At 3 p. m., Isaac went to the address.
The street was lined with row houses, somewhat similar to Red Maple Street. He checked the house numbers and stopped in front of one of them.
After the doorbell rang, Isaac waited for about half a minute before the door was opened a crack, revealing the face of a young woman.
Her chestnut hair was pulled back, she wore a hooded purple shawl, a blue long dress adorned with sequins, and a crystal bracelet on her wrist.
Her overall attire exuded a mysterious aura, clearly setting her apart from the clothing of ordinary citizens on the street. She looked like a legendary medium, or rather, she deliberately made herself appear that way.
"Are you Ms. Moran?" Isaac asked, taking off his hat.
Her gaze swept over Isaac, then she tilted her chin slightly, lowered her voice, and deliberately created an ethereal quality. "It seems fate has led you here, seeking spiritual guidance."
This demeanor... Isaac probably guessed that this was her standard opening line when facing unfamiliar visitors, adopting a mysterious and inscrutable attitude to make the other person feel that she could indeed see through something.
He cleared his throat and said, "Ms. Moran, I am Isaac Lessing, introduced by Mr. Schuster."
Moran's mysterious expression froze, as if a breath was stuck in his throat, and then he cursed under his breath.
Isaac couldn't hear clearly, but it sounded like he was being sworn at.
Moran, leaning against the doorframe, had completely lost her carefully maintained air of mystery, replaced by irritation. " Schuster's men? What did he send you here for?"
"Learn Spirit Vision."
Moran cursed again and opened the door, "Come in, don't stand in the doorway."
Isaac followed him inside, Moran pointed to the shoe cabinet by the door. "Take your shoes off and put them there, don't get my carpet dirty."
As a guest, Isaac loosened his shoelaces, arranged his boots, and set aside his cane and hat. Stepping onto the carpet, he felt somewhat unfamiliar with the custom of taking off his shoes upon entering a house.
Isaac surveyed the furnishings inside. The layout of the living room was neither as somber and conservative as Palmer's nor as heavy and ornate as Vista's, but rather a completely different style.
The curtains were half-drawn, filtering the light into a dim, yellowish hue. A woven rug covered the floor, its intricate patterns dominated by deep red, indigo, and gold. Instead of a sofa, there were several large cushions and pillows arranged around a low table.
The low table was made of bronze, with legs carved into the shape of animal claws. On the tabletop were a crystal ball, several stacks of loose playing cards, and an exquisite incense burner from which wisps of smoke rose.
In the corner stood a strangely shaped object, resembling some kind of kettle. The body of the kettle was engraved with patterns, and the base was wide with a flexible hose coiled around it. After examining it for a while, Isaac guessed that it was a hookah mentioned in some books.
The entire space was filled with a lazy and mysterious atmosphere. Isaac had read some travelogues and knew that this style of decoration originated from the Eastern Territory of the empire, where people were said to sit on the ground and smoke with water pipes.
Moran kicked aside a cushion blocking his way, walked to the low table, sat down next to the hookah, raised his chin toward the cushion opposite him, picked up the hose, took a puff, and exhaled a wisp of smoke.
" Schuster sent you to learn Spirit Vision..."
"Yes." Isaac followed Moran's example and sat down on the cushion.
Did he tell you that my classes are chargeable?
"As I said, Mr. Schuster also said I don't need to pay."
Moran, with a cigarette dangling from her lips, said, "... I knew it!"
She exhaled a heavy puff of smoke. "Okay, I'll teach you, but you have to understand that Spirit Vision isn't a skill that can be learned quickly. Some people can't even get the basics right after years, while others are born with it. I can't guarantee when you'll learn it, nor can I guarantee that you'll definitely learn it."
Isaac nodded. "I understand."
"Hmph..." Moran made an ambiguous nasal sound, "Tell me first, have you ever had any experiences with Spirit Vision before?"
"Mr. Schuster temporarily activated my Spirit Vision once."
"Using that die? That thing is truly incredible... Do you usually meditate?"
"No."
"Have you ever experienced this, where it feels like you see something, or are being watched by something, but upon closer inspection, there's nothing there?"
Isaac thought for a moment, then shook his head.
Have you ever had any strange dreams?
Isaac thought of the lucid dream he'd had in the wilderness, "I guess... I guess I did."
His description was vague, but people's descriptions of dreams are always accompanied by a lot of uncertainty. Moran expressed his understanding and exhaled a puff of smoke. "It seems that you are not the kind of person who is born with the potential for manifest Spirit Vision. Then you will have to start from scratch and learn meditation first."
"Meditation is the foundation of Spirit Vision. Without this foundation, even if I forcibly instill Spirit Vision techniques into you, you won't be able to master them."
Moran pulled a thin booklet from under the low table and tossed it onto the table in front of Isaac.
"Read the basics of meditation first, understand the concepts." She added, her mouth full of the mouthpiece of her hookah, "After you've finished reading, I'll guide you through a guided meditation."
Isaac picked up the booklet and thought to himself, no wonder Carlo had someone else teach him instead of teaching him himself. He couldn't imagine how Carlo would guide someone's meditation; the guy seemed more like a distraction during meditation.
The booklet has no title on the cover, and the text is handwritten in cursive script. It has only about fifty pages in total, and the content is divided into three chapters: What is meditation, how to enter a meditative state, and common problems that may be encountered in meditation and how to deal with them.
The explanation in Chapter One is not complicated. It defines meditation as a method of actively regulating one's state of consciousness, with the aim of calming chaotic thoughts and achieving clarity and relaxation, thereby laying the foundation for spiritual awakening.
Chapter Two outlines specific steps and key points, such as choosing a quiet environment, adjusting breathing rhythm, focusing attention on a single object, observing one's thoughts without being led astray, and dealing with wandering thoughts.
Chapter Three is the shortest, listing several common problems that beginners encounter, such as drowsiness, irritability, and auditory hallucinations, along with corresponding solutions.
It took Isaac about ten minutes to read it and go through the content in his mind. The basic principles of meditation are not complicated. The key is to practice consistently and gradually enter the state of meditation.
"I've finished reading it," he said.
What's the problem?
How do I bring my attention back when I get distracted during meditation?
"If you find yourself drifting off, bring your attention back to your breathing. Drifting off is normal; forcibly pulling yourself back will only make you more anxious and will backfire." Moran put the hookah aside. "Alright, enough theory, let's put it into practice. Sit on that mat over there."