The windows at the top of the Clock Tower were shut. The air reeked intensely of mechanical lubricant, and the floor illuminated by the Kerosene Lamp was piled with spare parts and maintenance components for the clockwork.
On the western wall hung a complete maintenance manual. Its black lines formed simple illustrations, describing the repair procedures in as much detail as possible.
"For Ring Arcanists, knowledge and power are actually one and the same."
The Doctor continued speaking as he bent down to place the suitcase on the floor. After carefully opening it, he revealed the expensive ritual materials Shade had prepared for this.
"You really are willing to spend money. Even if you can buy cheap smuggled goods, these materials would still cost no less than four figures in Gold Pounds."
The Doctor sighed and began setting things up with Shade.
"Yes, for Ring Arcanists, knowledge and power are practically synonymous."
As he agreed, Shade carefully placed the suitcase he was carrying against the wall. Dangerous items were stored inside it.
They crouched together on the floor, using blue chalk to draw the lines of the Ritual Matrix. Doctor Schneider was far better than Shade at drawing circles freehand. The matrix of this ritual roughly resembled intricately nested clock faces.
"Those obsessed with power become lost, and those obsessed with knowledge can become lost as well. I once heard someone say that, for the wise, Wisdom itself is their greatest enemy."
The Doctor said this, and Shade added with a smile:
"I've heard another saying: knowledge is bait cast upon the ocean of ignorance."
He set down the chalk and mixed powder ground from the clock stone's Stone Heart with the extracted fluid from the Two-Headed Red-Eyed Demon Wolf's Heart. After confirming that the mixture had turned the blue