I loaded the Mysticism panel.

Chapter 190 Lady Mary's Letter

Richard pushed the ink bottle to the center of the table and laid out a new sheet of manuscript paper.

Unscrew the pen cap, dip the nib lightly into the ink, and write the first line of text in the center of the manuscript paper.

"Shadow Armor Reconstruction"

After finishing writing, he paused for a few seconds and crossed out all the arguments that were originally going to be elaborated under this line.

His previous understanding of [Shadow Armor] was entirely based on "piling stones on the target's shadow".

However, once the process of "critical thinking" is initiated, the limitations of this understanding become crystal clear.

The stone is a metaphor; the real workings of the entire spell involve the ether applying weight to the "lightless area."

The weights do not have to be evenly distributed; Richard wrote this sentence separately at the very top of the manuscript.

He took a pencil from the pen holder and began drawing on the lower half of the manuscript paper.

The first distribution method involves the entire group being concentrated and pressed under the feet.

Richard blacked out the shadow area under his feet, imagining himself standing at the east end of the alley, and the guy opposite him suddenly feeling as if nails had been driven into the ground.

The two shoes were stuck tightly to the stone pavement, and the joints of the entire leg were locked in place.

This fighting style corresponds to "immobilization".

In the second allocation method, he drew diagonal lines on the shadow of the throat area.

The human neck is inherently fragile; even a few ounces of stone pressing down on the outside can be quite painful.

On the etheric level, the pressure falls directly on the cartilage and trachea.

Even if it can't cause suffocation, it should at least prevent the person from chanting the incantation.

The third way he allocated the weapon was by drawing diagonal lines on the shadow of the hand holding the weapon.

An axe, a staff, or a short gun will all work; the point is to make it impossible for the opponent to hold onto anything.

Richard's pen hovered on the manuscript paper for a few seconds.

What about in extreme cases?

Put all the weight on the shadow area that is as small as a strand of hair.

Richard's brows slowly furrowed.

He imagined a single strand of skin, about the thickness of a hair, bearing dozens of times its own weight.

I can't even imagine it, but it must be terrifying.

In writing about the second variant, he extended it to include a reverse repulsive force.

In theory, a shadow is a "lightless area," a negative space.

The ether flow being reversed once can generate pressure.

So, flipping it again should theoretically create... negative pressure? Suction?

He started by recalling the moment he gained Shadow Armor from the instant he received Shadow Reversal, and then tried to remember the critical point at which the flow of ether was reversed.

At that time, the entire etheric flow was flipped, and the flow changed from "inside out" to "outside in".

But that was just one flip. What will happen if it's flipped again?

[Critical Thinking] No answer can be given.

Richard had no practical experience and had not read any literature that mentioned "double reversal".

Richard put down his pen, leaned back in his chair, and stared at the ceiling.

Theory leads to practice, and practice requires a higher level of understanding.

Richard put the entire manuscript into a drawer compartment.

It was past 11 p.m.

Richard blew out the lamp, and the leaves of the tree of light in his chest spread throughout his body under the [Breathing Healing] technique.

In less than three minutes, he was pulled into a deep, high-quality sleep.

………………

The third period in the morning is history.

He didn't attend Mr. Hutton's class for "flexible learning," because he had to give his mentor some face.

The old gentleman was speaking on the podium about the monastic manuscript system during the time of Charlemagne.

Richard only needed to listen to the class content once.

He sat in the third row by the window and opened his notebook.

The notebook contained the summary of last night's book, "Shadow Armor: A Discussion on Variations".

He opened a new page below the summary and wrote "Stone Covered Armor - Reread".

[Bowen] laid out every single stroke of the four sets of inscriptions on the gargoyle base in his mind.

[Critical Thinking] Start taking action immediately.

The load-bearing structure of the entire [Stone Armor] technique gradually appeared before his eyes.

The three stages are: attraction, covering, and maintenance.

The inductive layer is the most critical variable structure, and its flow pattern can vary.

Thinking this through, Mr. Hutton's voice from the podium had become a distant background noise.

During the induction and covering stage, when he practiced in the past, a stream of ether was pushed out and spread along the main meridian all the way to the surface of the skin.

This push notification method is the most efficient, but it has two weaknesses.

Richard drew a simplified operating path in his notebook and marked it with two red crosses, corresponding to the startup phase and the condensation phase, respectively.

What is the solution?

[Reflection] The answer given to him was to break the whole mass of ether into several small portions, expel them according to the rhythm of breathing, and gradually layer them on the surface of the skin.

Mr. Hutton's voice drifted over from the podium.

"Before each manuscript was passed on to the next scribe, the previous scribe would make a small mark on the margin... Richard?"

Richard raised his head.

The old man probably saw that he was engrossed in writing and called out to him.

"...I'm sorry, sir."

Did you hear what I just heard?

"I heard you," Richard quickly replied.

"You mentioned the revision records of the manuscripts during the reign of Charlemagne, a practice that evolved into a systematic tradition of annotation by the mid-eighth century."

The old man waved his hand helplessly:

"Very good, that's a very accurate recitation."

………………

After school, he went to that dead-end alley again.

Richard leaned against the wall of the oil press and first applied a basic [Stone Armor] base coat.

Normal level. This is his stable level ever since he used [Healing] to heal those old wounds.

He dispelled the spell and paused for a while to allow the ether reserves to recover.

The second time, Richard experimented with the improved method, and the sound changed from "ding" to "pop".

Richard held the armor up and gently pressed the seam between the plates with his left index finger.

The third time, he doubled the interval between batches.

With his entire right arm fully armored, he slammed his right hand down on the wrought iron pillar of an abandoned street lamp at the base of the wall.

"Thump!"

The voice was much deeper than before.

The depth of the dent in the iron pillar was twice as much as his previous punch.

Richard withdrew his right hand; there was no damage to the nailed surface of his fist.

He shook his wrist and exhaled a long breath.

[Critical Thinking] The proposed solution is feasible.

For the fourth time, Richard aimed his punch at the iron pillar again.

"boom!"

The entire iron pillar was shaking, and a crow on the top of a high wall in the distance was startled and took flight.

His fist landed on the iron pillar, and he could feel a shockwave propelled forward from the armored fist.

With the same amount of ether consumed, the effect is nearly doubled.

He discontinued the procedure, feeling that his improved plan could be written into a paper and presented at a gathering for exchange...

Richard walked towards the slag alley as he pondered how to write the improvement plan.

When he arrived at his doorstep, he saw his mother leaning out, holding something in her arms.

It was a black parchment envelope.

"Richard, someone just delivered it."

The mother handed over the envelope.

Richard reached out and took the envelope. The paper looked rough, but it was surprisingly smooth to the touch.

"Who delivered it?"

"An old woman selling flowers."

The mother wiped her hands on her apron and went back into the living room.

She said that when she was selling her last bouquet of flowers at the street corner, a cat jumped down from the wall.

"A cat?" Richard was full of questions.

"Hmm, a black cat."

She was given a shilling and instructed to deliver this envelope to the seventh household at the east end of the slag heap lane.

Richard's gaze lingered on the envelope for a moment.

"Does she believe the cat will give her money?"

“She not only believed it,” the mother said, turning to pick up the teapot. “She also asked the cat if he wanted change or if he didn’t need to give her any change.”

"..."

The cat wagged its tail, which she took as a sign that she didn't need to look for it.

His mother poured him a glass of hot water and handed it to him:

"When she handed me the envelope, she was still muttering that the cat's voice sounded a bit like her deceased daughter's."

Richard took the water glass; the rising steam split his field of vision in two.

The mother took a sip of tea.

"Go to your room and look," she said, pointing upstairs.

Richard nodded.

When he got to his room upstairs, he locked the door from the inside.

The envelope had no recipient's name, address, or postmark on the front.

Only the bottom right corner has a black wax seal, the seal of which is a cat.

The cat was curled up in a ball, with the tip of its tail resting on its front paws.

Inside Richard's chest, the leaves on the tree trembled slightly, but the inspiration warning was not triggered.

He used a paper cutter to cut the wax seal cleanly along the side of the envelope without damaging the design.

Inside the envelope was only a very thin beige card.

The gold-stamped lettering shimmered subtly under the table lamp.

Richard:

McNeil has already mentioned your situation to me.

Please remain in your own bedroom this Friday at 6 PM.

Close the doors and windows, and place a glass of warm milk on the windowsill; I will be visiting.

—M.

The signature consists of only one letter.