Moon Nail · Reflection. The name was quite straightforward—the moonlight from the needle’s tip reflected back onto the Caster.
Richard was eager to start experimenting. He took out the Silver Needle Box, followed by an Alcohol Bottle and a small roll of disinfected gauze.
He planned to first test piercing his own flesh with the reversed Moon Nail to measure the direction and range of the Ether’s diffusion.
The test subject was the pad of his left index finger. A mistake there wouldn’t be fatal.
Richard pushed his Spiritual Vision to its maximum and took a brand-new Silver Needle from the long box.
He wiped the needle down with alcohol, then wiped down the pad of his left index finger as well.
During the exhalation phase of the third cycle of Quadruple Breathing, Ether surged from the Throne of the Sun to his fingertips.
To start, he cautiously held the needle with three fingers, which would allow him to adjust the force at any moment.
When it came to the Piercing Needle step, the entire process was slower than any previous attempt.
Richard performed every step with extreme steadiness.
The Moon Nail formed. The condensed Ether was brighter than usual, a white with a tinge of cyan.
He aimed the needle’s tip at the pad of his left index finger.
Taking a deep breath, he plunged the Silver Needle in.
"SSST!"
The fingertips are incredibly sensitive, after all. It really did hurt.
The needle only pierced about five millimeters into the skin. On the Material Layer, the damage was lighter than being pricked by a sewing needle.
But upon entry, the condensed Moon Nail at the tip exploded.
The entire mass of condensed Ether spread outward upon entering the skin, flooding the microcirculation within the capillaries of his index finger.
It felt as if Richard’s entire index finger had been scrubbed clean from the inside.
Normally, using Healing to refresh the capillaries required several complete cycles of the Breathing Technique.
Moon Nail · Reflection took less than half a second.
And unlike a gentle repair, the Moon Nail was performing a targeted activation.
Richard could feel a warm current flowing from the inside of his left index finger outwards.
The sensitivity of his entire finger was elevated to a terrifying degree in a short time.
He lightly pressed his index finger on the tabletop.
The wood grain of the table, the unevenness of the lacquer, the temperature gradients—every piece of information felt as if it had been magnified twice over.
Richard was very satisfied.
Perception Lv. 2 combined with Moon Nail · Reflection had turned his left index finger into a literal "Perception Probe."
The price was pain, and the needle-prick would leave behind a tiny burn mark.
This was just the simplest application.
In a life-or-death situation, he could absolutely pierce a few main circuits, leading to a full-body enhancement.
He pulled out the Silver Needle.
Richard pressed a piece of gauze against the pinprick.
After three to five seconds, he removed the gauze. The pinprick had already closed up.
This was a side effect of Moon Nail · Reflection’s activation. His wound-healing speed was much faster than usual.
He sat in his chair and slowly calmed down.
’Moon Nail · Reflection... This reversed Technique seems more useful than Shadow Armor.’
Shadow Armor, while useful when he reversed it, had two strict limitations: "must have a Shadow" and "must have sufficient light."
Moon Nail · Reflection had no environmental restrictions. It could be used anytime, anywhere, and its enhancement effect was instantaneous.
Now there was another question: could Moon Nail · Reflection enhance someone of a higher Tier than himself?
He suspected the enhancement effect would degrade proportionally.
Otherwise, if a Newcomer like him could proportionally enhance someone at Grand Mastery or even Expert level, that would be just too overpowered.
On the other hand, he also thought of his Mother.
Ether Massage was a gentle, palliative method.
His Mother’s circuits were damaged from a failed Tier advancement. It would require a Grand Mastery-level method to heal them completely.
’Moon Nail · Reflection probably can’t repair the section of my Mother’s circuits that’s already been destroyed.’
Richard’s brow furrowed.
’But Mother still has a large number of "remnant circuits."’
’Those remnant circuits aren’t completely destroyed; they’re just idling.’
’If I use Moon Nail · Reflection on the "active ends" of those remnant circuits, could it force them back into a normal state?’
Theoretically, it was worth a try.
In reality... he didn’t dare.
His Mother’s body was already weak. Her circuits were damaged from a failed Tier advancement over a decade ago. It was a highly volatile issue.
If Moon Nail · Reflection caused any uncontrollable reaction in her, the consequences would be unimaginable.
Richard suppressed this line of thought.
He thought of Coleman.
Coleman’s body was strong and healthy. He even practiced the Path of Burning Blood every day.
Although his circuits were congenitally broken, there were complete sections beyond the break.
His extensive daily training kept the activity level of that complete section constantly maintained.
’If I were to use it on Coleman... could it repair that break?’
At its current stage, Moon Nail · Reflection could only "refresh" existing microcirculation. It said nothing about being able to repair already damaged parts.
’But since it can enhance undamaged parts, and the circuits are a complete system... if the section beyond the break is enhanced to its absolute limit, could it trigger a passive repair of the break itself?’
Richard’s fingers paused on the edge of the desk.
The theoretical basis for this line of thought was insufficient.
None of the literature on circuit damage that he could access through Erudite mentioned a mechanism for "indirect repair."
But all that literature came from research institutions under the Medical God Temple System.
The Medical God Temple System was the orthodox inheritor of the Golden Path. Their views on circuits were extremely conservative.
He still remembered what Prometheus had said.
"Condensed Liquid is a lifesaver in combat, a catalyst for Techniques. You can think of it like adrenaline."
Based on his own experience using it now, Moon Nail · Reflection was like a no-cost, low-spec shot of Ether Condensate. And its side effects weren’t nearly as severe.
This kind of aggressive enhancement might not be able to directly repair damage.
But an aggressive enhancement could forcibly elevate the body’s "self-healing mechanism."
He took the used Silver Needle from the desk, washed it clean, and placed it back in the long box.
Richard sat at the desk and closed his eyes.
The Light Tree Leaves in his chest spread throughout his body under the effect of Breath Healing.
The pinprick left by Moon Nail · Reflection was quickly healing on its own. The small Ether burn was also slowly being covered by the Healing.
He needed a test subject. Coleman was the most suitable candidate.
The question was, how should he convince him?
...
「On Sunday afternoon.」
He went to the third floor of the Branch Office as usual.
Mrs. MacNeil sat behind her desk, organizing a stack of Tarot Cards.
When she saw Richard walk in, her gaze lingered for a moment on the silver ring hanging on his chest.
"Your teacher has been here?"
"Yes, ma’am." Richard nodded.
"How does it feel?"
"After I put on the ring, the lighthouse went dark."
"Mm." The Spirit Medium finished shuffling the Tarot Cards and placed them in the center of the desk.
"Today’s lesson will begin with interpreting single reversed Major Arcana cards."
"Remember, the matter of a teacher choosing a promising Miaozi is never a one-way street."
"She chooses you, and you also choose her."
Mrs. MacNeil flipped over the first card.
"She has reached an age where she ’doesn’t need to be too cautious.’"
"Every bet she makes now is something she does for her own amusement."
Richard dutifully acknowledged.
"I’ll remember that, ma’am."
"Mm." The Spirit Medium flipped over the second card.
「On Monday morning, Mr. Hutton’s history class was covering the late Roman Republic.」
Richard acted normally in class, answering questions without any mistakes.
When class ended, Mr. Hutton walked over from the podium.
"Stay behind after school."
"Alright."
After school, Richard walked into the office. Mr. Hutton was behind his desk, drinking tea.
He held his teacup, his gaze resting on Richard’s chest for a moment.
"You have something new on you."
Richard reached up and touched his chest. "Yes, a gift from a senior."
"Lady Mary?"
"That’s right."
The old gentleman set down his teacup.
"Her judgment of you was quite accurate. A shield from high-Tier gazes. That’s what a Newcomer needs most."
"I haven’t seen her in years, but her style hasn’t changed a bit."
Richard stood before the desk, not moving. "Will this kind of intervention affect my advancement in the academy system?"
"This doesn’t count as her intervening with you, nor will it affect your normal advancement in the academy system."
Mr. Hutton waved his hand. "She always plays by the rules."
The old gentleman thought for a moment.
"Also, this investment of hers... you’ll have to repay it sooner or later."
"What if she asks me to do something that goes against my values?"
Mr. Hutton glanced at him.
"She won’t make you do something you’re unwilling to do. That’s her way of doing things."
Richard nodded.
"Did she tell you about the ’very few’?"
"She did."
Mr. Hutton took a sip of tea. "I’ve heard some things about one of them."
The old gentleman put down his teacup.
"That particular one was a famous young Hunter in the Imperial Capital back in the day. I had the honor of going on a field mission with him.
He went to the New Continent after becoming a Minor Mastery. He boarded a ship from the Imperial Capital’s port over twenty years ago, and after disembarking, he never sent any news back."
"Afterward, every Christmas, Lady Mary would receive a postcard."
"On the postcard, there would be a leaf from some plant in the central region of the New Continent."
"That plant, according to academic records, is only found west of the New Continent’s Central Mountain Range."
Richard digested this information.
"What’s the meaning of him sending a leaf back?"
"It proves he’s still alive. But he can no longer use words to communicate with this place, because he no longer belongs here."
Inside Richard’s chest, the Light Tree Leaves trembled slightly.
Mr. Hutton glanced at him.
"Don’t overthink it. You’re still a long way from that step."
The old gentleman put his teacup down.
"Today’s tutoring session will continue."
"Okay."

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