I loaded the Mysticism panel.

Chapter 124 Bonus

Back in his room, Richard began his nightly breathing exercises and nurturing of the magical object.

The temperature of the lamp body jumped from lukewarm to scorching hot, and then dropped back to a critical point between "hot" and "tolerable".

A wisp of pure ether automatically precipitated from the spirit's form, mixed with ether, and was injected into the fingertip, which the lamp responded to.

He was as skilled at it as if he were tying shoelaces.

Because he was so skilled, he had time to think about other things tonight.

He was thinking about the deal that fell through at their first gathering.

Ares's three-ring enchanted bullet.

Logically speaking, everyone present should have a use for this type of enchanted bullet.

The enchanted bullets do not depend on the archer's ether, take effect on hit, and can be used by newcomers to fight spirit targets far above their own level.

But Ares eventually put those six bullets back into the metal box.

Richard kept this in mind at the time, but didn't think about it on the spot.

During a break from tending to the rare object, he reconsidered.

Ares didn't switch out his enchanted ammo, not only because the opponent didn't have what he wanted.

Dionysus unfolded the parchment containing the perception shield, and Prometheus's gaze remained fixed on it.

But he didn't say anything, didn't ask about the effects, side effects, or restrictions on the recipients.

Richard didn't quite understand why Prometheus didn't ask more questions about the details of the spell.

Now he understands.

Prometheus could not verify it.

Dionysus said that this parchment is a complete spell, which practitioners can perform independently, and its effect is to avoid being locked by remote sensing spells for six hours.

The veracity of these statements, the side effects of the technique, and whether there were any hidden tricks during the procedure could not be confirmed on the spot.

Take a copy of the manual back with you; what if it contains a backdoor left by Dionysus?

Prometheus would not risk his safety for an unverifiable spell.

The same applies to Ares's enchanted bullets.

Is the bullet-shaped inscription ring really a three-ring design?

Is the outermost ring "anchored" or something else?

These things cannot be judged by the naked eye, and no one at the round table is a qualified appraiser.

Hecate can use spirit messengers to deliver items between members.

She can complete both delivery and "identification".

However, the three remained wary, partly out of distrust and partly out of fear that Hecate might charge too high a fee "at her discretion."

After the thought had gone through Richard's mind, he removed his right hand from the lamp.

The temperature of the lamp body gradually decreased from scorching.

[Lingfu] 9/10.

He took the notebook out of the drawer and turned to the "middle section".

Write down the word "person in charge".

He glanced down at the panel.

The panel can directly confirm whether an item is a rare item.

For ordinary practitioners to appraise a rare object, they need to rely on spiritual vision, compare inscriptions and diagrams, and verify its age and origin... any step can go wrong.

And every time he handled a strange object, he could get a small share of the profits.

Perhaps, one can start their work as a middleman for authentication from "Theological Salon".

The premise for the transit appraisal business to be established is that the appraisal is accurate, the entrusted items are not damaged, and the client trusts him.

Many rare artifacts are sealed, and these seals cannot be opened during the authentication process.

Once opened, the contents may be damaged, lost, or affect unrelated people (he vividly remembered that night in Nail Alley).

A qualified appraiser must be able to decipher the seal's structure, estimate its integrity, and determine the density and properties of the ether within the artifact without opening it.

This requires a high enough level of spiritual vision to be able to "see" what's inside the seal.

As for building trust, it takes time and experience to gradually accumulate.

There is no shortcut to this; the only way is to accumulate a large number of cases.

Being able to distinguish between real and fake at a glance is not enough.

He also needs to be able to see clearly what's inside the seal and whether the artifact itself has any trigger traps.

Only when one's spiritual vision reaches a certain level can one clearly see the sealed object.

Divination can verify and identify whether an item has a trigger trap before it is handled, but current basic divination methods probably cannot do that.

Reading wax has already gotten us to the door.

But after reading wax, there is reading stone, and after reading stone, there are even more advanced divination methods, which Old Big said he himself had not finished learning.

Now that his [Perception] has been activated, he is making faster progress in this area, and he needs to find a teacher with an even higher level of expertise.

Richard added a note below the line on "divination": "Reading stone and above is mandatory."

………………

Evelyn didn't come downstairs early Saturday morning.

While his mother was frying eggs in the kitchen, Richard went in to help.

"Mom, Evelyn almost cried last night."

"I know." Margaret scooped the fried egg onto a plate with deft movements, the yolk intact.

"She doesn't want to do preparatory courses."

The mother placed the spatula beside the stove and wiped her hands with her apron.

"Your father's idea makes sense; it is indeed very difficult for people without a diploma."

Margaret flipped the baked bread over.

"He came from that road, so he believes in that road, and you can't say he's wrong."

“I didn’t say he was wrong.” Richard placed the plates one by one on the tray. “I meant Evelyn isn’t suited for that path.”

Whether it's suitable or not is one thing, whether your dad is willing to accept it is another.

Margaret placed the bread slices on a plate and then scooped a small piece of butter from the jar and placed it next to the bread.

The four breakfasts were neatly arranged on the tray.

She took one of the dishes out first and placed it on the table where Rogers was seated.

Then she went back to the kitchen to hand the plate to Richard.

Before handing over the plate, the mother's fingers paused for a moment on the edge of the plate.

"Once you've settled down, can you support your sister's future?"

That's a very direct question.

Richard took the plate without hesitation: "Of course."

Margaret nodded in satisfaction.

The kettle on the stove started steaming, and the lid bounced slightly as it was pushed up.

"If all else fails, I'll write a letter to my father later."

Amid the hissing noise of the steam, my mother casually remarked:

"Your maternal grandfather actually helped arrange a way out for those Ashford relatives who had no way out at all."

Evelyn is his granddaughter; he can't just completely ignore her.

Richard placed the plate on the tray and frowned.

"Mom, let's not take that path unless absolutely necessary."

"We'll see when the time comes," Margaret said, pouring two cups of tea.

He offered one glass to Richard and kept the other for himself.

"Let your dad calm down for a few days. These things can't be rushed; he needs time."

"What should we do if Evelyn didn't eat breakfast?"

"Ignore her." Margaret put down the teapot.

"With her temper, she'll behave herself if she's hungry for a while."

"Once you and Rogers are both out, you'll definitely sneak down to find something to eat."

Richard almost burst out laughing when he thought of that scene.

My sister may be sulking, but her stomach never agrees with her temper.

"I'll keep her portion warm under the pot lid until she comes to get it herself."

Margaret turned the fire down.

While the two were talking, Rogers had already finished his breakfast in a few bites outside.

He grabbed his coat and briefcase, said goodbye to his wife and son, and quickly went out the door.

At 9:30 a.m., the Dawn family's carriage arrived promptly in front of the Williams family's house.

Richard got into the car carrying a backpack that was even bulging than last week.

Besides textbooks and notebooks, he brought one more thing today.

Upon arriving at the Dawn residence, the maid led him into the small living room.

Tom was already waiting at the table.

Charlotte came in through the door, carrying a teapot.

She placed the teapot on the side table and her gaze fell on the roll of parchment in Richard's arms.

"Any new teaching aids today?"

I guess so.

Richard untied the string from the kraft paper and laid it on the table.

The entire sheet of paper is one yard square, and the edges have been ironed.

Evelyn ironed his shirt while she was ironing it.

A map was drawn on the kraft paper.

A crooked coastline, a few small islands, a few simply painted sailboats, and in the distance, a stretch of ocean represented by wavy lines.

The island is covered with various symbols—coconut trees, treasure chests, skull flags, caves—each with a Latin word next to it.

Tom's eyes lit up instantly.

"This is……"

"Pirate Map"

Richard used the plates on the table to hold down the four corners of the map.

"Today we will learn the second declension."

"servus, slave; dominus, master; puer, boy..."

Tom rattled off a few questions that Richard had asked him to review last week.

"right."

"But today we won't just memorize the word endings."

Richard took a sharpened pencil out of his bag and handed it to Tom.

"This map has eight islands, and each island holds a different treasure."

Tom had already gripped the pencil tightly.

"The treasures came in all shapes and sizes: gold coins, wine barrels, slaves, boys, masters, books, battlefields, and gifts."

"The treasures were all marked with Latin words, but the treasures on each island were hidden by pirates in different ways."

"Alright, let your adventure begin."

Learning through play makes time fly by.

When Richard rolled up the map, Tom felt for the first time that class time could pass so quickly.

"Are there any pirates next week?" Tom asked.

"...The pirates have run out."

"Anything else?"

Richard thought for a moment and said, "Then let's go with the factory."

Tom paused for a moment, then asked, "A factory?"

"Yes, the factory."

Richard put the map into his backpack.

"I tighten screws at the first station, you paint at the second station, he assembles gears at the third station... The process is the same at each station, only the person in charge is different."

"The root of the verb is 'craft,' and the suffix is ​​'workstation number.'"

Tom crunched on the cookie, his eyes already lighting up.

"Then I'd like to see pictures of the factory next week!"

"I can draw."

Lunch was prepared by Dawn's cook, as usual.

Today's main dish is roasted chicken leg with potatoes, and the side dish is a small dish of shredded carrots with vinaigrette.

After Richard's "eating" skill was upgraded, he squeezed every last drop of nutrition out of every bite.

After the meal, Charlotte saw him to the door.

As she walked to the edge of the steps, she took a small envelope out of her apron pocket.

"This is the tuition fee for this week."

"Thanks."

"Also, Mom asked me to give this to you too."

She took out another envelope.

Richard took it and weighed it in his hand; it was much heavier than the first one.

"This is?"

Tom ranked seventh in the class on his Latin test this Wednesday.

Charlotte was clearly pleased when she said this.

"Last semester, he was fifth from the bottom."

"...The progress is quite significant."

"That's a bit too big," Charlotte laughed.

"When Mom received the notice from the school yesterday, she almost dropped the cup."

"She called my dad that night, and he said he would give you a bonus."

Richard opened the envelope.

Inside were two brand-new Sovereign gold coins, which amounted to two pounds.

"Please thank Mr. Dawn for me."

Charlotte watched him walk to the carriage, then called him back.

"Mr. Williams, will you have time to continue your tutoring during the Christmas holidays?"

Richard blinked, almost forgetting about it.

He was indeed unable to take classes during the Christmas holidays, so Mr. Hutton arranged a winter internship for him.

"I might have to go out for the Christmas holidays." He didn't elaborate.

"My teacher has assigned me a study task that may require me to travel to several cities in the north."

"Approximately how long?"

"At least a week."

Charlotte's expression remained unchanged: "Then let's continue after the next semester starts."

"Okay." Richard began assigning tasks.

"During the holiday, I did one translation exercise every night. It wasn't difficult, and I could finish it in half an hour."

"Also, have Tom draw a map himself, and draw the vocabulary he has learned this semester according to the scene."

Pirates, factories, temples, markets—he can choose whatever he wants.

"After he finishes these two assignments, he won't forget what he's learned this semester when school starts."

Charlotte took the paper: "Mom will definitely be watching him."

"Don't keep too close an eye on it."

Richard has fully embraced the role of a teacher: "A holiday is a holiday. It's okay if you can't finish your work in a day or two."

Charlotte put the homework list away: "We'll schedule another time during the first week of school."

"Okay, I have classes tomorrow morning and next week, see you then."