I loaded the Mysticism panel.

Chapter 135 Traditional Permutations and Combinations

Hecate began to summarize.

"Tonight's intelligence roundup is quite significant."

She looked at the man in the ivy mask.

"Dionysus, your cumulative contribution is the highest both last time and this time."

"I will use my connections to get you an admission ticket to the third floor of Imperial University."

Dionysus hesitated.

"...Thank you for your kindness."

Hecate didn't wait for him to ask further.

"I will inform you of the price you will have to pay later."

"Understood." Dionysus raised his cup again.

With the intelligence gathering concluded, Hecate did not announce the end of the meeting as she had done last time.

"We still have some time left tonight, so I'll mention something else."

Dionysus immediately straightened his back.

Prometheus put the book back in his inner pocket, freeing his hands.

Richard gleaned from their series of reactions that this wasn't the first time.

After every few gatherings, Hecate would casually mention things that were only accessible to people at her level.

"It's a pity Ares isn't here tonight," Dionysus murmured.

"He listens most attentively to this kind of stuff."

"It is indeed a pity," said Prometheus.

Hecate sat in the main seat with her hands folded on her knees.

"Tonight's topic is the preparatory work for the mastery stage."

Richard's attention immediately focused.

Although he and Nemesis are still far off, it's always good to hear about it in advance.

"Some of you will soon face a bottleneck in your mastery of a little bit of knowledge," Hecate said.

"Before that, one thing must be done in advance."

"What is it?" Dionysus asked.

"Pre-selecting from tradition for those who are highly proficient."

"Preliminary selection?" Nemesis voiced the question on everyone's mind.

On Hecate's golden mask, the upper half of the girl's face narrowed her eyes.

"The strength of a minor mastery is essentially determined by the pre-selection you make for a major mastery."

As soon as she uttered those words, everyone at the round table sat up straight.

Richard wrote it down and waited for the others to ask first.

Dionysus then spoke.

"What exactly does it mean?"

Hecate spread her hands apart, palms facing up.

"The five major traditions are the sun, the hearth, the abyss, the moon hunt, and the net weaving, plus some minor traditions, each with its own unique thread."

"The advanced mastery oath ceremony establishes the first formal connection between you and the curtain."

You can pre-select a tradition during this ceremony and receive a portion of its power in advance.

Prometheus asked, "What if there's no pre-selection?"

"Pre-selection is not required," Hecate nodded.

"Those who are not pre-selected are generally one level weaker than those who are pre-selected, but they are more flexible."

When the time comes for secondary attribution in the future, the range of choices will be wider.

"It's been pre-selected, a tier above, but the path is locked."

"Without pre-selection, it's a step down, but the route can still be adjusted."

Richard had figured out the logic in his mind; it was a very clear choice.

"How exactly does the preliminary selection process work?" Nemesis asked.

"The specific method is very vague," Hecate didn't explain it clearly.

"It varies from person to person, and it varies from tradition to tradition."

"But there are some general principles."

She raised her left hand, her fingers tracing a line in the air.

"Principle 1: The tradition you choose for mastery must be compatible with your current breathing method."

The old woman smiled at half of her face; it was a little creepy.

"The only exception is the Path of the Abyss, which, in addition to its own Abyss traditions, is compatible with all traditions."

Richard noted down the fact that the Path of the Abyss was compatible with all traditions.

"Principle Two: Your career path determines which traditional branches you should lean towards."

Hecate raised her hand in a sorting motion.

"For the scholar track, I personally strongly recommend that you honestly choose the Solar Tradition, or one of the smaller traditions that are not among the five major traditions related to scholars."

"Which ones specifically?" Richard couldn't help but ask.

"Star charts, ancient texts, mirrors," Hecate named a few things.

"These are not among the five major traditions, but they are highly aligned with the scholars' research directions."

"Scholars should avoid delving into the deep-rooted traditions."

She specifically reminded him:

"For you researchers, 'looking down' is instinctive; the cost of this deep-rooted tradition is heaviest for scholars."

At this point in Hecate's story, Dionysus interjected.

"In the stage of mastery, will there be any unique combinations when combining tradition and direction?"

"Yes," Hecate said.

At this point, both the old woman and the young girl on the mask smiled.

"Abyss tradition + Hunter direction".

"An incredibly terrifying combination, almost unmatched by anyone of the same rank, and even capable of contending with some top-tier players."

"But they usually don't live past five years."

"Why?" Nemesis asked.

"The price of the Abyss tradition is the direct consumption of the cultivator themselves, and the Hunter's approach accelerates this consumption process."

Hecate said:

"Both of them are trying to pull you downstairs, one is pulling from the front and the other is pushing from behind."

"There's also a classic one... the hearth tradition + the scholar's direction."

"People who adopt this kind of style will easily end up transforming themselves beyond recognition."

"There was a typical example in the records where a scholar chose the hearth fire tradition."

Ten years later, he became a living sculpture embedded in the wall, sustained by dozens of thin tubes.

"Embedded in the wall," Prometheus imagined the image.

"He modified it himself," Hecate said.

"At first, I wanted to add a few auxiliary lines, but I ended up adding more and more lines."

The more pipes there are, the harder it is to separate them from the walls; eventually, they become integrated with the walls.

"Is he still alive?" Dionysus asked.

"He is from three hundred years ago and is still alive today," Hecate replied.

"Although he himself couldn't say for sure whether that state could be considered living."

Richard felt a chill run down his spine upon hearing this.

After Hecate finished giving a few examples, she put her hands back on her knees, folded over each other.

"Just listen to these examples of great masters choosing tradition as stories; focus on what's in front of you first."

That's all for tonight. The next gathering will be in mid-February.

She raised her hand and made a vague gesture above the table.

"I will send out another invitation to new members before the next gathering, in mid-April."

"Send it again?" Dionysus was somewhat surprised.

"Yes," Hecate said.

"Once all seven chairs are filled, the party will move into its second phase."

"What is the second stage?" Nemesis asked.

"It involves the names of the gods present here," Hecate said.

"At that time, each of you will receive the exclusive power of your respective god's name."

"What specific power?" Dionysus asked.

You'll find out then.

Hecate was not elaborated upon.

"Tonight is over. Leave as usual: close your eyes and count to seven."

After everyone left, she remained seated in the main seat, raised her hand and made a grasping motion in the air, causing a phantom image of ceramic coins to condense on the table.

She had already dealt with the first batch that was thrown out after the last event.

The remaining items marked "pending" will be reviewed again tonight.

Her fingertips paused over each of the illusory figures.

Pan—an actor at a theater on Huayue Street; the pottery coins are still in his makeup box.

Demeter—the heir to a manor in the west, whose pottery coins are discarded at the bottom of the wastebasket;

Poseidon—son of a naval officer, whose pottery coins are concealed by a family seal.

None of these are quite suitable.

Hecate withdrew her fingertips, thinking of someone who was absent today.

For low-ranking hunters, physical mutilation is fatal.

Ares was seriously injured this time and lost an arm in the Ashes. Even if someone finds someone to attach a prosthetic arm, his potential will be greatly diminished.

In a place like the Ash Belt, she originally thought the other party would prepare for several more months.

Thinking about this, she became increasingly dissatisfied with Ares.

If a more suitable candidate is found later, perhaps a reason can be found to eliminate him.

There are seven chairs; if she wants them all to be occupied, she needs to scatter another batch of tokens.

Moreover, this wave must be more precise than the last.

Hecate let out a long sigh of relief from her seat.

She raised her hand and dispersed the illusory images of the ceramic coins on the table.

"We need to do more research before scattering the tokens this time."

………………

When Richard opened his eyes, the sound of rain hitting the window frame was very clear.

The rain in Bristol has been intermittent since the beginning of winter, and tonight's rain was lighter but persistent.

The clock downstairs had just struck ten times.

The entire party, from when I fell asleep to when it ended, felt like it lasted about half an hour.

He sat up, checked his watch, and confirmed that less than an hour had indeed passed.

Just as I arrived at the table, the large fluttering moth had already arrived.

The spirit messenger placed the items he had obtained from this transaction on his desk, and then, just like last time, they quietly disappeared.

A copper wire-wrapped bottle containing deep etheric condensate, illustrations of etheric massage techniques, rubbings and explanations of the "moon needle" technique.

The three items were placed side by side on the table. Richard did one thing first.

He took the bag of talismans and, following the standard procedure of the stone reading method, asked three questions.

The first question: Are there any hidden doors or tracking techniques for the ether condensate bottle?

He took out five talisman stones and scattered them onto the bronze plate.

The falling pattern is:

Two circles (relationships), ears of wheat (harvest), and a crescent moon (growth) are in the center area;

The water droplets (unfinished business) and spirals (repetition) rolled outside the copper dish.

He mentally translated the set of patterns.

"There is no problem with the relationship, and the item itself has value."

It will bring about some growth during use, with no hidden dangers.

The condensate bottle is safe.

Richard put the first set of runes back into his bag.

The second question: Do the massage techniques have any hidden effects or adverse effects?

He grabbed a second handful and scattered it.

The pattern on this one is clearer:

The double circles and ears of wheat both fall in the center, the crescent moon is slightly off-center, the water droplets are on the edge, and the spiral rolls out of the copper dish.

"There are no problems with the relationship, the items are worthwhile, the effects exist but are limited, there are 'unresolved issues' (in line with the original meaning, massage is only an auxiliary means and cannot cure), and there are no hidden dangers."

The massage technique is safe, but its effects are limited, which aligns with Prometheus's description.

The third question: Does MoonNail's brochure contain any reverse tracking or surveillance features designed to target itself?

The third handful was scattered.

A brand new symbol has appeared in this group—the double line (trust).

The double lines fall in the center, the wheat ears are slightly off-center, and the water droplets and spirals roll out of the copper dish.

"The relationship is fine, there's an element of trust, the item is of considerable value, and there are no hidden dangers."

Monthly nail book security.

Furthermore, the appearance of the "Trust" rune suggests that Nemesis's decision to release the Moon Nail tonight carries a degree of goodwill.

Comparing the entry requirements of the two techniques, I definitely have the advantage.

Nemesis could have taken the opportunity to ask for the difference in price tonight, but she didn't.

Richard put the talisman back into his bag, his mind racing.

[Perception] Since the light was lit up, his sense of boundaries regarding "what is suitable to do according to divination" has become clearer and clearer.

Divination involves matters concerning oneself and the items one possesses, and the feedback volume is extremely high with very high accuracy;

When divination involves other people's affairs, the feedback rate drops rapidly, and the accuracy also decreases.

Divination involving higher levels of authority will immediately attract a backlash warning.

He had just experienced it last night.

Using divination as a mirror yields the best results.

He wrapped the condensate bottle in three layers of oil paper and placed it in the deepest compartment of the drawer.

He's going to call his aunt again tomorrow to ask about the massage techniques, as matters concerning his mother's health cannot be taken lightly.

He stuffed the rubbings and explanations of the techniques into his notebook, making them the focus of his next stage of study.

The desktop was tidy again, and Richard blew out the light.