Chapter 12

Detective Spyro Hamilton, who had passed away, had taken on a rather challenging case about half a year ago. The Baron of Tobask, who resided in the city, had commissioned the detective to find a missing maid. The maid had served the baron's family for many years and had resigned on her own initiative a few days prior.

The baron had sent his butler with gifts to invite the maid back, only to discover that she had disappeared. Although the baron had a certain social status, he was not the maid's family, and he seemed to have little trust in the police. Therefore, he had commissioned multiple detectives to conduct the investigation.

Detective Spyro was not a famous detective; his usual commissions were trivial matters such as investigating infidelity. This time, a nobleman had come to him because of a referral from an old client.

Spyro Hamilton took this matter very seriously, even though the baron was a significant figure that ordinary citizens could not easily access. He investigated with great dedication and, in the spring of this year, spent a month following various clues to find an abandoned sanatorium by the Oser River, and concluded that this was the cause of the missing person case.

"This sanatorium was abandoned about thirty years ago. At that time, I was just a child, and I heard my family mention it."

Local resident Bill Schneider introduced, pointing to the buildings that were gradually becoming clearer in the distance. Although the outskirts of the city were still shrouded in a thin mist, the clock tower next to the main building and the spires and cross-shaped decorations on the roof were already visible.

"At that time, the royal family instructed the Tobask City Hall to re-plan the city to accommodate the large influx of people and the development of steam industry. The policy at the time was to move hospitals and other infrastructure to the city center, while factories were moved to the outskirts. This place was originally a noble sanatorium, and I hope you understand what I mean—it was for the very important people we can't even imagine. In response to the call, the sanatorium was completely relocated from Tobask City to a nearby city, which is only a half-hour train ride away and is more convenient.

Therefore, this sanatorium was abandoned, and even homeless people wouldn't stay here. This area is desolate, and if someone died, no one would know."

The surroundings were large fields and wastelands, and the nearest rural town was an hour's walk away. There was a manor and a horse stable nearby, belonging to a certain earl. During the horse racing season, people would use the road they were walking on as a track, but there was no one around now.

Although the industrial development of this era was rapid, the traces of the steam age were only visible in large cities. Away from the city, everything seemed to be regressing to the past, and Shad understood the meaning of this.

The two soon followed the path to the abandoned sanatorium. The doctor did not mention the name of the place, as it was not important.

From the outside, the walls had completely peeled off, and all the windows and doors were missing. However, the sanatorium's fence was still standing, though the courtyard inside was almost as desolate as the wasteland outside, with no trace of the former garden.

The tall buildings and spires stood in the wilderness, and the only thing that hinted at the past prosperity was the decoration on the fence gate.

"Follow me, and I'll explain as we walk."

The doctor said, kicking open the rusted fence gates. The gates crashed to the ground, startling the birds in the nearby woods.

Even at the edge of the city, the fog had only dissipated slightly. The sky was overcast, and Shad regretted not bringing an umbrella.

The two walked into the courtyard of the sanatorium, their boots crunching through the tall grass:

"By 'ring mage,' we mean that we possess the 'Wheel of Destiny.'"

The doctor said, looking around and leading Shad to the main entrance of the building.

"Wheel of Destiny?"

"Time, age, fate, era, civilization, and the world have forged this wheel, symbolizing ourselves. Pay attention! I will show you the complete Wheel of Destiny, not just a part. Watch carefully—"

The doctor, walking through the tall grass, slightly spread his arms, palms up, as if holding something, with his hands raised to shoulder level.

Everything behind him became hazy, as if covered by a layer of white mist. However, the doctor himself remained unchanged, with only a faint smile on his face.

Then, Shad suddenly heard the sound of a train whistle and its echo in the empty, abandoned courtyard.

"What?"

He hurriedly looked around in the waist-high grass, and his skin gradually began to feel heat.

Turning around, he saw that what was behind the doctor was not mist, but steam. The scalding steam, which inexplicably made him shudder, seemed to blur distance and space, making everything behind the doctor appear blurred.

In the steam, a large black shadow was approaching, and the steam behind the doctor seemed to contain infinite space and time.

The whistle roared, and the steam exploded. The black shadow grew closer, and the wind pressure from its high speed made the doctor's clothes, the grass in the courtyard, and Shad's coat flap. He had to squint his eyes.

More seriously, a sense of danger rose in his heart.

"What is in that steam?"

It was getting closer. Behind the doctor, in the depths of the steam, a massive hammer appeared, carrying momentum and energy. It was silver-gray, as tall as a building, and struck the doctor with a loud noise.

The impact made Shad's ears ring and his vision blur, and a strong feeling of nausea forced him to cover his chest. The ground shook, the wind howled, and lightning flashed. In this series of illusions, the hammer strike seemed to open the heavens and strike Shad's soul.

But the hammer struck only the doctor, who remained motionless. However, Shad felt as if he saw Dr. Schneider flattened into a copper plate.

"Copper?"

He felt increasingly confused about his perceptions.

It was indeed a piece of copper. After being struck by the hammer, a large rotating copper ring appeared behind the doctor, a brass-colored metal ring.

The steam gradually dissipated, and the brass ring with a pentagonal cross-section slowly rotated behind the doctor. Strange light accompanied more than twenty spirit runes, which wandered on the ring.

The light haloed Shad's face, and the outsider heard a woman's light laughter in his mind. His eyes reflected the magnificent, magical, and powerful ring.

"This is the Wheel of Destiny. Ring mages only fully summon it during intense battles. Otherwise, they either don't summon it or only summon part of it. Do you have any questions?"

The doctor stopped in the tall grass of the sanatorium courtyard and asked the stunned Shad. Shad could still feel the heat from the steam behind the doctor and the high temperature of the large brass ring.

The Wheel of Destiny was not an illusion; it was real:

"Why steam? Why brass?"

He did not notice the urgency in his voice.

The middle-aged doctor smiled:

"Young man, a person's success depends not only on personal effort but also on the course of history.

I said that the Wheel of Destiny represents oneself and the world. This is the age of steam and machinery, so the Wheel of Destiny emerges from the steam, forged by the hammer, and appears brass-colored. If it were the age of rainbows, the Wheel of Destiny might be rainbow-colored, and if it were the age of the deep sea, it might be water. Do you understand?"

Shad nodded勉强地，心脏因目睹刚才那惊心动魄的一幕而加速跳动：

"明白。"

他甚至不愿意眨眼，想将医生背后的圆环全貌烙印在自己的眼中。但医生向后挥了挥手，圆环便缓缓变得透明消失了，只让夏德记住了其中的少数几枚符文。

对于北方王国的通用语，即使没有脑中女人声音给予的知识，夏德也看得懂听懂，但不会说不会写。而现在，夏德居然莫名其妙地读懂了那些具有力量的灵符文的含义，他瞥见的那几个分别是【喜悅】【猎犬】以及【微尘】

忽然感觉脑袋胀痛，像是有人敲了后脑勺一下，于是放弃了继续记忆那些具有力量的符文。

这个世界，知识真的就是力量。所以，医生邀请夏德加入的超凡组织是一所学院，似乎也可以理解了。

“但如果我所具有的特殊性，是能够看懂和听懂所有的文字，在这个危险的世界，到底算不算好事？”

夏德思索着自身的秘密，医生则继续在荒草中向前走，并介绍道：

“我的命环的截面形状，目前为五边形，代表我是五环的环术士，同时也是学院的五年级函授成人教育学生。一环的命环是平面圆环，一面烙印灵符文。二环也是平面，但双面都可以烙印灵符文。三环的截面是三角形，四环的截面是四边形，以此类推。你是否明白？越是高环，越是接近最标准的圆环。”

“是的，明白。”

两人说着话进入了建筑物内部，这么多年来，恐怕无数的人关顾过这里。什么家具都没有了，地面上积着一层灰，踩踏下去立刻便能扬起尘埃。

他们没有在一层停留，而是沿着看起来并不稳固的楼梯走向二楼，夏德很担心这种危房的安全性。

“灵符文是环术士体系的核心，通过在自己的命运轮环上铭刻灵符文，我们积累灵，感受四大元要素【奇蹟】【亵渎】【启迪】【低语】，不断进阶。”

“灵？要素？”

夏德不解道，心中充满了兴奋，他终于要知道这些事情了。

医生带领夏德迈上楼梯：

“关于灵，过去的年代，它有很多称呼。魔力、以太、玛娜、灵性、心灵之光，但现在的时代统一称呼为灵。这是信息，是元素，是能量，是你能理解的世界的一切总和，是环术士的心灵干涉物质的表现之一。积累灵的手段是接触要素，而接触要素最安全的手段，就是阅读那些纪元前的故事和知识——文化、习俗、英雄传说、口口相传的神话。

接触这些知识同样危险，稍有不慎就会陷入疯狂。所以我们一般看的是原版的抄写本，或者翻译本。”

夏德简单地将‘灵’翻译为蓝条。

“但并非积累到足够的灵，便能够进入下一环。环术士最重要的不是灵，而是要素。通过积累四大要素灵符文，有效提高灵的上限，升华灵魂，淬炼肉体。四大要素可以从多方面感受到。”

夏德想到了脑中的女人声音提示过，他接触到了“低语”、“启迪”和“奇蹟”，分别是看到斯派洛之死、踏足街道看到世界，以及思索神的意義。

“仅仅是感受和接触还不够，需要将要素铭刻在自身命运轮环上，以此证明自身与要素的融合。环术士的每一次升级，都需要不同的【奇蹟】【亵渎】【启迪】【低语】灵符文组合，组成特定的语句以此升华。这一点等你决定加入学院，我再为你解答。现在，我来为你介绍四种要素的差别。”

医生停顿了一下，向前方露出笑容：

“我想，我们要找的人，应该就在这里。”