Sycamore Street.
Aaron paid another visit to Mr. Clark Das.
"Thank you for the gift. You're much too kind."
Holding the decorative ring in his hand, Clark exclaimed in admiration, "Its design is simple and elegant, with the style of the Kagash Kingdom. This is another precious historical artifact... worth at least 100 pounds!"
"I should be the one thanking you, Mr. Dass, for your previous guidance and our transaction."
Aaron waited until the servants had withdrawn, then spoke openly.
Clark studied his eyes, which seemed to glimmer faintly white, and said with certainty, "You've advanced? There's no mistaking the signs of your spirituality leaking out. They'll persist for a while. During this time, beware of the Secret Police and other Beyonders... Of course, as a Beyonder, even after you've recovered, you must still beware of firearms, of becoming obsessed with knowledge, of unfamiliar whispers and illusions, and of reciting strange honorific names..."
That's an awful lot to be wary of... Aaron grumbled inwardly, then suddenly asked, "Since advancing, I feel as if I've gained the ability to divine... I should be able to avoid some of the risks."
Clark shook his head. "You're being too presumptuous. Divination isn't omnipotent. Although anyone with spirituality can perform it through a ritual, the odds of getting it wrong are too high. You can be influenced, interfered with, or even misled..."
Aaron was a little lost. He continued asking questions, and learned something that left him rather stunned.
In the Beyonder world of the present day, accurate divination was actually a very rare ability!
The reason was the harsh environment of the present.
When Aaron first performed divination, everyone in the world was an ordinary person, and he was the only one half a level above them. As a result, there had been