LOM: Lord of Mysticism

Howes Street, Divination Club.

Klein entered the Divination Club and met the attendant, Angelica.

"Good afternoon, Mr. Moretti. I thought you would come a few days later." Angelica said.

"Good afternoon, Miss Angelica. I had a dream at noon. I dreamed about Mr. Hanass Vincent and matters regarding him. You know that as a fortune-teller, I cannot overlook a dream, when it may be a revelation from the divine." Klein said.

Angelica asked out of curiosity, "What did you dream of?"

"I saw Hanass Vincent arguing with someone." Klein passed her a folded piece of paper in his hand.

"This person..." Angelica glanced at the realistic portrait, then looked up, "I've met him before."

Klein saw her emotions turn into a 'thinking blue', a normal reaction. He then asked, "When was it?"

"I can't remember the exact date. Maybe a month ago? I saw him send Mr. Vincent to the door, they were softly discussing something. I have a deep impression of him because of his thick eyebrows, as well as Mr. Vincent's rare smile. Yes, he had a pair of grayish-blue eyes and little hair on his head." Angelica recalled.

"Did you meet him again before or after that?" Klein asked.

Angelica shook her head. "No, I'm certain I didn't. I don't know his name. To be honest, if it wasn't you, I would have suspected you were a policeman investigating Mr. Vincent's death. Heh, I don't find it odd no matter what revelation you receive, for you are a true Seer."

My apologies, I'm really a policeman. Klein retorted silently as he sighed. "A true Seer would understand how minuscule he truly is compared to the vastness of fate. We can only see a hazy corner when receiving revelations, but never answers. We reflect upon them constantly and must decipher these hints with caution, not arrogantly seeing ourselves as the intelligent ones who have taken control of fate."

Klein now realized that his Spirit Vision turned clearer and that he could faintly make out the details within Angelica's aura.

This... has my Seer potion begun to produce clear signs of digestion?

"I never imagined that a Seer like you can still maintain such attitude towards fate. It's truly admirable," Angelica said earnestly.

She had seen too many people in the Divination Club who claimed to see through the truth and change fate after learning a few divination methods.

"The more you know, the better you can understand how small we truly are." Klein added.

Klein reflected on his past experiences. He could now narrow the essence of the 'acting' technique to 'actions corresponding to the name of the potion, understanding the hidden laws governing the role, as well as strictly abiding by these laws'.

By doing so he could change the state of his body, heart, and soul, making them closer to the remnant psyche in the potion, so as to gradually digest it. The acknowledgment of a Seer's identity was only a factor on the surface. The reason why it made one's spirituality feel light had to do with how the feedback strengthened one's affirmation of particular divination actions. These actions collectively formed the rules for digesting the Seer potion.

"Mr. Moretti, I sometimes think of you as a philosopher," Angelica said with a sigh upon hearing Klein's reply.

"In my circle of friends, the term 'philosopher' is used to scold somebody." With that said, Klein bowed and bid farewell.

Although Angelica was unaware of the gentleman's name or identity, what Klein learned was sufficient enough for him to engage in the next phase of his plan.

...

36 Zouteland Street. Inside Blackthorn Security Company.

Dunn looked at the portrait in his hands. "You wish to carry out a search for this person?"

"Yes." Klein had long prepared a reason for this. "Captain, didn't I mention that I would head to the Divination Club to observe the reactions of its members on Hanass Vincent's sudden death? I didn't discover anything yesterday, but I accidentally found out today that the person in the portrait had appeared with Hanass Vincent once and was secretly discussing something with him. I flipped through our team's investigation report just now, but I didn't discover any person resembling him in the report."

"Was this drawn by you?" Dunn asked.

"Yes. I drew it with the help of ritualistic magic," Klein replied.

Dunn nodded, "Get Old Neil to make a few more sets. I'll get Kenley and Royale to investigate and seek the cooperation of the police department."

"May Goddess bless us." Klein tapped four spots on his chest, appearing abnormally devout. For him, all he needed from them was to figure out the name and identity of the man in the portrait, and he could then divine his location above the gray fog.

...

Despite it being his day off, Klein didn't immediately return home after leaving the Blackthorn Security Company, but took the public carriage to the harbor and arrived at the Evil Dragon Bar's entrance.

In his considerations, although a Seer lacked the means to directly engage in combat or the means to cast spells quickly, combat could be classified in many ways. As long as he had sufficient time to prepare, a Seer could similarly deal with an enemy using ritualistic magic. It was exactly how he resolved the magic mirror divination incident at Selena's house.

Thus it was best if a Seer was prepared and brought along the essential oils, herbs, and tiny candles. After all, not everyone was like Selena who had an entire assortment of mysticism items available.

As for the ones he applied for, Klein had practiced frequently. He had used up most of them and kept what was left in his inner pocket.

He pushed open Evil Dragon Bar's door. It was noon and there weren't many customers in the bar. It was quiet and not lively enough.

Klein observed the guests drinking beer and playing cards as he walked toward the billiard room that led to the underground market. At that moment, he saw an old man walk out with a torn Admiral's jacket draped over his shoulders.

"Were you the friend Old Neil brought last time?" Reeking with the smell of alcohol, the brown-haired elder sized up Klein and laughed.

"Yes, how might I address you?" Klein asked.

"Old Neil often mentions you. I'm the boss here, Swain." The blue-eyed elder had thick arms and the bearing of a military officer.

Former Tingen Mandated Punisher Captain... Rumor has it that he was once part of the Royal Navy... Klein guessed his identity and replied politely, "Yes."

"If you're in need of money, feel free to approach me." Swain said before walking towards the bar counter.

"Wait a moment, Mr. Swain. I have something I would like to ask of you." Klein said.

Swain halted in his steps and turned halfway around. "You look, well—very similar."

No, I'm not having memory issues... Klein pointed at the portrait he drew and asked, "Have you met this gentleman before?"

Selena may have been brought by Hanass Vincent to the underground market. Then, could the man in the portrait who had some relationship with Hanass Vincent have come here before?

Swain careful looked at the portrait. "I remember him. He had asked me if I had documents or items related to the main peak of the Hornacis mountain range."

Documents and items related to the main peak of the Hornacis mountain range? Klein was taken aback as he suddenly connected that to another matter.

Back when he was borrowing the journal issue related to the main peak of the Hornacis mountain range at Deweyville Library, the librarian had mentioned that someone had just returned it.

Could the gentleman who borrowed the journal issue before me be the one in the portrait? The gentleman who perhaps witnessed the exchange of the Antigonus family's notebook.