HP: Spirit Talker

Goro-san did everything carefully but confidently — the master immediately showed enviable professionalism when he felt the native element. With a wave of his hand, he made room for himself on the table, and all the dishes were pushed aside. With another wave of his hand he had a white sheet of rice paper, ink and a brush in front of him.

A few calibrated strokes and a complex pattern of three circles inscribed into each other was formed on the paper. Complex hieroglyphics appeared on the outside, representing the five elements of the Tao. The interaction of yin and yang produces five basic elements — water, fire, wood, metal and earth — five phases of transformation or five energies that determine the course of natural phenomena. After critically examining his creation, the man put his finger on "water" and began to pump it with energy.

This does not mean that only one element works, not at all, as mentioned above — it is a circle. But it is important to know where to open this circle and what to close it with. That is, the magician must determine his most important element in advance, and from there open the circle. By the way, I'm also water, but I'm very close to fire, which is very strange, as Mayuri-san told me. But that's how it is.

The circle began to fill with energy and glow, eventually taking on a single blue glow. The man began to take turns placing stones in the center of the circle. As it was later explained to me, and I was given a book on Tao and Feng Shui magic, each stone is born from natural materials and complex processes. Well, it is already known, but where different chemical and other analyses are made, in magic you can perform such a small ritual and find out what kind of stone you have found.

The meaning of the ritual lies in the reaction of the stone: impulses of elemental magic are sent to the stone one by one, weakly, so that the stone is not destroyed, depending on the stone the impulse can pass easily, with difficulties, distortions or not at all.

Accordingly, there may be more "fire" and "earth", with a little "metal", and these symbols will glow and pulsate with different periodicity, indicating that this is the stone that, or that. It also depends on the degree of brightness and pulsation. To use this method, you have to learn a lot of theory, as well as voluminous tables of results.

Although you can write out these tables and use them, it will take longer. Well, I'll see in the future: to learn or not to learn, because the book was given to me. The result of the determination was as follows: three large sapphires of good quality, one large topaz of excellent quality, three small sapphires of excellent quality, and two garnets of the same quality.

The smaller stones are ideal for any artifact and can be sold VERY expensively, the larger stones are variable as they are cloudy, except that the topaz is good, but that's another matter. Topaz, unlike sapphire, requires more attention in the work, because it has a more stringent energy, and tied to Feng Shui, — it where and to anyone will not push.

Nevertheless, the stones are of amazing size and quality. I could hardly stop myself from licking my lips: I chose these stones from my "so-so" rating — not the worst, but there are much better ones. Especially beautiful crimson stones — the best of the red ones, and dark blue with a purple tinge — of the blue ones. Yellow is not my favorite color, so I have paid much less attention to its shades, although there are some very nice ones there, too. I'm afraid this find is the greatest happiness of this life, and now my happiness will either be "even" or "hard negative".

— Arata-kun, — Goro-san distracted me from my thoughts, the man looking intently at my face. — Where did you find it?

— In the same stream as the first one. — I shrugged, picking up the topaz and twirling it in my fingers. — There is a small hollow of sand and clay downstream, so I found it there. I have no tools, of course, but if you ask the spirits right, they can be very useful. — I shrugged again, as if it were something unimportant or not worth mentioning.

I've actually thought about it, but I don't have time for everything, so if they find something in the branch of the stream in the thicket, let them — excessive greed is not good... well, I've heard that before, because I've never been rich.

— Listen, Arata-kun, can you show me this place? — The clan leader spoke carefully, as if he was afraid of scaring him away.

To be honest, such a request made me want to send him away. No, really. But I quickly pulled myself together and just glared at him with narrowed eyes. Judging by the way he flinched slightly and averted his eyes, the man realized what it looked like from the outside. But he didn't withdraw the question, and he didn't apologize. Well, I understand him — it's all about family, but I just realized a lot of things for myself, too. I nod slowly.

— It's not my island, it's yours, so tomorrow I'll show it to anyone you want. — I say calmly, but almost without emotion, because I was really insulted, and there is no trust in this man now, as well as his wife, who kept silent, as the wife of the head, Mayuri-san has the right in some cases to "insert her five kopecks". — Besides, I do not think I have the right to take all the loot for myself without paying the "license" for the loot. — I take garnets, a small sapphire, a topaz, and a large cloudy milky sapphire with yellowing; I put all the stones in a handkerchief and hide them in my pocket. — I beg you not to reveal the fact of my sudden wealth to the elders of Miyazaki," I bowed deeply, "otherwise there will be nothing left of my riches. Good night. — I turn and leave in the silence of my hosts.

It's a good thing the bracelet is easily hidden under the enchanted bracelet, and people don't pay any attention to it — my eyes literally slip from it, and my thoughts don't linger. Basically, I'm ready to leave, but I'd better use the few weeks I have left for something.

***

After glancing at the boy's back, the woman looked at her husband, meeting the surprised and thoughtful expression in his dark eyes. The silence lasted a few minutes before the man could stand it no longer.

— Well?

The woman just pursed her lips and continued to stare at him. Goro-kun was not stupid and he had already realized everything, but he had been stubborn since childhood, so it was very difficult for him to admit his mistakes. If it weren't for the kind and sweet Mayuri-chan, his distant relative, childhood friend, first and only love and wife, Goro-kun would have a hard life. But Mayuri is a good wife and can't leave her husband in trouble, so she has to help him when he needs it. And now he needs help, and a faithful wife is a wife who supports her husband.

-Yes, I've already realized that, that's enough. — the man sighed heavily and rubbed his face with his hands. — Make some tea, will you?

The wife silently complied with his request and returned to her work — the eternal education of her favorite husband. Men — they are like that, if you do not take care of them, they can create a lot of problems for themselves on the spot, and a good woman should be able to teach a lesson so accessible that her husband will remember it for a long time.

— Thank you. — The man took a sip of almost boiling water. — I didn't think he would react so harshly to my request. — the man said quietly, taking another sip of tea.

— He was angered by your tone. — The woman decided that all good things are in moderation, and it was possible to start a constructive dialogue. — We are lucky that the boy is very well trained — if he didn't know meditation and mind control techniques, this part of the house would have been torn apart and you and I would not have gotten off lightly. — The woman was silent for a moment, then she added. — I was ready to use the dark shields.

There was a heavy silence in the room. The head of the Mori Clan was not sensitive to the magic that nature had given his wife. But the fact that she was willing to give up a year of her life — the price of raising the most powerful defense for fifteen minutes — spoke for itself. The man felt terribly tired, he began to tremble with fear of what had almost happened, but more because of the danger to his wife.

— Calm down, nothing happened, thank the gods, well, almost... — the woman added quietly.

— Do you think Arata-kun felt betrayed by the situation? — The woman said, not quite understanding yet, but clearly feeling that he had really messed up badly.

— We both failed to live up to his expectations and ruined the threads that had grown over the summer. Let me finish. — The wife saw that her husband was about to say something, so she hurried to finish her thought. — You know how meticulously we have to report on the boy, and the surveillance order... don't you think it's a bit much for a child born and raised in the clan, cut off from contact with the outside world? He's being watched, and despite the elders' wishes, he knows it. — Judging by the look on his face, the man also began to put the puzzle together and realize what his wife was getting at, but he didn't interrupt. — He is not a hermit, he is not a misanthrope, although he looks like one, he has excellent social skills, he is communicative and developed enough to communicate with adults on an equal footing. He is fully aware of his position and the limitations imposed upon him. He has been tried to be broken — it is noticeable, but the result was different, and we have had the pleasure of socializing with him recently. — The woman paused a little longer than before and continued a little more quietly. — Do you think that if we had such an ally in the main family of the clan, where would we be twenty years from now? We're the Mori Clan? Aren't you going to say anything? Well, don't, because we ruined our own chance... ourselves... — the woman finished in a whisper.

She felt bitter, resentful... and she also felt nauseous... why should she? But she immediately rushed to the bathroom....

Her husband accompanied her with a surprised and worried look, diluted with incomprehension. Why all of a sudden? Should I call the maid?

***

I spent the rest of the "vacation" at almost the same pace I'd spent the previous four months: studying, working out, thinking, figuring. I went to the beach, swam, barbecued real kebabs with the interns from the farms, in general the time went by somehow, but not without benefit. Also, over the days, a familiar earth spirit had worked a pomegranate the size of two peas into a perfectly polished sphere the color of blood.

The spirit didn't explain why it liked this particular stone, but it had chosen this particular garnet as its temporary home. I wanted to give it a name, but the Brothers explained that spirits could be named by either a Friend or a Master, and I was neither, so I couldn't.

Even the Brethren said to wait half a year before naming it, why — they are silent like partisans. Well, that's their right. When the stone was ready, trusted spirits-in-grass made a beautiful wooden setting in elven style (it turned out to be similar to the pendant Arwen gave to the elven woman Aragorn in "Rings"). The stone itself was slightly darkened by the spirit's possession, but it only became more beautiful. So I returned with a beautiful pendant on a leather string.

On the day of departure, I said goodbye to the Mori family in a neutral way (the same way I behaved the rest of the time), to some of the trainees, to those who had the day off, boarded a seaplane, and left the Sakishima Islands. To sum up, I'm very happy with this time, I needed a break from Miyazaki's snakebite. And the fact that things didn't work out with Mori's family... well, that happens...

Like it ? +100 Chapters on Patreon!
www.patreon.com/molakar