"How did you do it? I tried just now too, but it didn't work."
Edward stated his conclusion outright: "Use Hermes to recite the incantation."
"Stupefy."
Audrey spoke the incantation in Hermes and waved the dragon bone wand. She waited for quite a while, but nothing happened.
She frowned slightly. "No, Hermes can't cast magic at all."
"That can't be right."
She tried several other spells in succession, then said in disappointment, "Still nothing."
Edward scratched his head. "That doesn't make sense."
"There are only two possibilities." Audrey quickly collected herself. "Either I'm still doing something wrong, or... you're special, and only you can use spirituality to cast magic."
"I'm special? What's special about me?"
She smiled, her eyes narrowing into crescents:
"Isn't being able to travel between two worlds special enough?"
For a moment, Edward didn't know how to answer. Was this really another "perk" of transmigration?
"Anyway, I have some good news for you too."
Audrey handed the dragon bone wand to Edward and said with a bright smile, "After I came back from... that place just now, I discovered that the wand had absorbed a trace of gray fog lingering on my spirit body. Then... it became a Beyonder item."
"What?"
Edward took the dragon bone wand, astonished.
"It developed three abilities in total. The first is a passive effect, [Dragon Might]. It enhances my mental abilities, strengthening the Beyonder abilities of the Spectator Pathway while also allowing me to project my mental power to exert pressure on others."
"The second is called [Dragon Scales]. It can cover my skin with a layer of hard dragon scales, which not only protect me from attacks but also enhance my physical abilities. The third is called [Dragon Breath]. I can breathe scorching flames to attack."
"It's practically turning you into a little dragon person."
If he remembered correctly, the Spectator Pathway also had a Beyonder ability called [Dragon Scales], but that only became available at mid-sequence.
"Does it have any negative effects?"
"Yes."
Audrey nodded, looking a little embarrassed. "But they're very minor. I just need to... sleep in a pile of gold coins and jewels after each use."
"..."
Edward was stunned. An ordinary person probably couldn't bear that negative effect, but for Audrey, it was practically nonexistent.
A Beyonder item with an almost negligible negative effect and highly useful abilities! Even in the original novel, something like this was exceedingly rare!
Excitement surged through Edward, and he hurriedly took out his own wand-yet it remained an ordinary wand.
Why was that?
They were both wands, and both had attended the Tarot Club meeting. Why had only Audrey's wand "mutated"? Could it be the material?
That had to be it!
The next time he returned to the Harry Potter World, he would have to find a way to bring some things back and try again.
"So, this time you mastered 'spirituality magic,' and I unlocked the dragon bone wand's Beyonder effects. We both gained something. That's worth celebrating!"
She picked up the two cups of black tea on the table and handed one to Edward. "Cheers."
The two glasses clinked together with a crisp ring.
Audrey boldly drained hers in one gulp, letting out a long "ah" as though she had just downed a large glass of liquor. Then, ignoring the amusement on Edward's face, she continued:
"But I spend most of my time at home, where it's very safe. So whenever you need it, you can use my wand."
The smile on Edward's face faded. "Thank you!"
"Hehe, it's nothing. We've not only traveled to another world together, we've also joined a great, mysterious organization. Apart from Mama, Papa, and my brother, you're the friend I trust most now! Who knows, we might even fight side by side against evil in the future."
The girl's face shone with anticipation for the future.
Miss Justice really was innocent and kind at this stage.
Edward gently set down his cup and said with feigned casualness, "By the way, there's something I've been meaning to tell you too. It's... about why I know so much about your world."
She blinked without saying a word.
"After I arrived in your world, I gained a miraculous Beyonder ability. From time to time, it lets me see fragments of the past or future."
Edward would undoubtedly make frequent use of his knowledge of the plot in the future. Rather than invent lies to fool her each time or avoid the subject, it was better to establish a reason they could both accept and understand beforehand.
Understanding dawned on Audrey. "You can prophesy?"
After thinking for a moment, she asked, "Then who or what do you see most often in your prophecies?"
"Hmm, it seems to be Mr. Fool."
Audrey's eyes instantly lit up, and she couldn't contain her little burst of excitement. "I knew it! Mr. Fool really is the protagonist of this era! Who's the heroine?"
"...There is no heroine."
She paused, then said in an odd tone, "So Mr. Fool likes men?"
"..."
Edward stared at her in astonishment. "Why would you think that? Why does not having a heroine have to mean he likes men?"
Exasperated, he explained:
"There's no heroine, and Mr. Fool doesn't like men either! From beginning to end, he's been working hard to restore his strength so he can face the apocalypse coming in a little over a decade. He simply has no time for romance."
A hint of pity appeared on Audrey's face. "He never falls in love, even by the end of the world? Sorry, I'm sorry, Mr. Fool. What I meant was... you're so great."
"Wait, the end of the world?"
She suddenly registered those terrifying words. "Are you saying our world will face an apocalypse?"
Edward nodded gravely,
"This is an apocalypse that even the gods might not be able to stop. But your sequence is too low right now, so I can't explain it too clearly. Otherwise, you might become corrupted because of it."
"Then did Mr. Fool manage to stop the apocalypse?"
"I don't know. The scenes I see are fragmented too. Besides, because of my appearance, the future may already have changed completely."
"The butterfly effect you often talk about?" She looked thoughtful. "Then what does my future look like?"
"You'll keep advancing along the Spectator Pathway and become an angel serving Mr. Fool."
Audrey froze, unsure for a moment whether she ought to feel happy.
Just then, Susie, who had been staying in the shadows all along, quietly asked, "What about me?"
The two looked at each other. They had completely forgotten Susie's presence just now-she really was well suited to the Spectator Pathway.
"You'll always be Audrey's best partner and her greatest helper."
Susie immediately began wagging her tail happily. "Wonderful!"
Audrey gave a bitter smile. "I really didn't expect you to give me such a huge 'surprise' today. Now I'd rather you had kept hiding it from me. I've only just finished digesting the Sequence 9 potion. Something like the apocalypse is really..."
Edward raised his wand. "Why don't we try a Memory Charm?"
She puffed out her cheeks.
"Hahahaha!"
Both of them laughed.
Something suddenly occurred to her, and she asked excitedly, "Oh! In that case, do you know the formulas for every pathway?"
"Uh... actually, I can't see things in that much detail." I'm certainly not telling you it's because I didn't memorize them!
Audrey looked a little disappointed. "That's such a shame. What are you planning to do next?"
"I only have one goal: advance my sequence as quickly as possible. As for how..."
Edward tried hard to recall the original novel's plot. "The Spectator Pathway's formulas are held by a secret organization. Given your status, it shouldn't take long for you to catch their attention and for them to recruit you."
"What organization?"
"I can't say." Edward shook his head helplessly. The Psychology Alchemists had a hidden connection to the Twilight Hermit Order, and he wasn't sure whether the trait of "whatever is spoken will be known" would take effect.
"The Apprentice Pathway's potions, meanwhile, are held by an ancient family in decline, the Abraham Family."
Edward took out the Master Key. "This is the Beyonder item I just got from the unlucky fellow who wandered into my house by mistake. It's called the Master Key. It was created when a descendant of that family lost control after drinking the Apprentice potion. As long as I can find the place where he was before he lost control, I can obtain the Sequence 8 and Sequence 7 formulas."
So he had to pay Emlyn a visit.
"Wait! You just finished digesting your potion and happened to need the subsequent formulas, and then some unlucky fellow delivered a lead right to your door?" Something suddenly struck Audrey, and she said in surprise:
"Isn't that too much of a coincidence?"
Chapter 24: Emlyn, You Wouldn't Want Your Precious...
"???"
A chill instantly ran down Edward's back. In the world of mysteries, coincidences like this often meant someone had arranged things. Could it be Amon's brother?
He hurriedly looked around, afraid that a priest in white robes might emerge from thin air.
"Right, there's another possibility."
An idea struck Edward. "This could also be the so-called 'Law of Beyonder Characteristic Convergence.'"
"Like that time I was minding my own business at the inn, and Xio suddenly came knocking, which then brought that slacker Fors into the picture. It's the same this time. Emlyn, who had the Master Key, somehow got lost and ended up at my house."
But shouldn't this kind of thing involve high sequences attracting low sequences? Klein has Sefirah Castle, but I'm on one of the cowardly trio pathways too. Surely I don't have a Sefirah Castle as well?
If Audrey hadn't been there, he would have tried taking four steps counterclockwise to see whether he could go Above the Gray Fog.
"Did you think of something?"
Audrey's voice interrupted his thoughts. After considering it, Edward said, "One possibility is that someone really is making arrangements behind the scenes. As far as I know, high-sequence Beyonders of the Spectator Pathway have that kind of ability."
"The other possibility brings us to the Three Fundamental Laws of Beyonder characteristics."
Before you continue