I loaded the Mysticism panel.

It was already quite dark when we came out of the firing range.

The days in Bristol winters are pitifully short; the sun begins to retreat behind the chimneys at four o'clock.

Richard walked along the narrow path along the wall toward Grafton Street, still processing the information he had gathered that day.

It has become a tradition for wealthy families to invite spiritual mediums to their homes around the day of exorcism, indicating a long-term and stable supply and demand relationship between the two.

Professional spiritual mediums provide security for wealthy families, who in turn provide them with financial support and social connections.

According to old Big, Mrs. Mary's student network has become deeply ingrained in the daily lives of the local wealthy class.

Mrs. McNeill was just one of Mrs. Mary's students, so how big was Mrs. Mary's student network?

If each student maintains their own group of wealthy clients, then the entire network will cover a vast customer base…

Richard brought his wandering thoughts back to the present.

He didn't need to calculate how large Mrs. Mary's business empire was or how high her status was in the industry.

He only needs to know one thing: the network exists and is working properly.

If he wants to develop his own business and do antique brokerage and appraisal as he previously envisioned, he needs to have a powerful backer in the extraordinary field.

Grandfather Gerald might be able to help, but it would be even better if he could get in touch with Lady Mary.

On the other hand, the biggest gain today was in the area of ​​clairvoyance learning.

Physical overwriting can be solved using etymology and code word tables.

Overwriting at the etheric level requires clairvoyance to strip away.

The advancement condition for Knowledge Skill Lv.3 on the panel is "to decipher a duplicated encrypted text".

Vision is likely the key to unlocking the conditions.

If he doesn't have enough inspiration later, he'll have to consider whether to activate [Perception] first.

In a few days, I can call Clement to ask if any new stock has arrived.

When he reached the intersection of Grafton Street and Post Office Street, he saw the public telephone on the corner.

Richard stood outside the phone booth for a while, then decided to call his grandfather.

I can't accept everything someone says just because I've known them for less than two weeks.

Proper verification was necessary, so Richard pushed open the door of the phone booth and went inside.

Beep...beep...beep...The call was quickly connected, and the butler's voice came from the other end.

"This is Ashford House."

"Please forward this to my maternal grandfather. I am Richard Williams."

"Young Master, please wait a moment."

After waiting for a few minutes, my grandfather's deep voice came through the microphone.

"What happened now?"

"Grandfather, excuse me, but there is something I'd like to confirm."

"explain."

Gerrard's style remains consistent: no small talk, no fluff, just getting straight to the point.

"Have you heard of Mrs. Mary? The one at 17 Flower Moon Street?"

There was a two-second silence on the other end of the phone.

Two seconds isn't a long time, but for someone like Gerrard, two seconds means he's retrieved relevant information in his mind, and a considerable amount of information at that.

How did you get in touch with those people?

There was no nervousness in his tone, only a hint of surprise.

"I met someone in Bristol who was Mrs. Mary's student."

The other party offered to teach me some basics of clairvoyance and divination.

"I want to confirm whether Lady Mary's line is reliable."

Gerald asked, "What's the name of that person you're talking about?"

"William Bigelow, the coroner in the North District."

"The coroner... is he a staff member at the Briston branch office?"

"Yes."

"He hasn't completed his apprenticeship?"

Richard was slightly surprised.

Gerald and old Bige should have been complete strangers, but based solely on the identities of "coroner" and "Mrs. Mary's student," he deduced that the other had not yet completed his apprenticeship.

"It was Lady Mary's consistent practice to have students who hadn't completed their apprenticeships enter the official system."

"Less than 10% of her students graduate; for the rest, she helps them find a way out based on their individual characteristics and abilities."

Some went to local branch offices, some became herbalists, and some became investigators.

"She not only taught her students a trade, but also found them jobs, which was well-known throughout the local guilds."

Gerrard casually recounted what he knew:

"Mrs. Mary has a very good reputation in the capital and even in the central and northern parts of the empire."

His wording was cautious, but he provided a great deal of information:

"Her network of contacts is enormous, ranging from nobles to businessmen, from the middle class to ordinary people, she has clients and students from all walks of life."

Many influential figures in the capital have received her help to varying degrees.

"Some people ask her to exorcise evil spirits and check their homes, some seek her advice on things they can't explain, and some..."

He didn't go on.

"In short, she has been in this business for decades and has a deep foundation."

Gerrard thought for a moment and then added:

"Our family works in the official system. When we go out on fieldwork, especially in the northern region, we sometimes need local intelligence and assistance."

Mrs. Mary's students were widely distributed, deeply rooted, and had extensive local connections; our people received help from her students on more than one occasion.

"What kind of help is this?"

"Most of it is information-related, such as whether there have been any unusual events in the town recently, whether there is a problem with a certain family's house, the whereabouts of strange items that have been circulating among the people... these kinds of routine intelligence."

"There are also occasional practical coordinations. Our hunters are responsible for frontal expulsion, while her students are responsible for flank blockade and cleanup. The division of labor is clear, and the cooperation is quite smooth."

Upon hearing this, Richard's opinion had already shifted significantly.

Gerald comes from the hunter path and the official system, so his evaluation criteria differ from those of scholars or hermits.

He is concerned with "whether it can be used", "whether it can be relied upon", and "whether it will stab you in the back during cooperation".

His evaluation was that they had a "very good reputation," "a deep foundation," and "a good working relationship."

These three points combined basically amount to one sentence: Mrs. Mary was a decent person.

"The fact that he's teaching basic knowledge for free should be true," Gerald concluded.

"She has a habit of accepting all comers and casting a wide net."

No matter your background or origin, as long as you come to her wanting to learn something, she'll accept you.

"She does teach these most basic techniques—introduction to psychic vision, basic divination, seal identification—for free, without charging tuition or requiring you to sign any contracts."

A buzzing electrical noise came from the telephone line; I couldn't tell if it was due to poor line quality or someone interrupting from afar.

"but!"

Gerald lowered his voice.

"Because she accepts all comers and casts a wide net, the quality of her students varies greatly."

Some are exceptionally talented, some are mediocre, some are diligent and hardworking, and some are just trying to get by.

"The Biglo you mentioned, he himself admitted that his spiritual vision is not up to par, his divination is substandard, and he can only identify seals but not set them up. The fact that he was able to enter the official system is because Lady Mary helped him find connections."

"Such students were not isolated cases under Mrs. Mary, but rather the vast majority."

He then changed the subject.

"In other words... the title of Mrs. Mary's student has no real value."

That's a very straightforward statement.

"If you say outside that I am Mrs. Mary's student, people will just nod politely, but they won't think much of you because of it."

Because they knew that anyone could walk through that door at 17 Flower Moon Street, and nine out of ten apprentices inside were scoundrels.

Richard.

"Um."

"I can tell what you're thinking."

The old man's voice on the other end of the phone was calm and unhurried.

"Are you thinking about whether you can get in touch with Mrs. Mary through the apprenticeship relationship?"

She has a large network of contacts, a wide customer base, and significant influence in various guilds; she is a deeply entrenched and influential figure.

"If you can get help from this powerful figure, your path on the mystical side will definitely be much easier in the future."

Richard did not deny it, and it was not surprising that his grandfather saw through it.

"This path isn't impossible, but you need to think one thing through."

"A person of Mrs. Mary's stature has students all over the world. One more or one less of you makes no difference."

In her eyes, you're just one of hundreds of saplings; there's no reason for her to treat you any differently.

Gerrard's words were blunt, but every single one was the truth.

"You are following the scholar route. The roots of a scholar lie in the academic system, not in folk guilds."

Private guilds can provide practical skills and intelligence networks, but academic prestige, official status, and pathways for advancement... these are things only the academic system can offer.

"The Cicero Cup is the stepping stone, and the summer training is the first door."

Only after entering the preparatory course of the Classics Department at Imperial Capital University can you truly say you've stepped into the academic system.

"Once you've established yourself there, and your name carries weight in the industry..."

At that time, Lady Mary will naturally look at you differently; you won't need to deliberately try to curry favor with her, it will happen naturally.

The old man's advice echoed through the telephone line:

"As for clairvoyance and divination, you can learn from that Bigelow. Just learn the basics, that'll be enough."

"But don't neglect the essentials and pursue the trivial."

"These random, unorthodox techniques are good to have, but they don't affect the overall situation if you don't have them. Focus your energy on what's truly important."

Gerrard added one last thing:

"Follow your mentor's instructions and prepare for the entrance exam for the summer program; that's the most important thing right now."

"I see."

"Okay, I'll hang up if there's nothing else. Phone calls aren't cheap."

"Okay, thank you, Grandfather."

"Um."

With a click, the line broke.

Richard hung up the receiver and stood in the phone booth for a while.

Gerald's advice coincided with Mr. Hutton's earlier hint: proper education is the only way forward.

Vision and divination are merely supplementary tools that add icing on the cake; they are not the foundation of one's livelihood.

He pushed open the door of the phone booth and came out.

A cold wind blew in, sweeping away the heat that had accumulated at the shooting range and on the phone.

The gaslights on the street are already on.

An old man selling roasted chestnuts pushed his cart past the street corner. The chestnuts crackled in the iron pot, and the heat from the charcoal fire enveloped the old man in a cloud of white mist.

Richard shrank his neck and turned up the collar of his coat.

Although my grandfather was right, clairvoyance and divination are just auxiliary tools; learning a little bit is enough.

But he knew in his heart that his need for clairvoyance was more than just "superficial".

We must pursue legitimate educational pathways, and we must also learn spiritual vision.

When time is limited, just prioritize.

The main focus is on the gradual advancement of summer training programs and scholarly pursuits;

The secondary storyline covers introductory psychic vision and the basics of divination.

Two lines can run in parallel without interfering with each other, and at certain nodes the secondary line can even support the primary line.

For example, cracking double copying requires both language proficiency and keen insight.

Having thought all this through, Richard quickened his pace.

As he passed the old man roasting chestnuts, he started reaching for his wallet.

"How much is a pack?"

"A penny."

He took out a copper coin and handed it over, and the old man rolled up a small packet of hot chestnuts in a newspaper and stuffed it into his hand.

The chestnuts were piping hot; you could feel the heat even through the newspaper.

He peeled chestnuts as he walked home.

The chestnuts were mealy and had a smoky, charcoal-fired flavor.

As we passed through the slag alley, the two children who had been playing football returned, the ball bouncing loudly on the stone pavement.

"elder brother……"

My younger sister peeked her head down the stairs.

"What are you holding?"

"chestnut."

He held up the paper package.

The girl jumped down the stairs, her gray eyes fixed on the bag of chestnuts.

"Give me two... no, I want three."

"I'll give you half."

"Really?" she asked, somewhat surprised.

"Take it quickly, it won't taste good if it gets cold."

Evelyn took the half-bag of chestnuts, her face showing a mixture of wanting to be reserved and not being able to keep it up.

"Brother, you seem to be in a good mood today."

"Um."

"Did things go smoothly when you went out to run your business?"

"good."

"That's good." She held the remaining chestnuts in her arms and ran upstairs.