Chapter 40: Occultism Course

Chapter 40: Occultism Course

"An interesting trick?"

Klein asked with great curiosity.

Old Neil chuckled and said, "I'm going to go inspect the weapons, materials, and literature repositories. Use those two cups on the table to brew two cups of coffee. Put something 'unpleasant' into one of them—you can decide exactly what it is; use your imagination. The only requirement is that you mustn't waste too much coffee powder. That's hand-ground by me using specialty beans from the plateau!"

"Alright." Although Klein didn't quite understand what Old Neil was trying to do, he readily agreed.

Watching the man take out a copper key to open the iron door of the weapon repository and hearing the long, echoing footsteps from within, Klein leisurely set out the cups and confirmed there was hot water in the kettle.

Lifting the lid of the silver-inlaid tin canister, Klein used a small, metallic-sheened spoon to scoop a portion of the fragrant coffee powder into each cup. He then poured in the hot water and stirred with practiced familiarity.

—As a transmigrator from an era of abundant resources, he wasn't unfamiliar with coffee, though his experience was limited to instant varieties.

Having finished this, Klein thought for a moment, sat down, crossed his right leg, pinched a bit of mud from the sole of his leather boot, and dropped it into the cup on the left.

Then, he stirred carefully once more until the two cups were almost indistinguishable in appearance, color, and aroma.

A few minutes later, Old Neil walked out of the weapon repository, jingling his keychain, and slammed the iron door shut with a loud *clang*.

"It's ready." His slightly cloudy, dark red eyes shifted to look at Klein across the table.

"Ready," Klein nodded in response.

Old Neil gave a short laugh and sat down while unfastening the silver chain wrapped around his wrist.

His expression quickly turned calm. He extended his left hand, holding the chain so that the silver pendant hung vertically over the coffee cup on his right. The pure white crystal was just a hair's breadth away from touching the liquid.

Amidst a relaxing sense of tranquility, the white crystal began to sway inexplicably, causing the silver chain to rotate in small counter-clockwise circles.

"This cup is the one containing the unpleasant thing," Old Neil said with certainty.

Without waiting for Klein to confirm, he put away the silver chain and took a sip from the other cup of coffee.

"Do you like bitter coffee? I'm used to one spoon of sugar and one spoon of milk."

Klein didn't answer, instead asking with intense interest, "Your divination results are very accurate. Is it because of that white crystal? It's the white crystal, isn't it?"

"This is the pendulum method used in divination. It relies on the connection between the spirit body itself and the Spirit World and the starry sky. By using natural materials to communicate with spirituality—such as crystals, gemstones, and special metals—one can divine the quality of things... Let's go back to those two cups of coffee. Counter-clockwise movement means bad, clockwise means good, and no movement means neither good nor bad. You can also write an event on a piece of paper. Note: an *event*, not a question." Old Neil set down his coffee cup and explained in detail.

Klein spoke as if in thought, "So, I shouldn't use interrogative sentences?"

"Correct. You can't use 'Is so-and-so willing to be my fiancée?' You must use 'So-and-so is willing to be my fiancée.' Write it on a paper, lay it flat on the table, and then hold the pendulum chain with your non-dominant hand. Note: your non-dominant hand." Old Neil chuckled. "At this point, straighten your arm, adjust the length of the chain so the crystal hangs directly above the paper, almost touching the written event, then close your eyes and recite that sentence seven times in your mind. Once finished, open your eyes and see if the pendulum rotates. If not, close them again and repeat the process until it swings."

Klein nodded slightly. "Counter-clockwise is 'no,' clockwise is 'yes'?"

"It can also be interpreted as 'unfavorable' and 'favorable,'" Old Neil corrected, teaching Klein other uses and details of pendulum divination.

After reflecting on it a few times, Klein realized this was a very practical divination technique. For instance, in an unfamiliar environment, he could use it to quickly confirm if food was poisoned without needing to "check" via extra skills like "Wilderness Biology."

Of course, this form of divination was too simple; the answers were limited to two or three types and could not provide in-depth investigation or interpretation. For example, something might be harmful to oneself but become very beneficial after certain processing—like certain ingredients that are indeed harmful to the human body but not severely so; in a situation where one is about to starve to death, eating them wouldn't be a major problem. The pendulum method could not judge such nuances.

"I need to save up money as soon as possible to buy crystals or pure silver to make a pendulum..." Klein sighed.

Old Neil gave him a surprised look.

"You can apply for it directly. This falls under standard equipment for Beyonders, especially for auxiliary types like us. There is a citrine and a pure silver pendulum in the weapon repository."

"But I'm not an official member of the team yet..." Klein's heart raced, though he hesitated slightly.

Old Neil smiled lightly. "For Beyonders, whether you are an official member or not, since we can't increase salaries, we must provide certain conveniences in other ways."

"Using the word 'benefits' might be more appropriate. I'll submit an application to the Captain right away!" Klein clenched his fist inwardly, having made his decision.

If he didn't try, how would he know if the Captain would agree?

"Alright," Old Neil smiled. "Let us begin the formal 'Occultism Course.' One of its foundations is called 'Symbolism.' Do you know what 'Symbolism' is?"

Recalling the fragments he had heard before and what he had seen and experienced in the Spirit World and above the gray fog, Klein spoke deliberately

"Whether it is the Spirit World, the illusory starry sky, or those unknown realms, they all exist beyond our sensory world. They cannot be accurately described by information obtained through ears, noses, or eyes. What we receive are only unspeakable intuitive revelations and experiences, which manifest externally as abstract symbols and figurative imagery. These symbols represent different meanings for different things."

"Very accurate. As expected of a 'Divination Specialist,'" Old Neil nodded seriously. "Only by mastering the ability to interpret symbols can one truly enter the gates of occultism. Hmm, the patterns on Tarot cards—every element in those patterns is a symbol, a man-made symbol designed to help us understand and interpret the original 'revelations.'"

He pulled out a piece of paper, picked up a nearby fountain pen, and drew a short arc.

Immediately following, he quickly added several vertical lines beneath the arc, then looked up at Klein.

"Do you know what this symbol represents?"

Klein looked at it repeatedly, only speaking hesitantly after a long while, "Eyelashes?"

"..." Old Neil let out a breath. "This is the symbol of the Harvest Constellation, this is the Thunder Constellation, and this is the White Frost Constellation..."

He casually drew several more symbolic signs.

While memorizing them, Klein couldn't help but remark, "The names of these constellations are... they are truly quite rustic. Yes, rustic!"

So rural, so primitive...

Old Neil smiled and said, "Emperor Roselle thought so too back then. He always intended to change the constellation names to things like Virgo, Cancer, or Scorpio. Unfortunately, he still couldn't resist the power of tradition. At least the ancient names of these constellations and their respective dates can guide farming and harvesting."

"I must say, Emperor Roselle was a man with ideas," Klein said, not knowing how to criticize him.

Well, Emperor Roselle must have been a decent man during his lifetime...

Unable to grasp Klein's humor, Old Neil continued explaining various basic symbolic signs, such as those for the various constellations, and those for the Sun, Red Moon, Brown Star, Red Star, and Blue Star.

While teaching these, he interspersed instructions on how to draw divination star charts and necessary precautions, the making and materials of crystal balls, and the selection of incantations. Klein felt as if he were being overwhelmed by information.

If he hadn't discovered that the "Divination Specialist" potion slightly enhanced his memory, he would have asked Old Neil to stop long ago to digest what he had learned.

"That's all for today's 'Occultism Course.' Think about it yourself; if you have any questions, you can come find me." Old Neil took out a gold pocket watch, clicked it open, and glanced at it. "Don't forget to read the historical materials I prepared for you. To be honest, I feel a sense of dread just looking at them."

"Alright." Klein took the drafts Old Neil had written the symbols on and quickly reviewed the occult knowledge he had learned today to prevent any obvious forgetting.

Old Neil took another sip of his freshly brewed coffee and said, "Memory alone isn't enough; you must use it frequently to turn knowledge into instinct. Also, meditation must be done every day. Only through constant practice and use can you truly master the power of the potion, dig out its hidden mysteries, and eliminate any negative influences."

Mentioning this reminded Klein of "acting," and the Divination Club. He said tentatively, "My potion's abilities are related to divination. Practicing alone isn't enough; I must come into contact with a large number of people and perform divinations for them to master it quickly. I plan to join the 'Divination Club' once I have extra money—the one on Hales Street in the North District—to become a true 'Divination Specialist.'"

This matter would certainly not stay hidden from the Nighthawks in the future, so it was better to lay the groundwork early.

"Your idea is very similar to Daly's; she always says she wants to be a true 'Spirit Medium.'" Old Neil shook his head and laughed. "But why wait until you have extra money? You can write an application to Dunn and have him approve the expenses!"

"Organizations like the 'Divination Club' might have members who have infiltrated cults or evil organizations. As a clerical staff member of a Nighthawk team and a standard Beyonder, joining them to facilitate monitoring is a work necessity! We used to patrol these places periodically, but we lacked the manpower to track them for long periods. Now, it's perfectly suited for you."

There was such an operation? Looking at Old Neil's deadpan expression, Klein was utterly stunned.

This was a blatant way to find a reason to expense personal matters!

*I am truly ignorant of such things...*

*I really am just a keyboard warrior...*

"You wish to use your own money to do this?" Seeing his reaction, Old Neil added with a smile.

Klein immediately shook his head and replied firmly, "I'll submit a report to the Captain right away!"

Old Neil nodded with satisfaction, then glanced at the unpoured cup of coffee containing the "unpleasant thing."

"What exactly did you put in there?"

Klein gave an embarrassed smile.

"Just... just a bit of mud from my boot sole. Its color is similar to your coffee powder, very similar."

Old Neil froze for a moment, then suddenly pressed his hand against his mouth and hissed, "Why haven't you taken that and poured it out yet!"