"An interesting trick?"
Klein asked with great curiosity.
Old Neil chuckled and said:
"I'm going to do a round of the weapons, materials, and archives. You brew two cups of coffee using the two cups on the table, and put something 'bad' in one of them. You can decide what exactly — use your imagination. The only requirement is, don't waste too much coffee powder. I ground those myself from highland-grown coffee beans!"
"Sure." Although Klein didn't quite understand what Old Neil was planning, he agreed readily enough.
Watching the other man pull out a copper key and open the iron door of the weapon storehouse, hearing echoing footsteps within, he unhurriedly arranged the cups and confirmed there was hot water in the kettle.
Lifting the lid off the silver-inlaid tin canister, Klein used a small spoon with a metallic sheen to shake a spoonful of fragrant coffee powder into each cup, then poured in hot water and stirred with practiced ease.
As a transmigrator from an era of abundance, he wasn't a stranger to coffee, though his experience was limited to the instant variety.
After finishing all this, Klein thought for a moment, sat down, crossed his right leg, pinched a bit of dirt from the sole of his boot, and dropped it into the cup on the left.
Then he stirred carefully once more, until the two cups of coffee were virtually indistinguishable in both appearance and aroma.
A few minutes later, Old Neil came out of the weapon storehouse, jangling his keys, and slammed the iron door shut with a clang.
"All done." His slightly murky dark-red eyes swiveled toward Klein, who sat across the table.
"Done." Klein nodded.
Old Neil chuckled, unwound the silver chain from his wrist, and sat down.
His expression quickly turned solemn. He extended his left hand, holding the chain so the silver links hung straight down over the coffee cup to his right, the pure white crystal dangling just barely above the liquid.
In a wave of relaxing tranquility, the white crystal began to sway faintly of its own accord, carrying the silver chain in a gentle counterclockwise motion.
"This is the one with the 'bad' thing in it," Old Neil said with certainty.
Without waiting for Klein to confirm, he withdrew the chain, picked up the other cup of coffee, and took a sip:
"Do you like your coffee black? I'm used to adding milk, one spoonful at a time."
Klein didn't answer. Instead, he asked with keen interest:
"Your divination was remarkably accurate. Was it thanks to that white crystal? It is a white crystal, isn't it?"
"This is the pendulum method of divination, also called the spirit pendulum method. It relies on the connection between one's own astral body and the Spirit World and the stars, using certain natural materials that resonate with spirituality — crystals, gemstones, and special metals — to divine whether something is good or bad... Now, back to those two cups of coffee. A counterclockwise swing means bad, clockwise means good, and no movement means neither. You can also write events down on paper. Note: events, not questions." Old Neil set down his coffee cup and explained in detail.
Klein spoke as though mulling it over:
"So I shouldn't use interrogative sentences?"
"That's right. You can't use 'whether so-and-so is willing to be my fiancée' — you have to use 'so-and-so is willing to be my fiancée.' Write it on a piece of paper, lay it flat on the table, then hold the pendulum with your non-dominant hand. Note: your non-dominant hand," Old Neil said with a chuckle. "At this point, straighten your arm, adjust the length of the pendulum so the crystal hangs right above the paper, almost touching the event we've written about, then close your eyes and silently repeat the incantation seven times in your mind. When you're done, open your eyes and see whether the pendulum is turning. If it isn't, close your eyes again and repeat the process until there is movement."
Klein nodded slightly.
"Counterclockwise for 'no,' clockwise for 'yes'?"
"It can also be interpreted as unfavorable and favorable," Old Neil corrected, then proceeded to teach Klein the other uses and finer details of pendulum divination.
Klein turned it over in his mind several times and realized this was an extremely practical divination technique. For instance, upon arriving in an unfamiliar environment, one could use it to quickly confirm whether food was poisonous, without needing to additionally "purchase" skills like "Field Biology."
Of course, the form of this divination was too simple, yielding only two or three possible answers, making it impossible to conduct in-depth exploration or interpretation. For example, certain things might be harmful to the body in their raw state, yet after proper treatment could become highly beneficial. Or consider certain ingredients that do cause some harm to the human body, but not severe harm — when you're on the verge of starvation, eating them actually poses little real problem. None of these nuances could be judged by the pendulum method.
"I need to save up as soon as possible to buy crystal or pure silver to make a pendulum…" Klein sighed aloud.
Old Neil looked at him in surprise.
"You can simply apply for one. This falls under standard-issue equipment for Beyonders, especially support-type Beyonders like us. The armory still has a citrine pendulum and a pure silver pendulum."
"But I'm not exactly an official member of the team yet…" Klein's heart stirred, though he hesitated slightly.
Old Neil chuckled softly.
"When it comes to Beyonders, whether official members or not — since there's no pay raise, there have to be certain conveniences provided through other channels."
"Calling them 'perks' might be more fitting. I'll apply with the Captain right after this!" Klein clenched his fist in private resolve.
How could he know whether the Captain would agree if he didn't even try?
"Good," Old Neil said with a smile. "Let's begin the formal 'Mysticism lessons.' One of its foundations is called 'Symbolism.' Do you know what 'Symbolism' is?"
Klein recalled the fragments he had heard before, as well as what he had witnessed in the Spirit World and Above the Gray Fog, and chose his words carefully.
"Whether it's the Spirit World, the illusory starry sky, or those unknown domains — they all lie beyond the reach of our sensory world. They cannot be accurately described by the information our ears, noses, and eyes provide. All we can obtain are ineffable intuitive revelations and experiences, which then manifest externally as abstract symbols and graphic emblems. These symbols respectively represent different things with different meanings."