Shepherd Tantra

Chapter 374 Ritual: Centipede’s Steps
Did Aiwass really need to use the ritual to identify the suspect?

In fact, it's not needed.

When he heard Captain Camus propose "copying copies of documents," he had already identified the suspect in his mind.

The logic is very simple.

Because the document handed over to Captain Camus was not a "top-secret diplomatic letter" whose contents were unknown to everyone, but "substantial evidence" that everyone already knew the contents.It was the letter they originally intercepted from the spy.

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

Even though Her Majesty the Queen had warned against further publicity about this matter, the Chief Secretary to the Lord of the Admiralty asked Captain Camus to make a copy...

This actually exposed the attitude of the Admiralty Minister.

To put it simply, Her Majesty the Queen's attitude towards the Round Table Hall was to conceal this matter.Then it is very likely that the letter will "accidentally disappear" or "replace the content".The disappearance or abandonment of this letter is what the royal family wants.

In this case, it is needless to say that we are doing business in a formal manner, following procedures, and just in case...it is actually to cause trouble for someone.

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

This is another important detail.

What will happen in the end if this matter gets bigger and continues to ferment?

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

He will definitely argue with reason and explain that he did not see anyone - he will repeatedly emphasize that in his capacity as a "hunter", he did not see anyone passing by the stairs during the whole process.

In other words, either the thief quietly entered through the window, took the things and then left, or he was able to hide from the keen sense of the third-level hunter, force his way into his house and steal important things.

But things are lost after all.If it's lost, it's lost.

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

First, these new generation of extraordinary people on the “non-authoritarian path” lack the necessary obedience and discipline and are unable to hold important positions.

Secondly, hunters who have reached the third level are still of little use and cannot even detect something stolen.The power of these "extraordinary people on other paths" other than the path of "authoritarianism, dedication, and balance" that are encouraged under the "Sophia Policy" does not have the necessity to be worthy of encouraging development.

As a result, the ministers authorized by Queen Sophia will face the new generation of military officers born as a result of the "Sofia Policy".If Aiwass does not attack, it means that he will suffer the loss in silence; if Aiwass attacks, they can lead this matter to the legacy of the "Sophia Policy" left during the Queen's reform. .

If you push back from the direction of the winner, you will naturally know who is behind the scenes.

——They must be those knights on the authoritarian path.

Do you still need to use rituals to track down the identity of the thief, and then slowly follow the clues to investigate?
No need at all.

As long as you know who is the mastermind behind it, it doesn't matter who did it.

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

Aiwass can become one of the few friends recognized by Sherlock, not just because he knows some miscellaneous knowledge that is temporarily unavailable... After all, being knowledgeable and being smart 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 objects is bound to fail.

The person who stole the thing must have taken precautions against divination, or had already gotten rid of it.Once it changes hands too many times and is contaminated by too many people's atmosphere and finding-object rituals, it will be difficult to find the lost item.

Aiwass had no interest in being led around the city like a dog by true or false clues and being laughed at.

——Since the clues are likely to be erased.

It's better to just create the evidence yourself.

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

A bottle of sage essential oil, a bottle of clary sage essential oil, a small portion of kitten foot fuzz, snake skin ointment, and moth scale powder.There was also the snake venom ointment refined by Yulia that Lily had not used in the previous battle, and the blood of Aiwass that was added to Lily's magic power.

These are all materials Aiwass collected, purchased or made last night.

The essential oils are freshly purchased from “The King”.Moth scale powder is a commonly used ritual material... but it is not easy to find kitten hair clippings.

As for the snake skin ointment, it is a typical therapeutic ointment made for the road.It requires using descaled snake skin, slowly roasting it over a slow fire, adding some herbs that stop bleeding and promote muscle growth, and finally boil it into a bowl of thick black soup.Then let it cool and dry in a cool place, grind it into powder, mix it with sesame oil and honey, and stir it into a paste, which can be stored for a long time.

Such a plaster can be used to stop bleeding and build muscle... Of course, the effect is definitely not as good as the alchemical mixture and the witch's potion.Only extraordinary people who are adapted to the path can enjoy the full effect.Adventurers and archaeologists traveling in remote areas far from towns 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 own dark attribute mana into each of them, and then poured the three bottles of liquid in front of his eyes, letting them flow into three pools of liquid and gradually blend together.

He believed that Captain Camus must not be able to 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.A layer of gray haze enveloped the pupils.

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 [-] and below will be disrupted.

If anyone probed Aiwass's use of rituals over the duration, they would see the "false behavior" 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 happened?"

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 of the 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."

(End of this chapter)