Triss

"Beautiful lady, we meet again."

The round-faced man looked to be only around eighteen, practically a teenager. Though he wore an ordinary linen shirt and rough trousers, making him look like an ordinary dockworker, there was an elegance to his every movement. Combined with his shy, somewhat childish face, it made Angel feel quite favorably toward him.

"Hello. I remember seeing you on the Public Carriage this morning. I didn't expect us to meet again so soon."

Seeing that he had taken the initiative to greet her, she responded warmly as well.

"Perhaps Fate has brought us together again. I'm Triss, and I've recently been helping out at the docks. I think this is the first time I've seen you in this market?" The young man named Triss introduced himself. "Perhaps I'm mistaken, but if I'd seen a lady like you before, I definitely wouldn't have forgotten."

"I live on Narcissus Street and rarely come to the Docklands. This is only my second time here to buy materials. Well, to buy some candles for a ritual."

Triss looked at the bundle of candles in her hands and nodded knowingly. "Sandalwood Candles. Those are selling like crazy, and they're out of stock everywhere. You're really lucky to have found so many."

"They were just a little expensive." Thinking of the extra premium she had paid made Angel's heart ache, but hearing that the candles were difficult to buy made her feel somewhat better. "It sounds like you know quite a bit about mysticism?"

Seeing that Triss had easily recognized the type of candles, she asked curiously.

"Heh, mirror spirit mediumship, magic rituals, Tarot Divination... I wouldn't say I know much. I just visit this market often and happen to overhear some things."

Triss answered in a light tone, but his expression was nothing like someone who "wouldn't say he knew much." Instead, it carried a trace of pride, like an outstanding student showing off his knowledge before a friend. Yet paired with his sincere eyes, it was not unpleasant.

"Could you tell me more about magic rituals? I'm preparing to try one myself, but I'm still not sure about the exact steps." Angel played along.

"You've asked the right person." The round-faced youth drew the elaborate ritual knife from earlier from its sheath, gripped its handle, and tossed it upward. Just as Angel stepped back to dodge, he steadily caught the falling knife with its sheath.

Only after finishing the juggling-like display did he continue, "First, you need a knife or dagger for use in a magic ritual, like mine. A dinner knife will do too, though silver is best."

"Of course, its purpose isn't to sacrifice livestock. There aren't any rituals that bloody anymore. The knife is only used to carve the incantation and the ritual's request. You can do it on a table or the ground, as long as it's a quiet, clean environment. Arrange four candles in a square, carve your request in Hermes Language in the center, then pray to a deity... Oh, right. What do you believe in?"

Hearing that what Triss described was merely an ordinary ritual rather than the more formal "Ritual Magic," Angel secretly sighed in relief.

"I'm a believer in the Goddess of the Night." She traced a Crimson Moon over her chest as she answered.

"Then it's best to pray to the Goddess of the Night. That will give you a better chance of success. Remember, never pray to a deity of unknown origin. At best, the ritual will fail. At worst, Misfortune may cling to you, and your life could even be in danger." Triss warned her with a serious expression.

Unknown origin...

Angel recalled the temple within the Gray Fog, the mysterious The Fool, and the Tarot Club.

According to the Ritual Magic imparted by The Fool at the Tarot Club, that clearly targeted, three-part description suggested that He was likely an existence on equal footing with the Seven Gods. Although the strength He had displayed so far was far inferior to that of the seven deities of legend, perhaps this secretive existence had only recently awakened from a long Slumber Charm, and His current power was merely the tip of the iceberg.

But no matter what, "The Fool" fully deserved the description of "a deity of unknown origin."

"Thank you. I understand those taboos. They also match the knowledge I've read in books, so I won't try anything rashly."

But unfortunately, Misfortune has already latched onto me...

She silently added in her heart.

Seeing Angel readily accept his advice, Triss smiled kindly. He continued introducing the types and key points of magic rituals, speaking clearly and concisely while supplementing his explanation with gestures, like a university lecturer eloquently addressing a podium.

Angel listened patiently while comparing it with the genuine "Ritual Magic" she had learned. She discovered that, aside from not using a Wall of Spirituality to mark out the ritual area and not using a clear description to target a deity, the magic rituals Triss knew differed little from the Ritual Magic she had learned from Old Neil.

It seemed that even though the churches tightly controlled such mystical knowledge, over the years, some superficial knowledge had inevitably filtered into the public. Though ordinary people had no extraordinary abilities and unstandardized rituals were difficult to make effective, among such a large population, someone would always stumble into successfully directing a ritual toward a powerful existence, thereby causing various mystical incidents.

According to the Nighthawks' internal statistics, one-third of the incidents in Tingen City involving extraordinary powers had been caused by ordinary citizens who only half-understood mysticism yet dared to experiment boldly.

The Official Extraordinary of the churches worked hard to control Underground Trading Markets like Evil Dragon Bar and regulate mystical knowledge precisely to reduce such incidents.

Though the effect was indeed limited...

From Angel's perspective as someone with a slight understanding of mystical knowledge, the magic rituals Triss knew were already very close to the level where they could take effect. It could even be said that if he obtained some materials containing a small amount of extraordinary power, or found a clearly targeted incantation in some occult primer tucked away in a library corner, he might successfully conduct a ritual on some coincidentally suitable date.

Could it be that he had already succeeded?

The moment that thought surfaced, Angel could not help but ask.

"Mr. Triss, it sounds like you're quite experienced with magic rituals. Have you ever succeeded?"

"Sorry, I'm just curious. If you've ever successfully received a response from a deity, I'd feel more confident about my own attempts." Realizing that her question was somewhat intrusive and might make him misunderstand, she added.

"Well..." The awkward expression on Triss's face had already given her the answer. "...You know, magic rituals aren't like Tarot Divination. Successfully establishing contact with those mysterious existences is extremely difficult..."

"Mm, then that's good."

"What?"

"I mean, it's better for a ritual not to succeed than to encounter some unknown, unpredictable existence. At most, you waste some time and materials."

Seeing Triss's astonished expression, Angel could only explain.

Triss frowned and thought for a moment before nodding in agreement.

"You're right. Wasting time is better than wasting your life."

Then he changed the subject and continued, "Still, I think I'm not far from success. Maybe I'm only lacking a bit of Luck, or perhaps I'm not devout enough, or the materials I use are too cheap."

"As it happens, you have quite a few Sandalwood Candles suitable for magic rituals. If we use them, perhaps this ritual will succeed. And my home is in the Docklands, less than five minutes from here..."

Triss did not continue, but his eager, ardent gaze fixed directly on Angel. With the experience of more than thirty years as a man in her previous life, how could she fail to understand the hidden meaning behind his words?

It had to be said that Triss's understanding of mysticism, paired with his likable round face and elegant bearing, might have made Angel rashly agree if she had merely been an ordinary woman interested in mysticism.

But when he made the invitation, Angel's Assassin spiritual intuition suddenly sensed a trace of danger. The intuition was faint, nowhere near the intense warning of "a bayonet will fall the moment I step outside." It was merely a vigilance beneath her surface consciousness toward the irrationality contained in the situation, along with a vague sense of familiarity.

Yes, irrational.

In a place like an Underground Market, a person she had only met once struck up a conversation with her, and within just a few minutes, she had told him where she lived and which deity she believed in. She had been just one step away from following this stranger home to, well, "study magic rituals."

Although Angel did not know how he had achieved this, perhaps he had succeeded many times through his eloquence and appearance and was highly experienced. Or perhaps he was proficient in psychology and could easily win people's trust through simple conversation.

But that did not stop her from decisively refusing once she saw through his intentions.

"Thank you for the invitation, but it's getting late, and it's time for me to go home. Perhaps we'll have another chance to discuss mystical knowledge together. Farewell." Angel gracefully bent her knees in a curtsey. Without waiting for Triss to react, she brushed past him and headed toward the exit of the Underground Trading Market.

Seemingly not expecting the situation to change so abruptly, Triss raised a hand in surprise as though he wanted to stop her, but in the end, he merely opened his mouth without saying anything.

In the night, a pair of watchful eyes stared at the entrance to Evil Dragon Bar.

The crowds entering and leaving the bar did not draw his attention until a round-faced youth dressed as a dockworker emerged from the bar carrying a cloth bag. Only then did he relax all over, as though he had completed his task.

The round-faced youth, Triss, looked around. Only after seeing that no one in the night was paying attention to him and that the guards at the bar entrance had begun to doze off did he slowly stroll to the side of the warehouse opposite the bar and slip into a narrow alley.

"You were in there for so long, I thought you'd been caught."

The cloaked man keeping watch in the alley complained as he grabbed the cloth bag Triss was carrying and slung it over his shoulder without inspecting it. Crimson moonlight shone on the face beneath his hood. He was the mysterious Assassin who had fought Angel not long ago and was now wanted by the Tingen City Police Department. By some unknown means, he had healed his injuries within only a few days and moved without the slightest inconvenience.

"I'm not on a Wanted Notice, so who would come arrest me? You're the one who should be worried. The moment I returned to Tingen, I saw your face on a Wanted Notice at the Steam Train Station. You'd better not cause me trouble. Leave Tingen City as soon as possible!"

Triss answered with a gloomy face. He recalled how, after taking the Steam Train back to Tingen from Emmett Harbor, he had seen the faces of people he knew plastered all over the walls as soon as he arrived. It had scared him so badly that he had nearly bought a ticket to flee Tingen City.

"I was planning to run the day I found out I was wanted, but Mitis said she still had a task for me to complete. It's this week. Once I'm done, I'll leave immediately."

"Mitis... She has no feelings whatsoever for her subordinates. You'd better be careful. If you notice anything wrong, leave Tingen immediately. Don't let her get you killed."

Hearing the cloaked man mention his new superior, Triss could not conceal the disgust in his heart. A trace of disdain appeared on his shy round face as well.

If Mrs. Sharon, who had guided him into the world of Beyonders, had not suddenly died and left him with no way to obtain the subsequent Potion Formula, he would never have wanted anything to do with that infamous witch.

At the thought of Potions, Triss's chest clenched. When he learned from Mitis the name of the subsequent Potion for an Instigator, he could scarcely believe his ears. Her malicious mockery only deepened his discomfort. That was why, when he happened upon the beautiful lady he had met earlier that day in the Underground Trading Market beneath Evil Dragon Bar, he could not resist approaching her, even using the Instigator's language-based Charm ability.

He had not expected that she, who looked innocent and adorable, would be quite vigilant. The moment Triss revealed his true purpose, she snapped awake, decisively rejected his invitation, and hurriedly left Evil Dragon Bar.

He did not dare continue pestering her in the chaotic Underground Market and could only let it go.

Thinking that this might have been his last opportunity before advancing, he could not help feeling regretful.

Since he would be coming to the Underground Trading Market over the next few days to purchase materials anyway, perhaps he might run into her again?

Thinking this, Triss turned back to look once more at Evil Dragon Bar in the night before saying to the cloaked man, "Let's go. We'll deliver the goods to Mitis first. I'll come here on my own tomorrow during the day, so don't follow me. If someone recognizes you, we'll both be in trouble."

The agile Instigator and Assassin swiftly left the alley one after the other beneath the cover of night.