The Lord Of Mysteries
Chapter 40: The Mysticism Curriculum

"A fascinating trick?"

Klein asked with great curiosity.

Old Neil chuckled and said, "i will finish my patrols in the armory, warehouse, and archives. Use two cups on the table to make two cups of coffee. In one of the cups, put something unpleasant. For what it is, you can decide for yourself. Use your imagination. The only request from me is not to throw away too much coffee grounds. It was a coffee bean grown in the Feynapotter plateau and I ground it by hand!"

"Good." Although Klein wasn't sure what Old Neil was up to, he happily agreed.

He watched her open the iron gate to the armory with a copper lock and then heard footsteps that echoed inside. Slowly, he put down the cup and made sure that there was still hot water in the kettle.

He removed the lid of the silver can and using a small spoon with a metallic luster, Klein scooped a spoonful of rich aromatic coffee grounds into each of the two cups. Then, he poured hot water and stirred it.

As a transmigrant who came from a time rich in resources, he was no stranger to coffee. However, it is only limited to instant coffee.

After finishing the task, Klein pondered for a moment and sat down. He crossed his right foot and took out some mud that had stained the bottom of his leather boots and placed it on the left cup.

Then, he stirred it again carefully until the color and aroma of the two cups of coffee was almost indistinguishable.

A few minutes later, Old Neil walked out of the armory while swinging his keys. He then closed the iron gate with a clang.

"You done yet?" He turned his slightly turbid dark red eyes and looked at Klein across the table.

"Yes" Klein replied with a nod.

Old Neil chuckled and removed the silver chain on his wrist and sat down.

His expression quickly turned calm. He stretched out his left hand that held the chain and let it hang over the coffee cup to his right. The moon rocks almost touched the liquid.

Amidst the calming calm, the moon rock suddenly shook. It started to twist the chain counterclockwise.

"This cup contains something unpleasant" Old Neil said with certainty.

Without waiting for Klein's confirmation, he put away the silver chain and took another cup of coffee and took a sip.

"Do you like bitter coffee? I'm used to drinking a tablespoon of sugar and a tablespoon of milk."

Klein did not reply but instead asked with piqued interest, "Your forecast is completely accurate. Is it because of the moon? That's a moon rock, right?"

"This is known as pendulum dowsing in divination. This is also called spirit dowsing. It relies on your own Astral Projection connection with the spirit world and space to communicate with spiritual intelligence through the help of natural materials such as crystals, gems, or special metals. . Good and bad things can be foreseen .. Let's talk about two cups of coffee. Counter-clockwise movement implies bad, whereas clockwise movement is good. If it doesn't move, it's neither good nor bad you can write the statement down on a piece of paper. Notice, it's a statement and not a question." Old Neil put down the coffee cup and explained in detail.

Klein asked as if he was thinking, "Does that mean someone has to use a question sentence?"

"Yes, you cannot use 'anu is willing to be my fiancee,' but you must use 'the anu is willing to be my fiancee.' Write on a piece of paper and place it on the table. Then use your dominant hand to hold the pendulum chain. Watch, use your dominant hand" Old Neil said with a chuckle. "When you do, keep your arms straight. Adjust the length of the chain and make the moonstone hang right on a piece of paper until it almost touches what we write. Then, close your eyes and repeat the sentence seven times in your mind. Open your eyes when you are done and see if the spirit pendulum is spinning or not. If not, close your eyes again and repeat the process until it moves."

Klein slightly nodded and asked, "Clockwise means 'no', and clockwise means 'yes?'"

"It can also be interpreted as success or failure" Old Neil corrected. He taught Klein other uses and divination details of spirit pendulums.

Klein pondered over the matter and found that it was a very useful divination trick. For example, he can quickly use it in unfamiliar surroundings to determine if the food he offers is toxic or not. He does not need additional knowledge of field biology.

Of course, such a method of divination was far too simple. The answers he could receive were limited to two or three. There is no way for deeper investigation or interpretation. For example, although something can be harmful to the body, it can become very beneficial after some processing. For example, certain foods. They do damage the body, but nothing serious. If one was on the verge of starvation, eating them would not be a big deal. These are things that cannot be determined by spirit dowsing.

"I should immediately save some money to buy crystal or pure silver to make a spirit pendulum.." Klein sighed.

Old Neil looked at him in confusion.

"You can propose to him directly. This is a standard issue for Beyonders, especially Beyonders like us who take on supporting roles. There are still topaz spirit pendulums and pure silver in the arsenal."

"But I'm still not an official member of the team .." Klein's heart was pounding, but he felt a little doubtful.

Old Neil chuckled and said, "For Beyonders, regardless of whether they are formal members or not, they should be given ease in other areas because there is no raise."

"Maybe the word 'percolates' is more suitable. I'll propose to the Captain later!" Klein clenched his fists silently as he made up his mind.

How did he know if the Captain would agree to his request without trying?

"Alright," Old Neil said with a smile. "We can officially begin our curriculum of mysticism. The basics consist of symbolism. Do you know what symbolism means?"

"Very accurate. As expected of a Diviner." Old Neil nodded solemnly. “Only by understanding the ability to interpret symbols, you can really take the next step into the world of mysticism. Yes, the image on the tarot card and every element in the image is a symbol. It is a man-made symbol that helps us understand and interpret primordial revelation.”

He took out a piece of paper and took out a pen beside him. He drew a short curve.

After that, it adds some vertical lines under the curve. He looked at Klein and asked, "Do you know what this symbol represents?"

Klein looked at it for quite a while before saying hesitantly, "Eyelashes?"

"…" Old Neil sighed. "This is the symbol of the constellation Bumper Harvest. This is the constellation Thunderous, and this is the constellation Frost…"

He casually drew a few more symbols.

As Klein recalled it, he couldn't help but comment, "The names of these constellations are really, really unsophisticated. Yeah, not sophisticated!"

How tacky and primordial …

Old Neil revealed a smile.

"Emperor Roselle thought the same thing back then. He always had the intention to change the name of the constellations into things like Virgo, Cancer, and Scorpio. Unfortunately, he did not have the strength to go against tradition. At least, these constellations' old names and their corresponding dates represent the guide farm and harvest."

"I must say that Emperor Roselle was really the one who had the idea." Klein was at a loss for words.

Yes, Emperor Roselle was likely a good person when she was alive …

Old Neil was unable to understand Klein's humor as he continued to explain various basic symbols, such as various constellations, the sun, the red moon, brown stars, red stars, and blue stars.

While talking about this, he would teach Klein how to draw the astrolabe divination and show what things to watch out for. He also taught the material and manufacture of crystal balls, and the choice of spells. That teaching overwhelmed Klein.

If it wasn't for his discovery that the Divining Herb had slightly improved his memory, he would have long since asked Old Neil to stop to help him digest the information.

"That's it for mysticism classes today. Think for yourself and ask if you have any questions." Old Neil took out a gold pocket watch and opened it with a flash to check the time. "Don't forget to read the historical documents I prepared for you. Frankly, I'm afraid to see it."

"Good." Klein picked up a piece of paper sketched with a symbol by Old Neil. He quickly learned the knowledge of mysticism he learned today to prevent himself from forgetting it.

Old Neil sipped a freshly brewed cup of coffee and said, "The memory itself will not be enough. That way, you can turn knowledge into instinct. Also, Cogitation should be done daily. Just more practice and use will allow you to understand the power of the potion, unearth the mysteries it hides and eliminate its unpleasant effects.

With this uplifting, Klein recalled his acting and Divination Club. He investigated, "My potion ability is related to divination. Practicing on my own will not work.I need to make contact with many people and saints so that they can quickly understand it. I plan to join the Divination Club after having spare money— on Howes Street in North Borough— to be a true Seer."

This was not something he could hide from the Nighthawks in the future. Better to prepare them.

"Your father is very similar to Daly. He was always clamoring to be a true Medium Spirit." Old Neil shook his head and laughed. "But why do you have to wait until you have spare money? You can apply to Dunn and get her to approve the expenses!"

“Organizations such as the Divination Club may also have cults or members of evil organizations in them. As a standard civilian Nighthawks and Beyonder staff member, your membership makes it easy for us to monitor them. That's part of the job! We will do so regularly monitoring these places, but because we lack manpower, we cannot keep an eye on them for long. Now, it can be handled by you."

can I do that? As he looked at Old Neil's serious expression, Klein was stunned.

This makes a claim of spending on personal matters!

I don't know anything about things like that …

Indeed, I'm just a keyboard warrior …

"you want to use your own money to do this?" Old Neil smiled as he added as he looked at Klein's face.

Klein immediately shook his head as he replied firmly, "i plan to report it to the Captain!"

Old Neil nodded in satisfaction and looked at the cup of coffee with an unpleasant thing in it. It's not poured out.

"What did you put there?"

Klein smiled shyly.

"It's just dirt under my boots. The color and powder look pretty much the same."

Old Neil was startled as he suddenly clenched his mouth and roared, "Why haven't you poured it out yet !?"