Curio

He paused there:

"But what I wanted to talk to you about today has nothing to do with the Gatekeeper."

"What comes next concerns your illness."

Gerald held the booklet in his hand. "Do you know the terms 'Curio' and 'Infection'?"

Richard shook his head.

Gerald flipped the booklet open to a certain page.

"Under normal circumstances, Aether circulates through the world, and most of it naturally dissipates behind The Veil. But a very small amount of Aether is retained by objects."

"Paracelsus named this process Tinctura—infection."

"After an object has undergone Infection for many years, the Aether within it forms stable deposits. It can assist with cultivation or be used as a Casting Medium, and Ciphertext preserved on it is difficult to corrode.

"Objects like these are called Curios in our line of work."

Gerald's gaze fell on Richard.

"The pendant Vincent gave you was a Curio. Under normal circumstances, it would not harm anyone."

"For Muggles... no, ordinary people with absolutely no latent Circuits in their bodies, nothing would happen even if they wore a Curio around their necks for the rest of their lives.

"The Aether that seeped out would disperse after passing through their bodies, like water splashed onto an iron plate—not a single drop could seep in."

There was a pointed meaning behind his words.

"But people with latent Circuits are different. The Aether seeping from a Curio flows along those latent Circuits, scouring and expanding them until the Circuits are activated.

"This process is accompanied by rejection symptoms: fever, fatigue, muscle soreness..."

"So I got sick because of the rejection reaction." Richard understood what he meant.

Gerald nodded, then shook his head.

"Normally, rejection symptoms end after one or two days. It is unpleasant, but never fatal."

His gaze lingered on Richard's face for several seconds, and his brow furrowed.

"I had Vincent bring you that pendant to test whether you had latent Circuits.

"If you did, then after the rejection reaction, you would be qualified to step into the Occult Side.

"If you did not, that pendant would be no different from an ordinary piece of copper to you."

His voice lowered.

"But I never expected your constitution to be so poor."

The coals in the fireplace quietly consumed themselves. Their red glow flickered, deepening the wrinkles on the old man's face.

"A rejection reaction that an ordinary person could endure after two days of fever nearly broke your body.

"A low fever turned into a high fever, and the high fever dragged on until you fell unconscious... This was my responsibility."

Richard looked at his grandfather's face. The guilt he showed at that moment did not seem feigned.

Nor did Richard think he was important enough to make the man put on an act.

The silence lasted several seconds before the old man's expression turned solemn again.

"But you survived in the end."

"To be honest, when I received the letter your mother sent from Briston, I had already prepared for the worst."

The worst-case scenario was probably not that this grandson of his had simply been killed off.

A grandson he had barely seen since childhood was hardly worth mentioning if he died.

What truly mattered was that the Curio used for the test would have been wasted, and the family would have one fewer option in its reserve of young blood.

Once Richard understood the key point, he could not summon much anger.

Rather than cold-bloodedness, this behavior was simply the maximization of efficiency.

Anyone managing resources would make such calculations. It had nothing to do with kindness or goodness.

Pass the test, and he became reserve talent. Fail it, and he remained an ordinary grandson. Both outcomes were within control.

The only variable no one had accounted for was that his body was so frail that the rejection reaction had nearly killed him.

It was a misjudgment caused by asymmetric information, not deliberate murder.

Richard sorted out the account in his mind, and his heart completely calmed.

That was the greatest advantage of dealing with smart people.

There was a clear logic of interest behind every step they took. As long as he understood that logic, it was enough.

He turned his gaze back to his grandfather.

Gerald apparently had no intention of lingering on the subject. He had expressed his guilt; now came the important matter.

"Since your Circuits have been activated, you have already taken the first step yourself."

His gaze settled on Richard's chest.

The existence of the Aether Micro-circulation was probably as obvious to him as seeing whether someone had a beard.

"So the next question is... which direction do you intend to take?"

"There are several committees within the court and administrative systems that are not open to the public. They specialize in handling supernatural affairs and can be considered the Empire's official side. Our Ashford Family has served in this system for generations."

"Official? Does that mean it is the strongest?"

"It has the most resources, the tightest organization, and the greatest power it can mobilize."

Gerald chose his words carefully.

"But words like 'strongest' depend on how you define them."

He did not reveal more, instead introducing another side.

"Besides the official side, some departments at the major top institutions appear to study classical literature, archaeology, or linguistics, but are actually academic organizations researching theories of the Occult Side.

"The Academy system cooperates with the official side, but remains highly independent academically."

The old man looked up at Richard.

"The Classical Society organizing the Cicero Cup you are entering belongs to the outer circle of the Academy system."

He smiled and casually asked, "Someone over there should have approached you already, right?"

Richard concealed the key information. "There are teachers at school who have been rather enthusiastic."

His grandfather did not press the matter. "Then let us leave it at that."

"Besides the official side and the Academy system, there are also civilian mediums, diviners, alchemists, herbalists... People in every profession connected to the Occult Side loosely form Civil Guilds, each with its own sphere of influence."

"I personally recommend that you take the official path." He leaned back in his chair.

"Follow the Ashford Family's route and enter the civil service from the bottom. I will arrange the resources and connections for you."

His gaze shifted to the window. The curtains were drawn tight, with a sliver of lamplight leaking from beneath their edge.

"You can also take the academic route through the Classical Society."

"The two paths do not conflict."

"Many people operate within both systems at once. You will meet some of them when you go to the competition. Your younger aunt will be among them; she is involved in both."

Richard noted the phrase "younger aunt." His mother rarely mentioned her siblings.

Gerald looked directly into Richard's eyes.

"Even if you choose not to enter the official system, the family will still provide you with the support you need."

The study fell quiet for several seconds.

"Is this compensation?"

"It is what I owe you."

After saying that, he rose from his chair, walked to the far-right side of the bookshelf, bent down, and began searching for something.