Dunn Smith's gray eyes stared straight into Klein's eyes. For a full minute, he said nothing.
Under the pressure of that silence and that gaze, Klein did not shrink back or avert his eyes. He steadily returned the other man's gaze.
"You should understand that once you drink the potion, there's no chance to regret it." Finally, Dunn spoke again, his voice low and devoid of emotion.
Klein smiled and said:
"I know, but I respect the voice in my heart."
First, Sleepless did not meet his needs, and judging by the description, neither did Spectator from the Tarot Gathering. As for other Beyonder pathways, he had no idea when he might encounter them. Distant water could not put out a nearby fire, so there was no need to wait. By the same reasoning, Corpse Collector was also ruled out, leaving only Mystery Pryer and Seer.
Given the premise that Sequence potions were equally dangerous, his inability to obtain more information, and the fact that both Mystery Pryer and Seer suited his requirements, Emperor Roselle's words were enough to tip his inner scales, regardless of whether the emperor had written them casually or truly regretted not choosing Apprentice, Marauder, or Seer.
Moreover, his diary showed that as long as one understood the true meaning of "digestion" and "acting," the potion's negative effects could be avoided to the greatest extent possible. As for those corrupting, maddening whispers and illusory temptations, he had already encountered them without even becoming a Beyonder!
"All right." Dunn Smith stood up and picked up his black, half-height top hat. Putting it on, he said, "Come underground with me."
Klein nodded and gave a grateful gentleman's bow.
Tap, tap, tap. The two descended, their footsteps echoing far through the silent, empty staircase and corridors.
Klein suddenly felt a little nervous and searched for something to say:
"Captain, you said that drinking a potion doesn't directly grant the corresponding knowledge of mysticism, only the qualifications to learn and master it. Where did the earliest knowledge of mysticism come from? Did our predecessors risk their lives to discover it bit by bit, or did it come from somewhere else?"
Every time he came underground, he found the air quite fresh. Clearly, the ventilation was very good, but in such surroundings, the occasional gust of wind was truly unnerving.
Dunn turned his head to glance at him, his gray eyes unusually deep in the dim light.
He answered evenly:
"First, the exploration you mentioned, followed by consolidation and improvement. Second, gifts from the deities. Third, heh, those dangerous 'whispers' that others cannot hear aren't always meaningless, delirious ravings. Occasionally, occasionally, they do describe matters concerning mysticism. But as far as I know, everyone who truly listened to them and continued listening over a long period went mad or degenerated into a monster, without exception. Of course, we should thank them. The notes they left behind are a precious treasure in the field of mysticism."
Human guinea pigs...? The underground chill seeped into him, and Klein suddenly shivered:
Will my Luck Enhancement Ritual, which turned into 'friendship magic,' always come with those maddening, terrifying whispers from now on? Will it have the same effects?
At the crossroads, Dunn neither continued toward the Chanis Gate nor turned toward the weapons, materials, and archives storeroom. Instead, he led Klein left, toward Saint Selena Cathedral.
Halfway there, he stopped and activated something Klein could not identify, opening a concealed door.
"This is our Nighthawks team's alchemy room. I'll have Old Neil go inside the Chanis Gate to collect the Seer potion formula and the corresponding ingredients. Heh, you're fortunate. The Goddess is watching over you. There should still be two sets of Seer ingredients left; otherwise, you'd have to wait a long time." Dunn pointed into the room. "Wait here, then watch Old Neil through the entire process of preparing the potion. This is among the most basic aspects of mysticism. Hmm, don't touch anything inside. The objects are either dangerous, expensive, or both dangerous and expensive."
At this point, just as before, Dunn added:
"Right, I forgot something else. You're becoming a Beyonder because of the need to deal with danger and find the notebook. Your contributions are only part of the reason, so you cannot become a formal member of the team yet. You'll remain a civilian staff member, receive the corresponding salary, and continue doing the work I assigned earlier. You'll simply have to learn a great deal of additional mysticism from Old Neil. Arrange the timing between yourselves."
"All right." Apart from some resentment over not getting a raise, Klein supported everything else wholeheartedly.
According to Dunn, even after drinking the potion, there was still a process of learning and mastery. Becoming a formal member immediately and taking part in missions involving supernatural incidents would truly be asking for death.
Dunn turned around and took two steps toward the crossroads, then suddenly turned back.
"There's one more thing."
I knew it... Klein had already grown accustomed to the captain's particular "style."
"Our earlier operation against the Secret Order yielded some results," Dunn said, his expression unchanged. "They probably won't dare provoke us again in the short term, but don't let your guard down. We still cannot confirm how important that Antigonus Family Notebook is to them. From what we discovered, they have indeed preserved certain ancient customs. We can confirm their connection to the Solomon Empire and the fallen nobles of that era."
"I understand. Thank you, Captain," Klein said, letting out a breath.
This was also one of the reasons he had been unwilling to wait and had eagerly seized the opportunity to become a Beyonder!
After watching Dunn leave and making sure he would not turn back to add anything else, Klein slowly entered the alchemy room.
Long tables stood inside, covered with test tubes, droppers, scales, and beakers. It looked remarkably like the chemistry laboratories he had seen in his previous life, only more rudimentary and antiquated.
There were also large iron cauldrons, black wooden ladles, clear crystal balls, and other objects, along with strange symbols such as the Sacred Emblem of Darkness, which could be seen everywhere. They lent the place an air of mystery.
Klein looked around with considerable interest but resisted the urge to touch anything.
After a while, footsteps approached, and Old Neil entered carrying a small silver case with intricate patterns. He still wore his old-fashioned black robe, which did not fit the times, and a round-brimmed felt hat of the same color.
"Lad, I didn't expect you to choose Seer." As Old Neil set down the silver case, he glanced at Klein with his slightly cloudy, dark-red eyes. "You're just as individualistic as I was back then, not following the crowd. Good. Light these gas lamps and close the concealed door."
"All right." Suppressing a shiver, Klein lit the gas lamps in the alchemy room one by one, allowing their dim light to reign over the place once more.
With a grinding sound, the concealed door closed. He turned and approached Old Neil, whose hair was graying and whose eyes and mouth were deeply lined, and saw him brush the large black iron cauldron with several strange twigs tied together.
"Sequence potions are all very simple to prepare, at least below Sequence 7. They require no special flames, no additional rituals, not even incantations or the involvement of your own spirituality. All you need to do is add the correct quantities of ingredients in the order listed in the formula, then give it a stir." Old Neil smiled, his wrinkles seeming to blossom.
"Really?" Klein asked in considerable surprise.
That sounds as simple as my Luck Enhancement Ritual...
Hiss, that's a little terrifying when I think about it...
"Perhaps this is a gift from the deities. Praise the Goddess." Old Neil traced a circle over his chest in a decidedly irregular manner.
Then he opened the small silver case and took out an aged-looking roll of parchment.
The yellowish-brown parchment unfurled inch by inch, revealing the words on it. Klein strained to look and discovered that they were written in the Hermes he knew.
They were written in bloodlike ink that still seemed to flow, but apart from that, there was nothing else extraordinary about them.
"Seer: 100 milliliters of pure water + 13 drops of night vanilla juice + 7 golden mint leaves..." Klein silently read the formula, but Old Neil's elbow happened to block the remainder from view.
"Pure water is water that has been distilled repeatedly. I happened to make some earlier, so there's no need to waste time." As he explained, Old Neil deftly picked up a large, sealed, graduated glass bottle from the long table.
He opened the lid and casually poured about 100 milliliters of pure water into the large iron cauldron.
Klein did not dare ask any questions, afraid of disrupting the preparation. After all, he would be the one drinking the resulting potion.
"Thirteen drops of night vanilla juice. This can be extracted and made into an essential oil for storage beforehand." Old Neil took a small brown bottle from the silver case and used a dropper to casually add thirteen drops to the large iron cauldron.
A faint, soothing fragrance spread, and Klein's mood unconsciously grew calm.
"Seven golden mint leaves..." Old Neil picked up a tin canister with silver patterns, lifted the lid, and pinched out several leaves with his bare fingers. He scattered them into the large iron cauldron, and a fresh, stimulating scent became faintly noticeable.
"Four, five, six, seven. Just right." Old Neil chuckled and glanced at the potion formula on the parchment. "Three drops of poison hemlock juice. You mustn't drink this carelessly. It will paralyze your whole body, and you'll die stiff as a board. In ancient times, it was the best choice for suicide."
I'm not an idiot... Klein grumbled inwardly.
Old Neil switched droppers and dripped the poison hemlock juice into the large iron cauldron, producing an odd, mind-clearing smell in the mixture.
"Nine grams of dragonblood grass powder." Old Neil unhurriedly reached into the small silver case and lifted out a transparent test tube. The powder inside was as black as iron.
Using a beaker, scales, and other equipment, he weighed out nine grams of powder, casually poured it into the large iron cauldron, and stirred twice with the black wooden ladle. Klein trembled inwardly at the sight, finding it all rather unreliable.
"Actually, all the ingredients so far are supplementary. A little more or less won't affect the final result. Shall I add some more?" Old Neil joked. "The remaining two are the key. Their quantities can be slightly lower, but not too far off, or your advancement will fail. Hmm, their quantities absolutely must not exceed the prescribed amounts, not even by a tiny bit. Otherwise, you'll need treatment for mental problems after drinking it. Some people have even died on the spot."
Klein immediately grew alert as he watched Old Neil take a black glass bottle from the silver case.
"Ten milliliters of Lavaux Octopus blood. This octopus is a supernatural species with obvious mutations. Its body is covered in mystical symbols. Its blood quickly breaks down under sunlight and loses its special properties, so it must be stored in an opaque material." Old Neil's tone was no longer casual. Moving quickly but carefully, he measured ten milliliters of blood into a test tube.
The blood was azure like the sky. Illusory bubbles occasionally rose from it with a gurgle, as though it connected to the world of spirituality.
"Pour in the blood from the test tube. Ignore the small amount left on the walls. That's to guard against an excess," Old Neil said quietly.
The instant the azure blood entered the iron cauldron and touched the liquid already inside, splashing sounds rang out. The surrounding light took on a pale-blue tint, giving Klein a strange sense of something both distant and familiar.
It seemed like an experience from within the womb, making his soul feel as though it were rising.
"The last ingredient, fifty grams of star crystal." Old Neil's voice sounded beside Klein's ear, bringing him back to his senses. He looked toward the long table again.
The old gentleman now held a crystal of utmost purity. It was gelatinous, like jelly on Earth, lacking sufficient hardness.
Under the pale-blue light, it reflected points of radiance, as though a brilliant starry sky lay hidden within.
"This is an excellent material for making divination crystals... A little less, to allow for error." As Old Neil weighed it, he cut it with a patterned silver knife.
Pure water + night vanilla + golden mint leaves + poison hemlock juice + dragonblood grass + Lavaux Octopus blood + star crystal = Seer... At that moment, Klein could not help going over the formula again.
Once the preparations were complete, Old Neil tossed several small pieces of star crystal into the large iron cauldron.
Sizzle!
Illusory mist instantly rose, shrouding the alchemy room in haze.
Within the mist, Klein seemed to see a starry sky and sense the gazes of certain invisible beings.
A few seconds later, the mist dissipated. Old Neil used the black wooden ladle to scoop a thick, dark-blue liquid from the large iron cauldron. It had a peculiar property: it clung together without ever separating, leaving not a trace behind in the black iron cauldron.
The dark-blue liquid was poured into an opaque cup. Old Neil pointed at it and said:
"Done. Your Seer potion."