Horizon of Glory
"The Annals of Exploration and Empires," Book III, Chapter XVII, Page 211 In the annals of history, few epochs have been as rife with the promise of adventure and the peril of the unknown as the Age of Discovery. It was a time when the very fabric of the world was being stretched, its edges frayed by the bold hands of explorers and conquerors. Among these intrepid souls, one name, has been etched into the annals of legends. The Wars of the Roses, a conflagration that had consumed the heart of empires and forged kings from the crucible of blood and fire, had at last given way to an uneasy peace. It was in this aftermath, amidst the smoldering ruins of a world reshaped by conflict, that Byron's journey began. Armed with a relic of untold power, the "Navigation Logbook," he set forth into the uncharted waters of the world, where the mundane and the magical intertwined in an intricate dance. The high seas, a vast and uncharted canvas, stretched before him, a horizon that whispered of untold riches and the promise of peril. Great ships, their sails billowing like the wings of colossal birds, traversed these waters, their cannons thundering a challenge to the very gods of the deep. It was an age of ambition, a testament to the unyielding spirit of mankind's quest for dominion over the unknown. Beneath the waves, ancient beings from epochs long past slumbered, their legends carried on the creaking timbers of ships and the roar of cannons. Byron, undaunted by the shadows that lurked beneath the waves or the tempests that raged above, carved out a kingdom from the chaos that enveloped the world. His fleet, a specter of doom, became a symbol of his indomitable will, a force that would not be challenged lightly. This is a saga, a tale woven from the threads of history and magic, adventure and power, and the eternal quest for glory. It is a narrative that compels the heart and captures the imagination, a story that resonates through the ages, a reminder of the heights to which humanity can aspire when driven by the winds of ambition and the tides of destiny. Let this account, penned by the hands of the most esteemed historians and literature masters, serve as a beacon for those who seek to embark upon their own voyages of discovery. For within the pages of this epic tale lies the essence of the human spirit, a spirit that seeks, that conquers, and that endures.
HoG - Chapter 30
Chapter 30: Magic Mirror, Magic Mirror
Old Hans, leading the non-combat personnel and ordinary sailors, busied themselves in the shipyard. Meanwhile, Salman, at the helm of thirty main combat members, secured lodgings at the Rosemary Inn, a nearby establishment.
In a secluded courtyard, Byron encountered Salman, who had just shooed away a gaudily dressed streetwalker with a huff. "Ignoring my charm, I see you're definitely not up to it," the woman grumbled as they crossed paths. Byron paid her no heed, entering the courtyard without a sideways glance.
After exchanging greetings, Byron laid out the modification plan for the ship, which had received Old Hans's approval.
Salman chuckled, "Mr. Byron, I knew I wasn't wrong about you. Though I'm no expert in shipbuilding, I can see the promise in this new sail design. Let Old Hans and the crew do their best."
"Don't pay mind to the ship's gossip; what's the significance of a first mate position? Once 'Man-Eater' expands its crew and captures a second pirate ship, truly becoming a pirate fleet, you, Byron Tudor, will undoubtedly be the first captain under my command!"
As expected, Salman embraced the pirate ship modification plan without hesitation, feeling vindicated. Yet, beyond verbal encouragement, he offered Byron no tangible rewards.
"You flatter me, Captain; this is my duty. We all work for the greater good, and in the grand scheme of our pirate fleet, my personal gains and losses are inconsequential. Tonight, I plan to prepare fan scallops, braised prawns, and sheep's offal soup with dark beer for you. Then, I'll move to the shipyard to oversee the construction and ensure everything is executed flawlessly."
Byron "considerately" accepted the grand vision Salman painted, volunteering for additional responsibilities without a second thought.
"By the way, I'll use my free time to study Bloody Mary's Culinary Recipe again. Its recipes have been quite enlightening, even more so than those I already know. If you'll excuse me."
With a customary bow, Byron turned to leave, the door creaking shut behind him.
Salman watched Byron's retreating figure, the pain that plagued him even before nightfall prompting a deep sigh. "The greater good... what a model crew member, considering the greater good, a hundred times more valuable than all the others combined. The more time passes, the more indispensable you become. I wish I could find another chef worthy enough to be consumed by the Recipe in your stead, but my curse cannot wait any longer."
Had he not been certain that Byron was not a supernatural individual of some sequence, he might have suspected the noble steward was actually a loyal knight, adhering strictly to all eight virtues and knightly precepts.
At that moment, his emotions were a tangled web, eager for the Transformation Blood yet hoping Byron could endure a while longer. The slower one is consumed by Bloody Mary's Culinary Recipe, the higher the quality of the Transformation Blood, and the greater the chance of alleviating his suffering.
"Mr. Byron, you're so considerate of the greater good, surely you won't blame me, will you?"
Unfortunately, this pirate captain, who could only mimic aristocratic manners poorly and never grasped the essence of aristocratic power struggles, remained unaware. In this world, ruled by nobles where the strong prey on the weak, only those who benefit from the status quo speak of "considering the greater good" so frequently.
If someone appears not to benefit on the surface, then they... must be the greater good itself!
Night soon fell.
In another corner of the pirate port, a group of cloaked figures emerged from their inn and blended into the intoxicated throngs on the street, indistinguishable from the countless pirates reveling in entertainment venues.
They halted by the sea, just a street away from the Rosemary Inn, and swiftly entered a seemingly dilapidated windmill. The massive windmill groaned and turned incessantly, its noise drowning out their hushed conversations. They were evidently cautious.
Upon reaching the crude second floor, constructed from wooden boards, Captain Wester of the 'White Crystal' promptly instructed his crew to scrub the area clean. He approached the window, gazing at another building not far away.
"Finger Monkey, is that the place?"
The short young man, with a scar marring his already unattractive face, nodded. "No mistake, our lookout has confirmed it multiple times. It's in the Rosemary Inn, just one street away. The straight-line distance won't exceed a hundred meters; your spell can exert its full power here."
By the time they finished speaking, the pirates had polished the old wooden boards to a shine with special potions, leaving Wester, who suffered from severe obsessive-compulsive disorder, unable to find any fault.
"Very well, you may leave. Keep watch outside and ensure no one disturbs me during the ritual," 'Magic Mirror' Wester said, dismissing Finger Monkey and the other crew members with a wave of his hand.
Alone, he produced a canvas bag and began to set up the ritual on the floor.
Most 'Forbidden Knowledge' is essentially ritual witchcraft. Through specific rituals, one's spirituality establishes a connection with certain world rules, spiritual entities, unknown higher beings, etc., temporarily retreating from self-consciousness to resonate with the higher being, unleashing powerful abilities that transcend one's own limitations or that one does not possess.
Wester began by inscribing a pentagram on the floor with a mixture of sea salt and white crystal powder. He then positioned candles of red, blue, yellow, green, and black at the five points, representing fire, water, wind, earth, and the fifth element, spirit. In front of him, he arranged five bottles of plant essential oils, each with its own symbolic meaning.
Deer's foot herb stood for protection, healing, and dispelling magic. Wormwood symbolized mental strength, protection, and the summoning of spiritual entities. Skunk cabbage was associated with legal matters. Mugwort represented mental strength, prophetic dreams, and starlight projection. Foxtail symbolized love and the hunt.
Finally, he placed a half-person-tall silver mirror at the center of the pentagram and knelt before it, slowly slipping into a meditative state.
As the cacophony of the pirate city outside began to wane, the hour crept silently towards one in the morning.
'Magic Mirror' Wester's eyes snapped open, the silver spiritual radiance within them casting an ethereal glow across the mill's second floor.
"The time has come," he declared, producing a silver tinderbox to light the ritual candles at the pentagram's points. He then dripped the five types of herbal essential oils onto the flames of the corresponding candles.
Whoosh!
A spiritual wind swept through the mill, erecting an invisible barrier that shielded against mystical scrying. The skunk cabbage, representing "legal matters," took effect, causing the laws of Iron Anchor Bay to relinquish their basic surveillance over the area.
From the canvas bag, he withdrew a "bloodstained" white cloth, Finger Monkey's trophy. Alcohol evaporates much faster than water, and by the time the assassin had found his captain, his body heat had nearly evaporated all the alcohol, leaving behind only the 'Transformation Blood' and Blood Eye Salman's blood dissolved in the rum, with a faint lingering scent of alcohol.
Even Wester, with his severe obsessive-compulsive disorder, detected nothing amiss. After all, isn't the scent of rum perfectly normal for pirates?
He soaked the white cloth in rose hydrosol and traced a fragrant, bloody circle on the surface of the silver mirror. The temperature on the second floor plummeted. Despite the candlelight, the mirror's surface quickly dulled to an inky blackness, as if a shadow were churning in another realm behind the glass.
The mill's surroundings distorted and seemed to collapse towards the mirror's surface, drawn by the candlelight, as if everything were about to be sucked into the mirror.
Wester's expression remained impassive as he chanted in Runic:
("Magic mirror on the wall, who is the fairest one of all?")
"Magic Mirror, Magic Mirror, hear my plea, where hides the enemy from me, show them to be!" he intoned three times.
From the depths of the impenetrable darkness within the mirror, a pair of silver eyes suddenly opened—a mirror demon!
Just as 'Transformation Blood' is the core of various 'Blood Brew' recipes in the same series, all methods of 'Magic Mirror Divination' are also based on this 'Mirror Demon.'
The instant Wester's gaze met that of the mirror demon, he closed his eyes and slumped gently to the floor. The effects of the other four herbal essential oils—summoning spiritual entities, starlight projection, hunting, and dispelling magic—manifested in sequence.
Amidst the rich fragrance, the 'Mirror Demon' took on a human-like form, flickering like a skipped frame before diving into the depths of the mirror world. In reality, it used the mirror world as a conduit to enter another mirror surface just a street away!