The Secret Cult Chronicles of the Decaying Lake Manor

After pondering for nearly half an hour, George produced a new list of materials.

In fact, he was laughing throughout the entire process.

He deliberately exaggerated the dosage of the [Heavenly Golden Branch] recipe and added a lot of irrelevant materials to the requirements.

This would both confuse Thomas and (potentially) yield a large amount of material supporting the next steps, perhaps with some minor benefits as well.

This list is sure to surprise Thomas.

George carefully folded the meticulously prepared list and got up to go to the Viscount's bedroom.

Pushing open the wooden door to the Viscount's bedroom, George saw Thomas sitting on a chair by the bed, quietly reading a book.

Hearing the door open, he immediately looked up.

"Thomas," George said in a low voice.

Thomas stood up and bowed. "Young Master, if I may be so bold, how is the manor now?"

"It's under control. Here's the new formula for the next step." George handed over the list, trying to sound as urgent as possible.

"Thanks to the reading list left by my father, I gained new inspiration after reading it through... I need to prepare these materials as soon as possible."

Thomas took the list and quickly scanned it under the bright light, his expression gradually becoming serious.

"So much gold? And these herbs, sulfur, and mercury..."

"How much time will it take?" George interrupted his detailed explanation, looking directly into Thomas's eyes.

"If we don't consider the melting and casting of gold, it would take at least two days to collect enough from the manor and the surrounding area, and it would probably take a week to gather all the gold."

George thought for a moment and added, "Send what you can get as soon as possible. Don't worry about the order on the list. I'll figure out the rest later."

Thomas bowed. "Understood, young master. I'll arrange it immediately."

"Great, take a closer look at the list and let me know which items can be delivered immediately."

George turned and walked to the bedside, his gaze falling on the Viscount's face.

In the material world, Viscount Edward remained unchanged, like a wax figure on a bed, his posture frozen into a kind of pale eternity, more like a dead object than a living person.

But since advancing to the "Enlightenment" level, the perception brought by spirituality has become increasingly acute.

The Viscount on the bed now gave George a strange sense of unease.

After a moment's thought, George activated the [Path to the Spirit World] card on the card table.

The scene before my eyes changed, the physical sense of matter around me faded away, and cobalt blue dreamlike light seeped in.

The viscount on the bed only deepened his suspicions.

In previous observations, the Viscount appeared in the spirit world as a humanoid flame that burned intensely, with an icy blue light and wisps of black shadows swirling around it.

The flames are still there, but the other two types of light and shadow that had previously moved to the heart and forehead have vanished without a trace.

This phenomenon is quite intriguing.

George glanced at Thomas, who was still deep in thought about the list, but it was easy to see that he was somewhat distracted.

George quickly made a somewhat risky decision.

He withdrew his spiritual perception, feigned concern, knelt down beside the bed, and extended his hand—

"It suddenly occurred to me that I am, after all, a doctor."

He grabbed the viscount's wrist.

His thin, pale skin was still warm, his pulse was weak, and his muscles seemed somewhat relaxed, which could be considered the signs of a "seriously ill and comatose patient".

George pressed his thumb against the Viscount's arm under his pajamas, making a thorough inspection gesture.

At the same time, his consciousness sank into the card table in his mind.

But contrary to his expectations, the table remained unresponsive; no cards appeared or information flashed.

Could it be that my judgment was wrong, or that the abilities at the poker table were insufficient to directly analyze such a high-ranking extraordinary individual?

Just as George was wondering and about to give up and withdraw his hand—

A card on the table seemed to be attracted and flew up to him on its own.

Then, in front of the flying card, another card slowly emerged and condensed in the void, as if two phantoms were superimposed.

George used his mind to summon the card.

The first image was what he already knew about the "Root Meaning of the Lapis Lazuli Mandala," and he didn't find anything new while scanning it.

The second one is brand new—

【Wax Origin Imitation Body (Double Body Spirit)】

[Sexual attributes: Candle 10, Mirror 6, Dust 4, Utensils]

Chiron paid a price to save Prometheus from the light; perhaps we can temporarily entrust our spirit to consecrated votive candles—provided we can afford the interest.

The "Dead Man" sometimes shares the stage with the "Comedian," but only appears at the end. If one knows how to invoke the power of dust and bone, the deceased can, in His name, invite the omen and guide—our doppelganger. Legend has it that He is silent and looks exactly like us.

This was the information he both hoped to receive and wished to avoid.

At that moment, he heard a muffled sound in his ear.

"Young Master, how is the Master's condition?"

With his mind racing, George had no choice but to leave the poker table.

He temporarily suppressed his countless speculations, released the viscount's wrist, and gave Thomas, who was looking worried behind him, a relieved expression.

"The pulse is relatively stable, and there is no obvious further muscle atrophy."

He instructed Thomas, "Thank you for your hard work. Take good care of Father and keep him in this state. Perhaps things will turn around later."

Thomas seemed pleased: "Yes, sir. I hope the master will wake up soon."

George and Thomas chatted for a few minutes about the Duke's health, then changed the subject by checking off a list.

The news from Thomas was pretty good; he would soon be able to start trying out the latest alchemy recipe—although the redundant materials would have to wait a few days.

George left the room with a satisfied expression, but that expression didn't last after he gently closed the door.

He strode towards the stairs, the image of the [Wax Original Impersonator] card lingering in his mind like a brand.

He wasn't in the mood for reading or working, so he spent the rest of the time touring the mansion and visiting family members and guests who were all engaged in their own leisure activities.

On his way, he stopped by the servants' quarters to meet Mrs. Hughes and Elliott, and as promised, expressed his gratitude to them.

Just before dinner, he saw the returning inspector and Bates in the foyer.

"How is it?" George asked expectantly when he saw the thing wrapped in a piece of cloth in Bates' hand.

"We tracked the monster down and even wounded it, but eventually lost track of it," Bates replied briefly.

George knew this was not a topic to discuss in public, so he led the two to the alchemy room.

In a sufficiently confidential environment, Bates began her story.

"When the inspector and I were searching until nearly four o'clock, we spotted an unidentified object on the southwestern horizon of the island. We then gave chase and discovered that it was indeed the monster Mr. Hammer had mentioned."

The inspector took a sip of tea and added, "It flew about three meters high. The lieutenant's revolver wasn't very effective against it, but I used some tricks to cut off half of one of its wings."

His expression showed a mixture of satisfaction and self-reproach.

"If we had been on horseback, it probably wouldn't have escaped... Now it has disappeared near the woods on the west side."

The inspector took a deep breath to calm his slightly rapid breathing.

Bates, however, offered words of comfort to the inspector.

"It's alright, Inspector. It's definitely not going anywhere without this island now. We just need to wait until tomorrow during the day to catch it in the grove."

As he spoke, he picked up the cloth bag from the table and handed it to George.

"Here you go, George. This is the wing that the inspector shot down. Can you make anything out of it?"