"An interesting technique?"
Klein asked with great curiosity.
Neil chuckled and said, "I'll go patrol the armory, materials, and documents. You brew two cups of coffee on the table. Put something undesirable in one of the cups. You can decide what exactly. Let your imagination run wild. The only requirement is not to waste too much coffee powder. I ground the coffee beans myself, you know!"
"Okay," Klein agreed happily, although he didn't quite understand what Neil intended to do.
Watching as Neil took out a copper key and unlocked the iron door of the armory, hearing the echoing footsteps from within, Klein leisurely arranged the cups and made sure there was hot water in the pot.
Lifting the lid of the silver-tin canister, Klein used a spoon with a metallic sheen to sprinkle a spoonful of fragrant coffee powder into each cup. Then he poured hot water and stirred until the two cups of coffee looked almost identical in color and aroma.
After a few minutes, Neil, with his keychain swinging, emerged from the armory and closed the iron door with a clank.
"It's done," he said, glancing at Klein across the table.
"Alright," Klein nodded in response.
Neil smiled and began to unwind the silver chain from around his wrist as he sat down.
His expression soon turned solemn. Extending his left hand to hold the chain, he let it hang vertically over the cup on his right, with the pure white crystal dangling just above the liquid.
In a serene atmosphere, the crystal began to sway slightly, swinging counterclockwise with the chain.
"This cup contains something undesirable," Neil affirmed confidently.
Without waiting for Klein's confirmation, he put away the chain and picked up the other cup of coffee next to him, taking a sip.
"Do you like your coffee bitter? I'm used to having one spoon of sugar and one of milk," he remarked.
Klein didn't respond. Instead, he asked with keen interest, "Is the accuracy of your divination attributed to that white crystal? It is a white crystal, isn't it?"
"This is the pendulum method in divination, also known as dowsing. It relies on the connection between the celestial body and the spiritual world, as well as the communication between some natural materials and spirituality, such as crystals, gemstones, and special metals, to determine the good or bad of things... Let's go back to those two cups of coffee just now. Counterclockwise swinging means bad, clockwise means good, and if it doesn't move, it means neither good nor bad. You can also write down the event on paper, note that it's the event, not a question," Neil explained in detail.
Klein seemed to be pondering. "So, we shouldn't use questions in our wording?"
"That's right. Don't use something like 'whether someone is willing to be my fiancee.' Instead, use 'someone is willing to be my fiancee.' Write it down on paper, place it flat on the table, and then hold the pendulum with your non-dominant hand. Remember, it's the non-dominant hand," Neil chuckled. "At this point, straighten your arm, adjust the length of the pendulum, so the crystal is just above the paper, almost touching the event we wrote. Then close your eyes and silently recite that sentence seven times in your mind. After reciting, open your eyes and see if the pendulum has moved. If not, close your eyes again, repeat the process, and keep doing so until it moves."
Klein nodded slightly. "Counterclockwise for 'no,' and clockwise for 'yes'?"
"Or you can interpret it as unfavorable and favorable," Neil corrected, explaining to Klein the other uses and details of pendulum divination.
After going over it a few times, Klein realized that it was a very practical divination technique. For example, in unfamiliar environments, he could quickly determine if food was poisonous without needing additional skills like "Wilderness Survival."
Of course, this form of divination was too simplistic, and the answers obtained were limited to two or three possibilities. It couldn't delve into deeper exploration and interpretation. For example, although something might be harmful in its natural state, it could become beneficial after certain treatments. Some ingredients might indeed be harmful to the body, but not severely so. In situations where one was close to starvation, consuming them might not pose a significant problem. These nuances couldn't be discerned through pendulum divination.
"I need to save up money to buy crystals or pure silver to make pendulums..." Klein sighed.
Neil looked at him with surprise. "You can apply for them directly. This falls under the equipment for exceptional individuals, especially for us auxiliary-type exceptional individuals. There's a yellow crystal and a pure silver pendulum in the armory."
"But I'm not an official member of the team yet..." Klein hesitated, his heart pounding.
Neil chuckled lightly. "For exceptional individuals, whether they are official members or not, since they don't get a raise, they certainly have to be given certain conveniences from other aspects."
"Using the term 'benefits' might be more appropriate. I'll apply to the captain later!" Klein clenched his fist inwardly, making his decision.
How could he know if the captain would agree if he didn't try?
"Alright," Neil smiled. "Let's start the formal 'Mysticism Course.' One of its foundations is 'Symbolism.' Do you know what 'symbolism' is?"
Recalling bits and pieces of what he had heard before and his own experiences in the spiritual world and above the mist, Klein pondered and said, "Whether it's the spiritual world, the illusory starry sky, or those unknown domains, they all exist beyond our sensory world. The information we obtain can't be accurately described by our ears, nose, and eyes. What we get are only ineffable intuitive revelations and experiences, which are externalized as abstract symbols and graphical symbols. These symbols represent different things and meanings."
"Very accurate, worthy of being a 'diviner,'" Neil nodded solemnly. "Only by mastering the ability to interpret symbols can one truly enter the gates of mysticism. Hmm, the patterns on tarot cards, every element in the patterns, are a kind of symbolism, symbols artificially designated to help us understand and interpret the original 'revelations.'"
He drew a short arc on a piece of paper with a steel pen.
Then, he added several vertical lines below the arc and looked up at Klein, asking, "Do you know what this symbol represents?"
Klein looked at it for a while before hesitantly saying, "Eyelashes?"
"..." Neil sighed. "This is the symbol of the Harvest constellation, this is the symbol of the Thunder constellation, and this is the symbol of the Hoarfrost constellation..."
He casually drew several more symbolic symbols.
As Klein memorized them, he couldn't help but comment, "The names of these constellations are indeed, indeed, exceptionally simple, yes, simple!"
So rustic, so primitive...
Neil smiled and said, "Emperor Roselle thought the same way. He always intended to change the constellation names to something like Virgo, Cancer, and Scorpio. Unfortunately, he couldn't resist the power of tradition. At least these ancient names of the constellations and the dates they represent can guide farming and harvest."
"I have to admit, Emperor Roselle was a thoughtful person," Klein said, unsure of how to comment.
"Emperor Roselle was probably a decent person in his lifetime…" Neil couldn't understand Klein's humor and continued to explain various basic symbolic symbols, such as those of various constellations, the sun, red moon, brown star, red star, and blue star.
While discussing these, he also interspersed teachings on how to draw astrological charts and precautions, as well as the production and materials of crystal balls, and the selection of spells. Klein felt almost overwhelmed by the amount of information he was absorbing.
If it weren't for the slight improvement in his memory from the "diviner" potion, he would have asked Neil to stop so he could digest what he had learned.
"Today's 'Mysticism Course' ends here. Take some time to think it over. You can come to me with any questions," Neil took out a gold pocket watch and glanced at it, "Don't forget to read the historical materials I prepared for you. Honestly, just seeing them makes me feel apprehensive."
"Alright," Klein took the scribbled notes from Neil and quickly reviewed the mystical knowledge he had learned today to avoid obvious forgetting.
Neil took another sip of the freshly brewed coffee and said, "Memorization alone isn't enough; you must use it regularly to internalize the knowledge. Also, meditation must be done every day. Only through practice and use can you truly master the power of the potion, uncover its mysteries, and eliminate any negative effects."
Hearing this, Klein remembered the performance, remembered the Divination Club, and tentatively said, "My potion's ability is related to divination. It's not enough to practice alone; I need to interact with a large number of people and give them readings to quickly master it. Once I have extra money, I plan to join the 'Divination Club' on Hols Street in the North District and become a real 'diviner'."
This matter would definitely not be hidden from the night watchers in the future, so it was better to lay the groundwork in advance.
"Your idea is similar to Dailys. She has always wanted to become a real 'medium'," Neil shook his head and laughed. "But why wait until you have extra money? You can write an application to Dwayne and ask him to approve the expenses!"
"Organizations like the 'Divination Club' may have members mixed in who are cultists or members of evil organizations. As a civilian member of the Night Watch team, a standard exceptional individual, joining them to easily monitor them is necessary for work! We used to inspect these places regularly, but due to a lack of manpower, it was difficult to track them for long periods. Now, it's perfect to hand it over to you."
Was there such an operation? Seeing Neil's serious expression, Klein was stunned.
This was openly finding reasons to reimburse oneself for personal matters!
I'm completely clueless about such things...
I'm just a keyboard warrior after all...
"Do you want to use your own money for this?" Neil noticed Klein's reaction and added with a smile.
Klein immediately shook his head and replied firmly, "I'll report to the captain later!"
Neil nodded in satisfaction and glanced at the cup of coffee with something unfavorable in it that had yet to be disposed of, "What exactly did you put in there?"
Klein smiled awkwardly, "Just a bit of mud from the sole of my boot. Its color is almost the same as your coffee powder, almost."
Neil froze for a moment, then suddenly covered his mouth and whispered, "Get rid of it now!"