Chapter 183: A Lesson on Mediumship
After dinner, Klein engaged in small talk before reclining on the sofa.
He picked up the recently delivered Awwa Evening News and started
leisurely reading.
Benson wore a bitter expression as he sat opposite his sister. In front
of him was the dining table which had been wiped clean by Bella. On it
was grammar books, classic literature, accountancy notes, and other
materials. In front of Melissa were her notes and stationery, including
but not limited to pens, paper, rulers, compasses, etc.
"It's like I've been taken some ten years back. Back then, I was still a
student at the Church's Sunday school," Benson complained, but he
continued to study with his head down.
*That's not too bad. This scene makes me feel the achievement of being a
parent...* Klein smiled and said, "Knowledge can change one's
destiny, and diligence will result in glory."
*I made up the latter half of that saying. I wonder if Roselle has said
that before...* He lampooned in his heart.
The room quickly became quiet except for the sound of pens scratching
across pages or of books being flipped. Bella had finished doing the
dishes and tidied up the kitchen before returning to her room on the
first floor---a small room that was formerly the guest room.
Klein sipped on his Sibe black tea as he read the newspaper,
occasionally engaging in small talk with his siblings. It was relaxing.
Suddenly, the gas lamps in the living room and dining room turned dark
at the same time as if they had run out of fuel.
Benson and Melissa looked up towards the lamps, in an attempt to figure
out the cause.
Klein also looked towards the lamps.
At this moment, he felt something touch his arm.
He was the only living person in the living room, but something had
touched his arm!
His hair stood on end. Klein retracted his arm and turned to look over.
He saw five thin, pale fingers growing on the tip of a tongue.
Underneath them was an irregular row of sharp teeth!
Klein instinctively reached for his pockets. Within them were the
Requiem Charms and Slumber Charms. But he caught a glimpse of a neatly
folded piece of paper in the fingers' grasp.
A letter...
A messenger!
Klein heaved a sigh of relief.
At that moment, the five pale fingers prodded his arm again.
Klein saw Melissa about to stand up and check on the gas lamp. He
reached out with his left hand and grabbed the letter, then he quickly
retracted his arm and hid the letter under the stack of newspapers on
the table.
He then saw the fingers, tongue, and the irregular row of sharp teeth
fade away and disappear from the corner of his eyes.
With a thought, Klein tapped his left molar and silently activated his
Spirit Vision.
He once again saw the five abnormally thin fingers. He saw the long red
tongue adorned with sharp, white teeth. He saw them retracting back into
the transparent face on the ground.
A second later, the face disappeared completely. The lights in the
living room and dining room were restored back to normal.
"Strange..." Melissa pouted, finding no faults with the lamps even after
a serious check.
*Why is the lady in our house responsible for such things, while the men
watch from the side?* Klein shook his head and deactivated his
Spirit Vision.
When spirits were willing to be seen and had the corresponding
abilities, even an ordinary person could spot them. What happened just
now was an example.
After discussing the problem with the gas lamps, the Moretti siblings
became quiet once again. Benson and Melissa once again delved into the
ocean of knowledge.
Klein used the newspaper as a cover and unfolded the letter with one
hand. He placed the paper between the newspapers and started reading the
reply from Spirit Guide Daly, "...I have to emphasize again, I prefer
the title of Spirit Medium.
"I'm going to give you an positive response regarding what you asked.
Yes, mediumship rituals can also be used on living beings, not just
living humans.
"But this is troublesome and poses some level of danger. The souls left
behind by the dead are pure. They have few impurities or chaotic
thoughts. We can communicate with them, asking them questions and
receiving answers without any barriers. Of course, you can use the
method of dream divination to directly receive images from them.
"But that cannot be replicated with living humans. The subject still has
a will and would fight against unprotected communication between souls."
Klein's lips twitched when he read the letter. He confirmed that it was
Daly herself who wrote this letter.
*Unprotected communication... That really is the way she
speaks...*
Klein returned to the letter after taking a quick glance at his
siblings.
"We only have two methods when faced with such a situation. First, we
can use our powerful spirituality and sophisticated mediumship rituals
to triumph over the will of the other person, engaging in a barbaric
method of communication. Second, we can use medication to make the other
party relax. What I use the most are the Amantha essence and Eye of the
Spirit medication. Heh heh, I'm sure that you still have a lingering
impression of those.
"After reaching the stage of channeling the soul, you must take note
that you're also in a spiritual state, unlike when you're communicating
with the souls left behind by the dead. In simpler terms, your
spirituality is entering the spirituality world of the other party.
"Take note, a professional Spirit Medium wouldn't lack the means of
protecting themselves under such a state. But you cannot do that. You
would not be able to learn or use the techniques that I know of even if
I explained them to you.
"So you have to maintain a certain level of lucidity and rational
thought. Only through this method can you fight back against the
torrents of the other party's random and chaotic thoughts before
arriving before his spirit and establishing communication. At this
point, you'll be communicating at the level of the Body of Heart and
Mind.
"At this stage, you have two options. One is to use a technique to
forcefully read the memories of the other party, but you have to be very
careful, for you cannot be sure if the things you're reading are the
things that you want to know. If you indiscriminately receive a large
amount of memories from a person, it's very likely that your soul would
collapse. Furthermore, it will cause severe damage to your target's
soul, sometimes even destroying them completely. Unless you're a
professional Spirit Medium, I do not suggest using this method.
"The second option is to gently communicate with the other party's Body
of Heart and Mind. No matter how you entered, whether it be through
violence or medication, the target will definitely be in a groggy state.
They would generally not be able to lie, just like you couldn't... no,
you cannot recall what happened to you! Although I know you've
definitely forgotten about it!"
Sorry, Madam Daly, I was very awake back then... Klein
chortled inwardly as he lowered his gaze and read the rest of the
letter.
"Such communication can allow you to obtain real answers, but they won't
necessarily all be the truth. You should understand what I mean. As long
as you read the news, you must have heard Emperor Roselle's famous
quote. I don't remember the actual quote, but the essence of the quote
is that what one says shall be the truth, the whole truth and nothing
but the truth. In short, a spirit might not remember everything because
a lot of memories are in one's subconscious or collectively be in the
subconscious. Oh, I shouldn't mention that. Dunn calls it the evil
theories of the Psychology Alchemists.
"Thus, you must be able to guide the soul and be good at designing your
questions, do you understand? The corresponding techniques include...
"These are all under normal circumstances. What should we pay attention
to when we're trying to communicate with the soul of a Beyonder who has
gone insane?
"It's the same---maintaining your lucidity. You must not fall into a
daze at all. This is because a Beyonder's spirituality is very potent
and their spirit is filled with chaotic thoughts. Let me give an
example. An ordinary person's consciousness is an island. The
subconscious is the portion of the sea beneath the island. The
collective subconscious is the surrounding sea. The sky belongs to the
spirit world. As for a Beyonder, his 'island' might have a controllable
active volcano. A lunatic's island might have a volcano that can erupt
at any time. It would quake the foundations and pollute the 'sea.'
"When you come into unprotected contact with the spirit of an insane
person, his chaotic thoughts might infect you, just like how polluted
water in the sea would flow outward, spreading further.
"Yes, channeling his spirit under such conditions is like linking your
'sea' to his; thus, you need to pay close attention to this pollution.
"A few examples are when a Spirit Medium is careless when doing similar
things and didn't use any protection. After that, they can develop
mental problems similar to that of the target.
"Under normal circumstances, mental diseases are not contagious. But in
the domain of mysticism, in the world of channeling spirits, they can
indeed be contagious.
"Maintaining your lucidity and not being affected by the chaotic
thoughts of the target are things that you must pay attention to.
Following those would be the guided questions, which can be used to
effectively communicate with an insane person.
"If you wish to try this, I suggest applying a Serenity Agent before
doing so. The corresponding formula is available behind Tingen City's
Chanis Gate. There's also the formulated product. It can be effective in
helping you maintain rational thought during the process.
"Of course, you can also get Dunn to apply for help from the Backlund
diocese. I'm very willing to see the spirituality state of an insane
Sequence 7 Psychiatrist."
*Lucidity and rational thought... That's my expertise. I maintained
lucidity and rational thought even when my soul was being channeled...
Of course, I'm not someone who lets confidence get to my head. I'll
still apply for the Serenity Agent, Amantha extract, and Eye of the
Spirit medication!* Klein heaved a sigh of relief, a little
eager to make the attempt.
He put down his newspaper and stood up. He then entered the bathroom and
ignited the letter with his spirituality before tossing the ashes into
the toilet bowl and flushing them.
That night, Klein once again tried the ritual for summoning himself and
brought the Flaring Sun Charm back to the physical world and into his
room.
He also didn't receive Mr. Azik's letter even though he had expected a
swift reply.
*Perhaps he needed some time to recall the knowledge... or perhaps, he's
not free to give a reply for now... Or perhaps he's worried that he
would interrupt my sleep.* Klein dispelled the wall of
spirituality as he speculated. He made his way to the bed.
The following day, Tuesday morning.
Klein entered the Blackthorn Security Company and knocked on the door to
the Captain's office as usual.