Chapter 374 Ritual: Centipede's Steps

Does Aiwass really need to use the ritual to identify the suspect?

In fact, he doesn't need to.

When he heard Captain Camus propose "copying a copy of the document", he had already identified the suspect in his heart.

The logic is very simple.

Because the document handed to Captain Camus is not a "top secret diplomatic letter" whose content is unknown to everyone, but "substantial evidence" whose content is already known to everyone. It is the letter they first intercepted from the spy.

In other words, this is the "core evidence to lock Aleister's identity". And almost everyone knows about it.

When Her Majesty the Queen has warned that this matter should not be further publicized, the Chief Secretary of the Navy asked Captain Camus to copy a copy...

This actually exposed the attitude of the Navy Minister.

In short, the attitude that Her Majesty showed to the Round Table Hall is that she is inclined to conceal this matter. Then this letter is very likely to "accidentally disappear" or "replace the content". And the disappearance or abandonment of this letter is the direction that the royal family hopes for.

In this case, we should do things in a fair and just manner, follow procedures, and be prepared for any eventuality... It is unnecessary to say who we are actually trying to trouble.

Moreover, Captain Camus also mentioned inadvertently that he is a "hunter".

This is another important detail.

If this matter becomes a big deal and continues to ferment, what will happen in the end?

There is no doubt that Captain Camus will be held accountable as the only person responsible.

He will definitely argue and explain that he really did not see anyone - he will repeatedly emphasize that as a "hunter", he did not see anyone passing by the stairs the whole time.

In other words, either the thief entered quietly from the window, took the things and left, or he was able to hide from the keen perception of the third-level hunter, forcefully entered his house and stole important things.

But the things were lost after all. Lost is lost.

Then no matter how he explains, it can only lead to two public opinion results -

First, these new generation of "non-authoritarian" extraordinary people lack the necessary obedience and discipline and cannot hold important positions.

Second, hunters who have reached the third level are still useless. They can't even find out that something has been stolen. The power of "other extraordinary people" outside the "authority, dedication, and balance" paths that are encouraged under the "Sophia Policy" is not necessary to encourage development.

Therefore, the ministers without portfolios authorized by Queen Sophia will face the new generation of officers born because of the "Sophia Policy". If Aiwas does not attack, it means that he will have to suffer this loss in silence; if Aiwas attacks, they can lead this matter to the legacy of the "Sophia Policy" left behind when the Queen's path was reformed.

From the direction of the beneficiaries, we can naturally know who is behind the scenes.

——It must be those knights of the authoritarian path.

Do we still need to use rituals to track the identity of the thief and then slowly investigate along the clues?

No need at all.

We just need to know who is the mastermind behind the scenes, and it doesn't matter who is behind it.

Although Aiwass doesn't like reasoning, it doesn't mean he doesn't have this ability. He just likes to solve problems in a more direct way.

Aiwass can become a rare friend recognized by Sherlock, not only because he knows some miscellaneous knowledge that is temporarily useless... After all, erudition and intelligence are two different things.

But on the other hand, Aiwass needs to let others know that he used the ritual.

However, the ritual of finding things is bound to fail.

The person who stole the things must have done anti-divination treatment, or he has already sold them. Once the number of times it has been changed too many times, it will be contaminated with the breath of too many people, and it will be difficult to find the lost things with the ritual of finding things.

Aiwass is not interested in being led around the city like a dog by true or false clues and being laughed at by others.

——Since the clues are likely to be erased.

It is better to create the evidence directly.

Aiwass took out the ritual materials from his backpack and began to prepare the ritual in front of Captain Camus.

A bottle of styrax essential oil, a bottle of clary sage essential oil, a portion of the fine hair on the kitten's foot, snake skin ointment, and moth scale powder. There is also the snake venom ointment made by Yulia that Lily did not use up in the previous battle, and the blood of Aiwas with Lily's magic power added.

These are all the materials Aiwas collected, bought or made last night.

The essential oil is fresh from the "king". The moth scale powder is a common ritual material... but it is not easy to find a kitten to cut its hair.

As for the snake skin ointment, it is a typical therapeutic ointment adapted to the Tao.

It requires the scaled snake skin to be slowly baked over a low fire, and some hemostatic and muscle-building herbs are added at the same time, and finally boiled into a bowl of sticky black soup. Then it is dried in a cool place, ground into powder, and then mixed with sesame oil and honey to make a paste, which can be stored for a long time.

Such a plaster can be used to stop bleeding and regenerate muscles... Of course, the effect is definitely not as good as that of alchemical mixtures and witches' potions. Only those who are well adapted to the path can take full effect. Adventurers and archaeologists who travel to remote areas far from towns will bring some with them.

Under the watchful eyes of Captain Camus, Aiwass dropped the blood injected with Lily's magic into the moth's phosphorus powder, and gently shook it to mix well. Then soak the cat's fur in Sabbath essential oil, mix the snake skin ointment with the snake venom, and drop in half of the clary sage essential oil to dissolve.

So Aiwass got three tubes of liquids of different colors.

Dark brown, dark red, dark green.

Aiwass injected his dark attribute mana into each of them, and then poured the three bottles of liquid in front of his eyes, allowing them to flow into three pools of liquid and gradually blend together.

He believed that Captain Camus must not understand this ritual and material.

Because what Aiwass wants to perform is not a finding ritual at all.

Aiwass opened his lips lightly and said silently: "I respectfully invite Gray Tiansi..."

"The Tiansi who is neither true nor false, the Tiansi who is silent and speechless——

"Let me be as light as a cat, as erratic as a moth, and as vicious as a snake...

"Give me the lie of ambiguity and silence!"

As Aiwass chanted silently, the three pools of liquid in front of him gradually evaporated and mixed in front of him.

Three clouds of smoke of different colors gathered together, but eventually turned into a dull gray-white color.

Aiwass took a deep breath of the smoke, and then stared blankly ahead as if he had fallen into some kind of illusion. The pupils were covered with a gray haze.

But Aiwass was not actually hallucinating.

This ritual is called "Centipede's Steps" and is a ritual recorded in Lily's tantra book. The most important material is the "breath of lies", which is Lily's blood, mana, or the illusory spider silk she created.

Its effect is simple and effective, which is to hide Aiwass from the dimension of prophecy and divination.

Aiwass will be temporarily absent-minded because he now needs to carefully weave his "false destination."

For the duration of this ritual, prophecies and divination methods at level 4 and below will be disrupted.

If anyone probed Aiwass' use of rituals over the duration, they would see the "false deeds" he was weaving at this moment. The more irrational the false behavior is and the greater the gap between it and the true logic, the shorter the duration.

From the moment Aiwass arrives in Captain Camus's study, his true whereabouts will be hidden.

The "lie" Aiwass spun is very simple - that is, Aiwass left and went home on his own after checking the intelligence.

Before reaching home, he is attacked, seriously injured and kidnapped by "Aleister" lurking in the shadows.

In front of Captain Camus, Aiwass completed his ritual.

"how?"

Seeing Aiwass open his eyes, the captain asked nervously and expectantly: "Did you find it?"

"found it."

Aiwass sighed and said softly.

"What's wrong?"

The captain was a little nervous: "Is there any trouble?"

He witnessed Aiwass's "divination" and was able to testify for Aiwass that Aiwass' information was obtained by divination - of course he did not lie, because he really thought so. No one's polygraph could identify it.

"It's the Lord Admiralty."

Aiwass's mood was low, as if he felt betrayed, and he replied softly: "The letter is with him. And he seems to be... quite familiar with Miss Aleister."