I loaded the Mysticism panel.

By mid-April, Richard's gathering was held as scheduled.

He closed his eyes and counted to seven. The starry sea receded, and the familiar temple's outline materialized.

All seven stone chairs were occupied again this time.

Richard glanced at the changes in everyone's expressions.

Nemesis is someone I see every week; he's so familiar with him.

Have there been any major changes among the other people?

Richard sensed that two of them had indeed changed: Dionysus and Prometheus.

Especially Prometheus.

The color of his crimson flame had changed; it used to be deep red, but now its core was tinged with white, quiet yet scorching.

Hecate spoke as he was being observed: "Tonight, I must first congratulate you both on your breakthroughs."

Although she was talking about two people, Richard could tell that the emphasis in her sentence was entirely on himself.

The man in the golden mask turned to Richard's side first.

"Hermes, congratulations on completing the illuminating face."

Finally, we have a true messenger at our table.

Richard raised an eyebrow behind the mask.

It seems that Hecate has some understanding of what will be generated after the face is illuminated.

He thanked him, saying, "Thank you, Chief."

After finishing speaking about Richard, Hecate turned to congratulate Prometheus on his promotion.

"Congratulations, Prometheus, you have successfully broken through to Minor Mastery."

At this point, the enthusiasm he displayed was noticeably less than when he congratulated Richard earlier.

Richard silently noted down this subtle difference in his mind.

Prometheus's breakthrough to Minor Mastery was a significant watershed moment on the mystical side.

Since we've entered the realm of the mystical, anyone can actually reach the stage of becoming a practitioner.

However, there is a significant gap between those who are only slightly proficient and those who actually practice it.

Reaching the level of "minor proficiency" means being an elite who ranks highly in various industries.

Prometheus then took his first oath, transferring a portion of his soul into the Signature Wonder.

This breakthrough is far more significant than Richard's brief moment of glory, but Hecate congratulated him first.

The way they spoke was also noticeably different.

Richard recalled the hype Hecate had built before Heracles' arrival.

I'm reminded of how Prometheus hesitated to put on the mask when he first picked it up.

Hecate is a vengeful gardener.

She will give more face to whoever is more willing to take the power she offers.

Prometheus didn't react much, but the flame flickered.

"Thank you, Chief."

He only replied with this short sentence.

Hecate stopped looking at him and turned back to Richard.

"Hermes, show us your caduceus."

Richard didn't deliberately try to hide it.

With a wave of his hand, the three-foot-long double-snake staff materialized in his palm, its golden wings folded at the top, and the two golden snakes intertwined head to tail.

The temple was quiet for a while.

Richard displayed his double serpent staff.

"This is the Hermes Mask, the caduceus formed from the reflection of the mask."

Its power is—its messenger is inviolable.

Richard selectively mentions only this one ability here.

Hercules was the most curious.

"Hermes, could you explain its specific uses?"

"As long as I hold this double-snake staff, I will not attack others first."

"Those on either side of the curtain who still recognize the concept of a messenger cannot harm me."

Richard's words were quite ordinary.

"You can stop me, or you can ignore me, or you can drive me out."

But you mustn't lay a hand on him, or misfortune will befall him.

A collective gasp filled the hall.

Dionysus stared wide-eyed and stopped shaking his amphora.

"No physical violence allowed. Anyone who respects this rule can't touch you?"

"Yes."

Hercules clicked his tongue.

"Then wouldn't you be able to walk into any place without any problems and come out unharmed?"

"That's about right." Richard nodded.

"But I can't control those things that have no self and can't recognize the rules."

For example, those evil beings who don't even know what they are can't care about those beings whose rank is far higher than mine, yet who are determined to break this rule.

Even with these limitations, words appeared on Nemesis's scales.

The handwriting carried an undisguised envy.

"This is the most suitable ability for a scholar that I have ever heard of."

Richard looked at the tilted scales; he knew, of course, what Catherine was envious of.

The mask of Nemesis gave her a sharp blade that could cut people indiscriminately, its edge fully revealed.

But it also meant that every step she took was fraught with danger.

And this double-serpent staff of his own gave him a pass that would prevent him from being cut down anywhere.

Prometheus, unusually, took the initiative to speak.

"What a scholar lacks is never fists or techniques, but rather the ability to confidently navigate all sorts of places."

"The right to examine things carefully, even take them away, and then leave unscathed."

Nemesis and Prometheus were the two people who envied him the most tonight.

Because they all know the importance of this ability.

Leaving aside Nemesis, let's talk about Prometheus.

Craftsmen had to venture into dangerous places to collect materials, digging things out of evil spirits, altars, and even the hands of the dead.

Ares's empty left shoulder was the living price he paid.

The reason Hecate is praising Richard like this tonight is actually not complicated.

The appraisals and deciphering he did at this table, along with the various channels and those rare items that others couldn't provide, were genuinely useful to everyone present.

They genuinely hoped for their safety.

At this point, Hecate suddenly spoke again.

"Dionysus, you must also have something to show, right?"

Dionysus immediately realized what was happening.

At the last gathering, he was overshadowed by Richard and Nemesis, each with a highly learned scholar or professor standing behind them.

He swallowed back the presentation that was about to be made, and this time Hecate took the initiative to offer him a way out.

Dionysus raised the amphora.

"Since the chief has brought it up, then I'll make a fool of myself in front of you all."

In front of everyone, he took out a small earthenware jar.

It was filled with clear water, and he scooped the water into his double-eared cup.

After a while, the clear water in the glass turned into a deep purple liquid, and an intoxicating aroma filled the air.

He swirled the deep purple liquid in his glass and began to explain.

"Since it is the god of wine, the reflection of his face will naturally be this double-eared cup."

Its ability is to brew fine wine, intoxicating people and things alike.

Richard recalled that the other party had mentioned at a previous gathering that he could generate a substance called twilight, which would then cause the seal on an object to temporarily yawn.

Dionysus seemed to have guessed what everyone was thinking, and turned the cup around to face them.

"That's right, the waning aura I showed last time has been amplified in this cup."

It works not only on things, but also on people, and it is even more effective on people.

If it's an object, it will yawn for a longer time.

To put it simply, this wine has the power to intoxicate all things.

Richard asked, "Is it completely stable now?"

Dionysus readily answered.

"Yes, last time it was unstable. Sometimes it was the seal that was drunk, and sometimes it was the user who got drunk first."

He swirled the liquid in the glass again.

"If Hermes needs to authenticate anything in the future..."

"You can ask me for a different drink; it'll make your testing safer and easier."

Richard nodded and made a mental note of it.

Dionysus looked around and said, "The same applies to you all."

Of course, he was primarily addressing Nemesis and Prometheus.

However, even Hercules and Demeter showed obvious interest.

One of them had to go out to explore, facing all sorts of dangerous evil spirits and altars.

One of them was guarding that field, and because of the recent changes in the curtain, strange things kept appearing.

Faced with this liquid that can temporarily intoxicate people or things, they also felt that it could play an important role in their lives.

Prometheus spoke up at this moment.

"After this promotion, I've become independent from my master and can now open my own workshop and take orders."

"However, I haven't been independent for long, and the furnace in the new workshop is still being maintained."

Materials, credit, distribution channels—all of these need to be built from scratch.

He paused here.

"So if you all need me to commission you to make something right now, I'm afraid you can't accept it anytime soon."

My new furnace isn't even fully tested yet. Accepting orders prematurely and losing them would be a minor issue; a furnace explosion would be a much bigger problem.

He gave a precise time.

"My workshop will be officially open before the next gathering."

"At that time, please feel free to speak up if there's anything you'd like to do."

Demeter responded first.

"It's alright, a new furnace needs to be maintained, you can't rush it."

She added another sentence.

"Once your furnace is fully heated, I need a trustworthy craftsman to process some of the produce from my fields."

Prometheus became interested.

"What exactly is it?"

Demeter did not explain it very clearly.

"There are a few things related to weaknesses that ordinary craftsmen cannot master; they require at least a minor level of expertise or higher."

Prometheus's flames burned even brighter.

"Okay, let's talk about it in detail next time we have the chance."

In fact, Prometheus's advancement should have been the most eye-catching, just like Dionysus's advancement to Lesser Mastery, which he deliberately flaunted.

But with Richard ahead of him and Hecate's blatant favoritism, his joy at the promotion was noticeably diminished.

But the fire thief remained calm and showed no sign of it.

Hercules was still sighing.

"Now you all have your own channels, and everyone's path is getting wider and wider."

Demeter said...

"Everyone has their own way of living; you hunters risk your lives for your spoils."

I, a farmer, rely on the heavens for my livelihood; they, as scholars, rely on their brains; and craftsmen, rely on their own two hands.

She sighed beneath her mask.

Ultimately, everyone is just trying to make a living.