Chapter 58: A Natural Insight, Acting in Advance
"No need."
Nairn shook his head. His voice was calm and powerful, instantly soothing Audrey's tense emotions.
He took the crystal vial and pulled out the stopper.
An indescribable scent, carrying a hint of coolness and an ethereal aura, wafted out.
Susie's nose twitched. She seemed attracted by the smell, letting out a "whimper" from her throat, her eyes fixed tightly on the bottle in Nairn's hand.
"Just let her drink it," Nairn said, bringing the crystal vial to Susie's mouth.
Audrey held her breath nervously, her hands tightly clasped together.
However, the expected struggle and resistance did not happen at all.
Susie simply leaned forward, stuck out her tongue, and carefully, sip by sip, licked the silver-white potion in the bottle clean.
The movement was as elegant as if she were tasting a bowl of delicious broth.
The potion melted upon entering her mouth and slid down her throat.
The entire process didn't even require any guidance from Nairn.
Susie licked away the last drop of silver-white liquid, then smacked her lips, glancing at the empty crystal vial with a look of wanting more.
Her state looked as good as it could possibly be.
It was simply effortless.
The room fell into a dead silence.
Audrey stood frozen in place, like a statue.
Her mind went blank.
That's... it's over?
What about the promised suffering? The struggle? The risk of losing control?
Why is it completely different from what was written in the books!
Could the potion be fake?
No, that's not right. The spiritual fluctuations from the convergence of Beyonder materials couldn't be faked.
Then why?
The golden retriever, Susie, seemed to notice her owner's stiffness. She tilted her head, then sat upright, gazing innocently at Audrey with eyes that were clearer and more spirited than before, her large tail wagging happily behind her.
Nairn watched this scene, also lost in thought.
Although he had expected that with Susie's "talent," the process would be smooth, for it to be this smooth was still somewhat surprising even to him.
He looked at Susie's eyes, which seemed capable of Insight into people's hearts, and a thought occurred to him.
Could it be... could it be that as a golden retriever, Susie had already been using the persona of a "Spectator" in her daily life, silently observing the Hall family, observing everyone coming and going, and observing the various aspects of the human world?
Every day she lay on the lawn, seemingly in a daze, but actually "watching the play."
Every day she followed Audrey, seemingly acting spoiled, but actually "observing."
Unconsciously, she had already completed the core "Acting" of the Spectator Pathway!
Thinking carefully, those touching movies about dogs that Nairn had seen in his previous life also liked to emphasize the trait that "dogs have always been silently observing humans."
This dog... is truly a natural Spectator!
"Audrey," Nairn spoke, breaking the silence in the room, "it seems your dog is... more talented than you imagined."
"Talented?"
Audrey snapped out of her immense shock and looked at Nairn blankly.
She couldn't understand what was happening before her eyes at all. Susie's performance had overturned all her perceptions of the Beyonder world.
"Yes, talented." Nairn looked at Susie, who was sitting upright on the carpet with exceptionally spirited eyes, and explained patiently, "Audrey, do you remember the 'Acting Method' I mentioned to you?"
"I remember," Audrey nodded, "You said that one must play a role like an actor to better digest the potion."
"Exactly. And Susie, before she even drank the potion, might have already been 'acting' as a Spectator."
"Acting... before drinking the potion?" Audrey became even more confused.
Nairn smiled and said in a more easy-to-understand way, "Think about it, what does Susie usually like to do?"
"She... she likes to bask in the Sun, likes to follow me around, likes to watch the servants in the garden being busy..." Audrey said while recalling, then she suddenly froze.
Watching... Susie had always been "watching."
"She has been observing, right?" Nairn's voice was guiding. "She observes you, observes your family, observes the servants at home, observes every guest who comes to your house. She doesn't participate, doesn't voice opinions, just silently watches it all. This is the core code of conduct for a 'Spectator'."
Audrey's eyes snapped wide open.
She remembered many details.
At every family gathering, while everyone was talking loudly, Susie was always quietly lying in a corner, scanning everyone with those clear eyes.
Every time she and her friends held a tea party in the garden, chatting about the latest fashions and rumors, Susie would just Lie at her feet, yawning and looking sleepy, but her ears would twitch from time to time.
She had always thought it was a dog's instinct, a meaningless behavior.
But now, after Mr. Nairn's pointer, she realized with a start—wasn't Susie the living image of a perfect Spectator!
"So... Susie unconsciously digested the potion in advance?" Audrey's voice trembled with disbelief.
"You can understand it that way. She laid the best foundation for herself, so when the potion entered her body, it merged perfectly without almost any rejection reaction," Nairn concluded.
These words were like a thunderclap exploding in Audrey's mind.
She looked at her pet dog, her gaze becoming incredibly complex. There was shock, novelty, and more so, a joy of sudden realization.
So, the Beyonder world is this wonderful!
So, through unconscious acting in advance, one can actually lay an excellent foundation for later potion digestion!
And the only one who could reveal all these wonders to her was the Mr. Nairn before her.
Her adoration for Nairn was no longer just an admiration for his wisdom and ability, but had gained a few more layers of awe and reliance on a mysterious mentor.
Just then, Susie's body suddenly trembled slightly.
Her gaze, at this moment, changed completely.
If the previous clarity belonged to an animal's innocence, then now, in those golden pupils, a light called "wisdom" lit up.
She was no longer simply "looking," but "understanding."
She glanced at her owner Audrey, who was still in shock, and then at the young man beside her who was composed, as if everything was within his grasp.
A brand new, incredibly clear world unfolded in her mind.
She "understood" the entire conversation between those two humans just now—no longer as vague tones, but as precise word meanings.
She "saw through" the emotions and intentions represented behind their complex expressions.
She could "see" that Audrey's body was emitting a multicolored light.
In that radiance, there was an adoration as hot as a small Sun, a dreamlike affection like pink bubbles, and a tension and joy as clear as a stream.
And the source of all these emotions pointed to the man beside her.
But when she tried to "look" at that man, she could see nothing.
No, it wasn't that she couldn't see anything at all.
What she saw was a deep, quiet night sky.
On the surface, it was calm, but in the depths of that night sky, there seemed to be countless swirling nebulae and indescribable chaos hidden.
And her owner Audrey, in front of him, was like a twinkling little star that needed to be carefully protected.
She even felt that this man's existence itself was like a giant vortex, quietly changing everything around him.
Even the highest-status male master of the house (Count Hall), in front of this man, his majestic aura was like ice and snow meeting a fierce Sun, melting away unknowingly.
This man is very, very, very powerful.
This was the first and clearest conclusion Susie reached after becoming a Beyonder creature.
If her gaze toward Audrey was one of intimacy, attachment, and pure affection...
...then her gaze toward Nairn was a complex emotion mixed with awe, curiosity, and... inquiry.
A judgment stemming from biological instinct clearly surfaced in Susie's newborn wisdom.
My second life was Bestowed by this man named Nairn.
In her heart, she laid down the first definition for her new life.
As for whether this was mixed with the absolute obedience to the strongest inherent in canine nature, that was unknown... "Now, you have an absolutely loyal partner who can see through people's hearts," Nairn said slowly, "From today on, Susie is no longer just your pet."
"She will be your 'Military Counselor'."
"Military Counselor?"
Audrey repeated the word, her azure eyes filled with novelty and confusion.
She could understand that Susie had become smarter, could understand that Susie had become a Beyonder creature, but the term "Military Counselor" applied to a dog still made her feel a bit... incredible.
"Yes, Military Counselor." The smile on Nairn's face didn't fade. "Or call her an advisor, a strategist, whatever you like. In short, her role is much greater than you imagine."
He walked to the window, looking at the neatly trimmed lawn and blooming roses in the garden, his voice distant as he said, "Audrey, you are in the center of a giant vortex. Your family, your class, everyone you come into contact with is in a complex web of interests. If you want to realize your ambitions and change things, kindness and passion alone are far from enough."
"I understand..." Audrey whispered.
The conversation between Nairn and her father in the drawing room today had already made her deeply realize this point.
"So, two Spectators—one in the light, one in the dark."
"Susie can use her animal status, which isn't easily suspected, to lurk in corners and shadows to observe, or perform long-range surveillance tasks. You will act with your public identity as a noble young lady to attract attention."
"Furthermore, Susie can use her Beyonder hearing to eavesdrop on important conversations, obtaining unexpected intelligence that you yourself cannot directly access, and secretly collecting key information."
"A complex situation requires an extra pair of eyes that can see through a Lie, and an extra mind that can help you analyze the situation."
Nairn turned around, his gaze falling on Audrey and Susie.
"And now, you have it."