Chapter 161 - 148: Highland Summer House

When the old man finished speaking, he placed his teacup back on the table.

"Another pot."

"Right away."

The proprietress brought over the second pot of tea, and Mr. Hutton shifted in his seat.

"You all should have read in your books that the world behind the Curtain and the material world have weak points where they permeate each other."

"Evil Beings use these weak points to enter the material world. Likewise, if we want to slip in, we also have to rely on these same weak points."

Mr. Hutton unhurriedly took another sip of tea.

"You can think of this act of slipping behind the Curtain as cave diving. The weak point is your fixed exit."

"But the difference is, in cave diving, if you’re lucky enough, you might find another exit or a temporary air pocket to catch your breath if you get lost.

In the world behind the Curtain, once you’re lost, you’ll only sink deeper and deeper, never to return."

A chill ran down the spines of everyone present.

"Alright, alright." Mrs. MacNeil clapped her hands.

"That’s all for breakfast. Everyone, head back to your rooms in a moment to organize your gear."

"We’ll reconvene at this table at nine. Captain Field will conduct a gear inspection before we depart."

At nine o’clock, the long table in the inn was cleared off.

Captain Field pulled his chair back a couple of steps from the table and sat directly in front of it.

"In alphabetical order. Edmund, you’re first."

Edmund placed his pack on the table and laid out its contents layer by layer.

On top was a small, black-covered book. There was no title on the spine, only a simple cross.

It was a prayer book. Every priest had to carry one.

Captain Field frowned but didn’t say anything.

The second item was a silver case, its lid stamped with the image of a bowing lamb.

"Holy Oil," Edmund explained. "Applying a little to a wound tainted by Ether can halt the next stage of infection."

"The Divinity School’s ’Hemostasis’?" Theodore asked curiously from the side.

"’Taint-stop’ is more accurate," Edmund corrected. "Bleeding is bleeding, and contamination is contamination."

"This is good," Captain Field commented.

The next items were a Silver Dagger, Darts, and a Hemp Rope, all of which had been soaking in Holy Water for a long time.

These items didn’t count as Marvels, but they were excellent Casting Mediums.

"Also, bandages and emergency medicine." Edmund unrolled the last small cloth bundle.

Inside were basic wound treatment supplies: bandages, disinfectant, tweezers, a suture needle, and thread...

"Did the Divinity School train you in suturing?" Captain Field asked.

"They did," Edmund said. "I was forced to learn on the fly while volunteering at an almshouse two years ago."

"Good." Captain Field nodded. "Edmund passes."

Edmund packed his things back into his pack and made way.

Richard stepped forward and placed his pack on the table.

First was his Webley Military Revolver.

He opened the gun case. The Bullet Nest was loaded with six regular lead bullets.

"Regular rounds," Richard said. "Five loaded, with one prepared in the first chamber of the Bullet Nest."

"Any Enchanted Bullets?" Captain Field asked.

"Close to my side, in a tin box." Richard took a small tin box from an inner pocket of his coat.

He opened the tin box. Six Single-Ring Enchanted Bullets lay neatly on a black cloth.

He also briefly disclosed what he knew about Stone Armor.

Next was the box of Silver Needles for Moon Nail.

"You know to use old, seasoned needles. Seems the person who taught you knows their stuff."

Captain Field picked one up. "Not bad. I practiced a similar Technique myself back in the day."

He placed the needle back in the box. "What’s your current formation time for Moon Nail?"

"Two seconds."

"Range?"

"About five meters."

"Good enough for the Newcomer stage."

"Yes."

Theodore’s equipment was much more rustic compared to the first two.

An old-fashioned flintlock pistol, a bag of purification salt, and a bundle of Ashen Grass that he had tied together himself in a crooked mess.

As well as a large, ugly Copper Compass that looked like it didn’t belong in this era.

Richard glanced over. The Copper Compass was actually a Marvel.

Even though it was a Marvel, the thought of taking the opportunity to drain its Ether never crossed his mind.

The item was clearly something his Mentor had given him to save his life. Draining it would be tantamount to murder.

"That Copper Compass is a Marvel?" Captain Field sensed it too.

"Mr. Penbrook gave it to me." Theodore nodded. "He said my inspiration is decent, but my sense of direction is terrible."

"What do you mean, ’terrible’?"

"When I was a kid, I’d get lost on my way home from school."

A few people around the table couldn’t help but chuckle.

"So Mr. Penbrook gave me this Compass," Theodore continued to explain.

"It can enhance my Spiritual Vision and provides a constant sense of direction. Even if I get lost in the Shallows, I can find my way back."

"Barely passing." Captain Field nodded. "At least we won’t have to look for you if you get lost."

Maggie was the last to come up.

Her gear consisted of only a Hunting Knife, a bag of purification salt, and a brightly polished Oak Short Staff. The head of the staff had a ram’s horn carving, similar to the old shepherd’s Shepherd’s Staff.

"The short staff is a Casting Medium. I can use my family’s Family Skill with it," she said. "It’s called ’Cyan Green Ring’."

"Its effect?" Sarah asked, somewhat interested.

"It lays down a small-radius Ether ring around me," Maggie explained.

"After Casting, Enchanting Lamps won’t notice me, and Swamp Corpses won’t look my way."

"...Invisibility?" Theodore’s eyes widened.

"Not Invisibility," Maggie corrected. "Invisibility is not being seen. Cyan Green Ring is not being noticed."

"On the Ether Layer, it makes me look like a tree. These Evil Beings aren’t interested in trees."

"That’s an interesting Technique." Captain Field nodded. "What’s its limit?"

"At the Newcomer stage, its limit is Lower-rank Evil Beings at most," Maggie said, a bit helplessly.

"Anything above Lower-rank Evil Beings has its own judgment and can see through it. Also, the effect is dispelled if I actively attack."

"Good enough." Captain Field was very satisfied. "As expected of a local."

Once the gear inspection was complete, the captain took out four small Copper Whistles from a wooden box.

"This whistle is an emergency distress signal for when you lose contact with the Anchor point."

"When blown, your position can be locked onto by fellow Practitioners."

"One blow, and we’ll be there within thirty seconds."

Theodore scratched his head. "What if no one comes after thirty seconds?"

"If we’re not there in thirty seconds, it means we can’t even save ourselves. You’ll have to leave it to fate."

Captain Field handed out the four small Copper Whistles.

Richard took his. The Copper Whistle was extremely light, almost unnoticeable in his palm.

He tied the Copper Whistle around his neck with a thin cord and tucked it under his clothes.

After lunch at eleven, the carriage left Whitcomb Village. The driver was the same old man from yesterday.

The hunting route, of course, wasn’t a proper main road, but a path trodden out by shepherds and their donkeys in years past.

The carriage jolted violently. With every rut it crossed, a CREAK could be heard from the axle underneath.

The six people inside the carriage were squeezed shoulder to shoulder.

Captain Field sat by the carriage door, a short-barreled pistol tucked into his boot.

A leather ammunition pouch hung from his exposed belt, stamped with the small shield insignia of the Imperial Military.

Sarah sat opposite him, her double-barreled shotgun disassembled and stored in two leather scabbards.

The four Newcomers were crammed into the other end of the carriage.

Edmund stared at his prayer book, muttering something under his breath.

Maggie pulled her cloak tighter, burying her chin in the collar.

Theodore was busy testing his Compass.

The needle swung back and forth with the carriage’s jolts. Every so often, he would raise his hand to hold the Compass level, letting the needle settle before taking a reading.

Richard sat by the window.

The carriage ride from the village entrance to the vicinity of their destination took about an hour.

The driver stopped at the top of a slope.

"We’re here."

The spot where they disembarked was a gentle slope.

A short walk forward, low circular or semicircular stone rings could be seen on the ground.

These were the temporary stone houses used by shepherds for summer grazing hundreds of years ago.

Most of the stone houses had collapsed. The most complete one had only a semicircular wall remaining.

The moment Richard stepped out of the carriage, he felt that the Ether Field in this area was completely different from the one near Whitcomb Village.

Generations of shepherds had lit Midsummer fires here, burning the same type of wood in the same spot year after year.

There was a thin layer of ritualistic traces in the soil.

This was probably what Mr. Hutton had called a "micro-ritualistic scar."

Sarah took out her leather scabbards and assembled her double-barreled shotgun in less than ten seconds.

"Everyone, over here with me."

The four Newcomers followed behind her, walking toward the most complete semicircular stone house.

When they reached the side of the stone house, the Female Hunter took a small piece of charred wood from her leather pouch.

"Stand still," she said to the four of them. "And take off your hats."

Sarah first walked up to Edmund and drew a line under his nose with the charcoal.

"What’s this for?" Edmund didn’t shy away.

"An old Highland tradition," Sarah said. "When you go into the Shallows, your face can’t be too clean."

"A clean face is like a lamp. It attracts things."

She then moved to Maggie, who had already tilted her face up.

"No need to explain. I know."

"Did your mother ever do this for you?" Sarah asked.

"She did."

When it was Theodore’s turn, the boy from the stables held his breath nervously.

"Don’t be nervous." The Female Hunter gave a rare smile as she applied the charcoal. "It’s not like I’m slathering you with paint."

After she was done, all four of them had a smudge on their faces.

"Now you all look like Highlanders," Captain Field said, walking over.

Sarah looked at him.

"Shall we begin?"

"Let’s begin."

Captain Field walked to the center of the semicircular stone wall.

"You four, come here."

The four of them moved to stand before him.

"The Highland Summer House Ruins are a stable weak point," Captain Field said.

"’Stable’ means the ’door’ here doesn’t move around. It opens in the same place every time."

"Where is the ’door’?" Theodore asked.

"Beneath your feet," said Captain Field.

Theodore instinctively looked down at the grass under his feet.

"You can’t see it." Captain Field grunted. "Looking down is useless."

The boy from the stables’ face flushed red.

"Today, I’ll teach you how to find the door, how to walk through it, and how to remember the way back."

"First, let me be clear. The Ether concentration in the Shallows is several times higher than in the material world."

He raised a hand, palm facing inward.

"This leads to two direct consequences."

"First, everything related to Ether is enhanced."

"Your micro-circulation will operate faster on the other side, and your Ether reserves will replenish more quickly—roughly thirty to fifty percent faster than here in the material world.

Techniques form faster and are more powerful."

"Second, everything unrelated to Ether is suppressed."

"Whether it’s a lead ball from a flintlock gun or a lead-headed round from a Webley, they’re almost useless on the other side."

"Why?" Theodore immediately asked.

"The Evil Beings in the Shallows are, in essence, Ether Condensates," Captain Field explained.

"A regular lead bullet hitting them is like trying to poke a ball of fog with a wooden stick."

"It passes right through, but the fog is still there."

"Enchanted Bullets and Lead-Silver Bullets are effective," Sarah interjected. "Damage on the Ether Layer—that’s what can truly tear them apart."

Captain Field nodded. "On field missions, we mostly use Lead-Silver Bullets. They’re cheaper than Enchanted Bullets.

Although they can’t compare to specially Enchanted Bullets, they’re much stronger than regular ones."

Richard silently weighed the Bullet Nest at his side. ’I’ll have to stock up on more Silver Bullets in the future,’ he thought.