I loaded the Mysticism panel.

On the third day of the Easter holiday, the rain finally stopped.

A rare spring day in Bristol where you can see the sun.

Richard had already sat down in his room early in the morning.

On the table in the center are rubbings of the twelve sets of inscriptions on the boundary stone.

[Extensive Knowledge] He memorized all twelve sets of inscriptions, down to the millimeter, down to the depth of each chisel mark and the edge eroded by moss.

However, "博闻" only means preparing all the materials.

What truly allows us to glean new insights is critical thinking.

[Reflection] From the initial feeling of "the side lights revealing all the bumps and dents" when they were first turned on, it has slowly grown into a second pair of eyes, a pair of eyes that are specifically designed to pick out flaws.

Richard spread out a rough draft of an independent interpretation on the draft paper.

He has finished the first six groups.

His aunt calls him about once a month to hear his progress report and gives him some hints when necessary.

But she wouldn't cross the line: "Every word I say on your own empirical text is like taking your pen away."

Richard spread the rubbings from the seventh to the twelfth groups on the table.

The seventh group is "Covenant", the eighth group is "Witness", the ninth group is "Exile", and the tenth to twelfth groups are linked together as "Rest", "Waiting", and "Return".

At the very end of the twelfth group, there's a strange symbol with three arcs and three points pointing to the same center.

According to the annotations of traditional inscriptions, this symbol is a trigger structure for "return".

Richard had already read about this point in the materials his aunt sent him before he used "critical thinking" to expose this set of ideas.

In all boundary stone formations of this type, which follow a three-stage pattern of "exile → rest → return," the last set will have this trigger.

It's hardly a secret.

Those who are sealed cannot be destroyed, but merely banished.

According to the rules of antithesis, if one writes about exile, one must leave a door on the opposite side that theoretically allows it to return.

The door was left open, but it was extremely difficult to open.

For the three concentric circles of three arcs and three points to be activated, several almost demanding conditions must be met simultaneously.

Richard stared at that line of annotations.

The curtain is thinning.

The old weaknesses are loosening one by one, and the seal is being worn down faster each year.

Mr. Hutton drew a diagram of the Highland Sealing Network that night in Whitcomb and said that there would be a chain reaction of decay in multiple nodes in twenty or thirty years.

So, the "Exile" inscription decaying below the threshold was something that would have been "almost impossible" a few hundred years ago.

In today's world and in the next twenty or thirty years, is it gradually becoming "not so impossible"?

The ancients wrote "future generations need not worry" because in their time, the curtains were thick and the door was welded shut.

But those who came before us did not live to see the day when the curtain thins.

This is where he can put his pen to paper.

As Mr. Hutton said, it is normal for scholars of different eras and ranks to interpret the same set of inscriptions differently.

This is innovation, and it's part of carrying on tradition.

Richard dipped the nib of his pen in ink and wrote down his argument.

He thought of the Celtic priesthood's rule that "real names can only be written down, not spoken."

Writing it down presents two aspects: it is a lock; speaking it aloud presents a call.

Therefore, this "Return" is itself a set of incantations to be activated in the direction of "Call".

What if we added a step that goes in the opposite direction during the annual reinforcement process?

We won't dismantle it, nor will we weld it shut.

Forcing a door at this level to be welded shut might actually force the person inside to struggle desperately.

Following the rules of couplets, let's read a reverse couplet in advance for the "return" pair.

Use up that set of "Return" cards that are yet to be activated ahead of time, so that it can solidify from an unresolved door into another "Rest in Peace".

Richard put down his pen and read the manuscript from beginning to end.

Isn't this exactly what scholarly attribution of empirical evidence is all about?

From the era in which we stand, let us clearly fill in the blank that our predecessors didn't have time to look at.

………………

On the fourth day of the Easter holiday, Mr. Hutton sent Richard a large envelope.

The envelope, stamped with the wax seal of the North District Office of the Classical Society, contained a sixteen-page summer study application form.

Richard spread the watch out on the table.

The application form is very long, with detailed instructions for filling out each page.

The first page contains basic information: name, date of birth, place of origin, school, class, and guardian.

Richard filled it out very quickly.

The second page onwards has some intricacies.

"Please describe your family background and internship experience in as much detail as possible."

Richard stared at that line of text for a while.

Once you get to the application stage, trying to squeeze in with the "low-key" approach typical of newcomers will only lead to serious losses.

The pen nib fell.

Family background:

(Williams's family brief)

His maternal grandfather was Lord Gerald Ashford.

My aunt, Isabella Ashford, is an associate professor in the Department of Classics at Imperial College University.

Social experience:

In October 1912, through the introduction of Mr. William Bigelow, a student of Ms. Marie Viktoria, he began to study psychic vision and divination.

In December 1912, he participated in a winter internship at the Whitcomb Mill in the North.

Cooperate with Mrs. McNeil to complete the sealing ceremony of "The Shadow Eater".

In February 1913, he participated in the spring sealing reinforcement of the "Unshould-Have" mine in the western suburbs of Briston.

He served as a trainee inspector accompanying the team for observation and training, and later accompanied Professor Mortimer (a tenured professor at Imperial University) to complete the core area seal reforging.

Writing experience:

September 1912 (Gregorian calendar) - Second place in the Cicero Cup (awarded by the Classical Society).

In February 1913 (Gregorian calendar), the essay "An Ordinary Winter Day" appeared in the "Young People's Pen" column of the 2th issue of *Northern Literary Review*.

Richard put down his pen and leaned back in his chair.

He filled out most of the sixteen-page form.

Family, academia, society, writing... each column is laid out, and behind each row stands a person.

Grandfather, Aunt, Mr. Hutton, Mrs. McNeil, Mrs. Mary, Professor Mortimer... This stack of names sat heavily on the table.

Half a year ago, I was a sickly person with poor grades.

Nowadays, every column on a summer internship application form can be filled out completely.

It was precisely because of this fullness that he suddenly thought of Lillian on the other side.

She has a solid foundation; in terms of inspiration and basic academic ability, Mr. Hutton once said that she is no worse than Richard.

But if she were to unfold this same sixteen-page form...

What did she write in the "Family Background" section?

What did she write in the "Social Experience" section?

It will just be one blank column after another.

She probably couldn't find a single name on this form that could speak up for her; at most, she'd probably just fill in Mr. Hutton's name.

Just as Richard was finishing filling out the application form, he heard his mother calling him from downstairs.

"Richard!"

"What's wrong, Mom?"

"Come down and come out into the yard."

Richard put down his pen.

My mother wasn't one to make things mysterious; if she asked me to go see for myself, it was probably because she didn't want to say it outright.

Richard went to the window and looked down.

Outside the gate, against the wooden wall of the neighbor's house, a light brown deer was circling around.

Its fur was clean, its antlers were very short, and there was grass that sparrows had pecked at its mouth.

It walked back and forth in circles in this short street.

After walking around once, stop and exhale through your nostrils.

After spraying, I walked around in circles again.

Richard immediately realized what was happening.

The fawn's outline was clearer in the spiritual vision than before.

The "feedback line" on its neck, leading to Hecate, was taut at that moment.

The meaning of "绷紧" is: the messenger arrives at the target area but fails to find the target.

Richard raised his hand and touched his chest.

Two things were hanging from a leather rope, and two layers of disguise were always folded and hung on his chest.

He was covered up completely by the two layers, so that even the messengers from the spirit world couldn't find him.

This little deer has probably been wandering around the slag heap for who knows how long.

It followed Hecate's "target area" all the way to the slag heap.

But the "target" just wouldn't be found, so I could only wander around in circles within that general area.

Richard quickly went downstairs and walked to that corner of the courtyard.

The deer stopped in its tracks, furious.

Those clear, big eyes stared intently at him.

There was resentment, impatience, and a hint of grumbling, "Where the hell have you been?"

Richard silently said "I'm sorry" in his heart, bent down, and was about to reach out his hand...

The fawn lowered its head, and its antlers came straight at him.

The force was neither heavy nor light.

Richard was bumped on the butt and landed on the damp grass in the yard.

The little deer snorted, pulled out a folded letter, and leaped over the courtyard wall without looking back.

Its form quickly turned into a wisp of mist and returned to the spirit world.

Richard sat on the damp grass.

His mother, Margaret, stood at the end of the living room doorway and glanced in his direction.

She didn't say anything, just smiled.

Evelyn peeked out of the house.

"Brother, why are you sitting on the floor?"

"...I slipped."

Richard picked up the letter.

He patted the wet patch off his pants and went back to his room to unfold the letter.

Hecate's handwriting was more hurried than before.

"To Hermes..."

"There will be another gathering on the night of April 12th. Please be on time."

"P.S.: There will be new members joining this time."

"We'll discuss the specifics when we get there."