The Secret Cult Chronicles of the Decaying Lake Manor

【Breaking the Curtain, Candlelight [Enlightenment]】

[Nature/Appearance: Candle 4, Path]

I hear crystal-clear songs resonating within my mind; my eyes crave knowledge, my brain needs inspiration, and I need to be as bright as light.

【当前道途特有效果：1.消耗灵性获得身体素质或更多的精神增强；2.仪式与鍊金术获得加成；3.获得超凡强化(理智/激情卡牌+1，当前为理性）；4.灵性可以附加「烛」準则的力量对灵体或具有特定準则的生物造成额外伤害；5.在梦域第一重「浅梦层」获得感知加成与逗留时间延长，增加接触梦域第二重「映梦层」中「神智之梦」的契机。】

I understand now.

George felt a warmth flow through his body and mind, and the "spiritual spark" within him seemed to become purer and stronger.

He looked at the fifth effect added after the promotion—the improvement in dream perception and dwell time, as well as the opportunity to access the "Dream Reflection Layer".

This card table... ultimately has its limitations.

George keenly realized that when thinking about the changes brought about by the promotion, his thoughts jumped and made associations much faster, and his senses were also significantly enhanced.

While the card table clearly demonstrates the main abilities and effects, it doesn't mention some more subtle changes in perception and thinking.

From another perspective, the fact that the "golden finger" didn't encompass everything actually relieved him.

If the cheat code is too much like a wheelchair, wouldn't the user's subjectivity and creativity seem superfluous?

The next second he noticed that the cooldowns of the two [Rationality] cards and one [Passion] card on the table had all been cleared, and they were once again glowing with a warm light.

This means he now has two [Rationality] cards and one [Passion] card available—a direct bonus from the promotion.

Which book should we analyze next?

There are still three books on the Viscount's reading list that need to be dealt with.

George left the card table and lay back in bed, but he couldn't fall asleep.

Besides the interpretation of the book, the image of the seven fairies pouring five kinds of "darkness" into the dry well in the dream still lingers in my mind.

If the dream he just had aligns with his thoughts, it's because he came into contact with the second layer of the dream realm. In that case, the dream is not an ordinary nightmare, but rather carries a revelation about his own situation.

Those "five distinct darknesses" and the "five sources of darkness" that Elliott perceived in his dream likely share the same origin.

Finally, George, with his mind preoccupied, couldn't stay in bed any longer.

He simply got up, put on his coat, grabbed a candle, and headed towards the makeshift alchemy room on the third floor.

The books are all stored there, so why not go get them now and make a decision on the spot?

The corridor seemed exceptionally long in the dead of night, and the candlelight in my hand cast only a small, pale yellow halo around my feet.

George's footsteps were almost silent on the thick carpet; he could hear his heart pounding—he couldn't tell if it was excitement or something else.

He stopped in his tracks as he passed the heavy door on the second floor leading to the Viscount's study.

There was movement inside—the sound of pages turning, or the rustling of clothes against the back of a chair.

George held his breath and leaned closer, pressing his ear against the door to listen for a few seconds.

There was complete silence, but he knew he hadn't misheard.

He gripped the cold copper handle and slowly pressed down.

The door opened silently, a crack.

The study was dark, but he could vaguely see a slender figure standing beside the desk.

This is... Sybil?

She was holding a thick book when she heard the door open. She turned around abruptly, a clear look of panic flashing across her face.

But as George opened the door, her expression quickly turned slightly tired and helpless.

"George, you're not asleep either?"

George took two steps closer and shone the candlelight on his sister's face.

Her face was still somewhat pale, with faint bluish shadows under her eyes, but her eyes were unusually bright.

"Hmm, I was just about to go to the third floor. I thought the Night's Watch hadn't been watching the island properly," George said calmly, his gaze sweeping over the book in her hand.

"The Genealogy and Study of Norse Mythology" was a very ordinary book on the Viscount's bookshelf.

He asked casually, "But you, why are you still here so late?"

Sybil's fingers, which were holding the book to her chest, were gripping the spine of the book.

"I...I have insomnia." She lowered her eyes. "I want to find a book to read."

The explanation was reasonable enough, but George noticed that the spot where she was standing next to her father's desk wasn't convenient for reaching for books.

But now is clearly not the time to get to the bottom of things.

"Insomnia? Then you should get some rest even more," George gently advised. "Reading will only make you more energetic."

He stepped forward, gently took the book from her hand, and placed it back on the desk.

"Tomorrow I'll try to use what I learned in Eddingburg to think of a solution. Now, go to sleep."

Sybil's lips moved as if she wanted to say something, but in the end she just nodded.

"Okay... thank you."

Her voice sounded somewhat softer than usual.

She glanced at George, a fleeting, complex emotion in her eyes, then quickened her pace and left the study.

George stood there, watching her figure disappear into the shadows around the corner of the corridor.

He then closed the study door and began to look around the room to inspect the furnishings.

He didn't believe his sister's explanation.

Insomnia? With so much happening at the manor these past few days, insomnia is certainly not surprising. But the younger sister sneaking into her father's study late at night might not have been just to find a book to help her sleep.

However, after searching around, he didn't find anything unusual.

Am I just overthinking things?

George left the study with doubts, noted the matter down, and continued to the third floor.

The alchemy room waited quietly for him.

He opened the door, placed the candle on the table, and took out the rest of the books.

The remaining choices: "A Critique of Phototaxis", "Where Do We Belong?", and "A Pilgrimage in Pursuit of Radiance".

George's gaze slowly swept across their covers, and the seven fairies and five dark scenes from his dream resurfaced.

Is there some direct connection between the boiling darkness in the dry well, the source of danger he once sensed at the bottom of the lake, and even the deep shadow still shrouding the manor at this moment?

"Five kinds of darkness"... This number is by no means accidental.

He needs to understand the nature of this "darkness".

He picked up the book with the dark green cover, "Where Do We Belong, Volume One".

[Where Do We Belong, Volume One]

[Nature/Appearance: Abyss, Speech, Books]

[A hidden register of deities, its contents straddling mythology and historical research. This is one volume in a series of books, discussing the primordial gods of the "five unknown manifestations."]

When he had skimmed through the book before, he remembered that it discussed "the Void Sources"—those beings that do not bring light and order, but represent the unknown, chaos, and abyss.

Therefore, he decided to analyze this book first.

George sat down at the table, his consciousness sinking into the card table. He waved his hand and summoned a [Rationality] card, placing it over [Where Do We Belong, Volume One].

Blue light mingled, and words unfolded slowly in my consciousness like silver threads.

"All men must die; they will go on to the underworld and never return." This is how the book begins.

"Never clear, never forgotten, only the unknown can embrace everything, in that wondrous world even death itself is lost—this is the origin of the illusory gods."