Over the next two days, Edward spent his time both actively playing the role of an astrologer to digest the final traces of the potion, and preparing for his return to the Harry Potter world.
According to his calculations, by the time he got back, it would be nearly Christmas. As for the Christmas gifts he planned to give everyone, Edward decided to purchase them all from the world of mysteries—after all, they counted as exotic souvenirs from his travels.
Dumbledore's gift was a set of potion ingredients for the next Sequence of the Mystery Pryer Pathway, along with a pair of fuzzy wool socks.
Harry Potter would receive 25 exorcism bullets, 25 purification bullets, and a brand-new revolver.
As for Snape's gift, Edward was still deliberating—should he ask Emlyn for some potions from the mystical world for Snape to study? Or...should he just go all in and give him the Apothecary's formula and ingredients?
He hadn't figured out what to get Grindelwald yet. Anything too mundane felt unworthy, but if he gave something with extraordinary power, he worried the former Dark Lord might stir up trouble.
Cedric's gift was a coin imbued with a touch of luck. Even though the plot had already veered far off course, who knew if he might still end up just as 'unlucky' as he had in the original story?
As for everyone else he had a decent relationship with, he had prepared gifts too—though most of those were more like straightforward "local specialities."
Upon learning that the Harry Potter world celebrated a major festival equivalent to New Year's, Audrey had also started bustling about, picking out gifts for her friends.
On Wednesday afternoon, Edward had just returned home from closing up his stall, cradling Lilith in his arms, when a woman clad in a simple robe and a bark-belted waist appeared before him.
It was the Servant of Concealment, Lady Arianna.
"Good afternoon, Lady Arianna."
"Good afternoon, Mr. Edward."
Arianna gave a slight nod and handed him a piece of parchment. "This is from the Lady."
Edward unfolded it—another shopping list. But this time, the contents were drastically different: several barrels of crude oil, a number of generators, various household electrical appliances, several tons of grain, wind power technology, solar power generation tech...
And the final item on the list made Edward's eye twitch: "Nuclear fission principles and related technologies."
The Evernight Goddess…what is she trying to pull?
Edward strongly suspected this list had been suggested by the God of Steam!
It seemed that due to his presence, the Evernight Goddess and the God of Steam and Machinery were likely entering a deeper phase of collaboration—otherwise, this list wouldn't be packed with so much tech and machinery.
At that moment, Arianna spoke softly, "The Lady's will is: do your best, no need to force it."
Edward drew the Night symbol over his chest. "Praise the Goddess."
"I'll be going then."
"Wait, my lady," Edward quickly called out. "I have a small, perhaps unreasonable request. Would you be willing to cooperate with me for a divination?"
She nodded slightly. "Certainly."
Edward took out his astrolabe and smiled gently. "What would you like to divine?"
Arianna thought for a moment, then looked at Lilith. "The first thing…I want to know what she's going to eat tonight."
Lilith, who had been sitting obediently, immediately lifted her head and stomped on Edward's chest with her little paw.
"Lilith, you can talk."
She immediately chirped, "I can just tell you what Miss Lilith is going to eat tonight!"
Edward chuckled. "Thank you, Lilith, but please allow me a chance to divine it anyway."
"Alright!"
Edward skillfully operated the astrolabe, then scratched Lilith's chin and turned to Arianna. "Lilith will start with some cat food tonight, then sneak out around midnight to catch two mice, and on her way back at dawn, she'll secretly snack on a dried fish treat."
Lilith immediately pouted. "Miss Lilith would never steal dried fish!"
Arianna gave a faint nod and spoke again:
"The second thing I wish to divine is…does hope still exist for the future?"
Edward froze. That kind of vague and obscure question was nearly impossible to divine.
He pondered for a moment, then tried again with the astrolabe. Unsurprisingly, the result was dim and muddled—in other words, divination failed.
But Edward acted as if he hadn't seen the result at all, and smiled gently. "The future will be full of hope. The road ahead will be smooth. Everything the Goddess hopes for…shall come true."
A rare hint of a smile appeared on her face.
"May the Goddess bless you."
"Thank you, my lady."
No sooner had the words left his mouth than Arianna's figure seemed to be erased by an invisible rubber.
And then, a wondrous, mysterious sensation surged through him—
He knew it.
The Astrologer potion had been fully digested.
Lilith was still staring at the spot where Arianna had vanished, her little face full of amazement. "Wow! That was so cool! Miss Lilith wants to learn that trick too!"
"Uh, that's a power from the Darkness pathway, Lilith. You can't—"
Halfway through, Edward suddenly remembered that the Darkness and Demoness pathways were half-neighbouring pathways, which meant switching between them was theoretically possible.
So he quickly changed his tune, "Once you advance to Sequence 7, maybe you'll have the chance to learn it."
"Yay!!"
One man and one cat walked along the street on their way home. Lilith lay obediently on Edward's shoulder, her sapphire-like eyes wide open, as if imagining what it would be like if she could also perform that "eraser disappearance trick."
"How's your Instigator potion digestion going, Lilith?"
She turned her head, looking a little disgruntled. "Just a little bit."
"Huh? But haven't you been running out every day to incite people?"
"Yep! Miss Lilith works very hard every day, but the results are just so-so."
Edward thought for a moment and more or less figured out the reason.
Because of his strict requirements, Lilith's instigation had always been quite mild—she only stirred up small quarrels and occasional scuffles. But thinking back to when Trissy played the role of the Instigator, she had incited the entire crew of the Alfalfa to slaughter each other in a bloodbath.
He stroked Lilith's little head and said, "Next time we go back, I'll take you out to sea and find you a ship full of pirates to incite. Then you can incite them however you like. That should help you digest the potion quickly."
"Okay~!"
She tilted her head, looking at Edward with curiosity and asked, "Edward, do you really want to advance to Sequence 7?"
"Of course."
"Why?"
"Because…then Miss Lilith might turn into a catgirl."
"What?"
"A catgirl, it means turning into a human."
"So?"
Lilith shook her head. "But Miss Lilith doesn't want to be human."
"Why not?"
"Because humans don't eat mice."
But she soon looked a little conflicted. "But if I become human, I can make mouse steak, mouse soup, and braised mouse noodles by myself…"
Edward: "…"
This little one's obsession with mice really is eternal.
———
With both the Madman and Astrologer potions fully digested and all the ingredients for Sequence 6 prepared, Edward decided to brew the potion for the "Bookworm" that very night!
Audrey arrived early upon hearing the news. As a newly advanced Psychiatrist, she had gained the mystical ability [Placate], and could offer support in case anything went wrong when Edward took the potion.
As night deepened, the crimson half-moon cast a thin red mist over all of Backlund, mysterious and dreamlike, as though the entire city had sunk into a fantasy.
——
[Empress Borough—Inside Edward's Rented Villa]
Edward took out a thoroughly cleaned cauldron and began adding the ingredients for the Scribe potion: a complete Asmann's Brain, a cursed object from an ancient wraith, 3 Diary Pages over 22 years old, 10 millilitres of Mercury, 10 drops of Honeysuckle Essential Oil and more—each ingredient added in precise order.
After stirring, these ingredients—which had been solid, liquid, and powdered—miraculously transformed into a mass of transparent liquid glittering with starlight. It emitted a faint spiritual radiance and stirred in Edward an overwhelming desire to drink it all in one gulp.
But he didn't.
Because this was only the Scribe potion, not the Bookworm one. One final ingredient was missing—the Beyonder characteristic of a Polymath.
Carefully, he dropped a prismatic gem into the cauldron. In an instant, the gem melted into a multicoloured liquid, merging with the starry potion.
Edward stirred once again, watching as the previously clear liquid took on a radiant, multicoloured sheen. The desire to drink it intensified.
Audrey, who had been holding her breath this entire time, finally couldn't help but whisper, "Is it ready?"
Edward flipped a coin and said calmly, "Drinking this potion, I'll be advancing to Sequence 6: Bookworm."
Clink—the coin landed in his palm, heads up. A clear affirmation.
"No problem."
He carefully poured the shimmering potion into a beaker, then looked at Audrey and smiled.
"Cheers!"
He raised the beaker and downed the potion in one swift motion.
The next second, his legs gave out and he collapsed onto the sofa.
He felt his brain expanding rapidly, grey folds and ridges multiplying at an alarming rate. At the same time, his body began to disintegrate into countless glowing cells.
These luminous cells surrounded his brain and slowly formed the shape of a "Door."
In the haze, Edward once again heard the familiar murmurs of Mr. Door, though they were faint and distorted—not nearly as clear as before. They reminded him of the indistinct 'Hornacis...Flegrea' whispers Klein had heard from Antigonus when taking the Seer pathway's potions—echoes of the high-level existences tied to the path.
He didn't know how long it took, but eventually, Edward regained control over his brain and cells and could feel his body once more.
At the same time, a flood of knowledge surged through his mind, and he immediately understood how to use the Scribe ability:
The mutated 'brain' replicates the mystical powers of a target, then directs specific activated cells to form corresponding symbols, patterns, and markings to store them.
This was: I came, I saw, I recorded—using the spirit as the pen, and the spiritual body as the paper!
For others, the process would end here—they would have successfully become a Sequence 6 Scribe.
But Edward's experiences didn't stop.
Suddenly, a kaleidoscope of starlight exploded before his eyes. The next moment, Edward found himself adrift in a vast starry sky. Before him stood that familiar glowing "door" he had seen many times before.
Without hesitation, Edward raised his hand and pressed it against the door—then pushed.
Creaaak—
This time, the door opened.
———
[Note]: Don't forget to VOTE. It keeps me motivated.