I loaded the Mysticism panel.

"If someone could obtain the complete accounts of the national sealing system, he could draw a 'countdown map'."

"It's clear at a glance which areas will fall first."

Hecate remained silent.

She sat in a chair, her double-sided mask flickering in the moonlight.

She didn't speak until a long period of silence had passed.

"Hermes, your question is excellent."

"You're welcome to come again at the next gathering."

This statement was meant to tell the others at the round table that this newcomer had earned my approval and wasn't just there to make up the numbers.

Hecate was very satisfied. There were about a dozen tokens distributed in this batch, but most of them did not even meet the minimum activation standard.

Those who reached the mark all had powerful family backgrounds, and the tokens were all abandoned or disposed of.

We pulled these two out today. One of them is still not very clear, but this one has at least shown enough potential.

Richard nodded slightly: "Thank you for your kind words."

He didn't say another word, knowing when to stop.

Nemesis remained silent.

Her silence contrasted with Richard's remarks.

Richard didn't know if this was intentional on the other party's part, or if she had always planned to remain silent.

But the fact that the other party doesn't speak is actually more advantageous to me; comparison makes things stand out.

Hecate raised her hand and lightly swiped it across the tabletop.

That's all for tonight.

"Before you two newcomers leave, I must repeat the rules."

"The Theological Salon is held every two months, in the middle of even-numbered months."

"In February, April, June, August, October, and December, during those few days in the middle of each month, you will be led here from your sleep."

"The exact date and time may not be exactly the same."

The delivery technique has its own rhythm, and a fluctuation of one or two days is normal.

Her gaze swept over the two newlyweds.

"Tonight's event was added on short notice for the two of you."

"As is customary, whenever a new person joins, an extra gathering will be inserted between the two formal parties."

"But this extra session will not replace the regular session; the next official gathering will still be in mid-December."

Richard did some mental calculations.

Today is the beginning of November.

If the next formal gathering is scheduled for mid-December, there will be at least a five- to six-week interval in between.

This interval is friendly; it's enough for him to get a lot done.

Hecate continued.

"Outside the round table, each person has a token."

"That is, the pottery coin that led you into this place."

She raised her hand and gently pointed in the direction of the two newlyweds.

"This door already recognizes you. You need an invitation the first time you come, but after that you'll be regulars, so you can just push the door open and come in."

"Before the next gathering, I will send a spirit messenger to inform you and give you new tokens that are appropriate to your identities."

"I suggest you keep the keepsake safe, but you don't need to carry it with you at all times."

She spoke very frankly, probably because she guessed what the two of them were worried about.

"I understand." Richard then asked, "Does the token have any other function?"

Hecate nodded: "Outside of the formal gathering, if you wish to have private contact with one of the people at the table..."

A transaction, a request, sending a document, or even just asking a question.

Simply hold the token, silently recite the code name of the person you are looking for, and state your request to the token.

You will receive a reply by the same time the following day at the latest.

"You can send a maximum of five private messages every two months. If you exceed five, you will have to wait until the next gathering to reset."

"In addition, if the items being traded require my authentication services, I will charge a fee accordingly."

When she got to the last point, the girl's face on the mask smiled.

Richard mentally reviewed the rule, making sure he hadn't missed a single word.

There is a formal gathering once every two months. Additional gatherings for newlyweds are not counted as regular gatherings. There is a limit of five private messages/mails every two months, as well as an additional fee for authentication services.

The rules are extremely simple, but behind each one stands a whole set of well-thought-out ideas.

Simplicity is a hallmark of mature design.

But when Hecate explained these rules, there were a few details in her wording that made Richard's judgment waver slightly.

The first place: "Next formal gathering".

She said "next time," without casually mentioning "when was the last time something like this happened?"

In any organization that has been operating for many years, when the host introduces the rules to newcomers, they will inevitably mention something like, "When so-and-so joined last time," or "We encountered this situation a few years ago."

However, in Hecate's language, there is basically no "past tense" frame of reference.

The second location had seven tables and chairs in total, three of which were empty before they arrived.

If this were a circle that had been around for many years, all seven chairs should have been full long ago, or at least remained full a few times due to natural wear and tear.

This indicates that the recruitment quota has not been filled.

Ares' hesitation when pulling out the three-ring enchanted bullet might have stemmed not only from his reluctance but also from his continued testing of the place's trust level.

Richard mentally pieced together these clues into a conclusion.

The time it takes for the Divine Salon to truly begin operating should not be very long.

To put it in the best-case scenario, it might only take a year or two.

To put it bluntly, it might only last less than a year.

A gathering that has only been formed for a short time indicates that it is still growing and has not yet become fully established.

Those who join now, if they can maintain stable contributions in the future, will accumulate influence much faster than those who join a century-old organization.

For me, this is a good time to enter the market.

Hecate raised her hand: "It's time to end the party."

Her figure began to become transparent.

"Remember, the way to leave is to close your eyes and count to seven."

Richard closed his eyes.

………………

After everyone had left, Hecate remained seated in the main seat.

She raised her hand and made a grasping motion in the air.

The phantom images of more than a dozen pottery coins materialized on the table.

These pottery coins are all the tokens she has sent out in the past few days.

Each one is connected to the invitee by an extremely fine spiritual thread.

Every step the invitee takes after receiving the ceramic coins will be fed back to her through this line.

Besides the two newcomers who came tonight, she also needs to confirm the situation of the other invitees.

With that in mind, she looked at each one one by one.

The first thread transmitted a picture of a brightly lit classical library.

The Montague family—she guessed they would react the moment she threw the ball.

The Montague family is a truly old and established family in the Sun tradition, with the Earl of Salisbury being a representative of this generation.

The Sun is a master hunter with a long tradition, and is known as a tough nut to crack in the capital's social circles.

The Montague children's victory in the Cicero Cup made them one of the most easily observed targets of the year.

This was a seed she deliberately planted in the Montague family; she wanted to see how powerful they would be in response.

The response has arrived.

In the first frame transmitted back by the silk thread, the old count was standing by the library window.

In the second frame, another person appears next to him.

Hecate's fingertips paused abruptly on the first silk thread.

The density of the ether on that person almost made her pull her fingertips back.

Hecate had expected the Montagues to send a little elf to burn the pottery coins and that would be the end of it.

She hadn't expected the old count to invite a great expert, someone who had gone very far in the field and was close to being an expert.

After the expert had cleanly and efficiently handled the pottery coins, he raised his head in the picture.

Hecate felt as if her seven seals had been pierced through by that single glance.

Behind that glance lies an old monster hidden deep within the capital, who never usually makes an appearance.

A master of the sun's tradition.

The number of known experts within the empire can be counted on two hands.

Hecate didn't know who this one was.

But he managed to get a glimpse of it from that great expert.

In that one glance, there was only one very clear message: "Don't reach in here again."

Hecate sat for a long time.

She raised her hand and used her left index finger to draw a small "X" on that strand of silk.

After looking at Montague, Hecate turned her gaze to the second thread.

The second one was sent back to the private study room at Harrow School.

Phillips was Bartholomew's son.

Bartholomew himself is a master hunter, but the hermits he can command are also of a high caliber.

The discovery of the pottery coins was swift, which was exactly what Hecate had anticipated.

The entire process is standardized, professional, and avoids being hasty.

However, this only applies to regulations.

The highest level Bartholomew could get was minor proficiency.

Hecate can remember this line, but no further resources are needed for now.

She drew a triangle on the second thread.

Note that this is not a detailed discussion.

She still had to process the remaining dozen or so threads one by one.

Hephaestus, grandson of a highly skilled alchemist, had his pottery coins destroyed by his family, marked with an "X".

Athena, a graduate student in Classics at Imperial University, has been activated by me and is in a semi-hooked state.

However, her mentor had just sent out a warning spell echo, and Hecate hesitated for a moment before finally marking it with an "X".

Poseidon, son of a naval officer, was misled by the young and incompetent secret agent sent by his family.

It was originally possible to bring in new talent, but Hecate didn't want to bring in too many newcomers at the same time, so she postponed it.

Demeter, an heir to a manor, didn't even notice the pottery coin and tossed it into the wastebasket the servants were cleaning, marking it with an "X".

Pan, an actress from Covent Garden, put pottery coins in her makeup box as costume props, and she typed a question mark.

There were also a few that failed to be submitted, failed to be activated, or the invitee simply did not meet the minimum inspiration threshold.

The spirit messenger glanced at it from afar and then turned back.

Each thread was processed and settled one by one.

In the end, only these two were the ones she could trust to bring into the temple.

Catherine has no connections, so she can rest assured.

Richard's background was of average means, which reassured her.