At night, Ebner laid out the primary and auxiliary materials on his bedroom table: the complete brain of a Finks Lion, the Five-Colored Radiant Stone, an ordinary leaf from a Treant Instructor, the blood of a Finks Lion, five petals from a Five-Colored Dragon Blood Flower, and water from the Wisdom Spring of Lunburg. Staring at them in a daze, he pondered the words Roselle had relayed through Lyon the lion during dinner.
"Why would he tell me the incantation to activate the 'Moon' card? Is he so certain that I will obtain it? Even though I don't remember everything, I know that aside from depicting Roselle in women's clothing, this card is definitely contaminated... Hmm, most likely by the 'Original Moon'!
"Is he trying to set me up, or does he have another motive?
"And then there's the 'Silver Moon Project'… Silver Moon… I recall that in the original work, Lilith's ring once summoned a bright, silvery moon… Could this be referring to her?
"I just don't know whether this project is meant to help Lilith deal with the Original Moon, or if it's targeting her directly…
"Sigh, wasn't Roselle the one who hated the way Seers spoke in riddles the most? Why has he turned into one himself? Is this a case of 'if you can't beat them, join them'?"
As Ebner grumbled to himself about Roselle adopting such an "unpleasant habit," a sudden knock on the door interrupted his thoughts. Just as he was about to ask who it was, he saw Closfia standing at his doorway.
She glanced at Ebner and the materials on the table before chuckling teasingly. "I never thought you'd invite a married woman to your bedroom in the middle of the night."
Ebner had already visited Closfia at her villa in the Dock District that afternoon. After informing her of the changes in the nightmare ruins, he also requested that she come to his place at midnight to serve as a witness for his Sequence 5 advancement ritual.
He chose to drink the potion at his club residence mainly for safety. After all, Mr. Azik was temporarily staying here, and with a powerhouse around, the advancement ritual was less likely to be interrupted by accidents.
Hearing Closfia's teasing remark, Ebner was speechless. You're already here, and you're still fussing over this? You traveled with Dunn for so long without worrying about propriety, didn't you? Besides, you're a demigod—why would you even care about the opinions of mortals? Anyone who meets your gaze would probably forget what they were thinking anyway.
Of course, despite these thoughts, Ebner maintained a slightly embarrassed expression on the surface. Instead of responding, he followed the principle of speaking less and doing more, turning around to pick up the pre-prepared utensils and beginning the potion preparation.
Following the sequence of auxiliary ingredients first, then main materials, he carefully placed the last item—a twenty-sided gemstone shimmering with five colors—into the container. Immediately, a faint mist rose from the liquid, which shifted between black, white, red, blue, and yellow in a mesmerizing but subtly ominous manner.
In nature, the more vividly colored a plant or creature is, the more likely it is to be highly toxic.
The Mysticism Magister potion was no different. While it allowed the Beyonder to connect with the extraordinary essence and "analyze" its principles, it also directly exposed them to "mental contamination." Worse still, it would trigger an irresistible desire in Polymaths to pursue the ultimate truth, gradually leading them to obsession, loss of control, and self-destruction.
At this moment, the ritual became essential—a safeguard against these risks, requiring the presence of a mid-to-high Sequence Beyonder from the Spectator pathway or an adult Mind Dragon to oversee the process.
Taking a deep breath, Ebner picked up the container filled with the five-colored liquid and turned to Closfia.
Only when he saw her nod seriously did he lift the container and drink the potion in one gulp.
As the slightly bitter and viscous liquid slid down his throat, esophagus, and into his stomach…
Ebner's mind suddenly went into overdrive. Countless pieces of information surged into his soul, flooding it. It felt exactly like when he first activated the "Pure White Eye" in that shabby rental apartment in East Borough and analyzed the "Student of Ratiocination" trait.
The difference was that back then, the overload had quickly knocked him unconscious.
Now, however, a strange excitement and impulse overtook him. His brain, his eyes, his spirituality—all of them instinctively drew closer to his own trait, as if he wouldn't stop until he had fully "analyzed" it.
He wasn't sure how other Polymaths experienced their advancement, but Ebner could tell that his current state was abnormal. He tried to resist, but his efforts yielded little success—he could only watch himself slide toward the brink of losing control.
At that moment, an invisible "soothing breeze" blew into his mind. Ebner instantly regained some clarity and began cooperating with the force to stabilize himself.
....
On the third floor, in another bedroom, Mr. Azik sat in a wicker chair, reading a book on the history of Indober. He took a sip of coffee, then glanced toward the master bedroom, a hint of amusement in his eyes.
.....
In a guest room on the second floor, Lyon the lion looked up and muttered, "So he doesn't trust me… I could've helped with the ritual too…
"I've learned plenty of Spectator tricks from that old man Hermes."
After some thought, he smirked mischievously and used his mystic arts to project the scene of Closfia knocking on Ebner's door into Jane's dream next door.
.....
Back in the master bedroom, with Closfia using various abilities to counteract different complications, Ebner finally overcame the compulsion to immerse himself in the nature of his trait. He gradually regained control over himself, passing through the most perilous stage.
After an unknown amount of time, Ebner let out a deep breath, feeling the throbbing pain in his head finally subside.
Noticing his sweat-soaked clothes, he silently sighed.
I've finally reached Sequence 5!
I'm a Mysticism Magister now!
Closfia's eyes shimmered as she smiled at him.
"Congratulations on your successful advancement.
"You're far better than the last Mysticism Magister I oversaw. He had no ability to control himself during the process and barely succeeded thanks to me…
"Back then, he was on the verge of losing control.
"Of course, it was partly because I was only Sequence 5 at the time and lacked experience.
"Heh, speaking of which, I wonder how Thales is doing now. He was quite the charming gentleman back then, with many admirers. My husband never liked him very much."
I had the advantage of using the Pure White Eye to analyze the extraordinary trait—others don't have that luxury… But even with it, the process was still extremely dangerous. If Closfia hadn't been here as a ritual witness, I would've had to rely solely on the Pure White Eye to avoid the mental contamination from the potion. As for resisting the compulsion to immerse myself in the analysis… I'd have had to tough it out with sheer willpower.
Whether I would've succeeded or not would've been up to luck…
If it was this tough for me, then it must be even harder for other Polymaths to advance to Mysticism Magister. No wonder Sequence 5 is considered the backbone of a faction and a mark of true strength…
Also, lady, you're praising another man right in front of your husband. Of course, he wouldn't be happy…
But now that I think about it, Mysticism Magisters do seem to have a certain charm. Edwina has it, this Thales guy had it… and well, I do too.
Indulging in a moment of self-appreciation, Ebner took a sip of the pre-prepared black tea to rehydrate before standing up and formally expressing his gratitude to Closfia.
"Thank you for your help."
Closfia accepted his thanks with a smile. "This is a transaction. I also hope your 'performance' tomorrow night meets my expectations."
"I will." Ebner nodded seriously.
It's just a bit of theatrical flair, right? That's way less risky than what I did in Darkwill!
"It's getting late. You should familiarize yourself with your new abilities first. I'll take my leave… Tomorrow afternoon, you can bring your companions to my villa in the Dock District to meet Dunn and me. When night falls, we'll head into the ruins together."
Closfia smiled, then elegantly put on the hat she had removed earlier and stepped out the door. Her figure gradually faded into the shadows, as if merging into someone's dream.
Alone in the bedroom, Ebner let out a breath. Now that "Lady Sloth" was gone, he tidied up the containers that had held the ritual materials before sitting back on the bed. He carefully recalled the sensations he had experienced during the advancement and began analyzing his newly acquired abilities and spells.
First, his "Analysis" ability had been significantly enhanced. He could now delve deeper into the nature of certain Beyonder abilities, observing their structure and making limited modifications, reorganizations, and fusions to create new spells—true Mysticism.
Ebner had already experienced a version of this ability through the Pure White Eye. However, back then, he could only simplify abilities; optimizing or fusing them had been impossible.
Second, his "Learning Space" had evolved once again. No longer resembling a vast starry sky, it now functioned more like a mental "laboratory" where he could store knowledge, simulate abilities, and experiment with new mysticism techniques.
He could even remodel the space to suit his personal aesthetics with a single thought…
Recalling the Learning Space of Edwina that he had glimpsed through Polymath Exchange, Ebner first transformed his own into a similar arrangement of neatly organized storage cabinets.
This is quite similar to the rewards from Dream Labyrinth Tower… Except that modifying the Tower requires points, whereas altering my Learning Space consumes spirituality…
But the principles behind them seem identical… Could it be that Dream Labyrinth Tower was actually created using the high-sequence traits of the Reader pathway?
That's highly likely… Or at the very least, Roselle must have used the high-sequence traits of a Reader when constructing it!
As these thoughts swirled in his mind, Ebner turned his attention to the new mysticism techniques he had gained from advancing.
Every Mysticism Magister would, during their advancement, uncontrollably delve into the traits of their potion, and in doing so, acquire certain benefits.
In simple terms, based on the origins of the ingredients and any lingering mental imprints within them, a newly promoted Mysticism Magister would automatically gain one or more spells.
This was similar to how the Seer pathway, when advancing to demigod using the blood of mythical creatures, would acquire different benefits depending on the source of the blood.
However, after sensing the specific technique he had obtained, Ebner fell into a stunned silence.
Since the Finks Lion's brain had come from Leon the lion, it naturally carried his imprint…
And so, the first mysticism technique Ebner gained was—
"Leon's Underwear Theft Technique."
…