The Secret Master

 After giving instructions to the golden-haired dog Susie, Audrey paced back and forth a few times, seemingly not feeling completely at ease, for she wasn't sure if strange things would happen during today's ritual magic. "Well..." her eyes became calm, observing the anticipated process with an observer's attitude, and soon made a new arrangement. Audrey locked the bedroom door and said to the golden-haired dog: "Suzy, you stay here. If Annie and the others try to force their way in, immediately notify me in the bathroom." To prevent some unexpected incidents, her personal maid had a key that could unlock the lock. Suzy gave her a sad look and wagged her tail three times. "Good, I'll let you choose today's lunch!" Audrey clenched her fist and gently shook it. After giving the instructions, she entered the bathroom and saw that the square bathtub, which was three meters in length and width, was already filled with clear water, with white mist spreading, and the fog was suffocating. Audrey tidied up the rectangular table that was originally filled with bottles and jars, and then returned to the outside room, moving in the candles, offerings, and white robes, etc. Immediately after that, she closed the bathroom door. After all this, Audrey breathed a sigh of relief, picking up a small, shallow, blue, translucent bottle the size of a palm. This bottle was cylindrical, shining with a dreamy luster under the light, and inside was the ritual essential oil she had distilled and extracted yesterday - as a mystic enthusiast, she had studied similar things a lot, and had many homemade essences, flower essences, ointments, essential oils, and incense at home, so she quickly made the preliminary preparations according to the Fool's description. "Moonflower, golden mint, deep sleep flower, golden citron, and rock rose... strange formula..." Audrey muttered softly, "Well, before the ritual magic, one must clean the body and calm the mind. This is a sign of respect for the gods, um, the object of prayer." After reviewing the process, she placed the ritual essential oil on the edge of the bathtub and began to undress her light and comfortable home clothes. One by one, the silk fabrics fell into the washing basket, Audrey gathered her long hair and first tested the water temperature with her hand, then lifted her toes slightly and stepped in carefully, sinking her body into the warm embrace. "Ah..." she breathed comfortably, feeling warm all over and extremely relaxed. Really, not even a single finger wanted to move... Audrey forced herself to stay awake, grasping the small, translucent blue bottle beside her, and dropped a few drops of the ritual essential oil into the water. A fragrance spread, hidden in the tranquility, and Audrey took a few breaths, nodding in satisfaction. "Good, very pleasant." "It's so relaxing, so comfortable..." "I don't want to move at all. I really wish to lie quietly like this..." "Quietly, quietly... Calm... Still..." After a while, Audrey suddenly heard the woof, woof, woof sound of the dog. She suddenly opened her eyes, looked around confusedly, and found that Suzy had opened the door and come in, squatting outside the bathtub, her eyes looking extremely helpless. Rubbing her eyes, Audrey felt that the water temperature had dropped a lot. "I, I fell asleep?" she subconsciously asked. Suzy looked at her, not barking or wagging her tail. "Haha, the effect of that bottle of ritual essential oil is really good, um, really good!" Audrey dryly chuckled twice, explaining cheerfully. She stood up, took a bath towel, wrapped and wiped her body while saying to the golden-haired dog: "Suzy, continue to guard, don't let Annie and the others come in!" When the golden-haired dog left, she quietly flicked her tongue, threw away the bath towel, and directly put on the clean white robe. Closing the bathroom door, Audrey carefully recalled what she had recorded for the ritual. She picked up the four candles and placed them in the four corners of the table. "White bread on the upper left, Venetian portobello on the upper right, so fragrant, just a little cold..." No, it's not the time to think about such things! The seafood dish in the lower left corner, the Dixie pie in the lower right corner... "Audrey carefully set up the altar according to the fool's description, shaking her head twice in the process. Ready, she lit four candles one by one, picked up the silver knife, and inserted it into the pile of coarse salt. After reciting the sanctifying incantation of Hermes, Audrey offered the small knife with the elaborate patterns, placing it in a cup filled with water. Strengthening her spirit, she withdrew the silver "sacred blade", meditating on the scene where spiritual energy spreads from the tip of the blade and bursts forth. The intangible power surged outward, Audrey held the knife, walked around the altar, and felt that indeed a spiritual wall had been erected around it, excluding all impurities and all disturbances. She maintained the "audience" state, not allowing the excitement and joy in her heart to affect the ceremony. Putting down the silver knife, she picked up the clear blue crystal vial and dropped a drop of it onto each candle. Zhi! A faint aroma spread successively. Audrey's body, mind, and soul seemed to gain tranquility. She took a deep breath in secretly, bowed her head respectfully, and recited the formal incantation in Hermes's language: "O fool who does not belong to this era; You are the mysterious master above the mist; You are the king of yellow and black who holds good fortune. I pray for your help. I pray for your favor. I pray that you grant me a good dream. Deep sleep flower, the herb of the red moon, please pass the power to my incantation. Golden citron, the herb of the sun, please pass the power to my incantation." ... As Audrey finished reciting the incantation and began to meditate on the content, she felt a breeze blowing within the sealed spiritual wall. She saw the deep red stars on the back of her hand swirling. Her heart skipped a beat. She quickly closed her eyes halfway, focused her mind, and sincerely made the request. When everything was over, she looked around with a hint of confusion, but found no other strange phenomena. "Is that all?" Audrey frowned slightly and murmured. ...... "The Yellow and Black King who holds the good fortune... does not belong to the fools of this era..." In the captain's cabin of the "Violet Vengeance" ship, Alge Wilson, dressed in a stormy robe, silently recited the three descriptions he had heard this afternoon, seemingly trying to find clues about the identity of the person. He shook his head, getting up with a slightly irritated expression, but ultimately did nothing. For the "Violet Vengeance", an ancient ship left behind by the Tudor Dynasty, Alge was not very confident. Although he himself had gained control of it, there was always a gut feeling telling him that this ship still held many secrets, just like that Blood Emperor. So, he would use this ship to test the abilities of the fools, but he would not attempt unknown ritual magic on board. Alge thought for a few minutes, then left the captain's cabin and went to the deck, addressing the few crew members there: "We are about to reach the Rostad Islands and will stay there for one day." The crew members immediately cheered, shouting loudly: "Thank Bishop!" Because the ghost ship doesn't need sailors and has few crew members, they never worry about supplies. They can enjoy fresh food and clean water every day. But the repetitive sailing and almost unchanging scenery still make their bodies and minds feel tired, as if they are suppressing something and enduring something, until they can no longer control it. And the Rostad Islands are a famous colonial area in Sunia's sea, with developed commerce and various industries. "I really don't want to wait anymore!" One "sailor" shrugged his shoulders, giving a chuckle that men all understand. ...... On the public horse carriage heading towards Zotlan Street, Klein, who was leisurely reading the newspaper, suddenly froze. It seemed that he heard a series of illusory shouts. The intangible whispers echoed in his mind, causing his forehead to jump and making it difficult for him to control himself. These unrecognizable calls came fast and went fast, disappearing without a trace within just a few seconds. Klein pinched his forehead, resisting the throbbing pain coming from deep within his brain. "Old Neil said about the inexplicable existence whispering? The reason for the overly inspired thoughts?" Various ideas flashed through his mind. Suddenly, he noticed that four black dots had emerged on the back of his right hand at some point. They seemed like natural small moles, very inconspicuous. These four black dots from the ritual of transfer quickly settled, turning from dark to light and disappearing. Klein stared at it, adding another speculation to the encounter just now: "'Justice' or 'The Hangman' attempted the ritual magic I gave? The reason for the overly inspired thoughts?" "My train of thought was really right?" "Those three descriptions can indeed precisely point to me through the mysterious space above the mist? " "But I'm still far from being powerful enough to clearly hear the content of the prayer... I wonder if there are any messages 'preserved' above the mist..." "Well, enter tonight and confirm." Klein was somewhat nervous and excited, quickly holding up the newspaper to cover his face to prevent others from seeing his facial expression changes. Soon, he arrived at Zotlan Street and entered the Black Thorn Security Company. Before he could greet Rosan, Klein saw Captain Dunn Smith come out, holding a piece of paper with a picture on it. "You should also take a look at this internal wanted notice. A very vicious and cruel exceptionalist has entered Tingen." Dunn, wearing a black windbreaker and without a hat, glanced this way and handed the paper over casually. Klein took it and saw that the first thing that caught his eye was the sketch portrait. The portrait's owner had a round face, with an amiable yet somewhat shy air, and was not too old, about eighteen or nineteen years old. "Tris, suspected exceptionalist, preliminary assessment as sequence 8 'Instigator', not ruling out the possibility from the 'Knowledge Council', the perpetrator of the Osmium incident... There were witnesses who proved that he left Enmat Port and came to Tingen, and his current whereabouts are unknown..." Tris... Osmium... It turned out that the exceptionalist committed the crime? Klein suddenly remembered the dream interpretation he did yesterday afternoon and the description of Joyce. He immediately said: "Captain, I know a person involved, he might be a very important witness." "I know, Joyce. Meyer. Last night, the 'Mechanical Heart' team invited me to help a little, and in Joyce's dream, I saw you. I also confirmed from many details that Tris was the one who caused the Osmium incident." Dunn's gray eyes were calm and silent, with a light laugh. So boring, Captain... Fortunately, I was on a rest day yesterday, not working during the shift as a 'Divinationist'... Klein muttered to himself, feeling a fear of almost being caught by his superior while fishing. He then asked: "Which sequence pathway is the instigator from? What is the 'Knowledge Council' organization?" To eliminate the potion hazard, was it Tris's way of eliminating the threat or a need for promotion? Dunn thought for a few seconds and said: "Exactly. It's time for you to get acquainted with the relevant materials on exceptionalists and secret organizations. Don't always be instructed by Old Neil to read historical documents." Captain, the reason you invited me in is not just to have a 'historian'... Klein didn't dare to point out the problem and nodded seriously: "Okay."