I loaded the Mysticism panel.

Chapter 168 Deadly Enmity and the New Generation

On January 3, the mission team was officially disbanded.

The atmosphere at the breakfast table was completely different from the previous few days.

No one discussed seals, inscriptions, or evil objects anymore.

Everyone was packing their bags, preparing to go their separate ways.

The landlady prepared a sumptuous farewell breakfast: bacon, fried eggs, toast, mushrooms, black pudding, and a large pot of strong tea.

"Eat your fill before you leave." She brought out the last plate of bacon. "I don't know when I'll be able to come again next time."

Captain Field will have to rest in Whitcomb for two weeks due to his injuries.

The innkeeper had already reserved a room for him, and the guild would reimburse his daily food expenses.

"I'll take the train back myself in two weeks," the captain said, holding his teacup in his right hand. "I'll be fine after a little more rest."

Sarah left early this morning; her horse was tied up at the village entrance, and she rode away before dawn.

Before she left, she left a note on the bar counter. The note only had one line written on it:

"Call me again next time you need help. —S."

Mrs. McNeil and Mr. Hutton had more business to attend to.

Mrs. McNeill was to finish writing the mission report and send it back to the Northern Branch of the Folk Guild along with the silver coin.

Mr. Hutton will compile all the data collected during last night's ceremony into an archive and store it in the local seal maintenance record database.

"This file will serve as a reference for other practitioners in the future."

"The next person who encounters a similar entity won't need to start from scratch like we did."

The old gentleman then said to Richard:

"I'll keep that parchment scroll for now, and we can study its contents together when the next semester starts."

The four newcomers exchanged mailing addresses at the hostel entrance.

Edmund gave Richard an address card for St. Peter's Theological Seminary.

"Just send your letters here. I'll pick them up from the mailroom every Wednesday and Saturday."

Theodore pulled a crumpled piece of paper from his pocket, on which was written a crooked address in the western part of Yorkshire.

"This is the address of my family's horse farm." He handed the piece of paper to Richard: "Send the letter here, and my mother will receive it for me."

"Your mom won't open it to look, will she?" Richard took the piece of paper.

"...Yes." Theodore looked a little embarrassed. "So don't write too much about the occult in your letters."

Maggie's last exchange address.

She gave Richard an address, a very long one, containing several Gaelic place names that Richard couldn't pronounce at all.

"Make sure to write down the full address when you mail the letter," she instructed. "Postmen rely on place names to find their way; if you miss even a single letter, they won't be able to find it."

"it is good."

Four people stood at the entrance of the hostel, the winter wind blowing down from the highlands, making everyone's hair a mess.

"Well then... goodbye." Edmund extended his hand first.

Four hands stacked together.

"goodbye."

"goodbye."

"I hope we'll all still be alive when we meet again," Theodore said, making a rather ominous statement.

Maggie kicked him: "Pah, pah, pah, what are you saying on New Year's Day?"

"I'm telling the truth!"

"You can't say it like that, even if it's the truth!"

The two exchanged a few words, but eventually parted ways with smiles on their faces.

Edmund rode in a carriage heading south, while Theodore rode in a branch line train heading east.

Maggie doesn't need a ride; her house is on high ground, and someone will pick her up when she walks to town.

Before leaving, she paused for a moment at the entrance of the hostel.

Richard.

"Um?"

Do you know Catherine Blackwood?

Richard stopped in his tracks.

"I saw you at the Cicero Cup, what's up?"

Maggie pulled up the hood of her cloak, covering the upper half of her face.

"My family and her family are mortal enemies."

"..." Richard frowned, but did not speak.

"I was originally going to participate in the Cicero Cup as well."

Maggie said this without looking at him: "But since Catherine had already signed up, I didn't go."

Richard thought for a moment, then asked the question anyway.

"What kind of grudge?"

"It's something from the older generation." Maggie shook her head. "In my great-grandfather's generation, two families fought over the ownership of a ranch."

"fight?"

"A fight between hunters," she emphasized. "The kind where someone dies."

Maggie pulled her hood down even further.

"The grudges of the older generation are not something we younger generation particularly care about."

When she said this, there was no hatred in her tone, nor did she try to let it go.

"I saw her once, at a gathering in the highlands."

She was half a head taller than me, and her hair was darker than mine.

She glanced at me, and I glanced at her.

"that's all."

Richard nodded.

"If there's a chance in the future..." He hesitated, then added, "What would happen if the two of you sat at the same table?"

Maggie thought for a moment.

"It'll probably be very awkward."

She waved and turned to run.

The cloak billowed in the wind like a balloon, much like those mushrooms blown away by the wind.

Richard stood at the hostel entrance watching her run away, then took the train back alone.

From Whitcomb to the transfer station, then transfer at the transfer station.

In the waiting room, there was only him and the ticket seller who was dozing off.

He took out his notebook from his backpack and made a complete summary of what he had learned over the past few days.

Curious objects: a ritual dagger and a bronze plate.

Judging from the seepage rate, the two items together should be enough to reach at least one point, and it's not impossible for them to reach two points.

When his aunt arrived, he took the bronze ornaments, incense burner, and sun emblem to be recycled.

Even if you don't get any new or unusual items, you can save up some money so you can still find bargains at Tang Na's store when you go to Beijing in the future.

Rubbings of the Boundary Stone Array: Twelve sections of ancient Celtic inscriptions, which, once fully translated, can serve as empirical evidence for advanced practitioners.

Spirit Appearance: Recovering, at 2/10.

My physical skills didn't improve much during this winter break internship, but the wilderness hunting and sealing practice these past few days have made the progress bar noticeably move.

[Perception] This time it has leveled up to lv2; [Knowledge] Progress is close to 82%.

Once the empirical texts that I copied down are fully deciphered, my knowledge progress will probably increase significantly.

In addition, there are inscriptions on the bronze pieces and spells on the parchment scrolls.

After the holiday, I'll study it with Mr. Hutton. I estimate that all of it combined will be enough to get the [Knowledge] progress bar to over 95%.

In addition, there is the natural growth resulting from regular learning activities.

With [Knowledge] advancing to level 3, obtaining the trait and unlocking [Critical Thinking] are just around the corner.

Thinking about this, Richard became somewhat excited.

This winter break internship was incredibly rewarding in every aspect, from discovering fascinating artifacts and gaining practical experience behind the scenes to expanding my network and deciphering esoteric texts.

He closed his notebook and leaned back against the wooden chair in the waiting room.

Outside the window was a gray-white sky, and the distant hills were outlined as blurry as an unfinished watercolor painting.

The train is here.

He got on the bus and found a window seat.

There were only three people in the carriage: an elderly woman dozing while holding a basket, and a young couple talking in hushed tones.

Richard placed his backpack on his lap and closed his eyes.

The train swayed and rattled as it headed south.

He slept for an hour and a half in the car, and when he woke up, the scenery outside the window had changed from wilderness to farmland.

He arrived at the station a little after 1 p.m. and bought a ticket to Osborne at the transfer station.

On the evening of January 3, Richard arrived in Osborne.

Osborne is a small town in South Yorkshire.

The town is nestled against a rolling hilly area, so there is an outdoor activity club that specializes in organizing hiking, camping, and rabbit hunting activities.

Richard found a two-day hiking group departing tomorrow on the club's bulletin board.

The registration fee is two shillings and sixpence, which includes a guide, campsite access, and basic camping equipment rental.

He paid and stayed at a small hotel near the club for the night.

After dinner, he locked the door from the inside.

He took out the small cloth bag that Old Big had given him from his backpack and poured more than twenty rune stones onto the table.

Then he took out the training brass dish and placed it in the center of the table.

He adjusted the kerosene lamp on the table to a medium brightness.

He sat down at the table, placed his hands flat on his knees, and did two complete rounds of quadruple breathing, allowing the leaves of the luminous tree to return to a stable rhythm.

Then he closed his eyes and reached out to touch the pile of runes for a while.

He silently recited the question in his mind:

"Whether the trip will be safe, and the road conditions and weather in the next 36 hours."

He grabbed a handful and threw it into the copper dish.

A series of soft, tinkling sounds came from the dish.

The five rune stones landed on the plate, distributed roughly as follows:

The ears of wheat are close to the center of the dish;

The crescent moon is slightly outward, moving towards the direction of the wheat ears;

A single water droplet falls on the north side of the center of the dish;

The double rings are pressed against the seam of the plate, almost out;

The hammer is three fingers' distance from the center of the dish, facing north.

Richard stared at the group for several minutes.

With the wheat ears close to the center, the main harvest is secure.

A new moon paired with ears of wheat brings positive changes and growth.

The water droplet is on the north side of the center of the dish, and the "unfinished business" is in the north direction. There is something he needs to pay attention to on his way there.

With double-ring pressing seams, there will be some connection and friction between the seams, but it won't be deep.

The hammer is pointing north, and the "action" is pointing north.

He wrote the combination down in his notebook, then grabbed another handful and asked again:

"Is there anyone among the group who could become a source of trouble?"

Five rune stones fell into the dish after being sprinkled in.

The double rings are close to the center of the disc;

A drop of water fell beside the double circle;

The wheat ears were a little further away;

The hammer is upside down, facing outwards;

The crescent moon is on the edge of the saucer.

If the two rings are close to the center of the disc, a "relationship" will appear among those traveling together.

The water droplet clinging to the double circles indicates that the "unfinished business" follows the relationship.

With the hammer facing outwards, he didn't need to attack any of his companions.

The crescent moon is on the edge of the disc, and the "change" is on the outermost side, which has little to do with the main plot.

Richard breathed a sigh of relief; there was no source of trouble.

However, there is one "unresolved matter" that is related to the relationship with the fellow travelers.

He turned the page and wrote:

"Note: There may be unresolved matters with your companions; the route is circuitous; the main route is safe."

The results of studying the stone method gave him some confidence for tomorrow's hike.

He put the talisman back into his cloth bag, wiped the copper dish clean and put it back in his backpack, and blew out the kerosene lamp.

[Perception] The progress of Lv.2 jumped again at the edge of the field of vision.