Chapter 323: The Con Artists Psychological Remedy

At 6:00 AM Gospel time, within the Senhaeser District of town on the second stage in Vamora, Igor opened his eyes from contained in the wardrobe.

He pushed the wardrobe door open and emerged. On the mattress was a human-shaped lump, which he had original utilizing pillows, blankets, garments, and a little bit of creativeness to create an “Igor dummy.”

Although it wasn’t a spirit or a miracle, this little trick had saved his life many instances. If he left a “Good Evening” be aware on the mattress, it might make any midnight intruder suppose that the con artist had foreseen their arrival and had already escaped by way of some unknown means. Cursing below their breath, they’d then rush to trace Igor’s escape route, whereas the true Igor, hiding elsewhere, may seize the chance to flee.

In spite of everything, Igor was only a con artist, not omniscient. How may he foresee each hazard? However this didn’t cease him from enjoying the function of somebody who at all times had a plan, making a number of preparations in day by day interactions to plant seeds of doubt in others’ minds.

What really makes a deception actual isn’t the con artist’s phrases however your individual creativeness.

It’s human nature to clarify the world. Once you’re missing data, you’ll subconsciously use your creativeness to fill within the gaps, which is why conspiracy theories thrive and rumors unfold sooner than the reality.

Individuals at all times consider what they wish to consider.

Regardless that the world itself is goal, everybody’s world is subjective. Previously, psychological sorcerers may even set up religions, turning into the “gods” within the subjective worlds of numerous followers.

Though Igor had little curiosity on this upper-tier awakening career of con artist, making himself a “strategic mastermind who can at all times foresee your subsequent transfer” within the eyes of sure individuals was as simple as placing on make-up for him.

On his first night time on this unfamiliar metropolis, Igor started his preparations. When others found the “Igor dummy” on the mattress, they’d suppose the true Igor had already left, by no means suspecting that this was a nightly lure. The weak, motionless, and oblivious con artist was hiding proper subsequent to them within the wardrobe.

That is the con artist’s method of psychological deception.

Even when giving his all, he needed to make it look easy.

Fastidiously ready presents needs to be given nonchalantly.

On this world, whoever will get planted with the seed first loses.

As standard, Igor needed to take a shower after waking up each day. Fortuitously, the suite had a bath, and it was even a steam therapeutic massage tub.

The truth is, the standard of this suite was a lot better than the worker dormitory offered by Annan. It appeared that Miss Annan was certainly a wealthy second-generation entrepreneur who must fall again on inheriting billions if she failed—such plots had been fairly frequent in Gospel TV dramas. Igor believed the basis trigger was that the luxurious economic system and consumerism within the Gospel Kingdom weren’t developed sufficient, so dad and mom may nonetheless get monetary savings.

Of their Blood Moon Kingdom, even capitalists may stay paycheck to paycheck. Any life extension package deal from the Institute may bankrupt the richest particular person on the spot. The Gospel Kingdom merely didn’t have sufficient freedom.

After initially washing his physique, Igor examined the water temperature within the tub together with his toes. He dipped his decrease legs, bent his knees to take care of steadiness, and let the water stage rise previous his chest, intimately grazing his collarbone.

Heat currents seeped by way of his pores into his cells, shortly enjoyable the stiff physique that had spent the night time within the wardrobe. The strain in his soul, having simply returned from the Digital Realm, additionally started to ease. The lazy mist massaged the con artist’s aching thoughts.

Within the Blood Moon Kingdom, most individuals had psychological points, and Igor was no exception. Individuals as good as him had been those who felt the immense, heavy gravity of actuality probably the most, their souls heavy with anxiousness each second.

Igor knew he was ailing, however he couldn’t save himself. The higher somebody was at swimming, the extra possible they had been to drown within the deep sea.

Over time, maybe sooner or later he would instantly perceive “the that means of life.” On a drizzly, overcast day, he would put on his best garments, discover everybody who knew him, and deceive them one final time—erase their recollections of him. When nobody on the planet remembered him, Igor Bukin would disappear utterly from individuals’s sight, leaving solely a shadow of himself within the Digital Realm.

Nevertheless, the Igor who was as soon as destined to face destruction alone developed a behavior of taking baths to clear his thoughts after coming into jail. The tense strings of his thoughts had been thus given an opportunity to relaxation, and his psychological points had been cured.

It was Shattered Lake Jail that saved him. For Blood Moon individuals, the one method out was certainly going to jail.

It’s value mentioning that earlier than bathing with Ashe, Harvey, and others just a few days in the past, Igor would at all times take a shower first. In spite of everything, enjoyable with two artiodactyls wasn’t very efficient.

Knock, knock! Knock, knock! Knock, knock!

Simply as Igor was about to slide right into a state of mindlessness, somebody knocked on the door.

This acquainted triple knock—although the particular person hadn’t even taken off their pants but, the con artist already knew what sort of nonsense they’d spout.

Igor determined to stay silent, hoping the particular person would hand over and go away. Nevertheless, after just a few seconds, he heard the exact sound of gears turning and the clinking of alloy elements disengaging—the door opened.

Slam!

The toilet’s glass door was pushed open, and the steam eagerly wrapped across the customer.

“You scared me. I believed you had escaped by way of the bathroom.”

Igor let loose a protracted sigh. “To start with, this isn’t our residence. Second, how did you get in right here?”

“I advised the maid right here that nobody answered the door, and also you may need died within the Digital Realm, with part of your soul’s head bitten off by a Blade Fish Dragon, turning you right into a vegetative state. So she let me in to test for those who had peed your self.”

Ashe sat on a small stool. “Such feudal corruption, having maids and all. This household system is certainly the most cancers of civilization, however I have to say, the maid outfits are fairly cute.”

“Aren’t we below home arrest and never allowed to go away our rooms?”

“I don’t know. I wakened and tried the door, discovered the restrictions lifted. Possibly Miss Annan sweet-talked her mom whereas we weren’t right here final night time?”

“Let’s skip the minor particulars,” Igor stated, watching Ashe. “Haven’t you observed that I’m taking a shower?”

Ashe seemed up, after which his collar was instantly grabbed by a moist hand, pulling him near the Con Artist’s face.

“You’re prepared to let a Con Artist deceive you reasonably than face actuality your self,” Igor’s eyes had been stuffed with disdain. “Even amongst my shoppers, you’re on the lowest stage.”

With a push, Igor despatched Ashe sprawling to the bottom.

“Go get some sweet from Harvey; that’s the true remedy for you.” Igor didn’t take a look at him. “I’m a top-tier Con Artist; I don’t cope with such rotten shoppers.”

Ashe sighed. “Isn’t {that a} bit harsh?”

“I began betting different individuals’s lives after I was 13,” Igor stated coldly. “I’ve received quite a bit, however shedding is cheap too. Due to my improper determination, a accomplice was caught by the ‘Fireplace Crab’. I may solely see him in probably the most weird information articles. He had develop into a bit of avant-garde summary artwork, made with a hanger and a chair… What do you suppose I felt again then?”

“Revenge?”

“No, I simply hoped he acquired and executed my closing message—to finish himself earlier than the Fireplace Crab discovered him.”

Water dripped from Igor’s hair, merging into the tub and disappearing. “That is the destiny of a decision-maker. Even if you’re calm sufficient, work exhausting sufficient, you continue to can’t stop sacrifice. Not even gods can save everybody. Who do you suppose you’re?”

“Enduring sacrifice, accepting sacrifice, getting used to sacrifice—that is the one method. There isn’t any second possibility. Do you suppose looking for consolation from a psychological sorcerer provides you with the resilient coronary heart of a decision-maker? Psychological sorcerers should not enhancers; they will’t simply make you stronger with a ding.”

“What you want isn’t consolation, not deception, however progress.”

The Con Artist seemed on the dejected Cult Chief, however one other picture appeared in his thoughts.

Within the apocalypse, a mysterious man in a darkish pink trench coat, gazing down on the world alone…

“There may be additionally a quite simple method, so long as you’re egocentric sufficient,” Igor stated. “Like me. In case you are egocentric sufficient to see everybody as a pawn, egocentric sufficient to not care about anybody’s ideas, egocentric sufficient to be glad only for your self, you then received’t really feel the stress of accountability.”

“For us orphans of the Blood Moon, this needs to be a simple development route, proper?”

A gleam appeared within the Cult Chief’s eyes. “Similar to you…”

“Sure, similar to me…” Igor checked out his blurry reflection within the water. “You solely have to care about your self, worth your self, love your self…”

“—And if I’ve as a lot decision-making expertise as you, I can develop right into a captain who can calmly bear the stress of accountability!”

Igor blinked. Hmm?

Ashe stood up, patting the water off his pants. “The distinction between you and me is that you have already got intensive group expertise, whereas I don’t. So, I ought to discover methods to extend my management expertise and develop into a gradual decision-maker.”

“However how will you acquire that have?”

“I have already got an thought,” Ashe stated. “It was positively proper to come back to you. I received’t disturb your bathtub any longer.”

“Though I don’t know what your thought is, it definitely received’t be so simple as my ‘egocentric development’ strategy,” Igor stated indifferently. “Why make issues so sophisticated?”

“As a result of being egocentric isn’t that easy,” Ashe stated, opening the lavatory door. “If even you may’t do it, how may I presumably handle?”

“What do you imply I can’t do it?”

“You didn’t reply my query.”

Igor was stunned, listening to Ashe’s footsteps steadily fade away.

“If I entrusted my life to you, may you make a guess and not using a second’s hesitation?”

“Seed…”

The Con Artist exhaled. Regardless that he had soaked for fairly some time, he determined to remain a bit longer to clear his thoughts. In any other case, his ideas and concepts would develop into the rain and daylight that made the seed sprout.

Knock! Knock! Knock!

The unfamiliar knocking made Igor uneasy.

As anticipated, the lavatory door opened as soon as once more.

“Aunt Bukin!” Lise stood along with her arms on her hips in entrance of the Con Artist. “I’ve one thing crucial to debate with you… we’d like the knowledge of the Con Artist!”

“Did you not discover that I’m taking a shower?”

Lise paused, instantly realizing, and obediently closed the lavatory door.

Igor nearly needed to summon the Gospel E book to test the blood relation between Lise and Ashe.