Endless Debt-Chapter 912 - 39: The Void Heart_2

"Of course, what Crow’s Nest taught me wasn’t how to become a psychologist, but an Inquisitor, to break through the target’s psychological defenses in a very short time and extract what we want, sometimes accompanied by punitive measures."

As an intelligence officer, Church possesses exceptionally strong psychological qualities and everything an Inquisitor should have.

"Wow."

Palmer raised an eyebrow.

Seeing Palmer’s expression, Church began to get angry, "Wow what, you used to be from Crow’s Nest too."

"Instead of scolding me, it’s about time for you... it’s your turn to perform, Church."

Palmer stopped the car, rolled down the window, and looked out at the street, the fragrance of flowers wafting in. He turned to the back seat, "I’ve been talking all the way, but don’t even think about running away now."

Church looked out the car window. Palmer had conveniently stopped at the flower shop’s entrance, and he exclaimed excitedly, "Go on! Church, ask her out. If you don’t take the initiative, no matter how many flowers you buy, you’ll just be a wealthy customer."

Palmer was extremely excited, as if it were Church asking Afeiya out and not himself. Church’s face was stern, as solemn as a block of ice just taken out of a freezer.

"Let me go greet her first."

Palmer pushed open the car door and walked directly towards the flower shop. Church wanted to call out to stop him, but the words hadn’t come out when Palmer had already stepped inside.

Left inside the car were Bologue and Church, and the atmosphere suddenly became a bit awkward.

Church carried an intangible aura, a coldness that seemed to repel others, an aura Bologue also possessed, like two repelling forces now sharing the same space.

Say something.

Bologue thought for a moment, then looked at the rearview mirror, "Speaking of which, how did you and Afeiya meet?"

"Just in the usual way."

Church didn’t resist Bologue’s inquiry, "In our line of work, work pressure is inevitable, and worse, we often don’t want to see a doctor."

Bologue nodded, he understood Church; each visit to a psychologist felt like a trip to the execution ground.

Bologue disliked exposing his inner self to strangers. To be precise, he rarely spoke even to those familiar and close to him, sometimes wondering if he lacked the ability to articulate.

The feeling of talking with a psychologist is very strange; you must proactively drop your guard and bring out the most sensitive and dark things... Bologue found this difficult.

"I hate those doctors, hate them intensely."

Bologue joked, "I once revealed my inner self to a doctor... I rarely show such sincerity to a stranger."

"And then?"

"Then that doctor suggested to Geoffrey to lock me up inside, injecting sedatives around the clock and observe me for a week to see."

Church laughed aloud, not clear if the statement was serious or a joke, but it certainly sounded interesting.

"That’s just it. The rare time I was sincere, he wanted to lock me up. After that, I never visited a doctor again."

Bologue rambled on, "You have to rely on yourself to decompress from such things. I’ve tried various methods, and they seem to work well now."

"I’m quite like you."

Church said, "I... I also dislike those doctors."

Both disliked doctors, albeit for different reasons. Church knew, no matter how much or detailed he spoke to a psychologist, when he unleashed Secret Energy, they would forget everything.

Others couldn’t see clearly through Church, not even Church himself, and sometimes this made him feel lost.

Bologue asked, "And then you met her?"

"Hmm... I suppose."

Church recollected, "That day, I was under heavy pressure, and heard someone say that buying a flower for yourself, to feel life’s beauty, would be quite nice."

"Then I walked into this flower shop and met her."

As Church continued, it seemed as though he’d let his psychological guard down, and he talked about his feelings at that time with Bologue.

"I didn’t feel much then, just holding the flower did indeed make my mood better, as for Afeiya, during my first visit, I didn’t really notice her."

"What happened next?"

"Nothing happened, just everyday life really."

Church said, "I gradually formed a habit, coming to buy a flower every once in a while. Over time, Afeiya began talking to me; we became more and more familiar until I noticed emotional changes.

That’s how it is—no such thing as love at first sight, nor any complex twists and turns, just gradually accumulating over time."

Church dissected his inner self, "Maybe because I have too few friends, not to mention speakable female friends. As the only person I could connect with, I poured that part of my energy into her, perhaps it’s not affection at all, just an outlet for me to vent my frustrations."

Bologue remarked, "A very rational analysis."

"I hate such rational analysis."

"Why?"

"I believe emotions are sensuous, blind; overly rational thinking becomes a bit utilitarian..."

Church paused, then asked Bologue about something else, "Bologue, do you remember what kind of person you were when you were young?"

"Not really, but certainly vastly different from now."

"Hmm... I do recall how I was as a child."

Church continued, "I was a sunny, mischievous kid with a large group of friends. Back then, I always did meaningless things like building castles with stones."