Chapter 6: Black Tech?
[Divination (LV1): A rudimentary occult trick that requires only some simple props to cast. It yields little useful answers, but it also does not incur terrible consequences. Continue studying to increase skill level.]
Lloyd quickly checked the description of his newly acquired skill, and noticed another additional supplementary note below the main body text:
"The intertwining of Illusion and reality is the world you touch."
Ugh...
Is that it? Couldn't they have fleshed out the content a bit more?
Just as Lloyd was complaining inwardly, he suddenly felt an itch in his head, as if his brain were about to grow.
Then, a simple set of divination techniques appeared in his mind.
Roughly speaking, one first finds a medium, such as a pencil or a coin, then activates the skill, repeatedly chanting the question in one's mind, and finally spins the pencil or tosses the coin to obtain the answer to a true-false question or the direction at a fork in the road.
It probably had a 55% accuracy rate?
This effect could hardly be called completely useless; it was barely better than nothing.
However, Lloyd couldn't really be called disappointed. After all, this skill had come quite easily, and it was only at LV1, leaving massive room for future improvement.
If only he had been able to learn this back on Earth, his soft pities wouldn't have been skewed so miserably...
Lloyd muttered inwardly, stood up, and left the library.
Although it was already 8:00 PM, the people in the library were even more numerous than during the day, making Lloyd actually the first to leave.
In fact, staying overnight was permitted here; one simply needed to rent a dormitory, which would add insult to injury for his already tight income.
But Lloyd's situation was different. He still had a sister at home to keep company, and so as not to make her worry, he had to return early.
When he came over in the morning, it had taken him over two hours of tossing and turning, but fortunately, the trip back wouldn't be nearly that slow.
According to the manual, this place was equipped with an "Advanced Next-Generation All-Domain All-Weather Multi-Purpose Multi-Functional Subway Network," painstakingly built by pouring massive resources into it by another faction among the Three Great Tribunals—the Divine Grace Tribunal.
It utilized a vast array of cutting-edge technologies and was renowned for being safe, efficient, convenient, fast, and user-friendly. It was the most brilliant jewel in the crown of industry, currently undergoing trial operations where people could experience it for free simply using their identity cards.
It sounded impressive anyway, making Lloyd eager to try it out.
"The current technological level of this world still relies on steam engines and flintlock guns, and even electricity hasn't been widely popularized. Yet they can actually build a subway? It seems the Order masters a lot of black tech that transcends the era..."
Muttering softly to himself, Lloyd followed the manual's guidance and found the Sector 18 "subway station."
It didn't look like the subway stations in his memories; there were no flashy advertisements or bustling crowds, only a rather low cave entrance that looked pitch black inside, somewhat resembling a bomb shelter.
A Cleric in black was on guard outside. Seeing Lloyd approach, he first checked his identity card, then said:
"New here? Then I'll demonstrate the operation for you."
With that, he led Lloyd into the pitch-black bomb shelter.
The interior was dark and humid, with the surrounding walls all damp and glowing with only faint lights for illumination. A hard-to-describe, faint, fishy stench lingered in the air.
Whether due to the lighting or not, Lloyd kept feeling as though the surrounding walls were alive, slowly writhing...
Anyway, it looked nothing like a subway station from his impression, and much more like the esophagus of some giant beast!
Not far into the cave, the two arrived at a relatively open and bright "platform." Hanging from the ceiling were sacks resembling pitcher plants—they were greenish, the size of an adult human, possessed a distinctly meat-packing-plant aesthetic, and looked rather creepy...
"Where are you going?"
The Cleric asked, pulling a map of the City of Brilliance from his coat.
"White Rose Avenue."
"Hmm... We don't have an outpost there. How about the neighboring Old Oak Street? It's not far."
The Cleric put down the map, reached out to grab an iron chain, and dragged a pulley to pull one of the sacks right in front of the two of them.
He then bent two fingers and reminded him:
"Remember this frequency."
With that, he tapped the surface of the sack a few times, producing a muffled sound like tapping on plastic.
The sack automatically split open an aperture, like a pitcher plant opening its mouth.
"Alright, get in."
"Wait... Isn't this a bit different from the 'subway' I imagined?"
"Don't be afraid, it's very safe. You'll get used to it after riding a few times."
Without waiting for objections, the Cleric shoved Lloyd into the sack and pulled the opening shut from the outside.
The inside turned out to be clean and refreshing, with nothing slimy; seats were even provided so one didn't have to stand the whole way; ventilation was decent too, with no strange odors. The only problem was visibility was extremely poor, making it completely impossible to see what was happening outside.
"Are you ready? It's about to start accelerating!"
Lloyd heard the Cleric's voice come from outside.
The next second, he felt a strong push against his back, his vision went black, and a wave of dizziness washed over him.
About ten minutes later, a black wardrobe standing in the corner suddenly swung its doors open and "spat" Lloyd out from within.
"Cough, cough, cough, cough, cough!"
Lloyd went into a fit of dry coughs. Wobbling precariously, he nearly collapsed onto the ground. His ears were ringing, and he felt as though his soul had detached from his physical body, causing him to miss the system prompt entirely.
[Ding ~ Madness Value +50, Skill Fragment +1]
Fortunately, someone nearby pulled him to his feet in time.
"First time?"
The person asked, kindly handing over a tissue.
"Cough, cough!"
It took a good while for Lloyd to recover and stand straight. He realized he had arrived inside a modest little church.
Standing nearby was a smiling Order pastor whose uniform was somewhat similar to Lloyd's, except it was white, and the style was closer to a traditional robe.
"Where is this..."
"The Brilliant Church on Old Oak Street. Your Tribunal folks prefer to call it an 'outpost'."
"Thank you for your help. My name is Lloyd, a newly appointed Enforcer today."
"My name is Mad, a psychological therapist. Welcome to our big family. May your future be brilliant, and feel free to come find me anytime if you need anything in the future."
"Thank you, may the Radiant Light be with you always."
Lloyd exchanged a few pleasantries with Pastor Mad, and by then his body had recovered enough for him to take his leave.
Stepping out of the small church for a look, it was indeed the familiar Old Oak Street, just a few hundred meters away from his home.
Counting the time spent earlier, it took only 20 minutes to get home—much faster than a normal commute.
When he and his sister had first moved here, Lloyd never would have imagined it turned out to be prime real estate "near the subway station."