Close the door, draw the curtains, crack open a window.
Richard flipped his notebook to the bookmarked section and laid out the comparison chart and etymology handbook beside it.
The Gargoyle perched on the corner of the desk, acting as a paperweight.
There was no rush to process the materials collected from the few other candidate books; that could be done slowly.
This first document alone contained so much information that he needed to set aside dedicated time just to digest it.
To start, the process of deciphering the embedded encryption was more complex than any he had previously encountered.
First, he had to pick out the ciphertext words from the main text one by one.
This step required him to have an extremely precise grasp of the main text’s Latin grammatical structure.
Only by fully understanding the grammatical logic of the main text’s sentences could he determine which words belonged to the text and which were interspersed ciphertext.
Then, he had to arrange the extracted ciphertext words in order of their page numbers to form complete sentences.
These sentences themselves had then undergone another layer of substitution cipher.
It was like adding the task of "finding a needle in a haystack" on top of a normal code-breaking procedure.
Richard sighed internally.
’The person who designed this encryption must have wanted to ensure that only someone with a certain high level of Latin proficiency, who had also mastered code-breaking, could read the content.’
’Both skills were indispensable.’
He lowered his head, pen in his right hand, the forefinger of his left hand tracing the characters in the notebook one by one.
The boon from [Scholarship] made his deconstruction of word roots nearly instantaneous, and his speed at analyzing Latin syntax was far beyond normal.
About half an hour later, all the ciphertext words from the first page had been picked out and arranged on a sheet of blank paper.
He read the words aloud in order, and his heart began to race.
After he broke the substitution cipher, the first complete sentence surfaced:
The document’s title page had only a single line of Latin:
"De Ascensu Velati (On the Ascent in the Veil)"
Richard’s heart began to race. He had found what he was looking for.
The opening cut straight to the core:
"All who step to the edge of the Veil will sooner or later face the same question: How does one ascend?"
"The essence of a Tier is the deepening of the relationship between a Cultivator and the Veil.
The higher the Tier, the clearer the Veil’s Perception of you, and the greater the Strength you can draw from it.
The price is symmetrical; the Shadow you cast behind the Veil grows denser and longer.
Those beings deep within the Veil who possess the ability to ’gaze’ will find it increasingly easy to recognize your silhouette."
"An extinguished Candle in the darkness will not be noticed by any eye;
a lit Candle in the darkness is safe, for its flame is too small for distant eyes to distinguish;
a torch is different, its light is bright enough for faraway eyes to see;
and the Sun—the Sun does not need to be found by eyes, for the first thing an eye does upon opening is find the sunlight."
This passage made Richard sit up straight in his chair.
Tier-ascension wasn’t a one-way street to getting stronger; it was a two-way transaction.
You demand Strength from the Veil, and the Veil returns its gaze.
The greater the Strength, the deeper the gaze.
The document then used a great deal of space to explain the promotion process from Newcomer to Practitioner.
The wording was so detailed it was practically a step-by-step guide:
"To cross from Newcomer to Practitioner, one must complete the ’Signing’ (Subscriptio)."
The prerequisites for the Signing were listed one by one.
First, one’s Ether Micro-Cycle must have been operating stably for one year.
"This is the minimum standard. A micro-cycle that has been stable for less than this period has an extremely high probability of disintegrating during the Signing.
The consequences of disintegration vary from person to person. In mild cases, the circuit ruptures and must be repaired from scratch; in severe cases, the person can never establish a cycle again for the rest of their life.
The shortest stable period recorded in the literature is one hundred and fifty days.
However, that Cultivator repeatedly experienced circuit turbulence for three years after their Signing, only truly stabilizing in the fourth year. Do not be hasty."
Richard did a quick calculation in his head.
’My Ether Micro-Cycle took shape after the trip to the basement, which was less than two months ago. I’ll have to wait more than half a year, which means I should be ready around the start of the school year after summer vacation.’
Second, one must select a career path.
"Scholar, Hunter, or Secret—one of these three paths must be explicitly chosen at the time of the Signing.
The Signing will brand your choice onto the surface of a Marvel. From then on, the world behind the Veil will recognize your identity by this mark, and it cannot be changed once chosen."
For him, this one was no mystery: Scholar.
Third, one must complete a "Demonstration."
"The ’Demonstration’ (Probatio) is a prerequisite assessment for the Signing ceremony.
A Cultivator must, without outside assistance, independently complete a practical task related to their chosen path.
The Demonstration for the Scholar’s path is typically: independently deciphering an encrypted text that has not been previously restored.
The Demonstration for the Hunter’s Direction is typically: independently exorcising a low-level entity from behind the Veil.
The Demonstration for the Secret Direction is typically: independently setting up or repairing an effective Seal."
"There is no unified standard for judging the Demonstration, nor is there a unified examining body.
Your ’Guide’ (Ductor) will judge the timing based on your actual skill level and will arrange a Demonstration task for you when they deem it appropriate."
A Guide. Mr. Hutton’s face surfaced in his mind.
From the very beginning, he had been the one pointing the way to the right bookshelves, providing the comparison charts, taking him for on-site observations of a Seal, and giving him a silver coin and Ashen Grass.
’If there’s a role like a "Guide" in the legacy system of the Mysterious Side, then Mr. Hutton is almost certainly my Guide.’
’Although the old gentleman has never explicitly stated this relationship.’
"The Signing itself is not complicated. In fact, it is so simple that it almost feels lacking in solemnity."
"A Cultivator selects a Marvel to act as a vessel and carves their own brand onto the object’s surface.
To an outsider, this process looks like someone simply signing their name on one of their possessions, because that is essentially what it is: a signature."
"There is no candlelight, no need for invocations, no need for witnesses. You could even complete it while eating breakfast."
"The Signing is not a ritual, nor does it constitute an Announcement in any ritualistic sense.
It is merely the establishment of a connection between you and an object, just as your name written on the flyleaf of a book proves the book belongs to you, and proves you belong to this path."
"The world behind the Veil thereby becomes aware of your existence, but that is all.
All it knows is that ’a Candle has been lit.’ The Candle’s flame is too small for distant eyes to distinguish, and they will not care."
Richard studied this passage intently.
’The Signing is just the starting point. It’s your official registration in the world behind the Veil.’
’The registration itself has no risks, no costs, and doesn’t even require a specific setting.’
’The real rituals come later.’
The document immediately followed with an entire section emphasizing the importance of selecting the right Marvel:
"When choosing a Marvel, the least recommended approach is to hastily select one for the Signing without having first established any connection to it.
While this approach will not lead to catastrophic consequences, it will make every future step of your ascent more circuitous than it would be for others."
"Please note: do not blindly pursue a Marvel for its Ether content!
Blindly choosing a Marvel with an excessively high Ether content can lead to consequences even more terrifying than the collapse of your Ether Micro-Cycle!"
The tone of this warning was very stern.
Richard stroked his chin. He thought of the pillar from the Fire God Temple he had seen at Number Seven Huayue Street, and felt that this warning certainly made sense.
’If you have difficulty even holding it in your hand, how could you ever attune to and complete a Signing with such a Marvel?’
At the end of the section on the Signing, the document added a few sentences in an almost conversational tone.
"Once you complete the Signing, congratulations. You are officially a Practitioner."
"You can temporarily sequester Ether from the environment, no longer relying solely on the passive, minuscule accumulation from Breathing Technique cultivation. The amount of Ether at your disposal over a short period will increase dramatically.
You can cast true Techniques.
The little tricks of the Newcomer stage are, in essence, just skills for igniting external media with a tiny amount of Ether; they do not count as Techniques."
"You can accept commissions to solve practical problems in the field of Mysticism for clients;
you can use the industry’s credit system to purchase materials;
and you can enter most places on the Mysterious Side without being politely ’asked’ to leave."
"In short: you will have a legitimate identity, a means of making a living, and a circle you can participate in."
At this point, the tone of the document suddenly changed.
"The following passage is the author’s personal advice, not an academic conclusion.
You may disagree with it, but please, at least read it to the end."

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