033 "Switch"

As Neil finished speaking, the ethereal eyes behind him in the dimness swiftly vanished, leaving no trace of their existence, even for Klein, who was in a state of "spiritual sight".

"This is a manifestation of ritual magic," Neil explained with a chuckle.

Quite intriguing... Is spiritual sight like an enhanced version of clairvoyance? Klein, like a child with a new toy, eagerly averted his gaze, examining every corner of the room to see if there were any differences between the current alchemy room and the one before he activated "spiritual sight".

The dimness outlined the contours of objects—the long table, test tubes, scales, cups, cabinets—all looked no different from before Klein activated "spiritual sight," emitting no glimmer.

Inanimate objects lack spirituality? Klein murmured to himself, his gaze passing over the silver box on the table.

Suddenly, he saw a radiance emanating from within the box—azure like the sky, brilliant as stars, or crimson as fire!

"Derived from materials of extraordinary species and containing some form of vitality? Even if the original owner has died?" Klein carefully chose his words, full of curiosity, as he consulted Neil.

"An accurate description would be that their spirituality lingers, which is one of the key factors in the successful preparation of alchemical concoctions and also one of the roots of extraordinary individuals losing control, as Dunne should have told you," Neil explained candidly, as if something had just occurred to him, he suddenly chuckled:

"I remember that the formula for the 'Corpse Collector' contains wind-dried adult Black-Spot Toads. It takes great courage to consume such a potion."

Klein imagined it for a moment and felt a little nauseous. Without echoing Neil's words, he turned his gaze to the dimness around him, but there were no ethereal entities or ghosts as he had hoped.

"Isn't the spirit world said to be omnipresent?" He asked in confusion.

Neil chuckled and said:

"Little fellow, repeat after me:"

"This is the headquarters of the Night Watchmen, beneath the Church of the Night Goddess, and there are many extraordinary individuals here!"

"Do you think we would allow spirits and souls to roam freely here? Moreover, the spirit world and spirits are two different concepts."

Klein felt a little embarrassed for a moment and turned his head, pretending to gaze at the faint gas lamp light at the entrance of the dark door:

"I understand."

As he spoke, his brow suddenly began to twitch uncontrollably, as if in spasm.

What's going on? Klein was about to turn around to ask when he suddenly saw, near the back of the dark door, the edge of a bright yellow glow, a translucent figure standing silently. It took on a human form, its aura blending perfectly with the dim surroundings, making it difficult to discern.

Hiss! Klein's brow suddenly throbbed with pain, his vision becoming blurry. As he tried to focus his attention, there was no "invisible" figure in sight!

Strange... he turned back and said:

"Mr. Neil, my brow is twitching and it hurts a bit."

"Ha ha, this is quite normal. As a newly promoted extraordinary individual, spiritual sight places a considerable burden on your 'spiritual body' and continually consumes it. Externally, it manifests as twitching brows, stabbing pains in the head, oversensitivity, and slight hallucinations. Moreover, in the state of spiritual sight, you are very likely to feel uncomfortable in unfamiliar environments and easily influenced by others' emotions. These are all points to note that must be adapted to and eliminated through repeated practice. In addition, exercise moderation and end in a timely manner." Neil smiled in response.

Why do I feel like you're enjoying this? Klein hurriedly asked:

"So, how do I exit the state of spiritual sight?"

He originally wanted to mention the "invisible" figure he saw just now, but upon hearing the symptom of "slight hallucinations," he dismissed the thought. Combining the twitching and stabbing pain in his brow, Neil's response could be fully guessed!

"Imagining objects like before, concentrating your attention, then switching to a meditative state, closing your eyes, controlling your spirituality, repeatedly telling it to cease, and then opening your eyes—you'll find that spiritual sight has ended." Neil casually described, adding towards the end, "Of course, this is the most cumbersome, most clumsy method. Through practice, we can repeatedly suggest to ourselves in meditation, repeatedly influence our spirituality, leaving behind a simple 'switching action,' such as tapping the brow lightly twice to easily activate spiritual sight, and tapping twice again to easily end it. How to set it up specifically depends on your own habits and preferences."

"Understood," Klein thought for a moment, intending to emulate Neil and use the action of tapping his brow lightly twice as the "switch" for spiritual sight.

"A single tap" might be easily confused with instinctive head tapping, and "three taps" could waste valuable time in crisis situations. As for snapping fingers and other actions, they are too conspicuous and individualistic. He focused his attention, visualizing clusters of light balls gathering, and re-entered a meditative state.

Under Neil's guidance, after repeated suggestions and practice, he finally "set up" the "switching action." Clenching his fist lightly, tapping his brow twice with the base of his index finger joint, Klein suddenly saw variations in the thickness and color of the aura lights in front of him.

Tapping twice again, everything returned to normal, without any peculiarities.

"Finally mastered it..." he exclaimed with joy.

It was only at this moment that he realized he was tired enough to fall asleep at any moment, his head feeling empty and painful as if he had stayed up for three nights.

Neil smiled and said, "We're not 'Sleepless,' every time you overdo practice or overuse spiritual sight, you need a period of sleep to recover. You can go home now and rest well. In the afternoon, take a walk from Welch Manor to Iron Cross Street, try to find clues to the Antigonus family's notes as soon as possible. Tomorrow, we'll continue with the teaching of mystical knowledge. Of course, you mustn't forget to read those historical documents."

"Okay," Klein agreed wholeheartedly with Neil's arrangement.

Picking up his cane, he left the alchemy room. As he watched the dark door close behind him and Neil returned to the armory, Klein rubbed his brow and temples, gripping the railing, ascending the stairs step by step.

At this moment, Dunn Smith came from behind, his lips slightly curled, his gaze deep and profound as he said, "According to Neil, you're adapting very well, whether it's meditation or spiritual sight."

"Perhaps it's just the specialty of a 'Diviner'," Klein modestly replied.

He guessed Dunn had just been guarding the armory for Neil.

Dunn slowed his pace, just slightly ahead of Klein. After a few seconds of silence, without turning around, he said, "Remember, curiosity killed the cat, and it can also kill extraordinary individuals. Don't try to explore whispers and entities that shouldn't be heard or seen."

"Got it," Klein knew this was another reminder about the loss of control by extraordinary individuals.

Entering the Blackthorn Security Company, he greeted Roselle, who obviously didn't know she had become an extraordinary individual. Leisurely walking out of the gate, he arrived on the street and took a tram back to Narcissus Street, nearly falling asleep on the way.

It was still morning, with a temperature of around twenty-six or twenty-seven degrees. Klein took out a copper key from his belt and opened the door to his home.

Inside the house, many items had not yet been purchased, and the living room and dining room were empty. Benson was at work, and Melissa was studying, having left early as well.

Without thinking about anything else, Klein closed the door behind him, quickly climbed the stairs, and entered his own bedroom, which had shelves.

After removing his tailcoat and hanging it on the coat rack, he eagerly collapsed onto the bed. As soon as his head touched the pillow, he fell into a deep sleep.

Klein was awakened by the brilliant sunlight. He turned his head slowly, gradually opening his eyes to find the sun shining brightly outside.

"What time is it? Have I missed the afternoon 'Tarot Gathering'?" he struggled to get out of bed, heading towards the coat rack because his pocket watch was still inside the tailcoat pocket.

Not only did he forget about this, but he also forgot to close the bedroom door and draw the curtains of the convex window.

Click! Klein pulled out his pocket watch, breathed a sigh of relief as he looked at it.

It was only a little past twelve, still plenty of time before the agreed-upon three in the afternoon.

—Today is Monday, the day of his meeting with the "Hanged Man" and "Justice."

Klein pondered for a moment, tapping his brow twice. His vision changed once again, seeing his aura return to a bright hue.

Tapping twice more to exit spiritual sight, he casually went downstairs, boiled some water, added some low-quality tea leaves, and, with a bit of cream, nibbled on a piece of rye bread.

Afterward, Klein pulled out his history textbooks and the previous owner's notes, leisurely engaging in "review" and consolidation.

...

At two fifty-seven in the afternoon, Klein closed the books, capped his fountain pen, and briskly drew the curtains with a swipe.

Immediately after, he locked the bedroom door, darkening the room considerably.

He tapped his brow lightly twice, activating spiritual sight, scanning the room left and right.

After confirming there were no invisible entities in the room, Klein ended spiritual sight, took out his pocket watch, and checked the time.

Tick-tock, tick-tock.

At one minute before three, he took a step forward, just like before, counterclockwise, taking four steps to form a square, while silently reciting the corresponding incantations in Chinese.

However, this time, he didn't prepare a main course.

Klein closed his eyes, feeling a slight itch on the back of his hand, as if the four black dots forming a small square there were highlighted, emerging.

Mad screams and seductive whispers began to echo, but Klein found that the headache wasn't as severe as last time.

It wasn't that he wasn't affected, but he could exert more effort to control himself from actively listening.

As an "extraordinary individual," he had gained a bit more self-control in such environments.

Soon, he felt his "body" lighten, floating upwards, seeing the pervasive, gray-white, vast, and hazy mist, seeing those deep red "stars," two of which seemed to have a subtle connection with him, making him feel unusually familiar.

Klein looked at his vague self, whispering in puzzlement, "The astral body that Neil mentioned?"

He remained calm for a few seconds before once again conjuring up the grand temple above the mist, the bronze long table located directly beneath the wide dome, and the twenty-two high-backed chairs symbolizing different constellations.

Quietly, Klein walked to the head of the table and sat down, enveloping his body and face in the denser mist, then extended his right hand, remotely touching those two familiar "deep red" stars, establishing a wonderful connection.