"Huh? So Charlie didn't actually pray to Guardian Saint Vives... but to a prostitute named Susanna?"
Adam let out a quiet sigh and lowered his gaze to the bowl of meat broth before him, eating at an unhurried pace while reflecting on everything he had encountered throughout the day. Only after finishing the last of his own meal did Adrian finally break the silence.
"Susanna Matisse was once a regular guest at Trier's high society banquets and was frequently involved in scandals with members of parliament, high-ranking officials, and the wealthy. It was rumoured that she earned an astonishing income every year, but she vanished from the public eye two or three years ago. No one knows what became of her. Some believe her dangerous associations eventually caught up with her, while others think she simply abandoned that life in search of somewhere peaceful to begin again."
Adam frowned thoughtfully. "If she associated with members of parliament and influential figures, she must have been quite well known. Then how did Charlie mistake the woman in the painting for Guardian Saint Vives?"
Adrian smiled faintly. "That's the problem with you Spectators. You analyse every thought and emotion before reaching a conclusion, when sometimes the simplest explanation is the correct one. Charlie was merely an unfortunate fellow who made a mistake."
Although Adrian's words left Adam feeling slightly insulted, he calmly replied, "Perhaps he did make a mistake, but that isn't what truly matters. What matters is that Charlie believes it was divine intervention that changed his fate. Isn't that what everyone longs for? When people reach the end of their rope, don't they all pray for a little fortune or divine favour to change their lives?"
Adrian fell silent. Seeing no response, Adam continued, "Have you never found yourself in a situation where everything seemed lost?"
Adrian paused, his gaze drifting into the distance as though recalling a painful memory before quietly sighing. "...I have."
The nostalgic look disappeared almost immediately as he turned back to Adam.
"You know, I intentionally tested you just now, and I have to admit... I'm surprised."
Adam smiled faintly. "What have you realised?"
Adrian folded his arms. "While you were observing Charlie and the woman, I wasn't watching them. I was watching you because I wanted to determine which pathway you belonged to."
Adam remained silent, listening.
Raising a finger, Adrian continued, "First, when you observed them, you became distant and detached as though their situation had nothing to do with you. You simply watched. That's the acting principle of a Spectator: observe, but never become attached."
He raised a second finger.
"Second, when I dismissed Charlie as nothing more than an unfortunate man clinging to false hope, you immediately objected. You weren't defending Charlie. You were defending hope itself. A Bard naturally inspires courage, hope, and faith. Your response reflected those qualities."
Finally, he raised a third finger.
"And lastly, the way you organised your thoughts frightened me the most. You separated assumptions from facts and analysed everything logically without ignoring the emotions driving people's actions. A Spectator observes emotions while remaining detached. A Reader interprets knowledge, logic, and human nature. Yet you somehow accomplished both."
And Spectators often thought of other possibilities and picked the most likely correct interpretation but you choose a direct conclusion too quickly and I can bet that you would then change your reasoning based on later evidence.
Adrian looked directly into Adam's eyes.
"My conclusion is simple. You're not merely a Beyonder of the Spectator pathway. You're also a Beyonder of the Reader pathway."
Leaning back slightly, he added, "The reason I wanted to confirm this is because Spectators and Readers possess remarkably similar analytical abilities. To most people, they're almost impossible to distinguish. But after observing you, I finally understood the difference."
As Adam gradually understood Adrian's conclusion, anxiety quietly crept into his heart. He had already displayed characteristics of three neighbouring pathways, something that had never been documented. Even dual-pathway Beyonders were extraordinarily rare, let alone someone exhibiting traits from three.
For the first time, he couldn't help but feel like an outsider among Beyonders.
In truth, Adam had realised Adrian was testing him from the moment the conversation changed direction. Adrian wanted to determine whether Adam also belonged to the Reader pathway, and although his method was rather blunt, Adam chose to play along. He also believed Charlie had mistaken the identity of the woman in the painting, but instead of focusing on the mistake itself, he chose to consider the outcome. Whether Charlie had prayed to the wrong person no longer mattered. His faith had changed his life, and that alone was enough to refute Adrian's argument.
Now that Adrian had explained his reasoning, even Adam found himself agreeing. It was, after all, the most logical conclusion.
Compared to Adrian, Adam knew very little about the Beyonder pathways. Adrian's understanding far surpassed his own, leaving Adam to ponder his unusual condition as he quietly finished the remainder of his meal.
After settling the bill for both of them, the pair left the basement of Auberge du Coq Doré and entered Le Marché du Quartier du Gentleman, situated along the southern bank of the Srenzo River in the southeastern corner of Trier, officially designated Quartier 13.
Although Trier's districts were numbered, almost every one possessed a historical nickname that citizens preferred over the official designation, to the point that even government officials frequently used the colloquial names.
Quartier du Gentleman derived its name from the bustling Gentleman Market. Its proximity to the Srenzo River allowed the construction of a Suhit steam locomotive station serving travellers from southern Intis. Surrounded by the marketplace and railway station, the neighbouring streets had gradually become overcrowded with labourers, drifters and the poor, making it one of Trier's largest slums.
Directly north lay Quartier 5, the Quartier de la Cathédrale Commémorative, more commonly known as Quartier Universitaire, where Trier Normal College, Trier Higher Mining College and the Intis Academy of Fine Arts were located. Across the northern bank stood Quartier 12, the Noël Quartier, home to the Veterans' Home, the Wounded Soldiers' Hospital and several of Trier's largest medical institutions. Northwest of the market district was Quartier de l'Observatoire, where the primary entrance to Trier's vast catacombs could be found, while Quartier du Jardin Botanique lay to the southwest, housing the famous Mason Café and the massive factories that earned it the additional nickname, Quartier du Sans-Culottes.
Holding the map he had purchased from the bookstore, Adam occasionally unfolded it while walking, comparing the streets around him with the landmarks marked upon it.
Not far away, an elderly couple quietly approached groups of travellers while discreetly offering paper-wrapped parcels. Both appeared to be in their sixties. The old man barely stood one metre and sixty-five centimetres tall, while the woman was even shorter. Their patched clothing was faded and stained with oil, and the wrinkles on their weathered faces spoke of decades of hardship.
Curiosity stirred within Adam, prompting him to change direction.
Behind him, Adrian rubbed his aching legs and muttered, "...What does he want to buy this time? My feet are beginning to protest."
The grey-haired old man hurried over with surprising agility and lowered his voice.
"Good day, sir. My name is Rahl. Would you be interested in photographs of a maîtresse d'atelier?"
"A maîtresse d'atelier?" Adam repeated. "What's that?"
Although the pungent smell clinging to Rahl's clothes made him instinctively uncomfortable, Adam showed no trace of disgust. After everything he had witnessed in Quartier du Gentleman, he understood that merely surviving into old age here was already no easy feat.
Rahl smiled knowingly as he shook the paper bag.
"In Trier, beautiful young women who pose for painters are called maîtresses d'atelier. After cameras became popular, many of them also began posing for photographs. Some are sold to artists as painting references..."
He paused before giving Adam a meaningful grin.
"...while others are collected for rather different reasons."
Adam narrowed his eyes. Two elderly civilians living in one of Trier's poorest districts were unlikely to possess connections to photographers or studios. Even if they really possessed such photographs, acquiring them in large quantities would hardly be easy.
Most likely...
They were ordinary portraits being advertised with suggestive words to attract curious customers. (add)
His gaze lingered on the worn paper bag before shifting to Adrian, whose knowing smile suggested he understood exactly what Rahl was selling. Yet Adrian merely watched in silence, making no attempt to explain.
Turning back toward the busy street, Adam saw workers, clerks and labourers hurrying past in grey, blue, black and brown clothing, occasionally stopping to buy inexpensive meals from roadside vendors, while women carrying woven baskets wandered between stalls comparing prices and inspecting the quality of vegetables, bread and meat.
The bustling market concealed countless struggles beneath its noise. Here, everyone was simply trying to earn enough to continue living.
Looking back at the elderly couple, Adam smiled gently.
"I'll take a look at your photographs."
He paused before asking,
"But may I ask you something first?"
Rahl blinked.
"At your age... why are you still working?"