"Alright." Crestet Cesimir nodded, leaning forward slightly, and said, "Then swear an oath by the sacred relic."
As he spoke, he bent down and picked up the silver-white box at his feet.
A sacred relic? The very relic that earned you the title " Sword of the Goddess "? Klein watched the high-ranking deacon's every move with great curiosity.
Crestet placed the box on his lap, his dark green eyes instantly turning deep black.
He raised his right hand and pressed down, and something on the surface of the silvery-white box, which resembled a violin case, shattered and disintegrated, receding like a tide.
Almost at the same second, Klein felt all the surrounding radiance drawn towards the box.
Then he saw that the alchemy room was pitch black, except for the elegant gas lamp itself enclosed by metal grilles, and the box that shimmered with silver light; the scene was exceptionally eerie.
Snap!
With a crisp sound, Crestet Cesimir, one of the nine high-ranking deacons at the heart of the Nighthawks, opened the box, revealing a Pure White bone sword inside.
Yes, a bone sword. As soon as Klein saw this short sword, which was less than a meter long, Klein instinctively felt that its main material was bone!
In the pitch-black alchemy room, where the gas lamps burned silently, the short sword quietly emitted a Pure White, lustrous glow, like the Moon hanging high in the night, comforting people's hearts, or a lighthouse marking the way in a storm.
Its surface appears pure and flawless, but upon closer inspection, one can discover layers upon layers of symbols and markings hidden within, and these mysterious patterns form an inseparable whole with the sword's blade.
Klein stared at the holy sword, suddenly finding himself unable to look away!
His gaze was drawn in, and his brown eyes slowly lost their luster.
At this moment, Crestet moved the box upwards, causing the Pure White dagger to move from its original position.
Klein snapped out of his daze, finally breaking free from the nightmare he had been watching helplessly but couldn't escape.
He turned his gaze to the side and asked solemnly:
"Sir, would you like me to place my hand on this holy sword?"
"Yes, come here." Crestet's voice was like reciting a bedtime story or singing a lullaby.
Klein stood up, glanced sideways, and moved forward step by step. Because it was too dark, he couldn't even see the senior deacon's legs and his slightly worn leather boots.
"Stop," Crestet said calmly.
Klein stopped in his tracks, glanced quickly at the Pure White sword out of the corner of his eye, and then looked away fearfully.
Following that brief second of memory, he bent down, extended his right hand, and accurately placed it on the holy sword.
The cool yet not piercing sensation traveled through his skin to his brain, instantly calming his distracting thoughts and anxieties. It was like stepping into a bustling countryside, sitting on a rooftop, smelling the aroma of Harvest, and quietly gazing up at the Evernight and the Starry Sky.
"Recite after me," Crestet said in a deep voice.
"Okay." Klein nodded.
Then he heard the high-ranking deacon in front of him switch to Hermes:
" The Evernight Goddess, more sublime than the Starry Sky, more enduring than eternity;"
"I swear to you with my true name and my Spirituality."
"From this moment forward, I, Klein, will absolutely not reveal any details about the ' Acting Method ' to anyone who is unaware of it."
"If I disobey, I will be subject to your punishment."
"Please bear witness to my vow."
Klein suppressed his thoughts and, following High Deacon Cesimir, solemnly recited the oath in Hermes.
He vaguely felt that he had established a subtle and hidden connection with that Pure White sword and with some being in the infinite distance.
He withdrew his right hand and drew Crimson Moon on his chest, saying:
Praise the goddess!
"Praise be to the goddess!" Crestet smiled and followed suit.
Then, he snapped the lid shut and pressed his right hand down heavily and slowly.
The darkness was instantly illuminated, and the gas lamp's light once again filled the room.
Klein saw that Senior Deacon Cesimir's eyes, which had turned deep black, also returned to dark green at the same moment.
He backed up into his high-backed chair, frowned slightly, and asked in confusion:
" Acting Method?"
Crestet cleared his throat, not answering the question directly, but instead smiled and said:
"What I'm about to say might confuse you, or leave you puzzled, but I won't explain why, because it involves the Concealment of the church."
"Only when you become an archbishop or a high deacon will you be qualified to know..." Klein thought to himself, glancing at Lord Cesimir, whose collar was turned up high, before answering.
"You will only be allowed to know once you become an archbishop or a high deacon, a core member of the church," Crestet emphasized.
Klein nodded in agreement with a serious and earnest expression.
Crestet placed the silver box back at his feet, crossed his right leg, and said:
"Throughout its long history, the Church has guided generations of Beyonder geniuses, gradually discovering ways to minimize the risk of losing control."
"And the core of this method lies in the name of the Potion; it's not only the key, but also the crucial element."
After glancing at Klein's thoughtful expression, Crestet continued:
"We discovered that the names of Potion all point to a certain group of people, and these groups have similar but unique behavioral patterns. Simply put, Potion names contain certain rules, and different Potion names contain different rules. When we strictly adhere to the rules contained in our own Potion, the risk of losing control is minimized."
"Similar to my ' Seer Code '?" Klein seized the opportunity to ask.
This isn't even as easy to understand as my explanation of " Justice " and " the Hanged Man "... At the same time, he silently complained to himself.
"Yes," Crestet replied affirmatively. "When we follow the corresponding rules of conduct, we appear to become the kind of group described by the Potion's name. In other words, we are ' Acting ' the profession indicated by the Potion's name. Well, that's ' Acting Method.' You must remember that everyone's Spirituality is special and unique. Compared to someone who has taken the same Potion, the core of the rules of conduct that need to be followed will not change, but the corresponding boundaries will be different and unique. Therefore, other people's experiences can only be used as a reference."
That's something I didn't know, a crucial point I missed... Klein said sincerely:
"Thank you for reminding me, I will remember it."
Crestet smiled and said:
"These are all experiences accumulated from generation to generation."
"By using the ' Acting Method,' we are not only mastering the Potion, but also digesting it, just like digesting the food we eat. When you truly digest the Potion and digest the residual mental effects, you will gain a unique and wonderful feeling, understand?"
"I understand. Digestion, that word is very fitting..." Klein pretended to be thinking.
After Crestet explained in more detail for a while, he asked carefully:
"Lord Cesimir, since the names of the Potion are the key, the crucial element, how did the Original Beyonder obtain them? I've heard it was recorded on the Blasphemy Slate?"
"Yes, that's correct," Crestet answered frankly, "But those are all ancient names. Later, the names of Potion evolved from either 'divine revelation' or from the summaries of the Beyonder themselves."
Klein nodded slowly, pursed his lips, and said:
"Lord Cesimir, since the ' Acting Method ' is so effective, why doesn't the church tell every Nighthawks?"
"I told you, this is Concealment of the Church. You'll understand why when you become an archbishop or a high deacon," Crestet replied solemnly. "Alright, go back upstairs and tell the other Nighthawks to come down one by one. I need to conduct the final step of my investigation."
Was this to prevent Frye and the others from revealing the " Acting Method "? Klein stood up thoughtfully, bid farewell according to the etiquette among Nighthawks, and left.
He walked through the corridor, up the stairs, and back to Blackthorn Security Company, where he saw Dunn sniffing his pipe at the underground entrance, having waited for an unknown amount of time.
With a slight smirk, Klein spoke up:
"There shouldn't be any problems. Lord Cesimir instructed me to inform Frye and the others to speak with them one by one."
"Yes, this is the final step, which means there were no problems before." Dunn put away his pipe and went to the Nighthawks's Recreation Room to recount the events.
Watching Frye and Siga descend deeper into the earth, Klein suddenly remembered something and quickly said:
"Captain, should we replace Loyao, who's on duty at Chanis Gate, Leonard's monitoring the mental hospital? Oh, and Kenley, who's on vacation."
Dunn paused, then pinched his temple and said:
"I forgot..."
He paused, then chuckled softly, "However, things won't be too complicated. One of the advantages of a high-ranking deacon personally investigating is that we don't need to send telegrams to the Holy Cathedral or go through tedious paperwork. He can give you a conclusion on the spot and provide you with the formula and main ingredients for the ' Clown ' Potion."
"That's not bad." Klein couldn't contain his anticipation for what was about to happen.
An hour and a half later, after Kenley emerged from the alchemy room with a serious expression and obvious doubt, Klein was summoned back underground to face the high-ranking butler once again, " The Sword of the Goddess," Crestet Cesimir.
This time, the gentleman with golden-brown hair and dark green eyes did not sit, but stood there, letting the coolness of the ground gently rustle his black trench coat.
Crestet's double collars were turned up high, hiding his chin in shadow.
He looked at Klein and smiled slightly:
" Nighthawks Klein Moretti, I solemnly inform you in the name of the Goddess that you have passed the Holy Cathedral's test."
"Congratulations! With your achievements, you are now eligible for promotion to become Sequence 8 Beyonder!"