I loaded the Mysticism panel.

Chapter 133 Spell: Moon Nail

Hecate raised her hand and made a vague gesture above the table, causing the empty chair to dim.

"Let's continue," she said.

"Two newcomers."

Her gaze lingered briefly on Richard and Nemesis.

"According to the rules, you should also put your things on the table tonight."

Nemesis spoke first: "I was prepared."

Richard chimed in, "I'm all ready too."

Hecate nodded.

"Then, let's begin the transaction."

Dionysus took out a larger tin box from a hidden compartment under the chair and placed it in the center of the table.

The tin box was opened, and three items were neatly arranged inside.

The first item is a replica of the perception shielding technique from last time, but this time it's four folded booklets.

"The same set of techniques," Dionysus said, opening the booklet to a page. "But with three variations added."

"A variant?" Prometheus looked up.

"One type is for living things, one type is for objects, and one type is for spaces."

Dionysus turned the page to the left.

"The original version can only be used on a single creature."

The three new variants allow you to hide artifacts from remote detection, shield a house, or create a shielded corridor along a stretch of road in the wild.

Richard listened attentively.

Ordinary shielding spells only work on living beings, which is a bottleneck faced by most stealth users.

However, the etheric residue of the artifact itself is much easier to locate than the human body. When a hunter squad enters an enemy stronghold, the most easily exposed thing is actually the artifact they carry with their name.

Dionysus expanded a single technique into a set of tools.

"I already offered a price for the original last time," he said, continuing to swirl the wine in his glass.

"This time, I will not use the shielding spell to exchange for the admission ticket to the third floor of Imperial University."

"Oh?" Prometheus raised an eyebrow.

"I changed direction tonight." Dionysus turned his gaze to Richard's direction, then to Prometheus.

"What I want to replace is... a patch to correct the mainstream models of curtain dynamics that have been used in academia for the past three years."

He emphasized the word "three years" a little.

Richard's attention immediately focused.

Research on curtain dynamics within the Imperial academic community has undergone a paradigm shift over the past three years.

The old version of Haldane's model was significantly revised by several professors from Imperial University and the Royal Academy.

The revised version has not been published yet. The above information was obtained from Mr. Hutton, who also has a fixed academic circle in the capital.

Dionysus actually knew about this.

He not only knew this, but he also knew that this revision was a "patch" rather than a "new model".

This shows that he has been continuously tracking developments within academia and has at least one channel through which he can consistently release information.

Prometheus ignored him and took out a larger bag from under his chair.

The cloth bag was untied, and this time it contained twelve small bottles.

"The concentration of the deep ether condensate is one level higher than the last batch."

"I used some of the last batch myself, and then redistributed the rest."

"Good heavens." Dionysus's hand holding the cup was a little unsteady, clearly amazed by the other party's strength.

"What I need to change has also changed," said Prometheus.

He pushed the cloth bag to the center of the table.

"What I want now is something on a higher level..."

"A complete internal catalog of any old, secluded religious order within the Empire. It includes all manuscripts from the order's founding to its dissolution."

"The name of the religious order doesn't matter, nor does the location; what I want is the catalog itself."

Upon hearing this, Richard began to mentally summarize the information he knew.

He had heard of several of the old-style closed monasteries that had been dismantled within the Empire.

Those were small hermit groups that were shut down by the government and the state religion in the last two centuries due to various shady dealings.

Most of their collections were scattered, locked, or burned during the dismantling process.

Those that have left complete catalogs are almost extinct.

No one at the table offered to take his portion.

Prometheus didn't expect an immediate response.

He left the cloth bag in the center of the table to indicate that the deal was still open.

"I'm here..."

Richard also took out two prepared documents from a hidden compartment under his chair.

The first document is a complete explanation of the Stone Armor technique.

The second version is a simplified version of the core formula of the Shadow Armor Backward Theory Model.

He neatly placed the two documents in the center of the table.

"Stone armor".

"General protective techniques, standardized media, and standardized procedures."

"It is applicable to all three directions and has no special requirements for breathing techniques. It can be used for Golden Breath, Blood Burning, and various miscellaneous methods."

"The original technique originated from the Inscription Guild of the Western Continent, dating back approximately 460 years."

"The procedure itself is publicly authorized, and no specific mark will be left on the user."

He spread out the pages of the Stone Armor on the table.

Prometheus and Nemesis turned their gazes toward them almost simultaneously.

"Stone armor," Prometheus repeated. "I've heard that name before."

"Have you heard of it?" Dionysus turned his head.

"I've seen it in an old catalog," Prometheus said. "But I've never seen the complete version."

Richard's explanation was bland: "Old objects found in the family."

Dionysus smiled as he held his wine glass.

"An old object casually found in the family is actually a universal spell formula. Your family is really something."

Richard didn't respond to that question; instead, he spread out the second document.

"The other one is a set of reverse-engineering theoretical models that I compiled myself."

He pushed the model's directory page to the center of the desktop.

"Based on the stone armor, we can reverse the transformation path from 'strengthening inward' to 'applying outward'."

This involves the basic logic of reverse engineering techniques, feasibility studies of the medium, and analysis of the stability of the technique under different conditions.

"Notice……"

He spoke frankly and openly about it.

"We are currently in the model stage, and the core formula part has not yet been completed."

Those who can read the model can understand the underlying logic, but deriving an implementable technique is up to them.

Prometheus didn't speak, but he picked up the catalog of the model.

He read it from beginning to end, then turned back to read the first page again.

The whole process lasted about two minutes, and Richard remained seated without urging anyone on.

Nemesis watched this scene quietly from the opposite side.

The scales above her head remained steady all night, without any swing.

Prometheus put the directory page back on the desktop.

"You're going in the opposite direction," he said, looking at Richard.

"The breakthrough lies in shifting the direction of the technique's output from the user to an external target."

"Yes."

"I'm very interested in this one," Prometheus said.

Dionysus, holding his wine cup, gave a hum.

"I'm also very interested; everyone can see the potential for surgical reversal."

But he put down his glass:

"Interest may exist, but the price of a semi-finished procedure is the same as that of a semi-finished product, depending on market conditions."

I don't have much ability to deduce techniques. Let's talk about it at the next gathering after you've produced the finished product.

Richard nodded slightly: "I understand."

Prometheus was not as reserved as Dionysus.

He picked out a bottle of condensate from the cloth bag and placed it alone in the center of the table.

"This one is your model."

Richard reached out and put the bottle away.

While putting the contents into the hidden compartment under his chair, he also pushed the second complete set of materials toward Prometheus.

"Take it."

Prometheus neatly folded the model and put it into the inner pocket of his coat.

However, neither of them suggested exchanging the "Stone Armor," which was within Richard's expectations.

Nemesis then placed his own belongings on the table.

She took out a thin booklet with an indigo cover.

"Moon Nail".

Nemesis announced the name of the spell.

"It's an old technique that originated from the Moon Hunting tradition. It predates your Stone Armor by about five or six hundred years."

"This is also a universal technique," she specifically pointed out.

Nemesis opened the indigo book.

"The principle of the spell is very simple. It uses a sharp silver object as a medium. The cheapest is a silver needle, while a more sophisticated one can use a short silver blade."

"The practitioner uses breathing techniques to push the ether along the medium to the tip, where it condenses into a high-density 'nail'."

"After the procedure, the lunar nail has a dual puncture effect on both the material and etheric levels."

She closed the booklet.

"To a person, the Moon Nail has roughly the same destructive power as a normal dart."

"For evil beings, the Moon Nails will penetrate their etheric layer."

"That's its real purpose."

"Once the ether needle is inserted, it will tear a gash along its path."

"The lowest-level evil creatures, such as wandering spirits and ghouls, can be severely injured by a single Moon Nail."

"Lower-level evil creatures can last longer, but their mobility will decrease with each hit."

"Mid-level and above evil beings, huh..."

She introduced herself generously:

"The etheric layer of a mid-level evil entity is more solid and will heal itself, so the significance of the Moon Nail lies more in 'interrupting' it."

Richard was somewhat tempted.

This technique is quite good; he was just worried about not having any effective means to deal with evil spirits.

"Can this technique be used by those at the Lesser Mastery level or above?" he asked, voicing his most pressing question.

"Of course it can be used, and the Lesser Master can even improve it himself," Nemesis said.

"In the versions I've heard, someone changed the Moon Spikes to 'Moon Blade Rain,' condensing dozens of Moon Spikes with ether to cover an area."

Some people also stretch the moon spikes into "moon chains," extending them from one target to the next.

"There are even more unorthodox methods, such as extracting the 'ether' part of the moon nail and making it into a purely sensory probe, which can be inserted into the wall to explore the situation on the other side."

Richard started doing the math.

Ordinary firearms, including military rifles and police revolvers used by branch offices, are extremely ineffective against evil entities.

Enchanted bullets solved this problem, but they are expensive, and the more enchanted rings you have, the more money you spend.

One single-ring bullet is equivalent to dozens of ordinary bullets, not to mention a triple-ring bullet.

Ares had only taken out six three-ring enchanted bullets in the box last time, which was already a precious reserve he was reluctant to use.

What is the cost of the moon nail?

A silver needle, plus the caster's own ether consumption.

Silver needles can be bought at any needlework shop, and the most expensive one will not cost more than one shilling.

A cultivator who has mastered the Moon Nail is essentially carrying a box of low-cost, reusable "Enchanted Bullets".

Most importantly, Moon Nail is a legitimate technique with the potential for advancement, and he also possesses "Shadow Reversal".

Richard is ready to make the deal.

"Nemesis, may I use the Stone Armor...?"

"Change."

Nemesis's answer was concise and to the point.

Richard pushed the portion of the stone armor onto her side.

Nemesis pushed the pamphlet on the moon nail to his side.