[Susanna told Simon that Mr. Simon was the only person she could trust. If he uncovered the secret hidden in the photograph and profited from it, she asked him to look after little Beth and the others. If the photograph itself turned out to be trouble, she asked him to dispose of it on her behalf.]
What do you mean, “Mr. Simon is the only person I can trust”? Eleanor exorcised spirits for you twice, and I approved three hundred pounds in funding for you, yet Mr. Simon is the only one you care about?
Miss Elisa felt a twinge of jealousy.
Then again, Eleanor had only exorcised Susanna’s spirits because of her male servant, and Elisa had only invested in the mechanical pencil because of him as well. Susanna wasn’t exactly wrong to rely on her male servant.
Besides, compared to Elisa, whom she barely knew, and the unreliable Eleanor, her male servant really was the best person to entrust something to.
But that wasn’t important. What belonged to her male servant belonged to Miss Elisa, after all. What mattered was this: just what sort of clue was hidden in that [Photograph]?
[Simon accepted the photograph and reassured the uneasy Miss Susanna.]
[Simon asked Susanna about how she had been doing lately and discussed some technical problems with her. Miss Susanna once again invited Simon to pursue further studies at the Royal Public University. In a low voice, Susanna added that she could sponsor his studies.]
Sponsor him?! I’m the one funding your research project, and now you want to use that money to keep a pretty boy on the side?!
Miss Elisa was heartbroken. Her very first investment project, and she was already dealing with an investee misappropriating funds to keep a pretty boy!
What was wrong with this world? How could it be so filthy?!
[Maria and Eve arrived with tea and refreshments, interrupting Susanna’s invitation.]
Well done! Keep a close eye on my male servant!
[Simon politely declined Susanna’s offer. Under Maria and Eve’s watchful eyes, he discussed the procurement of raw materials and equipment with Susanna and finalized the project plan for the month.]
Elisa lifted her cup of black tea. As the tea touched her lips, she felt a faint chill.
The tea should have been replaced, but her personal maid was busy keeping an eye on her male servant and had no time to come pour fresh tea for her mistress.
Setting down her cup, Elisa continued reading the journal. Now it was time for her male servant to examine that photograph.
Just what kind of clue had both Crown Prince Fred and Eleanor come away empty-handed for?
[Simon bid farewell to Ms. Maria and Eve, returned to his bedroom, and picked up the photograph Susanna had given him.]
[The photograph showed a dimly lit woodland. A pillar stood in the center of the clearing, and beside it, five doors stood upright on the ground.]
[Two lines were written on the back of the photograph: “Five doors without locks, five paths without names. Let spirits be your guide, and dreams your path.”]
[Five Doors Photograph.jpg]
What? It was actually a photograph containing an important clue, and not some lady’s chest?!
Elisa was pleasantly surprised and opened the photograph.
She had already formed a suspicion before seeing it. Once she saw the photograph, she became completely certain.
[Simon could not understand the meaning of the photograph, so he performed the Magic Mirror Ritual and asked the Magic Mirror about it.]
Elisa considered what price would be appropriate.
By all rights, she ought to squeeze her male servant for every penny she could. He had just earned sixty pounds from Eleanor’s commission, bringing his savings back above a hundred pounds.
But extorting money from her male servant over something like this gave her a powerful sense of guilt just thinking about it. This was something I wanted to pursue in the first place, and I’m still making my male servant pay for it. Wouldn’t that mean he’s paying for the privilege of working for me?
Still, the rules of the Magic Mirror’s question-and-answer service couldn’t be broken. She had to charge him something.
I’ll just take ten pounds as a token fee. In a while, I’ll find some excuse to reward my male servant with ten pounds.
[Simon tossed the gold coins into the mirror.]
After collecting the gold coins, Elisa began writing on the surface of the mirror.
“Spirit Realm Traversal,” a type of meditation ritual, was originally used to slightly strengthen one’s connection with the “Spirit Realm” and assist with other rituals.
The one in the photograph was clearly a variant. An ordinary “Spirit Realm Traversal” would use a photograph of a grassland or the sea as the setting for meditation, as such scenes brought a sense of tranquility. But the photograph in her male servant’s possession depicted…
….a gloomy woodland and five eerie doors standing alone.
The ritual could actually be performed alone, but doing so carried a high risk of something going wrong. A moment of carelessness could leave the practitioner lost in the “Spirit Realm,” which was why Elisa had told her male servant to find a companion.
[Simon thanked the Magic Mirror and ended the ritual.]
[Simon obtained all the clues. Explorable Area unlocked.]
[Explorable Area: Little Doors in the Woods]
This was actually an explorable area? A place where she could obtain rewards?
With an ordinary “Spirit Realm Traversal,” forget about obtaining rewards… even one’s memories of the experience would become hazy once the ritual ended. There was definitely something strange about this variant ritual!
I thought solving the clue from Susanna would earn me a “finger bone” but unexpectedly, what I got instead was this variant ritual.
I’ll give it a try first!
Given my rank and knowledge of mysticism, performing the ritual alone wouldn’t be a problem. Still, better to play it safe and find someone to act as my guide.
Her personal maid Eve had already returned to the second floor, so Elisa called her into the bedroom.
Elisa picked up the newspaper from the sofa and tossed it onto the coffee table, clearing away all traces of the previous ritual. She then said to Eve, “I learned about a mysterious ritual from some of the other young ladies. It can relax the body and bring good luck. I want you to assist me.”
“Yes,” Eve agreed.
Elisa taught her the Common Tongue version of the incantation, but not the Hermes-language version. This would weaken the guiding effect, but Elisa’s own spirituality was enough to make up for it.
She lay down with her head resting on Eve’s lap.
“Five doors without locks, five…” Eve began reciting the incantation.
Elisa closed her eyes and visualized the little doors in the woods from the photograph.
“Miss Elisa, what do you see now?” Eve asked, following her instructions.
“A dark forest, a barely visible path. I’m walking forward,” Elisa replied with her eyes closed, her voice sounding like a murmur in a dream.
“Miss Elisa, what do you see now?” Eve asked again.
“A door. A blue door, standing all alone in the woods.”
“Miss Elisa, will you open the door or go around it?”
“I’ll open the door.”
Eve’s voice suddenly faded into the distance. The instant Elisa pushed open the door, her consciousness entered the “Spirit Realm”. The Spirit Realm was not a single, unified place, but rather an inner world that overlapped with reality while being fragmented into countless separate regions.
Beyond the blue door, Elisa plunged into darkness.
Whispers echoed through the darkness.
“Answer my question, and I will answer yours.”
A Spirit Realm question-and-answer? Elisa immediately realized what was happening.
The Spirit Realm was a nexus where information converged, and some Spirit Realm Lords possessed vast stores of knowledge as a result. They enjoyed spreading information, and as long as a traveler through the Spirit Realm fulfilled their demands, they would reward them with knowledge. Many rituals and secret arts circulating in mysticism circles had originally come from the Spirit Realm.
The chances of encountering one of these Spirit Realm Lords were incredibly slim. This was an opportunity of a lifetime!
Elisa had already decided what she wanted to ask. If the other party possessed knowledge of mysticism, she would ask about the key to advancing to demigodhood. If it specialized in intelligence, she would ask about the truth behind what happened fifteen years ago.
These two things are crucial to my life!
As long as I answer one question correctly, I’ll be able to overcome one of the greatest hurdles in my life!
I can’t wait to answer the question!
Amid her anticipation, the voice asked, “A positive integer leaves remainders of 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 when divided by 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6 respectively, and is also divisible by 7. What is the smallest possible value?”
Elisa’s expression froze.
***
“Miss Elisa, you’re awake!” Eve looked Elisa over curiously. “You fell asleep just now. How do you feel?”
Elisa forced a smile. “It worked quite well. We’ll try it again tomorrow.”
“All right,” Eve agreed.
“I’m going to lie here a little longer.” Elisa leaned back against the sofa, thinking about that damned math problem.
Taking the hint, Eve stood up and left the bedroom.
……
Simon wandered idly around the mansion, wondering when he should send Eleanor a message by paper crane.
He knew that “Spirit Realm Traversal” could be performed alone, but having two people was safer. And right now, Eleanor was the only person he could conveniently ask for help.
He would actually have preferred to ask one of the manor’s maids to help him, but there was no way to explain the ritual to them. In this era, everyone was religious and wary of rituals of unknown origin.
While he was still thinking about it, he ran into Eve on the stairs.
“Mr. Simon,” Eve said, hurrying over to him with a cheerful expression. “I just learned a ritual from Miss Elisa that can help people relax. Miss Elisa said it works really well. Would you like to try it?”
A ritual partner has appeared in the wild!
Thank you, Miss Elisa!
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