Spirit Summoning

Luther held the lantern above his head, using its light to survey the office.

The security guards were all asleep, so the lantern's glow reflecting off the window glass wouldn't be an issue, provided it wasn't too conspicuous.

Perhaps because Pound was the manager, the office was furnished quite luxuriously and was more spacious than the others. Positioned toward the back in the center of the room was a white oak desk with a matching chair; the wood had a warm, mellow luster that appeared bright and polished under the lamplight.

"Hmm?"

Leonard couldn't help but let out a sound of surprise. "They provide the manager with such high-quality furniture? This company is wealthier than I imagined."

"Is 10 pounds too little?"

Luther chuckled, looking around.

Against the wall stood an iron filing cabinet, which was locked. Beyond the cabinet were a sofa and a coffee table. The sofa's leather looked high-end, and the coffee table was made of black walnut, which was even more expensive than white oak, with a coffee pot and cups resting on top.

Beyond that, the bookcase and the coat rack behind the door also appeared to be of a higher grade.

Leonard leaned in close to the desk, sniffed slightly, and frowned. "The smell of the lacquer is still very strong. It was bought recently."

"So?"

Luther felt Leonard was acting strangely. Weren't they here to investigate an affair? Why was he scrutinizing the desk?

Leonard looked up at him. "The wharf business hasn't been prosperous over the last three months; the stevedores have been working sporadically. How could this shipping company afford to make money, let alone be willing to replace the manager's furniture with such high-end pieces?"

Faced with this questioning, Luther was also taken aback.

"...But they bought it anyway. Who knows why."

At most, this behavior could be called suspicious. Perhaps the company had some private arrangements, but they had no way to verify that right now.

Leonard thought for a moment. Buying a desk didn't seem to prove anything, so he smiled casually and said, "Forget it. Let's get to work first."

He spread his right hand toward Luther, signaling, "Be my guest."

Luther nodded, took the candles, herbs, and essential oils he had prepared in advance from his coat pocket, and lit a candle on the floor.

"Go get that hat from the coat rack."

He said to Leonard, who quickly complied.

Luther took the hat and drew a Spiritual Wall with a silver dagger, sealing off the space within the office. He sat directly opposite the candle, which at this moment symbolized himself.

Luther dripped a drop of Black Rot Essential Oil into the flame; this was an item representing the domain of death. The essential oil hissed as it was scorched and vaporized, and an indescribable odor instantly filled the air.

"Feels like I've stepped into a hospital morgue."

Leonard frowned as he commented.

Luther ignored him and continued to sprinkle Moon Spirit Flower powder into the flame. This flower only bloomed at night, and it was said that when one approached it after dark, one could hear illusory whispers.

The foul smell faded, replaced by a different, serene, and mysterious scent. The air around the candle became peculiar, as if something invisible was disturbing it, creating ripples.

Infected by the atmosphere, Leonard stopped speaking.

Luther took a deep breath and shouted in Ancient Hermes, "I!"

The air near the candle trembled, as if responding to him.

Luther switched to Hermes and continued to chant:

"I summon in my name,"

"The spirit wandering in the void, the upper-world creature whose essence is projected here, the friendly one willing to answer questions."

Whoosh!

The moment Luther finished, the candle flame turned a deep blue and then expanded to the size of a human head. From within the flames, an illusory face emerged.

And then, nothing else.

It was just a face!

The face drifted in mid-air, looking at Luther, seemingly waiting for him to speak.

Luther had seen many grand scenes before and was not in the least bit startled by such a strange existence.

The ritual he was using this time was called a Spirit Summoning Ritual. By using his own spirituality to summon a creature from the Spirit World, he could achieve his goals—the "upper world" in the incantation referred to the Spirit World in occult circles, a peculiar space that did not exist in reality.

The advantage of this ritual was that it bypassed the restrictions of Gods and could leverage the mysterious nature of the Spirit World to enhance one's abilities; the disadvantage was its high uncertainty. The Spirit World was teeming with numerous and strange creatures, and their danger and reliability were both unknown.

Therefore, Luther had specifically added constraints to the incantation: "located here" required the summoned creature to be aware of the situation in this place, while "friendly creature willing to answer questions" was a hope that the other party would have a better attitude.

Now that the Spirit World creature had been summoned, it was time to ask questions.

"Do you recognize the owner of this hat, Mr. Pound?"

Luther picked up the hat and asked.

The face floated there, seemingly conveying the intention of [Confirmation] to Luther.

"Do you know who Mr. Pound's affair partner is... er, can you understand what I mean by that?"

Luther asked with some embarrassment. Unexpectedly, the other party continued to express affirmation—it knew.

"Then can you draw her, or tell me her name?"

Luther asked further.

This time, the illusory face did not answer. It drifted up and down, appearing quite confused.

"Could it be that Mr. Pound has more than one affair partner?"

Leonard interjected in a low voice from the side.

Huh?

Luther was taken aback by these words.

Then how was he supposed to phrase his question?

After some thought, Luther rose from the floor, took a company map from a promotional brochure on the bookshelf, and spread it out on the floor.

"Did Mr. Pound's affair take place within the company?"

The entity gave an affirmative response.

"Then, can you show me the location of his affair?"

Luther asked.

If the location could be determined, the investigation would be much easier.

Upon receiving the entity's confirmation, Luther sliced his finger with a dagger and let his blood drip onto the map, landing precisely on the manager's office where they were currently located.

Blood is a material rich in spirituality and can serve as a medium for a Ritual.

The illusory Spirit World creature stared at the map, and a strange power began to push the blood to move across it. Leonard and Luther both held their breath, watching the trail of the flowing blood, which represented Mr. Pound's daily activity route.

The blood left the office, entered the hallway, circled through various offices once or twice, but did not stop, continuing downward until it exited the office building.

"A tryst in the wild?"

Leonard's low voice was suppressed with amusement.

The blood crossed the courtyard, headed toward the back of the company, moved along the Tassok River, and finally stopped at a river bend marked as the Abandoned Shipyard, circling incessantly.

The blood Luther had dripped gradually pooled at this spot, and under the lamplight, the area turned a deep, purplish red.