Three Grimoires!

After Iver drank the hallucinogenic coffee, the coffee shop's originally forest-themed decor suddenly changed.

The surrounding brown wooden walls suddenly grew larger and taller, and all the decorations shattered into pieces and then came together again.

What was once a coffee shop has now expanded into a colossal building resembling a giant's palace. The wooden structure has been replaced by solid brick and stone, and the light has dimmed.

The books that were previously on the bookshelf have all been transformed into completely different books through this fragmented reconstruction. The light of the setting sun has also become as dim as night... Several candles that were not there before have inexplicably lit up in the room.

Perhaps it was the sudden change in perspective, or perhaps it was a side effect of the coffee... Iver only dared to stand up after the intense dizziness and weightlessness subsided.

He turned to look at Hypatia.

At this moment, she was no longer the petite elf girl she once was, but a beautiful woman at least thirty years old with a mature demeanor.

She had long, wavy hair as brilliant as gold, with strands of deep red, like highlights, mixed in with the color of the sun. Her pupils were no longer amber, but a deep blue, ever-rotating twelve-pointed star.

Her clothes were also completely different from before, now a magnificent purple robe. The robe was covered with constellations connected by golden lines in geometric patterns, and she held a long staff in her hand—the staff was surrounded by an eight-pointed star, and inside floated a constantly rotating icosahedron.

"Go pick out a book first."

When Hypatia spoke again, it had become a mature and intellectually indifferent tone in Iver's ears. "As for the free gift... I need to prepare it properly."

"Don't worry, I'll choose the best weapon for her—I have no use for weapons that Path of Adaptation anyway. Consider it a testament to our friendly cooperation."

With that, she vanished in a blur, just like the bookshelf that had been flipped open earlier. Iver couldn't even be sure whether he was hallucinating or if she had simply turned into fragments.

Iver turned to look at the bookshelf.

On those enormous bookshelves, scattered red and purple lights shimmered.

The small lights are like stars, and the large lights are like the sun.

However, Iver ignored them—because Iver was not there to find the Grimoire for himself.

His own construction is already quite complete, and it is difficult to strengthen it by obtaining a Grimoire.

Iver closed his left eye and observed them using only his right eye.

After a brief period of darkness, the vibrant colors came back on.

After adjusting for a moment, he looked for the books that shone with a green glow and checked their names.

—The Corpse Remnants Grimoire.

This seems to be Gray Angel's ability, possibly a degraded version of the Silken Grimoire...

—The Killing Intent Grimoire.

Iver also remembered this; it was Grimoire that every assassin had to learn, and it was very powerful.

Since it's with Hypatia, it means it's currently in a state of being lost, which is good... at least it means it hasn't been obtained by anyone else.

—The Feline Fallacies.

This esoteric text records the "Cat Transformation Art." Those who Path of Adaptation can acquire "Cat Steps," "Feline Swiftness," and "Cat Language" through study, and those who are proficient can transform themselves into a cat.

Lily might be interested, but who knows? After all, werewolves are dogs in a way, and cats and dogs don't get along...

—" On the Treatise on Golden Shackles and Silver Locks".

This is a book by the author and screenwriter of The Path of Beauty.

"... Found it."

Iver found the book he was looking for.

It was a thin picture book with detailed explanations.

—"Hell Transformation · Deduction"

This book belongs to the Path of Beauty, a mystical text exclusive to the profession of "painter." It can greatly enhance illusion-related abilities, allowing one to learn "Pain Illusion." This is a crucial boost that Iver found for Isabel... With it, Isabel truly possesses combat power.

It is not considered Grimoire, therefore it only occupies one of the freebie slots.

Iver picked it up first because the book was actually a companion piece.

As Iver held up the book, a faint green light gradually appeared in his eyes.

He went straight there and took the book down.

—The Puppet Mask Grimoire.

This was the primary purpose of Iver's visit.

It doesn't look like a Grimoire at all. Its cover clearly reads "The Identification and Care of Jewelry," and if it weren't for the brilliant green light that Iver's right eye saw, he would have thought it was just an ordinary book.

When Iver placed * Hell Transformation · Deduction: The Deduction* on top of * The Puppet Mask Grimoire *, both books underwent changes—

They were as if glued together. Iver forcefully tore "Hell Transformation · Deduction" apart—with a tearing sound, its name became "Hell Transformation · Puppet Show".

The Puppet Mask Grimoire, on the other hand, is like having a layer of skin peeled off, revealing its internal structure.

This book was smaller than the previous disguised book. It was pure white, like ivory, and its surface looked like a human face, or perhaps a white mask.

This book enables those who aspire to advanced careers in the Path of Beauty "Tragedy Performer," "Comedy Actor," or All-rounder in the acting field, to acquire the mysterious skill of "Puppet Mask."

Its function is very simple.

It's about creating unique masks.

If someone else puts on her mask, that person can transform into Isabel's appearance, then her consciousness can control their body, and they can use Isabel's abilities.

If one wears another person's mask, one can transform into that person's appearance and be briefly controlled by that person's consciousness, while also temporarily using that person's abilities.

— That is, a "Double Act".

This is the most powerful ability in the acting field. After using the mask to transform, one can control the other person, or not—if not, it's equivalent to creating a clone. And all the abilities this clone can use are based on the actor's own illusionary skill level.

Isabel already has the [Resilient Illusion] ability, and also the new [Cunning Spell] ability.

Barring any unforeseen circumstances, her power structure will likely focus entirely on illusion magic. It's clear that she has no chance of succeeding Betina Tia Blooming Flowers as the Queen of Flowers of the original timeline.

However, Yanis's mastery of illusion magic is not deep enough. She is a master Art Grandmaster, with some knowledge of other art forms, but no expertise in any of them.

In other words, Isabel will have to rely on herself from now on.

—But what good artistic heritage can be found in Avalon? Either go to the Iris to trick a few heritages back, or come to the Theocracy to find the Grimoire. The latter is definitely more promising than the former—after all, if you get the Grimoire, you can trick some skill heritages, but if you get the skill heritages, you still can't get the Grimoire.

Iver carefully put the two books away and placed them back on the table, waiting for the effects of the drug to wear off.

During this time, since he had nothing better to do, he found a few purple occult books and began to peruse them.

Sherlock, who was the first to drink the coffee, was the first to break free from the hallucination.

Although Hypatia hadn't let him hear the previous conversation, after Sherlock regained consciousness, looked around, and discovered the box was gone, he roughly understood what had happened.

Are the books here really that expensive?

Sherlock was secretly alarmed.

He had one book, Lily had one, Iver had one, and there were two in front of him. That made a total of five books... and hundreds of thousands of White Crown Coin were gone just like that.

Although the Hermes were a prominent family, their financial situation wasn't particularly good. Or rather, all the knightly families that didn't accept bribes from Lloyd's didn't have much money.

This is the price of taking the right path.

And Iver casually pulled out tens of thousands of White Crown Coin for himself...

This was something that the proud Sherlock found hard to accept for a moment.

Even though they were close friends, this was far too much. A small manor in Avalon only costs four or five thousand White Crown Coin... not counting the antiques and decorations inside, this was equivalent to the value of ten Hermes Manor.

Even the great artist who kept Iris as a mistress wouldn't pay this price! But Sherlock knew that Iver would never agree to let him put the book back. He might even think it showed their relationship was too distant and could anger him.

... Is there any other way to save Iver some money?

Sherlock thought about it seriously.

Even if Iver didn't care about the money, he still couldn't accept such an expensive gift with a clear conscience.

Or perhaps we could try to get Iver some extraordinary items or mysterious books...

At that moment, Iver also exhaled and regained consciousness.

He looked around and immediately spotted Sherlock: "Which one did you choose?"

Sherlock opened the book for Iver to see.

—The Fool's Eulogy Grimoire.

"Great taste, very good. Perfect for you."

Iver gave a thumbs-up in praise, "I have nothing more to say."

This was the first book he chose for Sherlock, and it's also the most valuable one here. Like the "Killing Intent Grimoire," it's the absolute core of the entire profession. Without it, the gameplay becomes very rigid.

The effect of "Foolish Chant" is incredibly powerful—simply put, once activated, it eliminates all casting elements of the Path of Wisdom, such as chanting and rituals, at the cost of increased mana cost and cooldown, thereby significantly reducing the casting time of almost all spells.

For most spells, the reduction is almost instantaneous. And many spells have no cooldown.

This ability can be turned on and off at will, making it very flexible. There's also no need to Mental Cultivation Method.

Sherlock, however, raised an eyebrow.

—I haven't even explained to you what the use of the knowledge recorded in this book is yet, so how do you know the effects of this lost Grimoire?

Where is Lily?

Lily handed the book to Iver for a look. The cover read "The Ovum Moon Grimoire".

"... Is there a book on Path of Adaptation?"

Iver stroked his chin, and it took him a while to realize. "It seems to be Grimoire of the Path of Love?"

"If the young master needs something else, I can replace it with something else."

Lily said without hesitation.

"No, the Grimoire... aside from the necessary transmission, it still depends on individual compatibility. Although I don't know why you chose this one, there must be a reason. Trust your intuition!"

Iver laughed.

He looked at Hypatia, who had returned to behind the counter. "We've made our choice, Ms. Hypatia."

Upon hearing this, Hypatia came over to check. "The ' Ovum Moon Grimoire '... it's quite suitable for you, the duality of love and adaptation. The ' Puppet Mask Grimoire '? Did you bring it for someone else? And this..."

When she saw the book in Sherlock's hand, her eyes widened immediately. "The Fool's Eulogy Grimoire?"

"... What's wrong?"

Sherlock felt uneasy.

"Oh, it's nothing. I'm just a little surprised that your level in the Path of Authority is so high. The fact that this book has chosen you shows that in addition to wisdom and authority, you also have an adaptability that Path of Transcendence, child."

"What?!" Sherlock was taken aback, even feeling a little guilty: How could someone as loyal and patriotic as me have the adaptability to Path of Transcendence? Only then did he realize what the thumbs-up gesture Iver had just given him meant.

That sly Fox! I knew he wouldn't say anything nice!