Spirit Vision

Ma'am, you look like you really want to punch me. Is it because of the Bird's Beak? But honestly, if it weren't for its appearance, I never would have sold it for just 800 pounds...

Lorry gave an awkward chuckle and said politely:

"Hello, ma'am. We meet again.

"I need you to fulfill the promise you owed me from our last transaction."

She remained silent, but the anger in her eyes burned a little hotter.

Lorry wisely refrained from bringing up their previous transaction again and got straight to the point:

"Help me investigate Baron Percival.

"Well, I can provide some basic information:

"For example, he lives in Empress Borough, is a member of the Quelaag Club, and has extensive ties to certain gangs in East Borough."

"Your address." After more than ten seconds of silence, the woman spoke coldly.

Seeing that she had kept her emotions firmly under control, Lorry secretly breathed a sigh of relief and said cheerfully, "Room 713, the apartment building at 198 Neeson Street."

"Just mail the results of your investigation there."

-He had rented it for an entire month, and only a few days had passed. It would serve nicely as a firewall against any unexpected trouble.

The woman nodded silently, then turned and left the small room.

The gathering ended.

Xio and Fors removed their disguises somewhere secluded, quickly hailed a carriage by the roadside, and returned to their home in Hillston District.

"I thought you wouldn't be able to resist beating that fellow up." Fors lounged on the sofa, cradling a cup of steaming coffee.

Xio shot her friend a sideways glance:

"I'm not stupid.

"Mr. A would kill me.

"Besides, apart from its appearance, that Mystical Item really has very few negative effects."

She exhaled, walked over to the opposite sofa, and sat down, recounting what had happened in the small room. "He asked me to help investigate Baron Percival.

"But I've never even heard of this baron.

"Fors, haven't you attended lots of aristocratic salons?"

"Baron Percival?" Fors murmured, looking thoughtful, then shrugged. "I don't know him either."

Hearing that, Xio said fretfully, "We still have to help Miss Audrey find Qilingus. How are we supposed to find the energy to investigate someone we don't even know..."

Before she could finish, she heard a soft laugh from the opposite sofa.

Xio looked at her friend in confusion. "Fors?"

Fors looked back at her, her eyes brightening slightly:

"I've got an idea!

"We don't know Baron Percival, but that doesn't mean nobody else does.

"Xio, don't you often pass information to Miss Audrey? Why not ask that distinguished young lady?"

"Right! Why didn't I think of that?!" Xio pumped her fist excitedly.

Fors pursed her lips, suppressing her instinctive urge to take her friend down a peg, and rose from the sofa with her coffee:

"I'll leave this little matter to you. I have to get back to work. My editor said that if I don't turn in my manuscript tomorrow, she'll hang herself outside our front door..."

Xio fell silent for a few seconds. Imagining opening the door to find a hanging corpse, she couldn't help shuddering and glared at her friend:

"Then why aren't you getting on with it?"

64 Iris Street.

The second-floor study.

With the pressure of writing off his shoulders, Lorry turned his attention back to mysticism.

He reclined leisurely in the easy chair, holding the elderly Eye of Wisdom gentleman's mysticism notebook and diligently absorbing the knowledge within.

"The nonphysical part of a human being is divided into four layers:

"The innermost is the spirit body...

"The astral body...

"The mental body...

"The outermost layer is the ether body... Spirit Vision allows one to observe the ether body, as well as see wraiths, ghosts, spirits, and the like."

Lorry quietly repeated the description of Spirit Vision, his brow furrowing slightly as he felt an inexplicable sense of familiarity.

Suddenly, he slapped his thigh:

"Isn't this just Yin-Yang Eyes?

"Of course, their descriptions are merely similar. The latter is made up, while the former is the most basic skill of a Beyonder.

"My spirituality-or rather, the spirituality of the Marauder pathway-is fairly abundant. That much was clear from how effortlessly I performed a ritual before.

"The notebook says that some pathways lean toward strengthening the physical body at low sequences, so their spirituality is quite meager, barely stronger than an ordinary person's.

"I wonder which sequences those are.

"That elderly Eye of Wisdom gentleman really does love his riddles..."

A few stray thoughts arose, and Lorry easily dismissed them.

He sat upright, slowly finished the black tea on the table, then quietly closed his eyes and meditated, bringing his body and mind into harmony.

Lorry intended to practice Spirit Vision and master the skill as soon as possible.

Clearly, he had a good aptitude for mysticism.

His first and second attempts failed, but on his third, Lorry successfully activated Spirit Vision and saw the colors of his own aura.

"The world of mysticism really is marvelous.

"Unfortunately, it also comes with endless danger and catastrophe. The slightest carelessness could send you tumbling into an abyss, with no way back."

He murmured those reflections to himself.

Then he slowly reined in his mind and deactivated Spirit Vision.

Over the next half hour, Lorry repeatedly activated and deactivated Spirit Vision to improve his proficiency. Following the method described by the elderly Eye of Wisdom gentleman, he also successfully anchored it to a simple gesture.

-This meant that whenever Lorry wanted to activate or deactivate Spirit Vision in the future, he would no longer need to go through all that trouble. He only had to lightly pinch his middle finger twice with his right thumb.

As he practiced diligently, his spirituality drained rapidly. Soon, he felt a faint stabbing pain deep inside his head, accompanied by mild auditory hallucinations.

Thanks to the mysticism notebook, Lorry knew these were signs that his spirituality was about to run dry. He quickly stopped practicing and returned to his bedroom to recover through sleep.

He slept exceptionally soundly, only waking after noon the next day.

After a quick wash and lunch, Lorry took the latest manuscript of Young Roselle and posted it in a mailbox two streets away.

With that troublesome task out of the way, Lorry felt pleasantly unburdened. After a moment's thought, he hailed a carriage and gave the address of the Sugar Shooting Club.

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

As the rapid gunshots rang out, the target thirty meters away shattered.

Clap, clap, clap... Applause sounded. Lorry looked toward it and saw a man in shooting attire smiling and giving him a thumbs-up.

He smiled and nodded in acknowledgment, then handed the revolver back to Wendy.

"That'll be all for today."

"All right, Mr. Raven. I hope to see you at the club again tomorrow." Assistant instructor Wendy beamed as she warmly bade him farewell.

It was hard for her not to be enthusiastic.

-He had used at least two pounds' worth of ammunition that day. Under the assistant instructors' pay scheme, she would receive nearly fifteen soli in commission.

Members that generous didn't come along every day.

After washing himself thoroughly several times and making sure almost no smell of gunpowder remained on him, Lorry changed clothes and left the Sugar Shooting Club.

Following his memory, he made his way along the streets.

Before long, he reached the entrance to the police station.

"Deliver this to Inspector Gana inside, and this one soli is yours." Lorry called over a newsboy from the roadside, waved the paper and banknote in his hand, and pointed at the police station.

The newsboy's eyes lit up, and he reached out to snatch both.

"Deliver it first. You'll get paid when you come back out." Lorry chuckled, deftly shifting his fingers to conceal the one-soli banknote in his palm.

The newsboy's eyes darted about before he nodded. "All right. Wait here for me." With that, he took the paper and ran toward the police station.