“Normally, to master an ability, one must continuously deepen their understanding of its associated authority. However, this is too unfriendly for some less intelligent barbarians. To increase the power to combat mystery, in the mid-Fourth Age, a technique was developed to inherit abilities through mystery documents, allowing even those with insufficient comprehension to gain enough power for battle.”
Lynch once again passed through the blood-sucking Gate of Blood and entered Madam Bessie’s special studio. The altar, which had been smashed over half a month ago, was now cleaned up and re-established in a new location. Yet, looking at the new altar, Lynch felt as if he could still see the danger of that time.
It felt like a lifetime ago, Lynch secretly sighed, sitting cross-legged in the spot Madam Bessie indicated. He watched her busily making various preparations, patiently explaining things to him, much friendlier than the first time he had come.
“Nonsense. The first time you came, you were an ordinary person. Telling you this forbidden knowledge would have harmed you. Now that you’re a Soul Severer, of course, I don’t need to hide it from you anymore.”
Madam Bessie rummaged through several large cabinets by the wall, continuing her explanation without turning her head:
“But problems arise with that. Abilities are based on the soul, and developing an ability means slightly alienating the soul. Completing this alienation through one’s own will isn’t difficult; it can be achieved using the soul’s inherent power. However, alienating the soul through external interference to draw out a new ability increases the difficulty tenfold, even a hundredfold, and the more complex the ability, the harder it becomes.”
Lynch nodded. “I also felt it was a bit too simple to learn a special ability just by reading a mystery document. A mystery document shouldn’t have such powerful force that it can directly alienate the soul, right?”
“No, a mystery document can have that much power. Don’t forget, it can even twist a Soul Severer’s soul, causing the mind to inversely affect the body, turning a Soul Severer into a twisted one. Alienating the soul to develop an ability is not a difficult feat.”
Madam Bessie’s words immediately made Lynch think of Mr. Klin, whom he had just dealt with, sending shivers down his spine as he deeply understood. When Madam Bessie mentioned twisted ones, she also paused her actions with a touch of melancholy, continuing only after a moment of distraction:
“However, mystery documents that forcefully develop abilities consume a great deal from their creators; it’s impossible to make one without several creators dying. And once made, they also heavily consume the user. There’s a chance of learning the ability and a chance of dying on the spot, with the latter being slightly higher, roughly one in ninety-nine.”
Your definition of “slightly” is a bit broad… Lynch’s mouth twitched. He realized this was the classic dilemma: I admit I’m gambling, but today, either you or the ability has to go.
“Hmm, so to avoid the tragedy of many people dying just to inherit an ability, people developed the current method: using a mystery document as a guide, then compensating for its lack of power with various external supports. For the simplest abilities, preparing some special materials and performing simple operations is often enough. But complex abilities require a relatively professional ritual and consume very rare mysterious materials, so…”
Lynch suddenly felt a strong sense of crisis. He sprang up and turned to run, but unfortunately, he was a step too slow. Madam Bessie’s faint voice had already reached his ears:
“Therefore, the material fee is eight Lande pounds. The ritual itself won’t be charged separately. I’m truly generous.”
Damn it, I knew it. You profiteer, shamelessly raising prices. Do you really think I’ll succumb to your coercion? Let me tell you, I, Lynch Levive, also have my dignity! Even if I can’t learn this ability, even if I waste ten Lande pounds buying a mystery document, I won’t let you successfully extort me.
“This is a discount for old customers. Others would pay at least ten Lande pounds, and… nice, new banknotes.” The red-haired lady contentedly counted the eight ‘Elizabeths’ Lynch respectfully offered. “I remember last time you had to borrow money from Natalie to buy a pistol. It seems you’ve been doing well lately. Now, when I extort… no, I mean, when I charge you, I won’t need to feel any psychological burden.”
You don’t have such a thing as a psychological burden at all, do you? And you just accidentally spoke the truth, didn’t you?
“Shut up. Now sit still. The death authority is among the top five strangest authorities. If you don’t want to get lost in the world of the dead, firmly hold onto your will. No matter what you see or hear, do not panic, or else your eight Lande pounds will be wasted, and funeral expenses will be your own responsibility.”
With that, the red-haired lady inverted her pipe and gently tapped the ground.
“The five-pointed star symbolizes filth, the hexagram represents sanctity. At this moment, we use the holy hexagram as a bond to connect the world of the living and the world of the dead.”
She tapped three times, and thin lines of fire quickly spread around where Lynch sat, swiftly drawing a hexagram formed by fire. The flames burned fiercely, casting flickering shadows on their faces.
“The eternal boundary between life and death is indestructible; mortal souls cannot cross it. Only the graveyard flower, blooming on corpses, living through death, is capable of piercing the boundary between life and death.”
The red-haired lady softly chanted, filling her pipe with a few petals. She took a deep breath and exhaled a stream of smoke towards the fiery hexagram.
The next moment, the burning flames turned from yellow to green. The flickering firelight became an eerie green, and the heat transformed into an icy chill, instantly making the atmosphere in the secret room incredibly strange.
Lynch remained steady in the center of the hexagram. The sudden anomalies made him uneasy, and he was unconsciously covered in a cold sweat. Still, he followed Madam Bessie’s instructions, holding firm to his will and not moving.
“Night bats are born blind; their ears are their eyes. Using the ears of a night bat as a bridge, listen to the whispers from the other shore.”
Madam Bessie slowly paced to one vertex of the hexagram. With a flick of her hand, several small bat ears were scattered into the green flames. The green light at that corner immediately intensified, and then Lynch’s ears seemed to pick up countless rustling, eerie whispers, faint and indistinct.
“Black falcons possess eyes as sharp as lightning; no mystery can escape them. Using the eyes of a black falcon as a bridge, gaze upon the light and shadow from the other shore.”
Whoosh, the green light at the second vertex flared brightly. Madam Bessie’s eyes flickered, reflecting strange and chaotic light. At this moment, light and shadow shifted before Lynch’s eyes, as if he saw a long river flowing slowly, not with water, but with countless green flames ceaselessly moving.
“Black cats possess rare and keen inspiration, gazing upon the dead lingering in the world of the living. Using the blood of a black cat as a bridge, touch the souls wandering between life and death.”
A bottle of liquid poured out, and the third vertex also lit up. Countless strange, invisible entities seemed to linger around Madam Bessie, emitting silent yet mournful wails. Her red hair stirred without a breeze, and her pipe suddenly pointed at Lynch in the center. Lynch felt his vision blur. In the long river of green flames, countless figures bobbed and sank, struggling and wailing.
“Hoo.” With three corners lit, Madam Bessie wiped sweat from her brow, her expression not relaxing at all, but growing even more solemn. “Here comes the crucial part. Remember, everything after this is pure mysterious material. Hold onto your will, or it will be extremely dangerous.”
As she spoke, Madam Bessie’s steps suddenly quickened. She hurried around the hexagram, waving her hand at the three dim corners.
“The soul-luring flower from the Dreamlands has an intoxicating fragrance, attracting souls to leave the body and wander aimlessly. Using the soul-luring flower as a medium, guide the dying souls lingering on the River Styx to stay.”
“Byakhee are messengers of evil gods, carrying flesh and soul between illusion and reality. Using the wing membrane of a Byakhee as a medium, send yourself into the wandering souls.”
“The web of a cold spider is the toughest, and its adhesive power is sufficient to bridge dreams and reality. Using the web of a cold spider as a medium, connect yourself to the mortal world and find your way home in the world of the dead.”
Hiss.
Lynch instantly felt his head splitting, his five senses overwhelmed with anomalies. His body felt light, as if his soul was ready to depart at any moment. Intense pain repeatedly assaulted his senses, making him want to clutch his head and scream. Yet, bound by the earlier warnings, he could only grit his teeth and endure, feeling as if every moment was a year.
“Hold on.”
Madam Bessie took a deep breath, pointing her pipe at the burning hexagram:
“By the power of the hexagram, fuse the power of mystery.”
Whoosh, green flames shot skyward, almost touching the ceiling of the secret room. The next moment, the flames were rapidly drawn into Lynch’s body as if by a powerful force.
At the same time, the pipe gently tapped Lynch’s glabella, and a green radiance burst forth from the point of contact.
Rate on N.U.
