I loaded the Mysticism panel.

Chapter 180 [The Gushing Spring]

After returning from his aunt's place, Richard took the ink bottle out from deep inside his backpack.

With his spiritual vision set to its highest level, the entire ink bottle floated in his field of vision.

Under his spiritual vision, the bottle became translucent, and Richard could see the conductive silver wires that the alchemist had personally embedded.

The third layer inside is the ink storage tank.

Its ink is itself a kind of etheric condensate, but the concentration is compressed to an extremely low level, so it can be used like ordinary ink.

At the very back is a small rotating structure, which is the core circuit of the entire bottle.

The loop operates in a way that is very similar to the light tree in its own microcirculation, but the conversion efficiency is very low.

He tried putting his hand on it to collect points.

Judging from the growth rate, the remaining ether in this ink bottle is worth a little over half a point, which is about the same as the antique I bought from Donald.

But he doesn't intend to absorb it to 95%.

If you inhale too much, your circulation will be ruined.

With this in mind, he began to consciously control the speed at which he absorbed points.

The available points on the panel have started to climb.

[Available Points] It took fifteen minutes to climb from 1.75 to 1.85.

It took another ten minutes to climb from 1.85 to 1.99.

Richard stopped and reopened his vision to examine the bottle.

The circuit's operating rhythm remained unchanged, but pressure began to appear on the silver mesh at the edge of the core circuit.

If you go any further, you'll have to ruin the "never-ending writing" aspect of the bottle yourself.

Richard absorbed that extremely fine wisp of ether.

[Available Points] Ultimately, it stopped at 2.0, which is enough for his needs without damaging the ink bottle.

This is the first gift my aunt gave me, I can't break it.

Richard looked at the panel.

Available Points: 2.0

(For ease of tracking, decimal points are omitted from the progress bars.)

[Breathing] Lv.3, progress 9%.

[Eating] Lv.2, progress 59%.

[Sleeping] Lv.2, progress 63%.

[Walking] Lv.2, progress 29%.

[Knowledge] Lv.2, progress 87%.

[Perception] Lv.2, progress 21%.

With two points at his disposal, he decided to try previewing the changes after [Breathing] advanced to the next level.

Two points were invested in [Breathing], and a preview quickly popped up on the panel:

"This next step requires meeting the following conditions:"

Level 4, 100% progress; 2 available points; Fully mastered one advanced breathing technique.

"Unlockable effect preview - Breathing Spring: Enhances the original healing effect, and can store life energy with each breath; greatly accelerates self-healing when injured; or draws energy to heal others."

Richard remained seated.

He read the passage on the panel again from beginning to end.

"It can greatly accelerate self-healing when injured," which corresponds to the danger of being in battle.

Unlike hunters who have an aether burst, scholars don't have a spirit aura like hermits who can pull out a bunch of alchemical equipment at any time.

His own armor could only block blades, not penetrating firearms; the crescent nails were good for offense but not defense.

If the "Spring of Life" condition is met, this is a reliable trump card for survival.

"Guiding others to heal with Qi" is also quite important.

He immediately thought of his mother's illness.

Even if the duct cannot be completely cured, it would be quite good if it could stop the duct that has been spinning for more than ten years and the dull pain in the lungs that comes with rainy days could gradually subside.

Unfortunately, there is still a very long way to go before I can obtain the [Spring of Life].

The progress bar for [Breathing] is climbing very slowly. It's been quite a while since I reached level 3, but the progress bar still hasn't reached 10%.

Once I become a professional and acquire advanced breathing techniques, my speed should increase.

Thanks to the many new things I've learned these past few days, all of which involve occult knowledge, my progress on [Knowledge] Lv.2 is not as difficult as it was with [Breathing] back then.

He still has a lot of materials waiting to be deciphered. If he maintains his current learning pace, he will reach 100% in another two weeks.

Once he reaches 100%, and has independently deciphered the double-copying practice material, the conditions for advancing to [Knowledge] Lv.3 will be met.

Advanced skills cost 1 point; then, unlocking [Critical Thinking] costs another 1 point, leaving just enough [available points].

Richard let out a breath.

He looked up and glanced at the glass ink bottle on the table.

The Latin inscription on the side of the bottle looked gentle under the light.

"Veritas ardua, sed amabilis."

On the other side of the table, the list of thirty-six books that Isabella had left behind last night was pinned to the wall with small thumbtacks.

"Truth is hard, but it is lovely," Richard murmured.

"...With my knowledge and critical thinking, she might be both simple and lovely."

I could hear my younger sister turning over in bed next door.

Richard turned off the light.

That manuscript should be given to Charlotte before February 15th.

The February gathering of the Theological Salon was also in the middle of the month, so he had another month to prepare.

Richard lay down on the bed and covered himself with the blanket.

He closed his eyes.

The leaves of the luminous tree in my chest sway gently, spreading the healing power of breath throughout my body.

In less than three minutes, he sank into a high-quality deep sleep brought about by the [Sleep] Lv.2.

………………

At 7:25 a.m., Isabella came to Williams' house alone.

When I knocked, Margaret was already waiting behind the door.

"morning."

"Good morning." Margaret opened the door and let her sister in.

"What about Sofia and Clara?"

"Leave them at the hostel so they can sleep a little longer."

Isabella took off her coat and hung it on the coat hook behind the door.

"You'll feel awkward when other people are around during a massage."

Margaret wanted to laugh but didn't.

"I'm not that bad..."

"You have."

Isabella walked to the center of the living room.

Margaret had already closed both doors leading from the living room to the hallway.

She walked to the kitchen door and closed the half-open door completely.

"Evelyn!"

A reluctant "Hey!" came from upstairs.

Go play with your brother!

"I'm already upstairs!"

"Then stay put."

"……knew."

Isabella chuckled softly.

"Sister, your daughter is dishonest."

"I know," the mother sighed. "Let her be."

A small head peeked out from the gap in the railing at the corner of the stairs, with a blue ribbon hanging diagonally on top of its head, covering half of its ear.

Richard tiptoed out of his room, went around behind his sister, and patted her on the head.

"elder brother!"

"Shh..." Richard put his index finger to his lips: "Keep your voice down, don't let Mom hear you come down."

"You were peeking too!" Evelyn retorted in a low voice.

"I'm not like you."

"What's different?"

"I'm..." Richard searched for the right words: "I'm studying."

Richard pushed his sister toward his room.

"Go back to your room. I bought a bag of almond cookies on my way home yesterday and left them in your room. Once you've eaten them, just pretend I never came downstairs."

"Trying to bribe me?"

"cooperate."

Evelyn stared at her brother for a while, then turned and went into her room, leaving the door slightly ajar behind her.

Richard walked back to the top of the stairs, half-squatted down, and looked into the living room from the bottom of the railing.

Mother had already collapsed onto the sofa.

She lay with her back to the sofa, her face buried in the cushions, her shoulders rising and falling slightly.

Isabella walked to the side of the sofa and knelt down.

She rolled up her sleeves, revealing her forearms.

He clasped his hands together, palms facing each other, and slowly exhaled.

A thin film of ether condensed between the palms.

Richard used his spiritual vision to see that his aunt had pressed the thin ethereal membrane onto the center of his mother's neck and shoulders.

The mother's shoulders trembled slightly before slowly relaxing.

"Does it hurt?"

"...It doesn't hurt."

"Is it hot?"

"hot."

"The heat is right." My aunt slowly massaged along the two main meridians on both sides of my mother's spine.

Every time the massage reached the area near the seventh vertebra, my mother would tremble with pain.

Richard could see it clearly; that was the spot where the tunnel had been blown open back then.

After one round of treatment, the mother let out a long sigh of relief on the sofa.

"How is it?" Isabella asked.

"..."

"sister?"

"...I haven't felt this relaxed in years." The mother's voice was muffled by the sofa cushions.

Isabella pulled down her sleeves, picked up the teapot from the coffee table, and poured her mother a glass of warm water.

She looked up and glanced at the stairwell.

Richard didn't have time to back down.

"Finished peeking?"

"I'm studying."

"Get down."

Richard resignedly walked downstairs.

Isabella looked at him and raised an eyebrow.

"Your vision technique has a good range and accuracy, but it doesn't conceal anything at all."

"...Is my clairvoyance very obvious?"

"Your attention will distort the etheric flow, and anyone with even a little perception can see it clearly."

Richard frowned; the fact that his spiritual vision was easily exposed was indeed a problem he had always had.

The mother drank half of the glass of warm water on the sofa.

"Isabella, my son..."

"Your son is doing very well," Isabella chimed in. "From what I've seen these past few days, he's much better than I was at that age."

………………

The next morning, on the train platform.

My father didn't go to work; he specifically took half a day off.

The mother changed into the dress she had bought with Isabella, and the two sisters stood together, looking as if they had been cut from the same roll of wool.

Evelyn clung tightly to her aunt's waist, refusing to let go.

Sophia watched her usually stern-faced mentor helplessly, and her shoulders trembled as she tried to suppress her laughter.

"Little Evelyn!" Under the threatening look of her mentor, Sophia had no choice but to come over and help her out.

"Look over there," Sophia pointed to the other end of the platform.

"What are you looking at?"

"Isn't there a very big cat over there?"

"..." Evelyn looked up in suspicion.

"Seriously, the grayish-white color makes them look especially fat."

The little girl lifted her head from her aunt's waist.

She's not stupid; she wouldn't be fooled by such a clumsy lie.

But as long as attention shifts, it will be an opportunity for Sofia.

"Over there, over there..." Sofia took the opportunity to pull Isabella off her waist, hoisted her onto her own shoulder, and took a couple of steps toward the other end of the platform: "Oh dear, it seems she's run away."

"You lied to me!"

"I'm not lying to you, I must be seeing things."

"You owe me my cat!"

"...I don't have a cat to replace it for you."

Isabella rubbed her waist and patted the wrinkles in her long dress.

Clara then walked over from the pile of luggage.

"Mentor, the ticket inspector is here."

"understood."

Isabella turned and walked toward her sister.

Clara walked over to Richard, placed the suitcase in her right hand on the ground, and loosened her wrist.

"Mr. Williams."

"Just call me Richard."

"Yes, Richard."

Clara's voice was not loud.

She stepped aside to let a middle-aged man who was rushing to catch the carriage pass, and then took half a step closer to Richard.

"That ink bottle..."

"What's wrong?"

"If you find anything wrong with it, you can send it back to Beijing for repair at any time."

The address is written on the inside lining of the box; I'll forward it to the person who made this bottle for you.

"The alchemist who made this ink bottle was my distant cousin."

Richard secretly kept this information in mind.

"What kinds of alchemical tools does your senior's uncle mainly make?"

"He doesn't just make auxiliary items; he also takes on weapon modifications."

Clara winked at him: "There are a few experts in the capital who handle these kinds of orders. He's one of them. He's very reliable, but he has a bad temper."

Richard nodded.

"I've got it."

"Okay." Clara picked up the small suitcase. "See you next time."

Sofia has returned Evelyn to her mother.

The little girl buried her head in her mother's arms for a while before her mother pushed her aside.

Richard went over to say goodbye.

Isabella stretched out her right hand, Richard extended his right hand, and the two shook hands.

A normal handshake, without any etheric flow.

Isabella's lips moved.

"Study hard and take good care of your older sister."

"Um."

See you at the summer training program.

"it is good."

Isabella released her grip.

The train whistle blew, and the ticket inspector waved the small brass bell in his hand.

"Little Evelyn, I'll get you a real cat next time!"

Sofia shouted as she squeezed onto the bus.

"You must bring one next time you come!"

"Okay, let's bring the fat one!"

The car door slammed shut.

The train started moving, and Evelyn started running after the carriage again.

She ran to the end of the platform and stopped, watching the train gradually disappear into the distance, lost in thought.