Mystery: Big Alarm Clock Ghroth Path

Chapter 113: Celestial Notes Spell (5000 words)
"Speaking of which, that bodyguard lady is really dedicated. She followed you all the way."

Roger glanced at the pale figure in a black court dress reflected in the roadside glass and whispered.

“Yes, she is very professional.”

Klein sighed.

Considering that he might frequently get involved in dangerous incidents in Backlund, Klein was even considering a long-term collaboration with the bodyguard.

Although her commission was indeed valuable, Klein could consider exchanging it for other valuables or intelligence.

After the two entered the "Brave Bar", Klein took Roger to find the contact Caspars and told him that he wanted to bring a new friend to the underground Beyonder party.

“I bring my own mask.”

Roger pulled out his rather cute owl mask from his arms. He didn't want Caspars to rip him off under the pretext of "selling a mask."

"...beer is £1 per person and the party starts in the evening."

Caspars glanced at Klein and, obviously considering the face of this rather generous customer, only charged him two pounds.

"Thank you then."

Klein took out two pounds in cash and he and Roger each took their own glass of Southwell beer. They sat down next to the boxing ring and began to watch the fight.

"I can take them both down at the same time," Klein commented in a low voice.

"One of them can take down two of me at the same time." Roger sighed. He was really not good at close combat.

Although Roger's physical strength and agility have increased after becoming a Beyonder, he still cannot acquire efficient fighting skills like "Joker" or "Hunter".

Without the help of the "Dawn Armguard" and the "Blood Cross Brooch", Roger positioned himself as a singing charlatan.

As for whether Roger could gain combat-related abilities after reaching Sequence 6 or higher, he was not sure.

"Perhaps being beaten is also one of Ghroth's symbols?"

As he muttered this in his mind, he put on his "Decryptor Glasses" and "Scholar's Ring" and began to observe the fighting skills of the boxers on the stage.

When night fell, Caspar finally called the two away and brought them back to the place where he and Klein had last attended the Beyonder gathering.

Roger followed Crane's example, put on a cloak, put an owl mask on his head, and followed the latter into a living room with dim candlelight.

"They are all Beyonders below Sequence 5..."

Roger looked around and quickly made a judgment.

"It seems there's a new member today."

A gentleman with half of his chubby face exposed spoke with a smile.

"Yes, this is my friend."

Klein introduced them and said to Roger:
"This is a 'pharmacist'."

"Hello, everyone."

Roger greeted a few people and then looked at the "pharmacist".

"I want to sell two things and buy some 'potions'."

Hearing that Roger wanted to buy some medicine, the "pharmacist" couldn't help but sit up straighter:
"First of all, I'm hoping someone knowledgeable can give me a reasonable price."

Roger first took out the crimson jelly-like object in the glass bottle, which was the trophy that Klein had obtained from Meursault.

But he also didn't say that this was a matter of extraordinary characteristics, which involved the "Law of the Immortality of Extraordinary Characteristics."

Seeing this, the old man who served as a witness, codenamed "Eye of Wisdom", paused and said:

"I know what it is and I'll pay £400 for it.

"Believe me, this is a very reasonable offer...at least you will hardly find the same price anywhere else."

Roger nodded. "Indeed, it's yours."

Generally speaking, the two main ingredients of a Sequence 9 potion can be sold for at least 300 gold pounds combined. Considering that the Beyonder characteristic is the combination of the two, the price of 400 pounds is actually very reasonable.

He knew that the true identity of this "Eye of Wisdom" was Isengard Stanton, a famous detective from Backlund and a member of the Church of the "God of Knowledge and Wisdom", but he pretended not to know him.

After the transaction was concluded, he took out another talisman made of yellow kraft paper with a rust-colored eyeball painted in the middle.

"This is a talisman that can help cleanse mental pollution... It can completely remove any mental pollution that doesn't exceed Sequence 4. It can be used three times in total.

"Of course, if one were to forcibly remove a very small amount of Sequence 4 mental contamination, there's about a 3% chance of success... but in that case, the spell can only be used once, as it requires consuming all of its stored power."

This was an experiment Roger did when he was free. He set up an altar and prayed for protection from the "Star of Judgment" Ghroth's source material sealed within himself.

Because he had the Sequence 7 "Singer" power as a medium, this attempt was successful, and Roger produced three such "Celestial Sound" talismans.

The method of using it is also very simple, that is to close your eyes and devoutly read the word "celestial body" in ancient Hermetic language.

After hearing what Roger said, everyone at the scene sat up straight and stared intently.

It can clear mental pollution below the Sequence 4 level, and even has a chance to fight against a very small amount of Sequence 4 pollution. This is a rare and good thing!
After all, wild extraordinary people are likely to be unconsciously involved in dangerous supernatural events. Every year, many people die due to uncontrolled pollution. Among them, the extraordinary people of the "Secret Prayer" and "Secret Peeping" paths are the most prominent.

Of course, extraordinary people from other paths may also inadvertently come into contact with some spiritual pollution of unknown origin, so the market demand for the "Sound of the Celestial Bodies" talisman is actually very huge.

"How much do you plan to sell this for?"

The old man "Eye of Wisdom"'s voice trembled a little, and his way of addressing Roger unconsciously turned into a respectful title.

“The highest bidder gets it.”

Roger blinked.

"I'll give you £300."

"You want something of this quality for 300 pounds? I'll give you 400 pounds!"

After a brief silence, bidding began immediately.

Even Klein couldn't help but want to bid, but Roger stopped him.

He blinked, meaning that he had something better.

After a long time, the argument gradually died down, and the old man "Wisdom Eye" finally bought the item for 1100 pounds.

"If 'Black Snake' were still alive, this item would definitely fetch a much higher price."

The "pharmacist" who didn't take a picture of the "Sound of the Celestial Bodies" spell said with some regret.

"'Black Snake', is he dead?"

Klein was slightly startled. That guy was the Beyonder who sold him the "Filthy Words" spell.

"Yes, he died in the sewer. I heard that his body seemed to explode from the inside and shattered into pieces. Even his head was split into four pieces."

The "pharmacist" sighed, as if he didn't want to recall the past.

This seems to be different from the original...

Roger was also slightly stunned. Although in the original timeline, the extraordinary person who was suspected to be from the "Secret Prayer" path also died, he should have died at the hands of the "demon dog" rather than exploding from the inside as described by the "pharmacist".

"Could it be that because he sold the 'Filthy Words' spell to Klein, he received 'special treatment' from the 'True Creator'?"

Roger thought again of what he had heard the "True Creator" whisper before, and couldn't help but feel sympathy for the "Black Snake" in his heart.

"By the way, sir, you mentioned earlier that you needed to buy some medicine. Is that what you need?"

At this moment, the "pharmacist" suddenly blinked and looked at Roger, his eyes full of amusement.

"That kind of demand? ... Damn it."

Roger reacted and blurted out a curse word, which immediately made all the Beyonders present except the "Pharmacist" laugh so hard that they fell over.

This even includes Klein.

The old man, the Eyes of Wisdom, smiled and said, "Finally, someone has spoken our minds."

Every time this "pharmacist" comes to a party, he will start selling his strange drugs that can make people become "real men" whenever he gets the chance, which makes many people feel helpless.

"What are you talking about? You don't know, several times after the meeting, someone secretly contacted me... contacted me!"

The pharmacist blushed and defended himself. "I believe you, I believe you. After all, you have solved a major problem in today's society."

Roger suppressed the urge to laugh and said seriously:
"But I'm not here for this kind of thing. A friend of mine broke his arm and wants some safe medicine that can help him recover quickly."

"Broken bone?"

The Pharmacist finally calmed down. He thought for a moment before answering:
"Although this isn't my area of expertise, it's not difficult... Give me a few days, and I'll bring you the corresponding medicine next time.

"As for the price, it's 5 pounds a bottle... but I don't think you need that much. For a common bone fracture, one bottle is enough."

Roger was relieved to hear that the other party could do it. He paid a deposit of 2 gold pounds to the "pharmacist" and agreed to come over next time to hand over the goods.

"By the way, sir, are you willing to sell the potion formula for the 'Pharmacist' pathway?"

Klein suddenly looked at the "Pharmacist" and spoke.

"No, I can only teach my students."

The Pharmacist waved his hand. "This is our rule, but I can tell you where in Backlund you can get the formula for the Pharmacist potion. But you'll need to wait for me to propose the corresponding reward."

"That's great, thank you." Klein said in surprise.

Having dealt with pharmacists several times, Klein has fully realized the extraordinary significance of this path. It can truly be considered one of the best auxiliary professions.

"By the way, you are really a lucky young man."

Seeing that Klein and the Pharmacist had concluded their discussion, the old man with the Eye of Wisdom looked at him again.

What this means is, "You didn't die from the 'Filthy Words' spell."

"Maybe I do have some luck."

Klein smiled and remained noncommittal. He then asked:

"Old sir, can my friends and I still come to this party in the future?"

What he meant was that if the other party had recognized his sincerity, there would be no need to go through Kaspers' introduction and pay the agency fee every time.

"Yes, young man, you've proven your goodwill. From now on, keep an eye on the Backlund Morning Post. When the fifth page shows an advertisement for goods purchased by Ernst Trading Company, it means there will be a gathering here at 8:00 p.m. the following evening..."

Then the "Eye of Wisdom" explained how to use the quotes in newspaper advertisements to determine the number and strength of knocks on the door as a signal to enter.

Knowing this information, Klein and Roger can come to the meeting on their own next time.

"By the way, I'd like to ask if anyone has any other magical items similar to the 'Filthy Words' spell that can protect oneself? I don't need one with serious side effects, but one that has magical powers..."

Klein asked again.

The "Pharmacist" spread out his hands, indicating that he didn't have any, and the old man "Eye of Wisdom" paused before saying:
"I have an item that would perfectly suit your needs. It was once known as 2-081."

"2-081?"

Klein was slightly surprised by the name of this obviously official sealed artifact, but on the surface he just asked in confusion.

But who knew that the old man "Eye of Wisdom" admitted without any hesitation that this was a seal belonging to the Church of the "God of Knowledge and Wisdom".

This extraordinary item allows the wearer to gain more knowledge, and even quickly identify the strengths and weaknesses of the enemy's extraordinary abilities, and hopefully imitate them.

The negative impact is that it will keep the wearer's brain in a high-speed running state all the time, and once the limited time is exceeded, the wearer will become an idiot.

"You wouldn't choose to sell such a powerful item, would you?"

Roger, who was standing by, suddenly spoke up when he heard this.

The Eye of Wisdom was slightly stunned when he heard this, then he clapped and laughed:

"This young man's insight is truly astute. That's right, I was just showing off my collection...

"As for what I really want to recommend, it's a special brooch that has the ability to exorcise evil, purify evil, and use solar domain spells... However, the price of wearing it is that you will no longer be able to enjoy the coolness of Backlund, and will always be in the scorching heat."

“There’s also a hat that can change shape, allowing you to move freely in the water for at least half an hour, while mastering the power of wind and water...but the price is that after you leave the water, you will become increasingly weak.

"Both of these items are not cheap, basically costing around £1500 to £3000."

"Extraordinary items from the 'Singer' and 'Sailor' pathways..."

Klein secretly calculated his financial situation and the benefits these two items would provide him, then shook his head.
"Forgive me for not having that much money right now. I will decide whether to buy it at a future gathering."

……

On the way back to Cherwood, Roger and Crane hired a carriage.

"The old man named 'Eye of Wisdom' just now should be from the Church of the God of Knowledge and Wisdom."

Roger thought about it and finally decided to tell Klein what he knew.

"...Yes, I noticed it. After all, how could an ordinary person possibly obtain the Sealed Artifact of the True God Church?"

Klein smiled.

Although each of the major Orthodox churches has its own main missionary areas, after this period of experience, Klein has realized that the churches not only cooperate with each other, but also have secret spies and competitive relationships.

So he wasn't too surprised by this.

"He just became aware of my presence."

At this moment, the bodyguard's voice suddenly came.

"It's normal. He has several sealed items on him, so it's normal to be able to detect them."

Roger replied.

Sharon nodded and was about to say something else, but suddenly said:

"There's a strong smell of blood..."

"Smell of blood?" Klein was stunned when he heard this and followed Sharon's gaze towards the alley across the street.

A woman in a gorgeous long dress was lying there, and a passerby had just passed by and noticed her presence.

The woman's internal organs seemed to have been completely hollowed out, and blood dyed the surrounding cobblestones red.

"Demon worship?" Klein recalled the information he had read in the Nighthawks.

"Hmm, it looks a lot like the behavior of a blood cult..."

Sharon whispered, then quickly disappeared, not caring whether Klein understood what the Blood Cult meant.

But in fact, Klein knew about this organization. They controlled the "criminal" pathway and often created special serial murders and sacrificial rituals to please the devil.

Klein suppressed his Nighthawk instinct to get out of the car and take a look. He comforted himself by saying, "The official Beyonder will be here soon."

Roger naturally noticed Klein's reaction. He patted the latter's shoulder without saying anything.

After returning to 15 Minsk Street, Klein went back to his room to rest, while Roger entered his workshop and set up the altar for ritual magic.

This time, the arrangement of the ritual magic altar was more complicated than before. Roger used a lot of expensive essential oils and spiritual materials, and drew some talismans with special meanings as an aid.

After doing all this, Roger created the spiritual wall, placed half of the pale skull in the center of the altar, and then put on the "Scholar's Ring" and said devoutly:
"I, Roger Abraham, call out to my inner self:
“Inspiration that penetrates all time and space;

“The Self that is one with all things;
"The secret key to open the door to wisdom!

"I pray for the return of knowledge and enlightenment to me.

"I sentence the objects before me to return to ignorance.

"I promise that the circle of its own knowledge will be silenced again."

"..."

This is a reverse secret ceremony that Roger came up with himself, which can recycle the contamination of the projection power of "Oneness of All Things" in Beyonder items and Beyonder characteristics.

He did not dare to directly call out the mystical names that directly pointed to Yog-Sothoth, such as "One of All Things", "Ruler of Time and Space", "Key of the Gate", for fear that the great being would cast unnecessary attention on him and instantly pollute or destroy the entire world.

So instead, he used images such as "transcendent inspiration", "self-nature that is one with all things", and "key to mystical knowledge" to point to the Yog-Sothoth pollution within himself, using it as a medium for ritual magic and to recycle the pollution in the skulls of the descendants of the god of death.

Sure enough, when he did this, the skull of the descendant of the god of death in front of him began to react!
　There's more to come.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)