Chapter 198: Empathy
Sylve's room.
This is a typical girl's room, decorated mainly in purple, with many cute teddy bears placed in various spots.
Sylve was still dressed very delicately. She sat obediently on the light-colored sofa, listening to Mr. Moriarty's narrative.
Bai Yan sat next to Sylve, calmly telling her about all the knowledge he had seen in the Demon Hunt Agency.
"The energy in the universe is constantly flowing, and magic is a way of using energy to construct phenomena. It pursues standardized operations. In fact, in Night Union, many spells are even programmed by hackers into software and can be released in the same way..."
"You should understand the basic knowledge about magic by now."
The smile on Sylve's face gradually faded.
She bit her finger, and remained silent for a long time before saying in embarrassment, "Probably, I should have understood it."
Although what Bai Yan talked about were some basic knowledge about the extraordinary field, they were actually very valuable.
It can even be said that all knowledge about extraordinary powers is made of gold.
The books that Bai Yan read in the Demon Hunt Agency library were considered rare, and some of them could be sold easily for several million or even tens of millions outside.
Not to mention that some of the books that serve as "original texts" possess a certain level of extraordinary power themselves.
The Demon Hunt Agency has a deep foundation, so every Night Watcher can learn freely, which is a great benefit for outsiders.
Bai Yan imparted his knowledge generously without any reservation, but Sylve's learning ability was not very good. She always said she understood, but in reality, she didn't when it came to actual operations.
Although it was only an afternoon of teaching, Bai Yan was able to fully understand it. This child would need at least a few months to learn the most basic spell techniques.
She could never reach the level that Alan has achieved now in her entire life.
Bai Yan could assert this point.
Even though the number of spells that can be released through Alan's "Mysterious Magic" character card is not many, he simply didn't deliberately learn those low-level and ineffective spells.
He was more inclined to study advanced level spells.
In fact, if Alan really wants to, he can always cast a small fireball or something.
The actual process of casting spells is somewhat similar to playing the piano, requiring you to control every change and timing of energy, that is, to master the rhythm.
Alan has already learned quite difficult spells and has been practicing them for years, so learning simpler spells would be much easier for him.
It is not easy for an ordinary transcendent to master more than ten spells proficiently, while true masters of magic only need to obtain the method of casting spells (the score), and can initially master it in a short time.
Of course, truly skilled masters of magic would go further to create spells, even creating legendary forbidden spells.
If one is not proficient in magic and unable to fully tap into their inherent transcendent power, it's not a big deal... Normal transcendent beings can also become stronger through Relics, rituals, and potions.
The biggest issue with rituals is that there is always a risk, and most rituals cannot be learned and grown through practice... Flow of the Heart is an exception.
Bai Yan gradually remembered a small ritual in his mind and showed a joyful smile.
"Are you tired of learning the basics of magic, Sylve? How about I teach you a small ritual?"
Sylve nodded gently and said, "Mr. Moriarty, I understand the concept of the ritual... The so-called ritual is actually a game, a game between me, the world, and the gods."
Bai Yan shook his head and said, "You're right, but not entirely. The most accurate way to put it would be a game between the 'ritual initiator' and the 'world and gods'."
He added, "If your status is high enough, the effects of using a ritual will be different... For example, for the same ritual, we may use it to please this world or the elder gods, while the new gods may use it to negotiate with the world and them."
Some rituals cannot be used by ordinary people and may even offend the target, but the souls of the 'Formation Realm' and 'Creation Realm' can be used because they have the qualification to be highly regarded by the world and gods.
Bai Yan earnestly taught, "Sylve, you must remember one thing. There are always winners and losers in any game and negotiations can possibly anger the other side... Any ritual, regardless of its size, has certain risks associated with it, especially the rituals related to Outer Gods. You absolutely cannot participate."
"Do you understand?"
Outer God, such a terrible thing, how could I possibly come into contact with it? Sylve nodded gently and asked curiously, "Teacher, are the risks of ritual failure and error very scary?"
"Of course, it can be very scary and the consequences are often unpredictable," Bai Yan explained with a serious nod. "For example, a simple ritual to borrow water from a water-controlling elder god may turn into a disaster if you accidentally present the offering in a way that offends the god... Congratulations, you might not be able to drink a drop of water again in your lifetime."
"Well...this is what is called the 'malice of the world' and the 'curse of the gods'."
Sylve stuck out her tongue and immediately became scared.
"Mr. Teacher, there won't be any danger in the ritual later, right?"
"No, don't worry about it,"
Bai Yan smiled.
He quickly brought four simple matchsticks and placed them at the corners of the table in front of him, and finally put a bowl of completely clean water in the center of the table.
"This is a very simple ritual, and the subject of this ritual is the 'Goddess of Justice' Fontaine."
"What kind of god is Fontaine? I've never heard of it," Sylve looked curiously at the table and felt that Professor Moriarty was really amazing.
Bai Yan started the ritual according to the steps recorded in the Demon Hunt Agency's book "Wrath of Justice". He calmly put a drop of blood into the water.
The clear water instantly became murky, dyed with a bright red color.
"Alright."
Bai Yan calmly took Sylve's fair little hand and gently placed it in a corner of the table, letting her fingers press down on one of the matchsticks.
Sylve blushed slightly, but didn't struggle, allowing Mr. Moriarty to hold her hand.
"Recite this ritual incantation. It will only work if you recite it yourself."
Bai Yan took out a piece of paper with some writing on it and placed it before Sylve with a smile.
"Oh, I see," Sylve nodded and began to recite with confusion.
"Our past has shaped our present, our choices have shaped our present, and so we share the same feelings. We will struggle and suffer together..."
Reading this, Sylve suddenly felt a tearing pain!
The location of the hand that was being held down sent the pain.
She instinctively wanted to scream with pain, but Mr. Moriarty covered her mouth and she couldn't make a sound.
"Don't make a sound."
His voice was very gentle.
Sylve felt that her hand holding the matchstick was in pain, too much pain. She had never experienced this kind of pain since childhood, and her body began to tremble along with it.
The girl desperately tried to move her hand away, but Bai Yan smiled and held her small hand tightly, making it impossible for Sylve to break free.
"Ow."
Sylve was sweating profusely and couldn't understand why. Why would Mr. Moriarty torture her like this? Could he be a pervert?
Suddenly, a sentence from Bai Yan made her spine chill.
"Didn't you break her hand bones? Sylve, why are you puzzled by this kind of pain?"
Bai Yan calmly explained, "This is just a small ritual that makes one feel empathy, Sylve. Remember, it's not me who's torturing you right now, the source of this pain is yourself."
Why does he know about this matter?
Did the blood come from her? The girl?
And this dreadful pain...
Sylve wanted to stand up, but couldn't break free. She could only speak with a trembling voice, "She cursed at me first, she cursed at my mother and called me a fatherless bastard. She even bit my hand..."
The teeth marks on the girl's palm had long been healed by her mother's released spell, but Bai Yan knew she was not lying about this, just hiding some facts.
He said slowly, "Why did she curse at you? Because you have been bullying her with your people for a long time, haven't you?"
Sylve fell silent for a moment, hesitating and enduring the pain before saying, "I just feel...I feel like she looks down on me. I get angry as soon as I see her. Besides, it's not just me, everyone in the class dislikes her. That's how it is with everyone."
"Even the teacher, the teacher also knows...but he turns a blind eye to it..."
Sweat trickled down her body as she felt a complicated mix of emotions, not understanding why Mr. Moriarty had brought up this matter.
He thinks I did something wrong, doesn't he?
So he wants to punish me.
Bai Yan suddenly released her hand, and Sylve instinctively pulled back her hand as the pain gradually subsided.
Her tears glistened as she cowered on the sofa, looking fearfully towards her mentor.
He sat there with a gentle smile on his face, his enigmatic gaze leaving people puzzled and curious.
For some reason, Sylve felt like she had experienced a similar situation before, but it seemed like it was just an illusion.
Bai Yan waved his hand, intending to delete the unexpected "improvisation" scene, but after some thought, he ultimately didn't act on it.
He wanted to see if Sylve would undergo any changes, as things would become bland otherwise.
"Sylve, let's end the lesson here for today."
After finishing what he had to say, Bai Yan got up and left.
"Tomorrow, we will continue."
Upon hearing this sentence, Sylve curled up on the sofa, trembling and saying nothing.
She found Mr. Moriarty to be extremely frightening.
It hurts so much.
Why did he have to interfere in this matter...
At night, Sylve sat on the bed and didn't sleep. She hugged a pillow, wanting to talk to her mother about tonight's events, but hesitated.
In the end, she still went.
And when she reached her mother's door, Sylve became hesitant again.
That man is really too scary. If she talked about what happened today, she would definitely be retaliated by him.
However, when she thought about the pain she experienced today, Sylve almost wet herself.
Suddenly, Lady Helen's voice rang out.
"Sylve, what are you doing outside?"
Sylve went inside and her mother immediately said:
"What did Mr. Moriarty do to you? He didn't...do that, did he?"
Lady Helen had a serious expression on her face. Even though she hoped her daughter could get along well with Mr. Moriarty, if he was the kind of asshole who would do such things on the first day, then it might be a different story...probably.
Sylve lowered her head and said, "Mother, the truth is actually like this..."
After listening to her daughter's words, Lady Helen was stunned for a moment, and nodded saying, "So that's it. Apologize to that classmate tomorrow and I will give you the money."
"You want me to apologize? Tomorrow?" Sylve was stunned.
Lady Helen looked serious and said, "Yes, and you must apologize sincerely, understand? I can tell that Mr. Moriarty cares a lot about the conduct of his students."
Sylve asked with a crying voice, "Mom, I'm really in pain and hurt today. Why didn't you comfort me first? I'm really scared of that person. He might torture me again tomorrow."
Lady Helen fell silent.
She knew that many exceptional individuals had mental issues, and the stronger the exceptional individual, the greater their differences with normal people in all aspects.
And Mr. Moriarty's "eccentricity" was obviously within a tolerable limit.
After a long time, Lady Helen said helplessly:
"Because that is the world of exceptional individuals, another world full of pain and death. And ultimately, you were the one who was wrong. It's okay, be a good child. As long as you sincerely apologize and make that girl forgive you, Mr. Moriarty will not punish you again."
PS1: We will start Free Book Promotion fro Volumes 1-8 (Chapters 1-293) on Amazon, from 2024/01/06 to 2024/01/10. Click here to check if the free book promotion has started (https://amzn.to/48nuQti). (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0C43X3C3T?binding=kindle_edition&ref=dbs_dp_rwt_sb_pc_tukn)
PS2: We have 23 ratings on Amazon now. Before 2024/01/15, if it reaches 30 ratings, we will start free ebook promotion for Volumes 9-12; if it reaches 40 ratings, we will start free ebook promotion for Volumes 9-16.
PS3: If you miss this chance, we will start new free book promotion three months later.
