Lord of Mysteries:The Good Witch

"Beautiful lady, we meet again."

The round-faced young man appeared to be around eighteen years old, almost a teenager. Although he wore a plain linen shirt and coarse trousers like a common dock worker, his movements carried an elegant air. Combined with his shy, somewhat childish face, Angel felt quite favorable towards him.

"Hello, I remember seeing you on the public carriage this morning. I didn't expect to run into you again so soon."

Seeing him greet her, she responded kindly.

"Perhaps fate has brought us together again. I'm Tris, and I've been working at the docks recently. I don't think I've seen you in this market before?" The young man named Tris introduced himself. "Maybe I'm mistaken, but I would certainly remember a lady like you if I had seen you before."

"I live on Daffodil Street and rarely come to the dock area. This is only my second time here to buy materials, um, some candles for rituals."

Tris looked at the bundle of candles in her hand and nodded knowingly: "Sandalwood candles. They're selling like hotcakes and are in short supply everywhere. You're lucky to find so many."

"They are a bit expensive though." Angel felt a twinge of regret about the premium she paid, but hearing that these candles were hard to come by made her feel somewhat better. "You seem quite knowledgeable about the occult?"

She asked curiously, noticing how easily Tris had recognized the type of candles.

"Hey, mirror scrying, magic rituals, tarot readings - I wouldn't say I'm knowledgeable. I just hang around this market often and pick up bits of information here and there."

Tris answered lightly, but his expression was far from "not knowledgeable." He looked slightly smug, like a top student showing off to friends. However, combined with his sincere eyes, it wasn't off-putting.

"Could you tell me more about magic rituals? I'm planning to try one, but I'm not sure about the specific steps." Angel played along.

"Well, you've asked the right person." The round-faced youth pulled out an intricately designed ritual knife. He unsheathed it, gripped the handle, and tossed it upward. As Angel flinched backward, he smoothly caught the falling knife with its sheath.

After this juggling-like performance, he continued: "First, you need a small knife or dagger for the magic ritual, like this one. A dinner knife works too, preferably silver."

"Of course, it's not for sacrificing animals; there aren't such bloody rituals anymore. The knife is just for carving sigils and ritual requests. You can do it on a table or the ground, as long as it's a quiet, clean environment. Arrange four candles in a square, carve your request in Hermetic language in the center, then pray to the deity... By the way, what's your faith?"

Hearing Tris describe only a common ritual rather than a more formal "ritual magic," Angel secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

"I'm a follower of the Goddess of Night." She drew a crimson moon on her chest as she answered.

"Then you'd better pray to the Goddess of Night. It will increase your chances of success. Remember, never pray to unknown deities. At best, the ritual will fail; at worst, you could be plagued by misfortune or even face mortal danger." Tris warned with a serious expression.

Unknown...

Angel thought of the temple in the gray fog, the mysterious "Fool," and the Tarot gatherings.

According to the ritual magic taught by the Fool at the Tarot gathering, that specific three-part description suggested He might be an entity equal in status to the Seven Gods. Although His current power was far from that of the legendary Seven Gods, it was possible that this hidden being had just awakened from a long slumber, and His current power was just the tip of the iceberg of His full strength.

In any case, "The Fool" certainly qualified as an "unknown deity."

"Thank you, I'm aware of these taboos. This aligns with what I've read in books. I won't try anything recklessly."

But unfortunately, I've already been "plagued by misfortune"...

She silently added in her heart.

Seeing Angel's compliance, Tris showed a kind smile. He continued to introduce the types and key points of magic rituals, speaking clearly and concisely, accompanied by gestures, like a university lecturer eloquently addressing a class.

Angel listened patiently, comparing it with the true "ritual magic" she had learned. She found that the magic rituals Tris understood were not much different from the ritual magic she had learned from Old Neil, except for not using a spirit wall to delineate the ritual area and not directing it towards a deity through specific descriptions.

It seemed that even though the church strictly controlled this occult knowledge, some shallow knowledge had still seeped into the public over the years. Although they lacked Beyonder abilities and non-standard rituals were unlikely to take effect, with such a large population base, some people would accidentally direct a ritual towards a powerful being, leading to various occult incidents.

According to internal statistics of the Nighthawks, one-third of the supernatural incidents in Tingen City were caused by ordinary people who had a smattering of occult knowledge but dared to experiment boldly.

The church's official Beyonder individuals strived to control underground markets like the Evil Dragon Bar and regulate occult knowledge to reduce the occurrence of such incidents.

Although the effect was indeed limited...

From Angel's perspective, with her limited knowledge of the occult, the magic rituals Tris knew were very close to being effective. In fact, if he could get his hands on some materials containing a small amount of Beyonder power, or find a passage with clear direction from some occult book in a library corner, he might successfully perform a ritual on some fortuitous date.

Maybe he had already succeeded?

As soon as this thought occurred to her, Angel couldn't help but ask.

"Mr. Tris, you seem quite knowledgeable about magic rituals. Have you had any successful experiences?"

"I'm sorry, I'm just curious. If you've successfully received a response from a deity, it would give me more confidence in my upcoming attempt," she added, realizing her question might be perceived as aggressive and could be misunderstood.

"Well..." Tris's embarrassed expression had already given the answer, "...you know, magic rituals aren't like tarot readings. It's very difficult to successfully establish contact with those mysterious beings..."

"Ah, that's good."

"What?"

"I mean, it's better that the ritual didn't succeed than encountering some unknown, unpredictable being. At worst, you've only wasted some time and materials."

Seeing Tris's surprised expression, Angel had to explain.

Tris frowned, thought for a moment, and nodded in agreement.

"You're right. Wasting time is always better than wasting life."

He changed the subject and continued: "But I think I'm not far from success. Maybe I just need some luck, or more devotion, or using more expensive materials."

"As it happens, you have quite a few sandalwood candles here suitable for magic rituals. If we use them, maybe this ritual could succeed. And my home is in the dock area, less than five minutes away from here..."

Tris didn't continue, but his eager, passionate gaze fixed directly on Angel. With her previous life's experience of over thirty years as a man, how could she not understand the hidden meaning in his words?

Admittedly, Tris's demonstrated understanding of occult knowledge, coupled with his likable round face and elegant demeanor, might have led Angel to rashly agree if she were just an ordinary woman interested in the occult.

But as Tris extended his invitation, Angel's assassin's spiritual intuition suddenly made her sense a hint of danger. This intuition was faint, nowhere near as strong as the "sword falling as soon as you step out" sensation, just a subconscious wariness of the unreasonable current situation and a vague sense of familiarity.

Yes, unreasonable.

In a setting like the underground market, she had shared where she lived and which deity she worshipped with someone she had only met once, all within a few minutes of conversation. She was just one step away from following this stranger back to his home to "study magic rituals."

Although Angel didn't know how he had managed this - perhaps he had succeeded many times before with his eloquence and appearance, or maybe he was skilled in psychology and could gain trust through simple conversation - it didn't prevent her from firmly refusing once she saw through his intentions.

"Thank you for your invitation, but it's getting late, and it's time for me to head home. Perhaps we'll have another chance to discuss occult knowledge next time. Goodbye." Angel gracefully curtsied and, before Tris could react, brushed past him and walked towards the exit of the underground market.

Seemingly unprepared for this sudden turn of events, Tris raised his hand in surprise, as if to detain her, but ultimately just opened and closed his mouth without saying anything.

—————

In the darkness of night, a pair of vigilant eyes were fixed on the entrance of the "Evil Dragon Bar."

The crowd entering and exiting the bar didn't catch his attention until a round-faced youth, dressed as a dock worker, walked out of the bar carrying a cloth bag. Only then did he relax, as if completing a mission.

The round-faced youth, Tris, glanced around. Seeing no one paying attention to him in the night and the bar's guard starting to doze off, he slowly strolled to the warehouse opposite the bar and ducked into a narrow alley.

"You were in there so long, I thought you'd been caught," complained the cloaked man keeping watch in the alley. He quickly took the cloth bag from Tris without checking it and slung it over his shoulder. The crimson moonlight illuminated his face under the cloak, revealing the mysterious assassin who had recently clashed with Angel and was now wanted by the Tingen City police. Somehow, he had recovered from his injuries in just a few days and moved without any hindrance.

"I'm not on any wanted list. Who would arrest me?" Tris replied grimly. "You, on the other hand—I just returned to Tingen and saw your face on wanted posters at the steam train station. You'd better not cause me any trouble. Leave Tingen City as soon as possible!"

Tris recalled how, upon arriving in Tingen by steam train from Emmat Port, he was startled to see the walls plastered with familiar faces, nearly prompting him to buy a ticket to flee the city.

"I was ready to flee the day I discovered I was wanted, but Mitis said she needed me for one more task. Just this week, and I'm gone as soon as it's done," the cloaked man explained.

"That Mitis... She has no feelings for her subordinates. You'd better be careful. If something seems off, leave Tingen immediately. Don't let her be the death of you."

Hearing the cloaked man mention his new handler, Tris couldn't hide his disgust, a hint of disdain showing on his usually shy, round face. If it weren't for the sudden death of Mrs. Sharon, who had introduced him to the world of the Beyonder, leaving him without access to subsequent potion formulas, he would never have associated with this infamous witch.

Thinking of potions, Tris felt a twinge in his chest. When Mitis told him the name of the subsequent potion for "Instigator," he could hardly believe his ears. Her malicious mockery only intensified this discomfort. So much so that earlier in the underground market of the Evil Dragon Bar, upon encountering the beautiful lady he had briefly met during the day, he couldn't resist approaching her, even using the "Instigator's" ability of language charm.

Unexpectedly, though the woman appeared pure and lovable, she was quite cautious. The moment Tris revealed his true intentions, she snapped out of it, firmly rejected his invitation, and hastily left the Evil Dragon Bar. He didn't dare pursue her in the chaotic underground market and had to give up.

Realizing this might have been his last chance before advancement, he couldn't help feeling regretful. But he thought, "I'll be coming to the underground market to buy materials for the next few days anyway. Maybe I'll run into her again?"

With this in mind, Tris looked back at the Evil Dragon Bar in the night before saying to the cloaked man, "Let's go. We'll deliver these things to Mitis first. I'll come back alone during the day tomorrow. You shouldn't follow me. If someone recognizes you, we'll both be in trouble."

The agile "Instigator" and "Assassin," one after the other, swiftly left the alley under the cover of night.