Chapter 69

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Glancing over, Klein eyed the person inquiring about the cow-teeth peony.

The man stood less than a meter away, dressed in a black suit with a matching short top hat. In his hand, he carried a silver-inlaid cane, and on his face was a pair of gold-framed spectacles, giving him an air of quiet intellectualism.

“Yes, do you want some? This small jar costs three soli,” said the stall owner, who wore a long, mysterious black robe.

The inquirer, whose light blond sideburns peeked out beneath his hat, paused before replying, “Can it be cheaper? I still need to buy other ingredients, too. For example, this bottle of white-edged sunflower petals.”

After a few seconds of consideration, the stall owner replied grudgingly, “Two soli and six pence. I don’t think you can get a lower price than that.”

Seeing the bespectacled man purchasing the cow-teeth peony along with other ingredients, Klein immediately felt that he was overthinking things.

Just to be sure, he tapped twice on his brow to scan the man with his spirit vision.

No problems. He's in excellent health and appears to be in a good mood. Keep it up, sir..., Klein thought as he retracted his gaze and turned back to the stall selling homemade amulets.

Before him lay an array of amulets—some crafted from sterling silver, some from iron, and others forged from gold. Only a few emitted a weak aura, some with a faint crimson glow, others pale white or golden. These traces of weak spirituality indicated that the amulets were effective to a certain extent.

After examining them in detail, Klein confirmed that the stall owner possessed a solid foundation in mysticism. The artisan had carefully matched different power sources with their corresponding incantations and selected the appropriate materials.

Of course, a mere mysticism enthusiast would no doubt make some mistakes. Klein noticed that the stall owner did not fully grasp the incantations. One cannot simply translate a prayer into Hermes and expect it to work. The incantations had to follow a specific format and had their own unique patterns. Additionally, the stall owner had made varying degrees of error in choosing suitable symbols for each power source. This explained why only two or three of the dozens of amulets emitted a faint glow.

As for the effectiveness of two or three such amulets, Klein could only say it was better than nothing. An amulet imbued with obvious, potent benefits would require the craftsman to channel his own spirituality through a blade while carving the incantations and symbols. For even better results, ritualistic magic would be required. Neither of these was a feat an ordinary person could manage.

Klein tapped twice on his brow and then pointed with his cane at the upper left corner of the stall. “How much for these two?” he asked, referring not to the amulets with a rudimentary colored aura but to two half-completed items—objects in the shape of amulets that had not yet been carved with incantations or symbols.

To Klein, there was no reason to purchase the amulets with only weak effects. What he wanted was to transform these half-completed amulets into true protection charms.

Hmm, I'll make amulets that can protect a person from danger—one each for Benson and Melissa. As for my own, I can ask the Nighthawks to supply me with the ingredients... Ah, I must have been corrupted by Old Neil. I don I even feel any guilt thinking about something like that...

Klein’s mind wandered as he watched the stall owner pick up the half-completed silver amulets. One of them was elongated and hollow in the middle, adorned with plumes of angel-like feathers in intricate craftsmanship. The other was simple in design—almost completely devoid of embellishments—with a vertical line down the center, representing the night, and a circle above it, symbolizing the crimson moon.

Klein, who paid close attention to appearances, took an immediate liking to them.

“This is six soli,” the stall owner said, pointing to the intricate amulet in a measured tone. After a brief pause, he touched the simpler piece and added, “This one is five soli and three pence.”

“That’s too expensive. They’re still far from being true protection charms,” Klein haggled, a habit he’d developed under the daily influence of Benson and Melissa. After a brief battle of words, he managed to purchase the two silver accessories at five soli six pence and four soli and nine pence respectively.

Yeah, for now, they can only be considered silver accessories..., Klein thought, deducting the ten soli and three pence from the reimbursement of five pounds he’d received from the Nighthawks for his Divination Club membership.

Klein tucked the two silver accessories into his pocket and was about to head to another stall when he heard a gentle voice. “Sir, why did you not buy a finished amulet?”

Turning, Klein saw a teenage girl of about fifteen. She wore a yellow dress adorned with lace and held a cap decorated with ribbons.

“I intend to make my own,” Klein replied, choosing his words carefully. “As you know, that is the wish of every devotee of mysticism.”

He didn’t wish to offend the stall owner or be seen as trying to snatch his business—though, in his heart, he had considered using his skills to earn a quick buck in the future.

The girl, with naturally wavy brown hair and the soft, round features of adolescence, stared at him with her light blue eyes and asked earnestly, “Can I seek your advice on choosing an amulet? I...well, my friend brought me here initially, and although I’ve visited several times and developed a deep interest in mysticism, I still don’t know much about it. My friend is turning sixteen soon, and I want to surprise her with a proper amulet. I had previously asked her for advice, but I can’t remember the critical points.”

Klein gave her a gentlemanly smile. “What kind of amulet are you looking for? Something to avert misfortune? Something to avoid illnesses? Or something that bestows wealth? Different needs call for different sources of power—that is, different deities. Each god is associated with its own constellation, and those constellations, in turn, correspond to specific materials. For example, the incantation for averting misfortune belongs to the Queen of Calamity and Fear—the Evernight Goddess. As mysticism lovers know, her symbol is the moon, so the corresponding metal is sterling silver. Therefore, if you wish to avert misfortune, it is best to choose an amulet made of silver with the appropriate incantations.”

The incantations must also be in the correct language and format. The corresponding symbol of the Queen of Calamity and Fear, the representation of the Path Number, the spell's characteristics, the relative positions of the symbols, and so on. But that's too complicated to explain fully right now.

The girl’s eyes sparkled with curiosity. “Can a follower of the Goddess wear an amulet belonging to another god?” she asked hesitantly.

“No problem. The gods do not mind such small matters,” Klein consoled her. He explained that while it wasn’t an issue for the wearer, the creator of the amulet must be cautious. For instance, if a believer of the Lord of Storms were to craft an amulet for the Eternal Blazing Sun, they might inadvertently invite something malicious in return.

Of course, these warnings applied primarily to amulets made with the aid of ritualistic magic. An ordinary craftsman need not worry too much.

The girl heaved a sigh of relief. “I hope to get her an amulet that wishes her good health. Which deity should I choose? The Eternal Blazing Sun, the Earth Mother, or the God of Knowledge and Wisdom?”

Klein smiled. “There should be no problem with the Eternal Blazing Sun and the Earth Mother. The former is represented by the sun while the latter is represented by the Brown Planet,” Klein said with a smile. “The corresponding material is gold, while the metal that symbolizes the Brown Planet is lead. I would suggest the sun, but I don’t know if you brought enough money with you.”

The reason for his suggestion was that he had noticed that among the three amulets with a rudimentary spiritual glow, one was clearly a health amulet under the domain of the sun.

“But...” Before the teenage girl could finish her sentence, she looked warily at the stall owner, who had been waiting quietly.

She thought for a moment before asking, “After I decide on the material, how should I distinguish the incantation and corresponding symbols?”

“Do you know Hermes?” Klein asked instead.

“I just started learning it,” the teenage girl replied, a little embarrassed.

“Then let me choose it for you.” Klein pointed at the health amulet made of gold and said, “This one is perfectly fine, be it in the incantations or the symbol.”

The girl lifted the hem of her dress and half-crouched to pick up the health amulet, which was adorned with designs of sunrays along its edges. It felt warm in her hands, and she seemed to relax completely.

“Thank you, thank you,” she said, straightening and curtsying in gratitude.

Klein laughed and said, “I’ll leave the rest to you and the stall owner. I have other things to tend to.” As he spoke, he noticed that the stall owner cast an odd glance his way, as if considering whether to share a cut of the profit with Klein. Smiling, Klein chose not to press the matter further. He continued touring the black market at a steady pace but didn’t notice any truly extraordinary ingredients.

By this point, Old Neil had returned, having settled his debt. He held a dark wooden box in his hands. When he saw Klein’s questioning gaze, he pointed to a room at the back and said, “Go in there if you wish to buy or sell extraordinary ingredients. After all, no one wants others to know what extraordinary items they’re purchasing.”

“Understood,” Klein nodded thoughtfully. There was no need for him to venture there at the moment, so he headed toward the exit of the black market with Old Neil.

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Suddenly, a querying voice reached Klein’s ears, “How much for these elf flowers?”

Elf flowers... That’s also an ingredient for the Spectator potion...,Klein thought as he glanced sideways and again saw the refined, bespectacled man.

“What’s the matter?” Old Neil asked curiously.

“It’s nothing,” Klein replied, retracting his gaze.

Although he was a quasi-member of the Nighthawks, he didn’t believe that all Beyonders needed to be cowed by the churches or locked away. It depended on the situation. Among them, Spectators posed little danger to society or the kingdom, and the chances of losing control as a rank nine were very slim.

...

After leaving the Dark Dragon Bar, Klein and Old Neil took a coach from the dock. They split ways at Northside and headed back to their respective homes.

The coach steered onto Daffodil Street and eventually stopped by the roadside. As Klein was about to disembark, he suddenly noticed a young lady in a grayish-white dress about to board.

This young lady had silky black hair and a somewhat round face, with thin eyes and unassuming features that made her look sweet and gentle.

Klein noticed her not for her beauty alone but because her body shivered ever so slightly in an unnatural way.

“Miss, are you ill?” Klein asked with concern.

The girl shook her head vehemently. “No, I—I’m just too tired.”

With people behind him growing anxious, Klein got out of the carriage.

Once he had found his footing on the street, his thoughts returned to the young lady. He pinched twice on his brow to activate his spirit vision, planning to determine if she was indeed all right. Wanting to be a good Samaritan, he intended to send her to the hospital if she were suffering from a serious illness.

When he activated his spirit vision, the colors of auras began to surface all around him. Klein turned, ready to direct his gaze toward the young lady with the sweet, gentle face.