (historical tampering), many people here claim to be the orthodox Romans.

There is a special lounge outside the large bath, as well as service areas providing food, leisure, fitness, massage, etc.

Hank took Sean directly to the back of the villa.

Over there is an open-air hot spring, with small pools scattered around, separated by separate compartments, equipped with independent changing rooms, rest rooms, activity areas, and providing wine, food, massage and other services. The steam room is at the corner, and the waiters at the door have been replaced by a group of beautiful girls.

Xiao En was really shocked.

He didn't expect to see a top entertainment venue here that was even more luxurious than that in modern society. No wonder Hank said this was the most famous den of money in Dorne City.

Perhaps fearing that Sean might not be able to adapt, Hank asked for two similar hot spring cubicles.

"How about it?"

"Are you feeling more relaxed?" Hank asked the maid to prepare some wine for him and lazily soaked in the open-air hot spring when his voice came from the compartment opposite.

Xiao En nodded silently, took a long breath and said, "I really didn't expect there would be such a good place."

Hank chuckled and said mysteriously, "Then there are many things you don't know."

"It is said that there is a place in Dele called Phantom's Dream."

"hey-hey."

"But Dele is too far from Dorne. I have only heard of it but have never been there."

Dele?
Daisy's hometown is indeed quite far away.

Hank poured himself a glass of wine, found a comfortable position to lie down, and said softly: "I've arranged a masseur for you. Just go to the second floor after you finish soaking."

"This is your first time here."

"The hostess here should come to see you. Think about whether you want to go to the third floor."

Ok?
Is there a third floor area here?
Sean's ears pricked up, but by then Hank was already humming a tune to himself, drinking his wine leisurely, and taking a nap in the cubicle opposite.

Xiao En is very comfortable now, and his knowledge is also very honest.

"Use positive emotions to suppress negative emotions? To prevent further outbreaks of madness? And slowly restore your spirit and rationality?"

"If that's the case, every investigator does have a different way of recovering."

Xiao En was very curious about this place.

Hank brought him here at this time specifically, so it couldn't be that simple. It definitely wasn't just for enjoyment.

Xiao En felt so lazy in the bath that his whole body felt happy and relaxed. The knowledge seemed to be infected by the positive emotions and it also lazily swayed in Xiao En's brain. It seemed that the more nervous and depressed he was, the more active and restless the knowledge became.

"You can relax, but don't get addicted." Xiao En warned himself silently.

This is a weird country.

Crash.

Sean stood up, wrapped himself in a white bath towel, and prepared to go to the second floor. He could hear Hank's loud snoring next door. He must have not slept all night yesterday.

Investigators have been hovering on the edge of madness for years, and many of them have suffered mental breakdowns under the accumulated pressure.

………………

(End of this chapter)