From the Ship of Fools to Earl of Wugang

The red light split into five streams from the center, each stopping in front of one of the people.

Edmund could only see the outlines of four other orbs of light; the specific text and objects were obscured by a thin veil—Dionysus did not allow the actors to check their findings with each other.

In the red glow belonging to Edmund, a greyish-brown deerstalker hat slowly solidified.

The brim of the hat protruded forward and backward, making it look as if it had been taken directly from the coat rack of some old-school detective.

He reached out and touched the brim of his hat, and the intricate information immediately unfolded along his fingertips.

The Detective's Deerhunting Hat

[A brand-new hat, still carrying the scent of tobacco. The wearer can directly access various detective knowledge memories stored within, granting them a daily "element awareness," marking several elements directly related to the current problem from a complex environment.]

Prolonged wear will cause the user to develop an instinctive craving for high-intensity, complex intellectual thinking, which can only partially alleviate the need for such stimulation.

A practical, knowledge-based artifact, but its side effects are also quite selective. The deerstalker hat shrank into a dark red shadow, attaching itself to Edmund's palm.

He then opened his private exchange interface, and most of the items quickly went dark as he wished. Soon he found the item he needed.

[Second-tier derivative path: Visitor. Knowledge includes the complete ritual content and secret medicine recipe; exchange price: 500 points.]

"Find the right angle, and it opens with a single touch"—guests open doors using their different names.

Further details are provided below.

Visitors skillfully use their names, etiquette, and identities to enter closed environments, gaining acceptance from strangers in a short time and seeking entrances that were previously closed to them. The cost tends to be identity performance, emotional indulgence, and a weakening of self-awareness.

Edmund stared at the "different name" for a few seconds.

Edmund Lockman, Lane Hall, Evan Black, Adrian Cole... his name list is enough to form a small address book, and the play just now even arranged a theatrical revelation of his identity.

This derivative direction is like the garment Dionysus tailored according to his experiences, but its cost is equally dangerous.

For someone who borrows another person's body and constantly changes identities, a loosening of self-awareness is not something to be taken lightly.

But with complete second-order knowledge right before him, he no longer had the luxury of waiting for a more perfect choice.

Edmund confirmed the exchange, and the 500 points of Bacchus' Blood immediately disappeared.

The ritual structure, the ingredients of the secret medicine, the order of administration, and the signs of failure enter consciousness along the red light, interlocking to form a complete inheritance.

The most crucial point to remember is this: a name is the shortest path for people and the environment to acknowledge a person.

With the remaining two hundred points insufficient to exchange for another Path of Knowledge, Edmund turned to the Arts category and quickly found an entry labeled for protective purposes.

[Technique: Glass Spirit Curtain]

Exchange Price: 200 points

[The spirit creates several layers of misaligned, transparent stress surfaces on the body's surface; when attacked, the outer layer shatters and deflects some of the force.]

[Continuous breakage will cause rapid depletion of spiritual energy, subcutaneous bleeding, and the illusion of fractures.]

[Illusions can be ignored, but recoil and actual damage are not. The skill has room for improvement, which can be explored through the three pillars of "Mist," "Mirror," and "Sound."]

Physical defense is his most obvious weakness right now, and there's still room for improvement in this skill.

Edmund happily spent his last two hundred points, the skill entered his consciousness, and a moment later he looked down at the back of his hand.

A few transparent rays of light briefly appeared above the skin, then disappeared as the thought subsided.

The private interface was closed, and the wine-red curtain in front of the five people gradually became thicker.

"Mr. Hall, I will still submit a formal report to the Ninth Bureau. Now that you have become a superhuman, there is actually more room for maneuver in the matter."

A voice came from Inspector Douglas's direction: "Come to the capital and surrender yourself for investigation and registration. Given your current cooperative attitude, the Ninth Bureau may not even need to take immediate detention measures."

This is probably the greatest goodwill the inspector can offer.

Edmund thought for a moment and replied, "I will consider it carefully."

Douglas gave a distrustful snort and ultimately did not continue to persuade him.

As everyone began to say goodbye, Rebecca turned precisely to Edmund's location before disappearing.

Even through the hazy red mist, he could feel that the gaze still remembered the promise made at the beginning of the play.

The next instant, crimson light spread from beneath the five people's feet, engulfing each of them.

Edmund opened his eyes in the old relief office, his right hand still resting on the mouse.

The monitor emitted a low hum, and the morning light outside the window moved only a short distance before the computer screen remained on "The Alchemist's Cauldron".

After reviewing the verification sample provided by the seller, Edmund closed the transaction window and decided to try his luck at the next Metamorphosis Night to obtain a first-order knowledge in exchange.

Before I logged out of the forum, my email icon suddenly started flashing.

A new email is already in my inbox. It was sent by Rebecca Young just a few minutes ago, and the body of the email is very short.

[Mr. Black, or Mr. Lane: I would like you to explain the true identities of Evan Black, Lane Hall, and others you have not publicly revealed. After that, please confirm whether our past collaboration remains valid.]

Edmund reread Rebecca's email, his fingers landing on the keyboard.

[Ms. Yang: Our cooperation remains valid. Tomorrow evening at 10 PM, I will contact you through the secure connection you previously provided and explain my identity. Attached is a new structural memo as confirmation that the project continues.]

He then began compiling a memo, a more feasible engineering plan than the one he had previously given Rebecca, which also included a large amount of prototype code.

Login credentials, character data, unique room and item IDs, command parser, thesaurus, map...

At the end, Edmund included his advice from the first test, narrowing the scope to a copy of a city map and a limited number of career paths.

After checking, he sent the email, then closed his mailbox and took out the "Visitor" knowledge he had just copied to study it.

Half an hour passed in a flash, and Edmund's understanding of the complete recipe came to an end.

This recipe makes extensive use of alcohol as a medium, and the banquet, wine glasses, slips of paper with kana written on them, and the ritual of "the host raising a glass to welcome the guests" echo each other in different parts.

He copied several of the passages back into a hardcover notebook and wrote down his own understanding next to them.

Besides representing an established group, the banquet is probably inseparable from the god of wine.

Furthermore, the pseudonym corresponds to identity, raising a glass corresponds to acceptance, and crossing the door fixes all previous recognition onto the promoted individual.

This approach retains the core concepts of "door" and "entry," but it clearly leans towards the ecstasy, indulgence, and identity transformation represented by Dionysus.

Relying solely on one's own judgment is not enough; fortunately, I know a knowledgeable foreign aid.

Edmund closed his notebook, changed his coat, greeted the workers outside, and headed to the dockworkers' bowling alley.