“Heh… impressive, Miss Mayschoss. Your poise grows ever more exceptional,” Aldrich chuckled warmly as he pocketed the money Dorothy had handed over. Meanwhile, Dorothy kept a stoic face, internally grumbling.
“How could I not be straightforward when there’s no room for negotiation with you?”
“Please wait a moment. I’ll jot down the knowledge you’ve paid for.” Aldrich set aside the feather duster he’d been holding and leisurely walked over to the desk. Taking a sheet of paper, he began writing quickly.
Aldrich’s pen moved swiftly across the page, and in less than ten minutes, he was done. Once the ink had dried, he folded the paper neatly and slipped it into an envelope he pulled from his pocket. Dorothy sat quietly nearby, watching the entire process.
“Divination... what matters most isn’t the technique but the materials. These basic divination methods don’t involve profound mystical knowledge, so there’s no risk of cognitive poison contamination here. You can rest assured,” Aldrich said as he handed the envelope to Dorothy.
Dorothy accepted it, feeling somewhat disappointed.
“No poison, huh... so there’s nothing mystic about it. Guess that means no harvesting spirituality either.”
After repeated experiments, Dorothy had come to understand she might be immune to the dangers of cognitive poison. For her, the stronger the poison within knowledge, the deeper its mysticism value, and thus, the greater the spirituality she could gain.
The absence of mind-poison in this material left her disheartened. “Figures… anything under 100 pounds is just going to be cheap junk,” she thought as she tucked the envelope away.
“By the way, sir, I’ve been curious—how exactly does one ‘corrupt’ another in the field of mysticism?”
Her inquiry stemmed from the intelligence she had extracted from the Crimson Eucharist. From that, she had learned they sought to corrupt her, presumably to corrupt Gregor through her. She felt it was necessary to understand the meaning of such corruption.
“Corruption…” Aldrich pondered briefly before replying, “Ten pounds for a consultation fee.”
Without hesitation, Dorothy handed over the money. Aldrich took it with a grin and began explaining.
“In mysticism, ‘corruption’ is a broad concept. Generally, it refers to the process by which a subject undergoes mental and physical changes due to the influence of another entity or environment. The term may vary depending on who’s applying the influence. Some don’t like how ‘corruption’ sounds and instead use terms like ‘sanctification’ or ‘purification.’ But no matter the name, the core idea remains the same. Personally, I prefer calling it ‘pollution.’”
“In the realm of beyond, various societies enjoy employing different methods to corrupt individuals they wish to bring into their fold.”
After Aldrich finished, Dorothy pondered for a moment before continuing with her questions.
“Then, for a society aligned with the ‘Chalice,’ what methods of corruption might they use?”
As expected, Aldrich responded immediately: “Ten pounds.”
Dorothy silently handed over more money. After collecting it, Aldrich elaborated.
“For large-scale ‘Chalice’ societies, such as the Afterbirth Cult, they possess a wide range of methods involving highly sophisticated mysticism. I don’t know the exact details, but smaller societies typically rely on two primary methods: drug control and cognitive poison’s allure.”
“Drug control… and cognitive poison’s allure…” Dorothy murmured, prompting Aldrich to nod and continue.
“Indeed. First, drug control. All forms of spirituality possess multi-faceted meanings—material, mental, and conceptual. The ‘Chalice’ represents flesh and vitality on a material level, and on a mental level, it symbolizes the boundless desires inherent in living beings. Among these, appetite is key.”
“Using this characteristic of ‘Chalice’ spirituality, some societies can craft addictive substances using small amounts of spirituality. When ordinary people consume these substances, they experience a heightened hunger and develop a dependency on them. The more they consume, the stronger the dependency becomes. Prolonged use can incapacitate even extraordinary individuals.
“These societies often mix such substances into everyday food, distributing them to unsuspecting victims. The addicts, in turn, become entirely dependent on the provider for access to the substance, allowing the society to gradually control them.”
As Aldrich spoke, Dorothy was momentarily stunned.
“This… this is practically drug trafficking! So, these ‘Chalice’ societies not only eat people but also engage in drug trade? No wonder they’re the top priority on the Serenity Bureau’s blacklist.”
“And what about cognitive poison’s allure?” Dorothy quickly followed up, and Aldrich explained further.
“Ah, cognitive poison’s allure isn’t limited to ‘Chalice’ societies. You’re already familiar with cognitive poison—the inherent toxicity in mystical knowledge that damages the reader’s psyche to varying degrees.”
“Sometimes, lighter damage manifests as an insatiable curiosity for more knowledge of that spirituality. You’ve likely experienced this. Even with sufficient protection, reading mystical knowledge can leave you with an unhealthy craving to delve deeper into that specific field of mysticism.”
Dorothy nodded silently, and Aldrich went on.
“This is a sign of being eroded by cognitive poison. A damaged psyche makes individuals increasingly obsessed with learning more about that particular spiritual realm. Gradually, they succumb to madness from the accumulating poison, yet they can’t stop themselves. In the end, they’re driven insane, to death, or to losing control entirely.”
Aldrich’s voice carried a strange undertone as he gazed wistfully out the window at the sky.
“The allure of poison is far more dangerous than drugs. Countless brilliant Beyonders have fallen to it, unable to resist its pull.”
Pausing briefly, he added, “For example, a highly advanced mystical manuscript might require meticulous measures and three years of slow, page-by-page reading. The reader would need to carefully clear the poison while gradually absorbing the knowledge.”
“But if they fail to resist the allure and read it too quickly, the rapid accumulation of poison will drive them to insanity…”
“Heh… there’s no telling how many talented Beyonders have met their end this way.”
As Aldrich spoke, he stared at the sky with an inexplicable expression, as though lost in distant memories.
Watching him, Dorothy felt a sudden sense of unease.
“This old man… seems far more extraordinary than he lets on…”