I loaded the Mysticism panel.

Ares remained silent.

But the breathing beneath the copper mask was noticeably more rapid than before.

"...Are you testing me?"

Richard did not avoid his gaze.

"I didn't mean that, I was just explaining the rules."

He looked at the empty space on the man's left shoulder.

"Your fracture is below your shoulder; most of the microcirculation on your left side is paralyzed."

"To restore the true hand, one needs to be fully proficient in the Sun Tradition."

"Getting a prosthetic limb requires a three-month waiting list plus £500, and there's no guarantee they'll take your place."

"Three months before that..."

Richard carefully considered his words, avoiding any attempt to offend the other party.

"If you don't take care of the paralyzed side of your brain, it will continue to degenerate."

"My technique cannot heal your injury." He did not hide or exaggerate.

"But it can keep that part of your path constantly refreshed and active over these three months."

"Once your prosthetic limb is attached... the connection surface of the simulation circuit will be much larger than it is now."

Ares did not reply.

The rapid breathing beneath the copper mask gradually subsided.

Hecate remained silent.

Prometheus, however, began to ask questions in return.

"There has never been a similar technique in the market before."

"Among all the literature on the lunar nailing branch that I have read, there is no such branch as 'reverse nailing in vivo'."

When Richard heard the word "all," he silently added another stroke to the list of names for the man in the crimson-gold mask before him.

"...Did you deduce that yourself?" Prometheus asked.

"Yes."

Richard gave a very brief reply.

[Shadow Reversal] There's no way to explain it, so I'll just leave it unexplained.

"Hermes, I need this spell."

Ares finally spoke.

You name the price.

Richard nodded. That's the advantage of a seller's market.

He casually pointed to the pile of things spread out in the center of the table.

"Ebony box, bronze mirror."

As soon as he reported something, Ares moved the corresponding item to the other end of the table.

"Three front canine teeth of the Soul-Gnawing Beast."

Ares picked up the three dark red fangs and placed them neatly next to the box.

"Two of the Shadow Eater's scales will do."

Ares didn't even bother to choose; he just randomly picked two of the largest scales from the pile of scales on the outer edge and pushed them over.

He knew perfectly well that whether he could get his prosthetic limb back on and regain more strength depended entirely on Richard's technique.

"make a deal."

After he finished speaking, he immediately placed his right hand on the edge of the table.

"...but there is one condition."

Richard waited for him to continue.

"If any problems arise during my practice of this technique, you can provide me with three remote consultations."

"Through Hecate's spirit messenger."

This is exactly what Ares needs most: after purchasing the procedure, after-sales service must also keep up.

Richard thought about it.

Three remote consultations, each conducted via messenger, took up only a little of his time at most.

He was thoroughly familiar with the rhythm of the procedure itself, the key points of guiding the breath before inserting the needle, and several common misconceptions about rebound after continuous use.

"Okay, three times."

He answered very cautiously.

"But it does not cover anything beyond the scope of 'interpreting the spell itself'."

After a moment's thought, Ares understood what the other party was guarding against.

Going forward, any inquiries that skirt around the topic of techniques, such as asking about lineage, background, mentor, recent whereabouts, or field locations, will not be included in these three consultations.

"OK."

Ares hadn't originally planned to do this.

Richard took out a thick, neatly copied manual.

"That box and the bronze mirror."

Ares spoke up to remind him.

"I dug them all out of the altar ruins in the Ash Belt and made a temporary seal to seal them up."

"But what exactly is inside, perhaps a deeper curse or trap, I have no way of determining."

The gaze beneath the bronze mask was fixed intently on Richard.

"Let me make this clear first: if you get any problems because of these two items, I won't be responsible."

Ares was actually a little worried that the other party might change their mind.

However, it's best to make some things clear beforehand; this is a basic principle of doing business.

Richard brought the ebony box and the bronze mirror over here.

"It's alright, I have my own methods of identification."

"I also have methods to render it harmless, so don't worry."

On the other side of the main seat, Hecate showed some interest for the first time.

She took the initiative to ask:

"Do you have your own methods of authentication?"

"have."

"What exactly?"

Richard smiled.

"Trade secrets".

Beneath the crimson mask, Prometheus chuckled.

The laughter was faint, coming from a small part peeking out from under the mask.

Nemesis remained silent, but Richard sensed her intense gaze upon him.

Everyone has things of dubious origin that they dare not touch easily.

The rarest talent in the entire mystical world has never been hunters or hermits.

A scholar who dares to authenticate objects of unknown origin while ensuring that the object itself is not damaged.

My aunt wrote at the end of one of her review articles:

"The amount of items you own determines your upper limit of wealth, while your appraisal ability determines your wealth realization rate."

Richard's revelation of a "trade secret" today is tantamount to publicly displaying a sign on this table.

The sign read: "Authentication, Private Services".

Hecate did not press the matter further.

She glanced at Richard once, then looked away.

The pile of ashes on the table had brought back a few items, but most of them remained lying in place.

Ares's shoulders felt a bit looser than before.

Looking at him, Richard realized he might have offered a price that was a bit too low this time.

However, it's not good to push someone too hard. Always leave room for maneuver; you might need Ares' help again in the future.

Hecate glanced at Prometheus to her right.

"And you?"

Prometheus began to slowly take things.

"I don't have anything major today."

"Just a few small items."

The first item taken out was a very small glass bottle.

The bottle contained a pool of dark golden liquid, which swirled slowly under the light.

Richard gave it a cursory glance.

It was discovered that the ether density of the liquid was not high, but it had clearly been adjusted by an alchemist.

"Newly adjusted."

Prometheus casually placed the bottle upright on the table.

"I changed the formula of the alchemical stabilizer; it can be used for spellcasting, alchemical catalysts, nurturing rare objects, restoring etheric circuits—it can do anything."

"It has weak functionality, strong versatility, and few side effects, but of course, the effect is also average."

The second item taken out was several folded pieces of parchment.

"Correspondence between two older alchemists from two hundred years ago."

Prometheus gently unfolded the paper.

"The debate over how a certain section of the traditional furnace fire technique should be modified."

"It will be useful for those who want to work in the furnace industry, but it may not be very useful for you guys."

"This is what I want to change."

Prometheus folded the parchment and placed it back on the edge of the table.

"It's field data about an old mineral vein on the edge of the ash zone."

He tilted his head slightly towards Ares.

"If Ares's previous journey included that section, and he could provide me with a transcript of his account, I'll give him any one of these three items."

Beneath the bronze mask, Ares pondered for a while.

"...I passed through that area."

He mentally rehearsed his schedule.

Which section would you like to know?

"The bottom layer of the open-pit mine."

Prometheus's tone was somewhat solemn.

"I have a colleague from northern Xinjiang who had an accident there more than ten years ago."

"...A colleague?" Ares asked.

"Um."

No further words were spoken beneath the crimson gold mask.

Ares nodded and didn't ask any further questions.

The two of them exchanged a few words about the oral account, but due to the sensitive nature of the information, their voices were muted after obtaining Hecate's permission.

Ares finished explaining the characteristics.

Prometheus didn't ask any more questions and pushed the small glass bottle in front of Ares.

"It might help a little with your current circuit damage, but don't expect much."

Ares accepted the bottle; he was now accepting whatever he found.

"Nemesis".

Hecate turned her gaze to the spot on her left that hadn't moved.

"And you?"

Nemesis took out a piece of silver hook.

The hook is about two fingers long, with its tip ground extremely thin, and the handle is bound several times with a piece of discolored hemp rope.

"A broken eagle hook, an old relic from the Highland Moon Hunter lineage."

"It has two uses."

"Firstly, it serves as a casting medium for the Moon Hunting Techniques."

"Secondly, it can be sewn into the lining as a talisman."

When she mentioned "amulet", the people present were clearly interested.

"The specific effect of the amulet is to make people mistake you for someone else."

"Mistaken identity?" Prometheus asked.

"Yes, they'll treat you like someone who's been dead for a long time, but that'll only block a normal glance."

Nemesis did not elaborate further.

Richard tapped his fingers on the edge of the chair.

The silver ring he wore around his neck was the one where Lady Mary had left a "kiss".

Silver rings are effective at making you "looked at";

Nemesis's eagle hook is equally effective for "being watched".

"Disguise" and "misidentification" are two parallel paths.

Nemesis's gaze fell on Richard's side.

"Hermes, I'd like to exchange the spell you just gave Ares."

"【Moon Nail - Reflection】".

Ares clenched his remaining right hand, glanced at Nemesis, but said nothing.

Having just acquired this technique at a great cost, Nemesis now asked for the same thing, which left him feeling rather uneasy.

But that's how knowledge works; after any technique has been traded, the original holder still has the right to sell it again.

Do you know anyone who needs their etheric circuits repaired?

Richard asked a question.

Nemesis's answer was vague.

"I have a senior colleague in my family who had an accident while on field duty more than ten years ago, and his rank has been stuck at the junior proficiency level for many years."

"I've tried etheric massage and traditional therapies, which can delay the onset but not repair it."

Richard nodded.

"I understand."

"Nemesis, this eagle hook... must be a rare artifact?"

Nemesis did not hide it.

"I guess so."

"How much ether is left?"

Richard hit the nail on the head right away.

Nemesis replied:

This thing has been passed down through several generations.

"In my hands, it only has its own additional effects; it's probably unusable for cultivation assistance."

Richard felt a sense of relief.

It means that you can no longer try to extract points from it.

However, the true value of the eagle hook lies in its function, not in its ether reserves.

"I see."

He didn't pursue that point any further.

"I'll take that eagle hook for now."

"What else do you have left?"

Nemesis then took out two more items.

The first item was a small roll of dark silver silk ribbon, about a finger's width and three feet long, which was rolled very tightly.

"Moonbathing silk is a family heirloom craft from the highlands, which our family stole."

"Before you practice 'Moon Nail,' wrap the silver needle with this overnight before inserting it. This will increase the affinity of the ether inside the needle."

Richard's brow twitched slightly.

"Not bad, but not enough."

The second item was a small bottle of liquid, even smaller than the bottle Prometheus used to mix and stabilize, and the liquid inside was a very pale silvery-white.

"Silver Marrow Water"

Nemesis placed the bottle on the table as well.

"One of the earth magic techniques used by the Moon Hunter lineage to enchant weapons."

"Soaking bullets in water can also slightly enhance the enchantment effect."

"This bottle can probably be used for fifty or sixty infusions."

Richard looked at the three items on the table.

Eagle hook, moonlit silk, silver marrow water.

This set, if sold separately at market price, would not be cheap for any of the items.

The total value of the set was still roughly less than the price he had quoted Ares.

But he didn't raise the price any further.

"make a deal."

Nemesis nodded slightly.

"The consultation terms are the same as Ares's."

"The three remote consultations do not cover anything beyond the scope of 'interpreting the ritual itself'."

"OK."

Richard pushed the second copy of the "Moon Nail and Reflection" manual to the center of the table.

Nemesis accepted the manual.

Eagle Hook, Moon Bath Silk, and Silver Marrow Water were pushed toward Richard's side.

The deal with Nemesis is not over yet.

She took out a small bag and placed it on the table.

When the bag was loosened, a bright golden light leaked out from inside.

It was a bag of Sovereign gold coins.

Richard glanced at it briefly; there were probably thirty-odd coins in the bag.

Nemesis looked at Ares.

"Ares, those evil materials you displayed today."

Nemesis's gaze swept over the pile of things on the table.

"One front canine tooth of the Soul-Gnawing Beast, two medium-sized scales from the Shadow Eater's scales, and that clump of dark green fibers."

"I want to exchange all this cash together."

She pushed the bag of Sovereign coins toward Ares.

"Based on market prices, it should be enough."

Ares responded almost immediately.

"enough."

He used his only remaining right hand to carry the bag of gold coins over.

Richard had just given him a procedure and a description in exchange for the money; he hadn't given him cash.

What Prometheus gave him was a bottle of stabilizer and a queueing voucher, but no cash.

Nemesis's payment was in cash.

Cash is the most tangible thing for him right now.

He was going to talk to the alchemist about prosthetics; every sovereign could add a bit more to that number.

Richard still had one thing he hadn't taken out.

He took a small oil paper packet from a hidden compartment in the chair and placed it on the table.

Peel off a corner of the oil paper to reveal a semi-congealed substance, slightly smaller than a longan.

"Medium-concentration ether condensate," Richard explained. "It can be used for nurturing rare objects and as a catalyst for alchemy."

"I don't need it myself for the time being, but I'm wondering if any of you are interested."

He didn't mention where he got the money from, and no one at the table pressed him for details.

Ares spoke first.

"...Hermes, I have to put all my cash on the prosthetics account."

There was a hint of apology in the voice beneath the copper mask.

Richard nodded in understanding.

The flame above Prometheus's head flickered.

"I also have a few pieces saved up here."

The person beneath the gold mask answered decisively.

"The furnace fire is used for daily alchemy, and this is a common byproduct. Let's leave it for those who truly need it."

The tilted balance of Nemesis wobbled very slightly.

"Sorry, I brought everything I brought today."

The spot on the table that belonged to her was now empty.

The eagle hook, moon-bath silk, and silver marrow water all ended up in Richard's hands, and he traded the bag of gold coins with Ares for evil materials.

"Let's talk about it next time."

"Okay, then next time."

It's fine to keep it, since I'm not in a hurry to sell it anyway.