The Faceless Men and Solving the Mystery of Cosmic Lore!

Kai had later thought that Simon had been talking about his Water-bending Ability.

Now he couldn't help but rethink his thoughts, sensing if there was more to that man's words. A hidden scorn for the rest of us, perhaps, he guessed, now knowing how twisted these fellows were.

"Then Simon…" Kai trailed off, expecting the worst.

"Sigh!" Meg seemed to steel herself for something. "As much as I loathe to say it, the Faceless Men of Byagoona are indeed the most skilled Legilimens and Occlumens in the Primordial Tower. It's their form of Multiverse Interdependency, and none had even come close to their mastery over this magic, I am afraid. It is known."

A combination of the arts of Faceless, Legilimency, and Occlumency? One of the most brilliant spy networks of its kind?

Wasn't it the ultimate sort of espionage?

Kai shuddered.

Meg must have guessed his thoughts. "No matter Legilimency or Occlumency," she said slowly, "both need Mana. The moment the Priests or Priestesses of Byagoona come to the lower floor's Missions by restricting their Stats, they almost instantly lose their use of such tremendous magic. You must understand that we are as much assisted by our Stats as we are hindered by them."

"What about within the Harry Potter World, then?" Kai asked, looking at her. "If anybody can just read my memories, then am I not the most foolish person to even think of reincarnating in that world?"

He had got the shock of his life when he had mentioned Mundungus Fletcher to Meg, Kai recalled. The most stupid and riskiest decision, she had named it. There was no guarantee that the wizard wouldn't read Kai's thoughts and memories. Or maybe he had but didn't react to them because of the obvious greed for HP capsules. The only thing Kai was sure of was that Petyr wasn't subjected to these things. Neither Occlumency nor any similar trick would work on the soulless character.

A giggle escaped Meg's old mouth. "We are not limited to Harry Potter World, master," she said, easing him. "We have Chaos to look after us. It blocks all thoughts, memories, and even emotions related to the Primordial Tower or anything related to the Contestants from the most talented magicians.

"Yet, it still doesn't stop them from accessing your mind. That's why I am putting so much effort into this subject. In the days before reaching Pentos, I will teach the basic theory related to both Occlumency and Legilimency in the best manner I can. But…"

"Hmm…" Kai raised an eyebrow.

"…" Meg took a deep breath. "I would counsel you to go to the Temple of Byagoona and use your candidacy to learn these arts from a Faceless Man. Some Priests there have even surpassed the existing magicians from the Harry Potter World because of combining these arts with many external agents. As I have been insisting on it, there is no limit to Multiverse Interdependency. Those who have a knack for it have already etched their names into the history of the Primordial Tower."

Kai could tell how much it must have pained her to give this suggestion, but he was also glad that her past wasn't hindering her from thinking of the methods that suited him the best.

"What about the Wandless and Nonverbal Magic you mentioned once?" Kai asked, suddenly remembering the words as they were on the relevant topic.

Meg shook her head. "Only Contestants above the 3rd-Set have the luxury to indulge in these foolish things, master."

"Foolish?!" Kai couldn't fathom how practicing magic without a wand and chanting spells was foolish.

"Indeed," Meg said, surely. "If we were not Contestants, and had resurrected only into the Harry Potter World without the Systems, knowing nothing about the existence of the Multiverse, then Wandless and Nonverbal magic would have some meaning to us. Tell me, my lord, how casting a nonverbal Expelliarmus wandlessly is any different from you snatching the three wands out of the wizards' hands using Telekinesis."

Kai's eyes widened.

"So you've realized," Meg said, smiling, and seeing his expression. "What are Skills and Abilities, if not a form of Wandless and Nonverbal Magic?"

Then what's the reason for such a high demand for the wands among Contestants?

Kai needed not to ask this question.

It wasn't little tricks Contestants were after, but complex and high-level magic that couldn't be replicated using any Skill or Ability. Not to mention, Meg had repeatedly told him that true Wands, not the fake kind he had hoodwinked out of Arlen, could use the Mana in the surroundings, greatly assisting Contestants' own MP reserves.

So that's how it is, Kai nodded to himself and found that he was almost finished with the wine.

*

*

Dusk, 33rd Day

Actaea

"Set the table," Kai ordered. "Call Andrik. He will have supper with me today."

"He will?" Meg asked, raising an eyebrow.

"You did say we need a guinea pig, didn't you?" Kai said, sneering. "We will reach Pentos by dawn tomorrow. Let's deal with the ugly business, then. No need to delay anymore."

Most of the last week Kai had spent thinking over his theories regarding his Cosmic Lore Stat.

Then he had told Meg about his theory of the Yellow Sign being a key and the minor epithets a way to access the doors to his Inventory. Her expressions had bordered on blasphemy at that time, Kai remembered. But soon, she too had flung herself deep into figuring out the mystery of his Lore.

I think you are right, master, she had told him one night. Though I am still skeptical and against using HIS sign in combination with your minor epithets, we can still use a guinea pig to test it out. The thing that puzzles me is what's the use of the Sacrifice then?

It had taken the combined efforts of Kai, Meg, Petyr, and even Cersei to scribble down a theory regarding this doubt, after brooding over it for three days.

If epithets establish a Channel, which was Kai's Inventory, and the Yellow Sign could be used as a Key to unlock the door at the other end, then the only thing left was to pry open those doors. A sacrificial object did nothing but supply the force to open the door using its magical property, supernaturalness, or uniqueness.

This was the closest they had come to solving the problem, but as Kai had mentioned later to the rest of the group, it had a monstrous flaw.

That flaw lay with Kai himself.

If the quality of the sacrificial object dictates the door's opening, Kai had asked, then why, despite there being a ridiculous difference between our sacrifices, did I and Meg get almost the same response from HIM?

The answer to his question had popped into his mind instantaneously, like lighting a match.

Parseltongue!

Kai had thought of this word as if a gasp had escaped after being stabbed. He remembered he had used Parseltongue to chant the epithets, unlike Meg, who had chanted the same in a common tongue.

When Kai came out of his reverie, he found himself sweating, and Andrik barging the doors behind him.

Spitting out his thoughts, Kai took a seat and observed the future of his Pirate Crew in this Timeline. Andrik had dressed for the occasion, it seemed to him. The giant was wearing a patched green doublet, trying hard to cover his upper body, and freshly washed sandy breeches. His long brown hair and dark brown eyes glowed in contrast to his clothing.

Kai felt amused as he noticed Andrik had even trimmed his long beard, leaving behind a healthy fistful of it under his chin.

"What is dead may never die!" Andrik saluted, bending his knee.

"Indeed," Kai nodded. "Rise. Sup with me."

"Yes, captain."

After Andrik had managed to sit clumsily opposite Kai, Meg staggered near them and poured the wine.

Kai knew some of the crew, especially Andrik, must have found Petyr's presence outside the cabin, and absence within, abnormal. But he had an explanation regarding this as well. Priestess Shae once was a Faceless Men, he would say if questioned. He had taken extra measures to make sure that Meg and Petyr had never been seen together for the same reason.

Nevertheless, none had dared to ask anything of him after the events related to the red galley.

A bit of fear and awe go a long way, Kai thought, chuckling.

*********************

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