I loaded the Mysticism panel.

Ares used his only remaining right hand to slowly drag a large cloth bag from behind him onto the table.

He turned the bag upside down, and the table was piled high with things.

Richard used his "Extensive Knowledge" ability to access his mental database, reviewing the information he had accumulated in his mind.

The first category is evil materials.

A dozen or so black, curled scales lay out on the outermost edge, each about half the size of Richard's palm; these were the scales of the Shadow Eater.

Shadow Eaters are mid-tier undead creatures native to the Ash Belt, which feed on the shadows on one side of the veil.

The scales themselves are extremely hard and have good ethereal properties, making them excellent for crafting various alchemical items and as a medium for casting spells.

The substrate was pressed down by five or six dark red sharp teeth, about the length of an adult man's index finger; these were the front canines of the Soul-Gnawing Beast.

Richard had seen the name "Gnawing Soul Beast" in the documents his aunt sent him.

The small print next to it reads: "Located in the upper middle of the Ash Zone food chain, field operations are recommended to be led by at least a team with some expertise."

Ares and his two companions encountered this very thing, and Richard roughly understood how his two brothers had ended up inside.

The innermost circle was a clump of dark green fibrous material, tightly kneaded, and the whole thing smelled so strongly of pollution that it almost corroded the tabletop.

There weren't any completely matching entries in my mind; only a few notes that I could barely make it into.

The second category is products produced behind the curtain.

Five bottles of fine ash, labeled "ash powder," the most common product of the Ash Belt, which can be used as filler for basic seals.

A wooden stick that is half black and half gray, about a foot long.

This is Greywood, a rare specialty of the Ash Belt core area.

Richard had seen its name in documents, but had never seen the actual object.

This thing can be used as a penholder, so that the inscriptions written on it can stay on the other side of the curtain longer.

A small amount of "Shadowless Soil," one of the few materials that can interfere with shadow-level spells.

Richard marked this point in red in his mind.

A small porcelain bottle was placed at the very end, without a label, and its opening was sealed with three layers of wax.

The liquid inside the bottle is a slowly swirling dark gray color. The ash contains a unique corrosive solvent that is effective against evil spirits and also against human skin.

The third category is strange objects (questionable).

A palm-sized bronze mirror, its surface oxidized to the point of blackening, making the reflection unclear.

A small ebony box, with a low-level sealing inscription temporarily engraved on its surface.

The sealing technique was crude, with sharp, rapid knife strokes, indicating that the lid was hastily added on the way out of the Ashes.

The last one was an old pocket watch with a noticeable burn mark on the back of the dial.

Richard's inspiration exploded the moment he saw it.

He immediately looked away, refusing to glance at it a second time.

He dared not touch that thing.

Ares used his remaining right hand to slowly sweep across the table, gathering each item together and introducing them one by one.

"The purpose of this trip was to verify a rumor."

"The core area of ​​the Ash Belt may contain a remnant altar from the pre-Roman 'net-weaving tradition'."

The flame above Prometheus's head flickered, but he remained silent.

"My two brothers and I found the altar."

"The altar had collapsed, and we dug these things out of the wreckage."

Ares placed his right hand next to the old pocket watch.

He didn't touch it; he just placed his hand on that piece of tabletop.

"...When we came out, we encountered some 'Ash Obito' on the road, and you've all seen what happened after that."

Ares didn't continue the conversation, and no one, lacking emotional intelligence, pressed for more details.

The man withdrew his right hand from beside the old pocket watch and sighed.

"I'm here today to try to replace... my left arm, and to see if there's any way to reconstruct a severed limb."

Prometheus spoke first.

"Ares, you are missing an arm. To restore it from the severed limb... requires great mastery of the Sun's tradition."

"To regenerate an arm from nothing—there are no more than five people in the entire Old World who can do this."

Ares clenched his remaining right hand even tighter.

"Do you know any of them?" Prometheus asked.

"...I don't know him."

"Chief Hecate might know him."

Prometheus turned his gaze to the main seat.

Hecate shook her head.

"My relationship with those people isn't close enough for me to introduce you."

Ares's shoulders slumped.

He had been betting that "Hecate could give him a way out," but he lost that bet.

Prometheus continued:

"As a last resort, if we don't restore the real hand, and instead make a prosthetic limb that doesn't significantly affect combat ability... we'll need to pre-select a minor alchemist with expertise in the Hearthfire tradition."

Richard's heart skipped a beat.

Furnace tradition, minor expertise, alchemist.

"Prosthetics are not something you can just do with any arm."

Prometheus explained a little more, clearly taking care of the newcomers present.

"If you lose an arm, it's like the microcirculation in that arm is also cut off."

To attach a prosthetic limb that doesn't interfere with combat, a "simulated loop" needs to be created within the prosthetic limb to allow your etheric energy to flow into it.

"Without a simulation loop, it's just a lump of iron that you can hang on your shoulder as a decoration."

"The design of the analog loop is extremely complex," Prometheus emphasized.

"It is not just a mechanical structure, but also has a matching bionic technique."

Each inscription must be carved according to the user's own microcirculation pattern, and after carving, the user must nurture it.

It takes six months to a year for the user to fully develop the prosthetic hand before they can use it like a real hand.

Richard listened from his chair, thinking of Lieutenant Colonel Odd's prosthetic hand.

"I know one of them," Prometheus volunteered.

"He's from the older generation and lives in the northern suburbs of the capital. His appointments are usually booked up for six months in advance."

"I'll write you a letter of introduction; that should get you in line within three months."

"Price?" Ares asked without hesitation.

"A basic prosthesis without any additional features costs about five hundred pounds from the shoulder to the fingertips."

Richard and Nemesis were both secretly astonished.

Ares also fell silent.

If he were to bring back the stuff from the Ashes through legitimate channels, he could at most exchange it for three hundred pounds.

There are also a few items inside that don't have a standard price, so there's a lot of room for negotiation.

Even with his previous savings, he would have a hard time scraping together five hundred pounds.

After all, his two brothers had died in the Ashes, and it cost a lot of money just to handle their funerals.

Richard thought of the thread in his hand.

Clara's distant cousin is a minor alchemist, specializing in weapon crafting and artifact modification.

By extending this connection, he could gain a small but significant favor with Ares.

Whether things succeed or not doesn't depend on him; if they succeed, he gets points; if they fail, it doesn't affect him.

cost-effective.

Richard spoke up.

Ares.

All eyes at the table turned to them.

"...I also know one, he's from the north, and he runs his own workshop in the capital."

"I'm not familiar with the specific techniques for making prosthetics; his main business is weapons processing and modification of unusual objects."

He might be able to do the simulated loop part, or he might not.

"I don't know much about the price, but I've heard that he has a bad temper."

Upon hearing this description, Prometheus already knew who Richard was referring to.

However, the other party's statement completely absolved them of any responsibility.

There wasn't a single promise, not even a recommendation; it was just, "I've heard of this person."

Ares's remaining right hand slowly tightened on the edge of the table.

"I can deliver a message for you."

Whether it will work out and how much it will cost depends on your negotiation with him.

"If he's willing to pick you up when you get there, that's your luck."

"If you don't want to answer, that's none of my business."

Ares nodded slightly to Richard.

"Sure, having more options is always better than having none."

Richard pushed the written note toward the center of the table.

"Here."

Ares picked up the note with his right hand.

Richard added a sentence.

"In the past, there was no need to mention my name."

"……Thanks."

Ares put the note away.

The pile of things brought back from the Ash Belt on the table was still lying there.

According to the rules, those who provide clues can also choose one item from the other party's displayed goods as a referral gift.

Ares nodded to Prometheus.

"You choose first."

Prometheus didn't stand on ceremony.

"This," he said, moving the gray wood in front of him, "I'll use it as a cover for my manuscript."

Using ash wood as a sealant is an old method in traditional hearth firemaking.

Using the wood fibers nourished on the other side of the curtain as a partition allows the manuscript sandwiched in the middle to be isolated from external detection on the etheric level, which is equivalent to putting an etheric garment on the manuscript.

Richard secretly guessed that, based on what the other party had been taking out, this "fire thief" was most likely backed by a traditional alchemist.

Perhaps the channel I just mentioned is the person standing behind him.

"Your turn, Hermes." Ares turned to look at him.

Richard's gaze slowly swept across the table.

He glanced at the Shadow Eater's scales and also took a closer look at the Gnawing Soul Beast's front canines; he temporarily ticked off these two items.

Finally, his gaze settled on the small ebony box at the back of the table.

The sealing method may be crude, but at least it stopped any leakage from the box.

He thought for a moment, then looked at the palm-sized bronze mirror.

The mirror was oxidized and turned black, and Richard recognized the shallow relief on the edge of the mirror as an early technique of the traditional net weaving.

"I want that box."

Ares raised his hand to push the box over.

"...and that bronze mirror."

The action of pushing the box stopped, and his hand clenched into a fist.

The entire table fell silent in that instant.

According to the rules, those who have provided clues can choose one item; choosing two items is enough to pass the test.

Richard interrupted him before he could speak.

"I want both, because I have something else to exchange with you."

Ares pulled his right hand, which had been pushing the box, back to the edge of the table.

"...What do you want to change to?"

On Hecate's throne, the gaze beneath the mask of the Triad Goddess never left him.

Richard gently placed his palm on the table.

"Let me finish explaining first."

He didn't rush to offer a price.

"I have a technique that is a variant derived from the Moon Nail branch."

"It has a unique characteristic: it doesn't fight evil spirits, but it specifically targets people."

The table was quiet, and everyone seemed a little confused.

"A person who is physically active and has etheric microcirculation."

Richard then explained.

"After the needle cluster explodes, it spreads within the microcirculation of the area where the needle was inserted, refreshing that area."

"The ether pathway will be more active than usual in a short period of time, and its effect is to target the microcirculation of the affected area and then treat that area."

"And there was basically no cost involved."

Richard spread his hands out.

"Ether consumption is slightly higher than that of a regular moon nail. Continuous use can damage the recipient's own microcirculation and cause a period of weakness that lasts for a long time after the procedure."