Potions Can't Be Eaten Randomly

Those who have read the original work of Lord of the Mysteries know that taking potions across pathways is extremely dangerous. Losing oneself and going mad are the least of it; a slight misstep can lead to complete loss of control.

If the human body were a game, then potions would be like mods. Potions of the same sequence are a series of mods; as long as they are installed in order, there will be no problem.

Mods of adjacent sequences are compatible under certain conditions. After installing the basic mods (low and mid sequences), you can switch them out.

As for non-adjacent pathways, they are naturally conflicting mods. Installing them carelessly will cause the game to crash.

However, the pathway provided by Sno's golden finger violates this rule. Each of its sequences is completed by directly taking potions from other sequences to advance.

The reason for this is that the Origin Quality called [White Horse is Not a Horse] has the function of imprinting the mental imprint of its own sequence into the potion—

This is like applying a compatibility patch to a mod.

For example, when he was an ordinary person, he advanced to Sequence Nine [Donkey of Buridan] by taking the [Secret Speaker] potion.

When he wanted to advance to Sequence Eight [Pavlov's Dog], in addition to taking the [Attendant of Mysteries] potion, which also belongs to the Secret Speaker pathway, he could also advance by drinking the Sequence Eight potions of [Fallen Angel], [Madman], and [Beast Tamer].

However, a compatibility patch is just a compatibility patch. After applying it, it can run compatibly, but minor bugs like clipping, tearing, or feet leaving the ground are unavoidable.

The modification of potions by White Horse is Not a Horse only injects a stronger mental imprint. This means the original mental imprint in the potion is not removed, so Sno must digest two mental imprints simultaneously when digesting the potion.

Of course, this doesn't mean Sno has to split his personality and play two roles at once, because the role-playing of the Paradox Path is mandatory—

Simply put, it's a negative state that is equivalent to "forced role-playing" in principle. Once you try to resist, you will slide towards loss of control.

Just like the [Donkey of Buridan] he currently possesses, while playing the role of a Secret Speaker to digest the potion, he also carries a debuff called [Indecisiveness]. Once two equally valid options appear, unless a reason is given for the choice, he will get stuck due to his inability to make a choice. If he tries to force a choice, he will begin to lose control until he stops this dangerous behavior or completely turns into a monster.

Fortunately, apart from this debuff, which weakens as the potion digestion progresses, this cross-pathway potion-taking behavior does not increase the risk of losing control or affect the potential for further advancement. The only difference lies in the Supernatural Abilities obtained after advancement.

Taking his current [Donkey of Buridan] as an example, the characteristics of this Sequence Nine are endurance and inspiration several times that of ordinary people, certain appraisal abilities, and considerable knowledge and talent in Ritual Magic.

The potions required are [Diviner], [Monster], and [Secret Speaker]. Depending on which potion is taken, there will be certain preferential changes. For example, drinking the Diviner potion enhances appraisal abilities, drinking the Monster potion enhances inspiration, and drinking the Secret Speaker potion grants more knowledge of Ritual Magic.

However, for Sno now, these are all secondary. The most important function of this Origin Quality is the abilities of higher sequences of this pathway that it possesses, such as the most crucial power that blocked the pollution of the Starry Sky, the gaze of True Gods, and the perception of 0-08—[Concept Swap].

In terms of consumption, the sequence to which this ability belongs should not be high, but by activating it through the Origin Quality, it can gain the status of a True God.

However, powerful abilities often come with great costs. The reason Sno can support this ability that can even shield the pollution of the Starry Sky is entirely due to the Uniqueness that has completely merged with him—[A Foot of Rod] (in a sense, Sno can be considered a Uniqueness spirit like Ammon, just without the Extraordinary Characteristic).

As the saying goes, "A foot of rod, taking half each day, will never be exhausted." This Uniqueness's ability is simple and crude. It is the concretization of the Paradox Path's authority, directly distorting the rules of infinite subdivision and orders of magnitude, capable of producing spiritual essence almost infinitely.

The price is merely putting half of Sno's spiritual essence into an unusable state.

If there is any deficiency, it is that the upper limit of spiritual essence output from this Uniqueness is only one-quarter of Sno's total spiritual essence.

It is with this power, akin to a Perpetual Motion Machine, that Sno can activate [White Horse is Not a Horse] around the clock to resist the risks posed by the knowledge from "Lord of the Mysteries" in his mind.

The headache caused by the activation of White Horse is Not a Horse gradually subsided. Sno perked up, pushed the window open a crack, and gently placed his hand on the little kitten's head. As the white horse appeared in his mind, his spiritual energy began to drain again.

However, the consumption this time was not exaggerated, only a tiny bit more than Sno's spiritual energy recovery rate in a semi-meditative state.

As his spiritual energy was drawn out, Sno found a comfortable position and lay down. The little kitten, meanwhile, turned into a streak of dark light and zipped out the window.

Rune Shorthair Cat, as the name suggests, is a native breed of Rune. Due to its docile nature and excellent adaptability, it is widely loved by all classes. Especially its strong rat-catching talent makes this cat equally popular among commoners. In fact, during the Age of Great Navigation, they were even kept as ship cats.

In such an environment, a kitten wandering the streets is not something to be concerned about, even if it runs much faster than its peers.

After all, in most people's eyes, cats are elusive creatures.

In a dilapidated courtyard, on the second floor of an azure blue house, in a bedroom without lights.

A young girl with a round face and a gentle, sweet demeanor was sitting at a vanity, playing with a wooden puppet that wasn't particularly exquisite.

Just then, her spiritual energy suddenly gave her a premonition. Almost instinctively, she cast her gaze towards the silver mirror placed at one corner of the vanity, but the deliberately frosted surface showed no abnormalities.

"You rely too much on Extraordinary Abilities." A slightly sharp voice came from above her head. The girl almost instantly reached for the hidden pocket at her waist, but at the next moment, she stopped her movement.

She looked up at the black kitten that had somehow entered the room and said with a cold face:

"Didn't I give you a way to contact me?"

"I'm not so foolish as to use the method given by a witch to communicate, just as you never use the method of sacrificing to My Lord to transfer items." The kitten deliberately emphasized the word "witch." The girl's brow furrowed slightly, but she still said:

"I've gotten the notes you wanted. Is there anything else?"

The protagonist's ability to shield himself from true gods/old ones is not because the [Concept Swap] ability is so powerful that it can directly affect true gods/old ones with just one Origin Quality buff, but rather a more cunning method to evade the perception of true gods.

The reason he can ponder knowledge of the starry sky, know the secrets of true gods, and even discuss Adam in Ancient Dragon Language without attracting attention is because before this knowledge, language, and the world interact, the "toxicity" on them has been erased by the "Concept Swap" ability, and their mystical "influence" has been eliminated, thus failing to attract the attention of true gods or old ones.

To use the analogy of police catching thieves: if the true god is the police and the protagonist is the thief, then the Concept Swap ability does not affect the police's intelligence, but rather erases the traces of the crime, making the police completely unaware that a crime has occurred.