To be a good prime minister, I first became the leader of a secret religion.

Chapter 21 Records of Natural Anomalies

Just as Winston was about to click on the entry to view it, Norman, who was beside him, suddenly spoke up excitedly:

"I found the peanuts!"

Curious about peanuts, Winston turned around and saw Norman holding a real peanut, which even looked a little burnt.

"...Are you eating in the study?"

"No, peanuts are like poison to me, so this is actually my alchemy tool." Norman held the peanuts, a smug look on his face. "One of the materials needed for this alchemy is a highly poisonous substance. Last time I went to the apothecary and bought a bottle of arsenic to kill rats, but when I got home I found out it was a fake. The bottle actually contained flour, which made all the rats in my house fat!"

"Later, I went to another surgical clinic to buy chloroform, but the pharmacist told me that they had sold out of their stock a few days ago."

"I had no choice but to get a batch of morphine syrup from a friend, hoping to complete my alchemy by purifying morphine. But these days, morphine syrup is just syrup, Prime Minister! We can't even buy pure morphine, what fun is there in life?"

Winston: "..."

Be healthier, my friend, live a healthier lifestyle.

"Later, in a fit of anger, I went into the kitchen to make myself dinner, and then I found that Dana had bought some peanut butter. She had deliberately put it in a corner so that I wouldn't accidentally take it. But my spiritual intuition guided me to find it—the smell was really good. So I thought, why can't I use peanuts to perform my alchemy?"

"Uh, just because you're allergic to peanuts doesn't mean they're poisonous?" Winston said cautiously. "The definition of toxicity should be that the substance itself directly damages tissues or metabolism, while allergies are due to an abnormal individual immune response..."

He suddenly realized halfway through his speech that the concept of "allergy" didn't exist in the 19th century!

During this period, medicine was still influenced by the lingering effects of humoral theory and empirical medicine, and there was no unified explanation for "why some people react differently to the same thing".

At the same time, in conventional contexts, "poisonous" is roughly equivalent to "causing serious harm," so Norman could easily say that peanuts were poisonous to him, especially if we assume alchemy is an idealistic discipline...

Mom no longer has to worry about you not being able to buy poison at the market!

Winston was greatly shocked.

Norman exclaimed in surprise, "So you know about the occult too!"

“No, ‘allergy’ is a medical term…” Winston hesitated for a moment before saying, “but I do know a little about the occult.”

"So, is the question you want to ask me something that cannot be explained with your current knowledge?"

"Yes," Winston said, having already searched the entries without success. "The first thing is the monster sealed inside the wall."

He didn't use the word "devil" or "monster" because v1888 refused to associate himself with the stuff inside the walls of 10 Downing Street.

Winston described the scene to Norman in general terms, but omitted the process of him successfully casting the "magic" by reciting the exorcism prayer. He only said that the monster howled at him a few times and then disappeared.

Norman's scalp tingled: "By the stars above... I can't understand! How could something like this happen in the Prime Minister's residence, and there isn't even a single guard on duty after ten o'clock??"

Yes, ordinary people naturally assume that the higher one's position, the safer one is in this world.

Who would have thought that the reality was quite the opposite?

No, it wouldn't be accurate to say it's the complete opposite.

The suffering of the lower classes in the 19th century was countless; the nobles and capitalists were probably the ones who fared the best.

Winston casually remarked, "Strictly speaking, the Prime Minister is merely a renter of power, and 10 Downing Street will not belong to me forever. Perhaps the things inside the walls were left behind by the previous occupant."

"Your attitude is truly remarkable," Norman said sincerely. "As for that monster, if I'm not mistaken, it should be a variant."

A different species?

Winston searched for terms in the system.

[Heterogeneous species refer to those existences that do not follow known laws of nature, classification systems, or logic of life. They may have physical form or exist only as phenomena or influences, but their common characteristic is that they cannot be classified into existing natural hierarchies.]

—Excerpt from the 17th-century manuscript "Natural Abnormalities" by John Halwick

Winston was completely confused by what he read, but new knowledge immediately came to mind.

"...Did you use the 'Four Signs Method' to determine this?"

He subconsciously asked, "The four criteria are 'morphological paradox,' 'causal disorder,' 'existential instability,' and 'perceptual contamination'..."

A morphological paradox refers to an organism possessing mutually exclusive biological characteristics simultaneously, such as the coexistence of mammalian and insect structures, or the arrangement of organs that violates anatomical rules.

Causal disorder means that the outcome of an action does not conform to the causal chain, such as causing death without contact or triggering a group disease without a transmission medium.

The existence of instability is exactly what it sounds like; changes in the conditions of observation can cause changes in its state, and even the "observed" itself can affect its form of existence.

Perceptual contamination refers to the consistent cognitive biases, hallucinations, or mental breakdowns experienced by witnesses, and this effect can be spread in various ways.

Winston quickly compared the criteria in his mind, then frowned and said, "But I don't think the creatures inside the walls meet any of the criteria."

He turned to consult a mystery expert, only to find Norman looking at him with a "Holy crap, I've seen a ghost" expression.

"You've read Halvik's manuscripts!!!"

Norman exclaimed incredulously, "You're still alive after reading that manuscript!"

To be honest, I just read it on your bookshelf.

Winston's gaze swept over the titles of the books in the row above, searching for "The Chronicle of Natural Anomalies" as he asked, "Why do you say that?"

"Because the author of the manuscript, John Halwick, was himself an anomaly," Norman replied. "His manuscripts are highly perceptually polluted, and none of his readers are spared."

He carefully observed Winston's expression, as if worried that Winston might suddenly die in his house.

Fortunately or unfortunately, apart from migraines, the current prime minister is in relatively good health.

"...How did you do that?" Norman couldn't help but ask.

"I haven't read that book." Winston looked around but couldn't find "The Book of Natural Anomalies," so he could only lower his head and answer helplessly, "The 'Four Signs Method' was told to me by a friend."

Norman breathed a sigh of relief: "I see. Although perceptual pollution still spreads with the dissemination of knowledge, its impact is much smaller than reading books directly... No, I still feel like semantic parasites are crawling all over me. If you have any other questions, please ask them quickly, my social anxiety is about to flare up, and I'm afraid I won't be able to hold on for long!"