As soon as Old Neil finished speaking, the illusory eyes in the darkness behind him swiftly vanished. Even with his Spirit Vision active, Klein could no longer find any trace that they had existed.
"That's a manifestation of ritual magic," Old Neil explained with a chuckle.
A little magical... Is Spirit Vision an enhanced version of yin-yang eyes? Like a child who had received a new toy, Klein eagerly shifted his gaze, examining every corner of the room to see how the alchemy room differed from before.
The darkness outlined the objects. The long table, test tubes, scales, cups, cabinets, and everything else looked no different from before Klein activated Spirit Vision, emitting no radiance whatsoever.
Do lifeless objects have no spirituality? Klein muttered inwardly, sweeping his gaze over the small silver case on the table.
Suddenly, he saw radiance within it, some azure as the sky, some brilliant as stars, and some crimson as blazing fire!
"Do materials from supernatural species still possess some sort of life-uh, vitality? Even after their original owners have died?" Choosing his words carefully, Klein questioned Old Neil with great curiosity.
"To be precise, their spirituality lingers. This is one of the keys to successfully concocting a potion, and also one of the root causes of Beyonders losing control. Dunn should have told you," Old Neil explained frankly.
Something seemed to occur to him, and he suddenly laughed.
"I remember that the Corpse Collector formula includes a dried adult black-spotted frog. It takes considerable courage to drink that potion."
Klein imagined it and felt a little nauseated. Rather than join in, he turned his gaze to the surrounding darkness where the light was insufficient. However, there were none of the nearly invisible spirits, ghosts, or other such things he had expected.
"Isn't the spirit world supposed to be everywhere?" he asked in puzzlement.
Old Neil gave a chuckle.
"Lad, repeat after me."
"This is the headquarters of a Nighthawks team. This is beneath a church of the Church of the Evernight Goddess. There are quite a few Beyonders here!"
"Do you think we would let spirits and souls wander around here? Besides, the spirit world and spirits are two different concepts."
A little embarrassed, Klein turned his head and pretended to gaze at the faint gaslight by the hidden doorway.
"I understand."
As he spoke, the spot between his eyebrows suddenly began twitching uncontrollably, as if in a spasm.
What's happening? Klein was just about to turn and ask when he suddenly saw a nearly transparent figure standing quietly just inside the hidden doorway, at the edge of the bright yellow light. It was humanoid, and its aura blended perfectly into the dark surroundings, making it difficult to distinguish.
Hiss!
A sharp pain suddenly shot through the spot between Klein's eyebrows, throwing his vision into disarray. When he focused and looked again, there was no "invisible" figure anywhere!
Strange... He turned around and said:
"Mr. Neil, the spot between my eyebrows is twitching. It hurts a little."
"Haha, that's perfectly normal. You're a newly advanced Beyonder. Spirit Vision puts a considerable strain on your Spirit Body and continually drains you. The outward symptoms include twitching between your eyebrows, stabbing headaches, oversensitivity, and slight hallucinations. Also, with Spirit Vision active, unfamiliar surroundings can easily make you uncomfortable, and other people's emotions can easily affect you. These are all things you need to watch out for. You must adapt to and eliminate them through repeated practice. Also, use it in moderation and stop in good time," Old Neil answered with a smile.
Why do I get the feeling you're enjoying this...? Klein hurriedly asked:
"Then how do I turn off Spirit Vision?"
He had intended to mention the "invisible" figure he had just seen, but abandoned the idea after hearing "slight hallucinations" among the symptoms.
Combined with the twitching and stabbing pain between his eyebrows, Old Neil's answer was entirely predictable!
"Visualize an object and focus your attention, just as before. Then enter a meditative state, close your eyes, control your spirituality, and repeatedly tell it to stop. When you open your eyes again, you'll find that Spirit Vision has ended."
Old Neil described it leisurely, only adding at the end, "Of course, that's the most cumbersome and clumsy method. Through practice, we can repeatedly suggest things to ourselves during meditation and influence our spirituality, establishing a simple 'switching action.' For example, I can easily activate Spirit Vision by tapping twice between my eyebrows, then easily end it by tapping twice again. How exactly you set it up depends on your own habits and preferences."
"Understood." Klein thought for a moment and decided to imitate Old Neil, using two taps between his eyebrows as the "switch" for Spirit Vision.
A single tap could easily be confused with an instinctive knock on the head, while three might waste precious time in a crisis. As for snapping his fingers and similar gestures, they were too distinctive and noticeable.
He focused his attention, visualized the gathering spheres of light, and entered meditation again.
Under Old Neil's guidance, after repeated suggestions and practice, he finally "set up" his "switching action."
Loosely clenching his fist, Klein tapped twice between his eyebrows with the base knuckle of his index finger. Suddenly, auras of varying thicknesses and colors appeared before his eyes.
He tapped twice again, and everything returned to normal, without the slightest peculiarity remaining.
"I've finally got it..." he said joyfully.
Only then did he realize that he was so exhausted he could fall asleep at any moment. His head felt hollow and painful, as though he had stayed awake for three nights straight.
Old Neil smiled and said:
"We aren't Sleepless. Whenever we practice too much or overuse Spirit Vision, we need some sleep to recover. You can go home now and get some proper rest. This afternoon, walk around the route from Welch's residence to Iron Cross Street and try to find clues to the Antigonus Family Notebook as soon as possible. Tomorrow, we'll continue your lessons in mysticism. Of course, you mustn't forget to read those historical documents either."
"All right." Klein wholeheartedly approved of Old Neil's arrangements.
Taking his cane, he left the alchemy room and watched the hidden door close as Old Neil returned to the armory. Klein rubbed the spot between his eyebrows and his temples, held the handrail, and climbed the stairs one step at a time.
Just then, Dunn Smith came up from behind. With the corners of his lips slightly raised and a deep gaze, he said:
"Old Neil told me you adapted very well, both to meditation and Spirit Vision."
"Perhaps that's just something special about Seers," Klein answered modestly.
He guessed that Dunn had been guarding the armory for Old Neil.
Dunn slowed until he was only a little ahead of Klein. After a few seconds of silence, he spoke without turning around.
"You must remember that curiosity kills cats, and it kills Beyonders too. Don't try to investigate whispers you shouldn't hear or beings you shouldn't see."
"All right." Klein knew this was another warning about Beyonders losing control.
Entering the Blackthorn Security Company, he greeted Rozanne, who clearly still did not know he had become a Beyonder, and slowly walked out onto the street. He took a trackless public carriage back to Daffodil Street, nearly falling asleep along the way.
It was still morning, and the temperature was only twenty-six or twenty-seven degrees. Klein took the brass key from his belt and opened his front door.
Many furnishings had yet to be purchased, leaving the living room and dining room empty. Benson and Melissa had long since left, one for work and the other for school.
Unable to bother with anything else, Klein shut the door behind him, hurried upstairs, and entered his own bedroom, the one with a bookshelf.
After removing his tailcoat and hanging it on the coat rack, he eagerly collapsed onto the bed. The moment he touched the pillow, he fell fast asleep.
Brilliant sunshine woke Klein. He turned his head and slowly opened his eyes to find the sun blazing outside.
What time is it? I haven't missed this afternoon's Tarot Gathering, have I? He struggled out of bed and walked toward the coat rack, as his pocket watch was still in his tailcoat's inner pocket.
Not only had he forgotten that, but he had also forgotten to close his bedroom door and draw the bay window's curtains.
Click!
Klein took out his pocket watch and pressed it open, immediately relaxing after a glance.
It was only a little past noon. There was still plenty of time before the agreed hour of three in the afternoon.
-Today was Monday, the day of his gathering with The Hanged Man and Justice.
Assuming a thoughtful pose, Klein tapped twice between his eyebrows. His vision changed once more, and he saw that his own aura had regained its bright colors.
Two more taps ended his Spirit Vision. He went downstairs with ease, boiled a kettle of water, added some inferior tea leaves, and ate a loaf of rye bread with the tea and a little cream.
Afterward, Klein dug out his history textbooks and the original owner's notes, leisurely beginning his "review" and consolidation.
At 2:57 p.m., Klein closed his book, capped his fountain pen, and drew the curtains with a swish.
Then he locked the bedroom door, leaving the room unusually dark.
He tapped twice between his eyebrows again, activated Spirit Vision, and surveyed his surroundings.
After confirming that there were no invisible spirits in the room, Klein ended Spirit Vision, took out his pocket watch, and checked the time.
Tick, tock.
At one minute to three, he stepped counterclockwise four times, forming a square as before, silently reciting the corresponding incantation in Chinese with each step.
This time, however, he had not prepared any staple food.
Klein closed his eyes and felt a slight itch on the back of his hand, as though the four black dots forming a small square there were protruding and emerging.
Frenzied screams and seductive whispers began to echo, but Klein found that his headache was not as severe as last time.
It was not that he was unaffected, but that he could do his utmost to keep himself from actively listening.
Having become a Beyonder, he had a little more self-control in such an environment.
Soon, his "body" grew lighter and floated upward. He saw the spreading, boundless, hazy grayish-white fog and the crimson "stars." Two of them seemed to have a subtle connection to him, giving him an extraordinary sense of familiarity.
Klein looked at his indistinct self and murmured in puzzlement:
"The Astral Body Old Neil mentioned?"
He calmed himself for a few seconds, then once again conjured the magnificent temple above the gray fog, the long bronze table directly beneath its vast dome, and the twenty-two high-backed chairs bearing symbols of different constellations.
Klein quietly walked to the head of the table and sat down, shrouding his body and face in denser gray fog. Then he extended his right hand and pointed from afar at the two familiar "crimson" stars, establishing a wondrous connection.
PS: It's Monday-please vote with your recommendation tickets~
PS2: All the mysticism in this book has been modified. Do not imitate it.
PS3: I've realized that unless I explain clearly, many people can't find it. To see the twenty-two starting professions of the Sequences, do this: 1. Follow my official public account. 2. Don't type a question. Tap to switch to the menu, find "Cuttlefish's Works" on the far left, and select the "Lord of the Mysteries" submenu. Then look at posts such as "About the New Book" and the second, third, and fourth waves of new-book information.