Chapter 64: Instigator

Chapter Sixty-Four
Instigator

After giving instructions to Susie, the large golden retriever, Audrey paced back and forth several times. She still did not feel entirely at ease, because she had no idea whether today’s ritual magic would produce anything strange.

“How about this…”

Her gaze grew still. With the attitude of a Spectator, she examined the process she had imagined and quickly made a new arrangement.

Audrey locked the bedroom door from the inside and said to the golden retriever, “Susie, stay crouched here. If Annie and the others try to force their way in, immediately go to the bathroom and inform me.”

To guard against certain accidents, her personal maid possessed a key capable of opening the locked door.

Susie looked at her with quiet, deep eyes and wagged her tail three times.

“Very good. I will let you choose whatever you want for lunch today!”

Audrey lightly clenched her fist and shook it with encouragement.

After finishing her instructions, she entered the bathroom and saw clear water already rippling gently inside the square bathtub, which was three or four meters across in both length and width. White steam filled the room, forming a hazy mist.

Audrey cleared a rectangular table that had originally been covered with bottles and jars, then returned to the outer room and moved in the candles, offerings, white robe, and other items.

After that, she closed the bathroom door.

Having done everything, Audrey exhaled in relief. From beside the four candles, she picked up a pale-blue translucent bottle about the size of her palm.

The bottle was cylindrical, flashing with a dreamlike sheen beneath the lamplight. Inside was the ritual essential oil she had distilled and extracted the previous day. As a lover of mysticism, she had researched similar items many times. At home she had many hydrosols, flower essences, balms, essential oils, and incense she had made herself, so according to the Fool’s description, she had quickly completed the preliminary preparations.

“Moon flower, golden mint, deep-sleep flower, bergamot, and rockrose… What a strange formula…”

Audrey muttered softly.

“Mm. Before ritual magic, one must cleanse the body and calm the mind. This is respect for the deity—no, for the object of prayer.”

After recalling the entire process, she placed the ritual essential oil on the edge of the bathtub and began unfastening the light home clothes she wore.

One piece of silk after another drifted into the laundry basket. Audrey pinned up her long hair, tested the water temperature with her hand, then rose lightly onto her toes and carefully stepped in, sinking her body into that warm embrace.

“Hoo…”

She exhaled comfortably, feeling warmth spread through her whole body and relaxation flood every limb.

I really do not want to move even a single finger…

Audrey forced herself to gather her energy. She grabbed the pale-blue translucent bottle beside her and dripped several drops of ritual essential oil into the water.

Fragrance drifted outward at once, hiding a delicate scent inside the stillness. Audrey inhaled several times, then nodded in satisfaction.

“Not bad. It smells wonderful.”

“It truly makes one relax. So comfortable…”

“I do not want to move at all. I really wish I could just lie here quietly…”

“Quietly, quietly… Quiet… still…”

She did not know how much time had passed before she abruptly heard a dog barking.

Woof! Woof! Woof!

Audrey’s eyes flew open. She looked around in confusion and discovered that Susie had somehow opened the door and entered. The golden retriever crouched outside the bathtub, her eyes extremely helpless.

Rubbing the corners of her eyes, Audrey felt that the water had cooled quite a bit.

“I—I fell asleep?” she asked instinctively.

Susie looked at her without barking or wagging her tail.

“Haha. That bottle of ritual essential oil was very effective. Mm, very effective!”

Audrey gave two dry laughs and explained in an intentionally cheerful tone.

She stood, took a bath towel, and wrapped and dried herself while saying to the large golden retriever, “Susie, continue guarding. Do not let Annie and the others come in!”

Only after the golden retriever left did she quietly stick out her tongue, throw aside the towel, and directly put on the clean white robe.

Closing the bathroom door, Audrey seriously reviewed the ritual she had recorded.

She picked up the four candles and placed them respectively at the four corners of the table.

“White bread at the upper left. Feynapotter noodles at the upper right. They smell so good, but they are a little cold… No, no, this is not the time to think about that! Seafood rice at the lower left. Desi pie at the lower right…”

Following the Fool’s description, Audrey carefully arranged the altar, shaking her head twice during the process.

Once ready, she lit the four candles in order, picked up the silver knife, and inserted it into the pile of coarse salt.

After reciting the sanctification incantation in Hermes, Audrey drew out the little knife engraved with intricate patterns and placed it into the cup of clean water.

Gathering her spirit, she pulled out the silver “holy blade,” meditating on her spirituality spreading and surging from the tip of the knife.

Invisible power flowed outward. Holding the small knife, Audrey circled the altar once and distinctly felt a wall of spirituality rise around her, excluding all impurity and interference.

She maintained her Spectator state, refusing to allow excitement and anticipation to affect the ritual.

Setting down the silver knife, she picked up the pale-blue crystalline bottle and dripped one drop onto each candle.

Hiss!

Faint fragrance spread in succession. Audrey’s body, mind, and spirit all seemed to gain quietness.

She inhaled silently, bowed her head with respect, and recited the formal incantation in Hermes:

“O Fool that does not belong to this era;

“You are the mysterious ruler above the gray fog;

“You are the King of Yellow and Black who wields good luck.

“I pray for your help.

“I pray for your favor.

“I pray that you allow me to have a good dream.

“Deep-sleep flower, herb belonging to the red moon, please pass your strength into my incantation.

“Bergamot, herb belonging to the sun, please pass your strength into my incantation.

“…”

The moment Audrey finished the incantation and prepared to meditate on the content of her prayer, she felt wind stirring within the sealed spiritual wall. She saw the crimson star on the back of her hand begin to flow.

Her heart jumped. She hurriedly half-closed her eyes, calmly outlined what she wanted, and sincerely made her request.

When everything ended, she looked around with some puzzlement, yet discovered no other strange phenomena.

“That is all?” Audrey murmured, frowning slightly.

…

“The King of Yellow and Black who wields good luck… The Fool that does not belong to this era…”

Inside the captain’s cabin of the Blue Avenger, Alger Wilson, dressed in a storm-patterned robe, silently repeated the three descriptions he had heard that afternoon, seemingly trying to find clues to the other party’s identity within them.

He shook his head and rose, faintly irritated. In the end, however, he did nothing.

As for the Blue Avenger, an ancient ship left over from the Tudor Dynasty, Alger did not fully trust it. Although he himself had already gained control over it, some instinct still told him that this ship concealed many secrets—just like the Blood Emperor.

Therefore, he would use the ship to test the Fool’s abilities, but he would not attempt unknown ritual magic aboard it.

After several minutes of thought, Alger left the captain’s cabin and came onto the deck. To the few crew members present, he said, “We will soon arrive at the Rorsted Archipelago and stay there for one day.”

The crew immediately cheered and shouted loudly, “Thank you, Bishop!”

Because a ghost ship did not require sailors, there were few crew members aboard. Thus, they never worried about supplies and could enjoy fresh food and clean water every day. Yet the endless voyage and the scenery that almost never changed still exhausted both body and spirit, making them feel as though they were forever suppressing and enduring something—until one day they could endure no longer.

The Rorsted Archipelago was a famous colonial settlement on the Sonia Sea. Trade flourished there, and every sort of business could be found.

“I can hardly wait!”

One Sailor thrust his hips forward and gave a coarse chuckle that every man understood.

…

On the public carriage heading toward Zouteland Street, Klein, who had been leisurely reading the newspaper, suddenly froze. He seemed to hear one illusory cry after another.

Those invisible whispers echoed inside his mind, making his forehead throb until it was difficult to control.

The inaudible call came quickly and vanished just as fast. After barely ten seconds, it disappeared completely. Klein pinched his forehead, fighting the ache that seemed to rise from the deepest part of his brain.

Old Neil’s “whispers from unknown existences”? Is this caused by high inspiration?

Thought after thought flashed through him. Then Klein suddenly saw that the four black dots on the back of his right hand had appeared at some unknown time. They looked like natural tiny moles, extremely inconspicuous.

The four black dots originating from the luck-changing ritual quickly sank back down, fading from dark to pale until they vanished.

Klein stared at them in a daze and gained a new guess regarding what he had just experienced.

“Did Justice or the Hanged Man try the ritual magic I gave them?

“Was my line of thinking truly correct?

“Can those three descriptions really point precisely to me through the mysterious space above the gray fog?

“But I am still far from strong enough. I cannot hear the content of the prayer at all… I wonder if messages are somehow preserved above the gray fog…

“Mm. I will enter tonight and confirm it.”

Nervous and excited at the same time, Klein hurriedly raised the newspaper to cover his face, preventing anyone else from seeing his changing expression.

Soon, he reached Zouteland Street and entered Blackthorn Security Company.

He had not even had time to greet Rozanne when he saw Captain Dunn Smith come out, holding a sheet of paper with a portrait on it.

“You should also look at this internal wanted notice. A very vicious and cruel Beyonder has entered Tingen.”

Dunn, dressed in a black windbreaker and no hat, glanced over and casually handed him the paper.

Klein accepted it and looked down. The first thing that entered his sight was a sketch portrait.

The subject had a round face and a shy, friendly temperament. He was not especially old, only eighteen or nineteen.

“Tris. Suspected Beyonder. Preliminary evaluation: Sequence 8, Instigator. Cannot rule out possible origin from the Gnosis Society. Perpetrator of the Clover tragedy… Witnesses confirm that after leaving Enmat Port, he came to Tingen. Current whereabouts unknown…”

Tris… The Clover… So the case really was committed by a Beyonder?

Klein suddenly thought of yesterday afternoon’s dream interpretation and Joyce Meyer’s description. He immediately said, “Captain, I know one of the involved parties. He may be a very important witness.”

“I know. Joyce Meyer, yes?”

Dunn’s gray eyes remained rippleless as he gave a light laugh.

“Last night, the Machinery Hivemind team asked me over to help. I saw you in Joyce’s dream and confirmed through many details that Tris personally created the Clover tragedy.”

How boring, Captain… Fortunately yesterday was my day off, not me acting as a Seer during working hours…

Klein silently grumbled, feeling the terror of almost being caught slacking off by his immediate superior.

He changed the subject and asked, “Which Sequence pathway does Instigator belong to? And what kind of organization is the Gnosis Society?”

Was inciting others to kill one another Tris’s method of eliminating the potion’s hidden dangers, or a requirement for advancement?

Dunn thought for a few seconds.

“Just in time. You should begin coming into contact with materials on Beyonders and secret organizations. You should not always be made by Old Neil to read historical documents.”

Captain, was the reason you recruited me not precisely because you wanted a “history expert”?

Klein did not dare point that out. He nodded seriously.

“All right.”