Mystery: The Silver Key

Chapter 21 The Polite and Serious Magic Mirror

On the carriage heading from the North District to the South District of the Bridge, Owen looked at Cyril, who had been deep in thought since entering the carriage, opened his mouth as if to speak, but then stopped himself.

After all, he was alone when he boarded the carriage. If he suddenly started talking to someone in the carriage halfway through, the carriage might not end up at his home, but at the entrance of a mental hospital or a police station.

As Sirion leaned back in the carriage, thoughts raced through his mind, but he wasn't reviewing the events of the night. Instead, he was pondering another problem: his potion digestion was progressing at an unbelievable pace.

Even though not a single night had passed, his "apprentice" potion digestion progress was already more than halfway complete.

When he left the Blood Axe Gang's base, he suddenly stopped not only because he sensed an invisible gaze, but also because the magic potion in his body showed signs of being digested significantly.

Then, after throwing the paper airplane at St. Samuel's Church and returning to the carriage, he also felt the traces of the potion being digested in his body.

The rules for playing the role of an "apprentice" passed down from the Abraham family are: do not be arrogant, do not be proud, and understand the insignificance of your own strength.

The first two sentences are understandable, and I did it today, but the last sentence, if my reporting to the church also counts.

So it seems I've perfectly met the rules of the "apprentice" role, but acting isn't just about self-indulgence; it also requires feedback from the audience. But today's audience...

He glanced at Irving, then subtly looked away, shaking his head inwardly.

It couldn't be him. An ordinary person's feedback wouldn't be enough for me to digest so many potions.

In other words, there are other audience members today, extremely high-quality audience members, Asia... uh, is it Him?

Because I mentioned Him in my mind, He looked over and even helped me digest the potion?

Was the feedback received from the Church of St. Samuel from the Archbishop of the Church of the Night, or from the "Goddess of Night"?

If that's the case, if I go and wander around under the noses of these big shots a few more times, can I directly digest the "Apprentice" potion?

In the end, he rejected this bold idea. He was afraid that if he encountered a tyrannical man like the "Lord of Storms," ​​he would be reduced to ashes on the spot.

Composing himself, he leaned against the carriage and dozed off for a while until the carriage arrived at Willy Street in the southern part of the bridge.

He reached out and held onto the window frame, and a faint blue light spread out, expanding the window into an open, illusory door. Then he flipped over and jumped off the carriage.

Watching the carriage gradually disappear into the distance, he muttered something under his breath:

"It seems pretty convenient. From now on, I can skip paying for any mode of transportation."

The carriage hadn't gone far when it stopped at the fork in the road ahead, and Owen got out.

After watching the coachman drive the carriage away, Sirion went up to meet him.

"Today wasn't entirely fruitless. I digested some of the potion, and it's quite a magical item, but it's too dangerous and not very useful."

"When we trade potion ingredients later, I'll ask that person if they're willing to buy them. Then we'll exchange them for money and split it 50/50."

Owen thought for a moment and then nodded in agreement to the plan. He could already foresee his future financial difficulties; his remaining assets couldn't even buy a complete set of Sequence 8 potion ingredients.

However, he then added, "If you still can't raise the money for the potion ingredients, use this as a discount. I'm not short of money right now."

Xireen chuckled and nodded: "Don't worry, I've already raised most of the funds, and the remaining bank loan can be taken care of."

"As for repayment, once you become a 'fortune teller,' we'll go and rob the rich to help the poor."

"Normal divination at that time will certainly not be as full of surprises and hidden dangers as your crystal ball."

Irving nodded awkwardly, though he wanted to argue, but the revelation he received from the Crystal Ball of Fate was indeed unreliable.

After exchanging a few words, the two said goodbye and went their separate ways.

Using her "door-opening" ability, she quietly returned to her room. Glancing at the clock on the wall, she realized it was already past midnight. Xi Ruien decisively abandoned her plan to go to the bathroom to wash up, in case she made too much noise and woke up Ha Wen, she would have to figure out how to explain it.

He took off his coat and lay on the bed for a while, but his mind was filled with the painting on the tablecloth and the third floor that had been corrupted by an unknown force. He just couldn't fall asleep.

A few minutes later, he sat up in bed, clutching his hair.

"Why do images of the Blood Axe Gang keep flashing through my mind? Is it a spiritual warning, or some kind of hint?"

"If only I knew how to tell fortunes..."

As he muttered to himself, his gaze fell upon the full-length mirror placed in the corner, and a bold idea flashed through his mind.

Driven by the powerful drive brought on by insomnia, he went straight to the full-length mirror and, using his own blood, drew a symbol on the mirror's surface that mingled with voyeurism and secrecy, while subconsciously muttering:

"Arods..."

These are symbols that he sketched and perfected in his mind based on his knowledge of occultism. He couldn't guarantee their effectiveness, and he was a little uneasy. It would be troublesome if he accidentally communicated with some unknown entity.

Meanwhile, beneath the St. Hillan Cathedral in the St. George district.

An ancient silver mirror with strange patterns and black gemstones adorning its sides as "eyes" suddenly came to life. Layers of clear water rippled across its surface, weaving together to form silver words:

Is someone calling me?

The next second, the ripples on the mirror surface became even more violent, as if it were trying to search for a call from nothingness.

Soon, a seemingly plausible symbol appeared in the mirror.

...

In the southern part of the bridge, in Xi Ruien's bedroom, the already dim room, which was dark because the lights were off, was suddenly enveloped in a layer of dark twilight, and the air temperature dropped a few degrees.

The full-length mirror in front of Sirion suddenly darkened, and the reflection disappeared, replaced by ripples of silver water.

In less than a breath, silver Rune characters appeared on the mirror surface:

"The supreme and great being, Arodes, has answered the call."

"Is there anything I can help you with?"

Looking thoughtfully at the unusually polite magic mirror before him, Sirien asked, "Do you know me?"

New words quickly appeared on the mirror: "I didn't know them before, but now I do."

After a brief pause, the writing on the mirror disappeared, and then new lines of words appeared:

"Great being, according to the principle of reciprocity, you also need to answer one question for me. This is a rule I cannot violate, please forgive me."

Recalling Arodes's infuriating questions, Cyril suddenly felt uneasy and a little regretful:

"Don't we need an audience?"

"Someone as great as you always has certain privileges."

It paused, then added, "Now there are two questions."

Cyril nodded slightly: "No problem, go ahead and ask."

As he finished speaking, new silver words appeared on the full-length mirror in front of him:

"First question: Great being, may I know your name?"

My name? Does it refer to my actual name, or the name of a great being?

The former is fine, but as for the honorific name, am I supposed to make one up from scratch? The question is, will it even be effective?

Composing himself, Cyril carefully said, "My name is Cyril now."

If you would like to know my name more specifically, you can call me:

From the unknowable sublime...

A gateway to dimensions...

An embodiment of art and fantasy.

He finished reciting the name he had made up on the spot, albeit in a halting manner. Although it was made up, he intuitively felt that there was nothing wrong with it and that it did not point to "a higher-dimensional observer".

He originally intended to say "the embodiment of mystery and fantasy" at the end, but when he said it, it somehow turned into "art and fantasy," which he could only attribute to his own spiritual revelation.

On the full-length mirror in front of him, silvery water rippled, and new words emerged one by one:

"Thank you for your answer, Your Excellency."

"My second question is: Your Excellency, how did you come to know my name?"

Cyril chuckled and answered without hesitation, "I saw it in a book."

Lines of words floated across the full-length mirror: "Correct answer, Your Excellency. Do you have any further questions?"

Seeing that Arodes had indeed been summoned and was cooperating perfectly, Cyrien was no longer in a hurry to ask the questions he had originally intended to ask. Taking advantage of the opportunity, he wanted to ask more questions about himself:

What do you see in me?

The silvery ripples on the mirror's surface lingered for a long time before a line of words finally appeared:

"Great, supreme, absolute... and all-encompassing color."