At three in the afternoon, inside Detective Isengard's house in Hillston, Ebner sat upright, fully focused as he listened to his teacher's lecture on mysticism:
"Readers in the lower Sequences have virtually no means to confront enemies head-on. However, our extensive reading and vast knowledge make nearly every Reader an expert in ritual magic. I'll be teaching you some basic techniques and important principles of ritual magic."
"Low Sequence practitioners aren't inherently powerful enough to perform all ritual magic independently; nearly all we can do requires invoking external powers for assistance, so only consider orthodox deities. Never attempt to communicate with unknown, unpredictable entities, no matter how tempting their promises may be, or how many followers they might seem to have."
"For us, it's best to invoke the God of Knowledge and Wisdom. If you pray to the Lord of Storms or the Eternal Blazing Sun, I'd say the consequences would be far from pleasant."
"In mysticism, the God of Knowledge and Wisdom corresponds to the Blue Star, and the materials you'll need are mercury, brass, lavender, pepper, and mint…"
"The Blue Star corresponds to Saturday. The Blue Star hours are from midnight to 1 a.m. on Friday, and from 11 a.m. to noon on Saturday…"
"Although today's Saturday, unfortunately, the best time has already passed… But for us Beyonders, especially Readers skilled in ritual magic, the timing isn't as crucial. Our overflowing spirituality and our powerful astral bodies are the key elements…"
Watching as Detective Isengard demonstrated a ritual spell himself, Ebner took careful notes in his notebook, inwardly grateful. Having a reliable teacher in mysticism was a true blessing. If he had been left to decipher things on his own, even with the Pure White Eye to aid him, it would have taken ages to understand everything properly.
After completing a basic ritual for healing, Isengard checked his watch. Seeing it was already half past four, he halted the lecture and said to Ebner, "That will be all for today. I noticed you haven't brought your luggage yet. Go back to East Borough to pack your things, and try to return by dinnertime. Afterward, I'll have you continue studying Feysacian."
"Yes, sir!" Ebner replied respectfully.
However, he didn't head straight back to East Borough as expected. Instead, he took a detour to pick up several ritual materials and a pair of brass-rimmed, silver-inlaid glasses.
He planned to test his knowledge by conducting a ritual to endow the glasses with the ability to conceal the peculiar manifestation of his Pure White Eye. Not only would it ease his concerns about using his "golden finger" in front of others, but it would also serve as a form of offering to the God of Knowledge and Wisdom.
Ebner's thinking was simple: Since the deity had likely already noticed him and had even shown "goodwill" by "investing" in him, he figured he might as well offer a prayer and try to gain further favor.
Once back at his place in East Borough, he set up the ritual with the items he had purchased, then prepared the symbols and created the altar. Following his teacher's earlier instructions, he skillfully drew the symbol of the God of Knowledge and Wisdom: an All-Seeing Eye over an open book, the deity's holy symbol.
Within the spirit barrier, he lit three candles and placed a blend of lavender and mint extracts into the flame.
A refreshing scent filled the room, and Ebner proceeded to burn several other herb powders in succession.
Finally, he picked up a pen and drew a special symbol on a piece of parchment placed in front of the glasses. With that done, he stepped back, took a deep breath, and recited in Hermes:
"I seek the power of knowledge;
"I seek the strength of reason;
"I seek the favor of the God of Wisdom;
"I implore You to grant these glasses the power to conceal my abnormal vision."
"Lavender, herb of the Blue Star, grant power to my spell!"
"Mint, herb of the Blue Star, grant power to my spell!"
...
Woooom!
As the incantation echoed, the air around the altar grew heavy and mysterious. Everything on the altar, save the three candles, began to tremble—the brass dagger, the bowl of salt, the vial of essential oils, the parchment and pen—all of it vibrated lightly.
Though a bit tense, Ebner waited. He had witnessed this effect earlier that day, so it wasn't unexpected, but he couldn't help feeling anxious.
After about ten seconds, the candles flickered, their flames turning a pale green tinged with white!
Suddenly, complex symbols flashed across the lenses of the brass-rimmed glasses, and a few seconds later, the symbols vanished.
At that moment, a sharp pain pulsed between his brows, a clear reminder of the strain on his spirituality. His power was still too limited; even a temporary imbued item drained roughly half of his spirituality.
Once the ritual was over, Ebner placed the glasses on his nose, turned to the mirror, and activated the Pure White Eye for a second. Satisfied with the result, he muttered to himself, "There's hardly any visible change in my pupils—it works well! And according to the analysis, its concealing effect will last for three days, which is much better than my initial expectation of one or two days."
Of course, the most promising outcome was that the God of Knowledge and Wisdom had responded to his prayer. That alone was a good sign! At the very least, it suggested that He harbored no immediate ill will…
After tidying up, Ebner decided not to cancel his lease on the small apartment. He would likely need a private place to conduct rituals he'd prefer his teacher didn't know about.
Upon his return to Hillston, Detective Isengard gave him an approving look when he noticed Ebner wearing the new glasses. Smiling, he teased, "You look far more scholarly with those. But they're a bit out of place with your worker's attire. I'd suggest you buy a proper suit."
"A full suit in Backlund costs ten gold pounds…" Ebner murmured to himself, though he had to admit the detective had a point. His new glasses alone cost one pound and eight soli, nearly as much as his entire outfit, which was indeed mismatched and might attract suspicion.
The rest of the evening was spent studying Ancient Feysac. Since the earlier ritual had drained much of his spirituality, he refrained from using the Pure White Eye to speed things along this time. Nonetheless, he made decent progress, and this focused study reinforced what he had already learned.
"Reviewing what you know to gain new insights, indeed," Ebner sighed contentedly before heading to bed.
...
Late at night in the abandoned Dilworth Manor on the northern outskirts, a man with an unusually pale face dressed in a white shirt and black vest strolled along a stone path in the garden. The guard, who should have been on duty, slept soundly and seemed utterly unaware of the intruder's presence.
Suddenly, the man, who appeared to be in his late twenties, halted as if sensing something amiss. He looked toward the shooting range, frowning.
Just then, a figure materialized beside him, the ghostly image of a woman in a black court dress and matching bonnet, with pale blond hair and piercing blue eyes—the same ethereal lady who had watched Ebner and Xio leave from the window earlier that day.
Unfazed by her ghostly appearance, the man addressed her calmly, "Sharon, have people been here again? Should we move?"
"No need. Just a couple of random people sneaking in for target practice. They're irrelevant," Sharon replied succinctly.
The man nodded, accepting her assessment, then changed the subject. "I've got an update on that last matter. Gore and Rhea were dealt with by the Mandated Punishers, but Jason managed to slip away. He's probably lying low, recovering somewhere in South Bridge or the Chorwood District."
"Maric, we need to find him quickly. Otherwise, he'll call for reinforcements soon…" Sharon said curtly.
"Exactly. Drawing in the Mandated Punishers like that is 'a once-and-done trick.' They're not fools. As violent as they are, they're not idiots." The man, called Maric, nodded in agreement.
"You're quoting Roselle?" Sharon raised an eyebrow.
Maric's eye twitched slightly as he replied, "I read, too…"
...
The morning of June 3rd, Ebner wiped the sweat from his brow after an hour of knight-style training following Xio's instructions. He then headed to the little restaurant in East Borough where he'd agreed to meet her.
It turned out that, based on Ebner's physical aptitude and marksmanship, Xio had concluded he didn't need to make the long trip to the manor every day. Practicing under her guidance twice a week would be sufficient. Ebner suspected that her reason for suggesting this arrangement was less about his ability and more about the cost of bullets. Unlike Klein, Xio didn't have someone footing the bill.
So, they'd agreed to train at the manor only on Wednesdays and Saturdays. For any other day, they'd use this small restaurant as a meeting point if they needed to discuss anything.
As he entered the restaurant, Ebner noticed Mr. Rian, the mechanic he'd seen before, greeting Xio with utmost respect as he handed her a paper package, showering her with excessive flattery.
Xio, clearly used to such displays, eased up her authoritative demeanor slightly. Mr. Rian promptly stopped his compliments, bowing respectfully and departing the restaurant in a mix of awe and gratitude.
Only then did Xio breathe a small sigh of relief. After tucking the package away, she joined Ebner at the table across from him.
"It looks like Mr. Rian's troubles are sorted out?" Ebner said with a smile, taking a sip of coffee.
"Yes, I paid that 'Two-Face' Rorren a visit last night, and he was quite cooperative. He made sure most of those absurd interest charges were canceled by this morning," Xio replied as she ordered her own breakfast.
So she didn't end up in jail… Ebner thought to himself, just as Xio mentioned:
"Oh, by the way, a friend of mine wants to meet you. Do you have any free time around noon?"
"Uh, why noon?" he asked instinctively. Can't we just meet now?
"Because she's not likely to wake up until noon… or at all, if she can help it…"