Ian had quite a lot of ties with the Book of Moses. The physical time they were entangled wasn't very long, but in terms of impact alone, it was overwhelmingly greater than other grimoires. Well, it was only natural since it had popped and died right before his eyes.
The 8th Book of Moses.
Surprisingly, although it was a grimoire bearing the name Moses, it wasn't actually written by Moses himself. It was an ancient Greek magical text written by a young mage who followed him, borrowing his name and authority after Moses's death.
The 6th and 7th Books of Moses contained magic that Moses had used personally, but the 8th Book was a chaotic grimoire in many ways because it contained many of the mage's personal opinions. However, its renown was far greater than the other Moses series. That was because its signature magic was related to the Great Flood disaster.
It was indeed the disaster from the Bible where Noah's Ark first appeared. The flood magic accomplished through prayer was tremendous enough to sink an entire village whole. Of course, an enormous amount of materials was needed to use the magic, but... honestly, that wasn't something he needed to think about now.
After all, it was a grimoire that had kicked the bucket. No matter how great a grimoire it was, once dead, it held no meaning whatsoever. He supposed he should be glad it had died without its honor being further tarnished.
Anyway.
Now that the 8th Book of Moses had been torn apart, the only remaining grimoires in the Moses series were the 6th and 7th Books.
Among them, the 6th Book was largely related to angel summoning, and the 7th Book was largely related to demon summoning.
However, on the angel side, there was the *Book of Pope Honorius*, and on the demon side, there was the *Lesser Key of Solomon*—specialists in their respective fields—so the two books inevitably fell short in name value compared to those grimoires.
The 8th Book of Moses hadn't been famous for nothing. It had something special that couldn't be seen in other grimoires—the Great Flood—so even among ancient texts, it had been highly regarded.
*'If he's pulling light from between his fingers... the chances are higher that it's the 6th Book.'*
As they bore the name Moses, the Moses series all contained many Catholic school magics. Since the 6th Book in particular had high associations with angels, it was probably that one.
Well, whether it was the 6th or 7th Book, it didn't really matter. They were just ordinary, mundane grimoires that he would never have any connection with anyway. Since he possessed grimoires of outer gods, meeting them would only result in an instant death button being pressed, so Ian cut off his interest in the Book of Moses and returned after taking a shower.
Today's breakfast menu was beef radish soup that he had made himself. He mixed rice into it refreshingly, did the dishes, and then organized his schedule.
*'Things I need to do now... testing new grimoire magic, practicing alchemy, and stopping by the mages' shop, I suppose.'*
Broadly speaking, there were far more things to think about. He had to gauge the aftershocks caused by Eddy's death, Laplace's reaction, the Management Bureau's affairs, and so on. There were quite a few major matters to attend to. Among them, Laplace's reaction was the problem.
*'A criminal organization probably won't try to retaliate just because one of their members died, but they'll still attempt something. They might try to investigate the circumstances of death.'*
Ian didn't know exactly how Laplace operated. He only knew that their leader possessed a grimoire of an outer god. He didn't know a single thing about the organization's operating methods, the number of members, or the characteristics of the executives.
This was a problem that he couldn't have solved even by asking Eddy. From the beginning, Eddy hadn't been an official member of Laplace but merely in a simple cooperative relationship, so the information he knew had been absurdly crude. Ian had to be satisfied with just having found out the leader's name was Walter.
Even if they investigated Eddy's death, Walter probably wouldn't come to Korea personally. Rather than that, he would send someone below him.
Of course, even so, it was right to maintain at least a minimum level of vigilance. From now on, it seemed better to keep some distance from mages who weren't community users.
*'If someone comes, would it be Mariang? I think she was definitely said to be Eddy's lover and partner.'*
Ian thought so and inscribed Mariang's name in his notebook. Names like "Maria" or "Marian" were common, but "Mariang" was a name he had heard for the first time. It wasn't a common name, so if he heard it, he would probably recognize it immediately.
[Uu, uuung...!]
While he was thinking, The Azure Shackles and the Book of Contracts, which he had thrown onto the bed, vibrated.
When he turned his head, he saw it surrounded by other grimoires.
[Uuung...! U, uung! Uuuung...!!]
[Ung.]
[...Uung!]
Surprisingly, the only onomatopoeia to express the vibrations was "uuung." In fact, the sound it made wasn't much different. Ian pushed The Azure Shackles and the Book of Contracts against the wall and burst out laughing at the two grimoires standing firmly before them like gangsters.
No matter how or where one looked at it, it was a scene that looked like bullying. It was inevitable, as the Hermit's Shackles was far inferior to things like Reconstruction of All Things or the Lord of the Outer Sea in terms of outer god power or class.
The weak get beaten. The law of the jungle was no exception even for gods.
[Uung...! Ung! Uung!]
The Abyssal Chronicle roughly vibrated its corner and scratched the covers of The Azure Shackles and the Book of Contracts. The Hand of Recreation stood still, but blocked the path so the Book of Contracts couldn't escape.
[Uung! Ung! U, uuuu!]
The Book of Contracts felt Ian's gaze and asked him for help. When the chain attached to its edge rattled and shook left and right, the Abyssal Chronicle flopped over the chain and spun. The Book of Contracts wailed.
Ian laughed with a hollow sound and tapped the desk. Then the bullied Book of Contracts was summoned under his hand. The Book of Contracts vibrated joyfully, and the remaining two grimoires turned their covers toward Ian as if betrayed and spun round and round on the bed.
They looked as if they were openly protesting, but Ian paid them no heed. Grimoires throwing tantrums was practically a daily occurrence.
He placed the Book of Contracts on his lap and took out his phone.
He stopped worrying about Laplace for now. After all, he had neither the intention nor the method to seek them out first unless they made the first move.
There was nothing he could do except prepare to get caught up in their next incident. He didn't even know the location of their headquarters, let alone whether they had set foot in Korea. It was far better to relax than to worry needlessly.
So he decided to think about something else now.
*'I definitely have to stop by the Owl to procure ingredients. It'd be good to look over other items at least once too.'*
The Owl, a shop created by the Clock Tower for mages.
As if to prove that magic originated in ancient times, the Owl unbecomingly lacked even a single common online store. They operated only through offline shops, and their locations were listed only in newspapers issued by the Clock Tower. Ordinary people couldn't even get a glimpse of them.
The problem was that even mages couldn't subscribe to the newspaper unless they were from the Clock Tower, making it nearly impossible to find the locations.
They had incorporated every closed-off trait imaginable. The British had apparently been masters of division since olden times. That was probably why they divided their maps into Britain and Not Britain. It wasn't even surprising.
*'I can't just go looking for it blindly just because I want to. I might not find it even if I traveled the whole country, so information gathering comes first.'*
Fortunately, Ian knew just the place to get information. Without hesitation, he connected to the community and wrote a post.
[Hawawa, this baby newbie wants to go to the Owl. Is there a kind mister who can tell me where it is?]
[Yeah]
I'm saying I'll praise you if you tell me.
[Comments]
-This fucker picked a shitty concept again.
ㄴAnon: Hawawa, I'm saying don't use bad words. This high school girl is sad.
ㄴDie.
-Set a fixed nickname and I'll tell you.
ㄴAnon: I'm already using a fixed nickname.
ㄴIt's a semi-fixed nickname, you bastard. And fuck, the bastard who captured Eddy and tore him apart alive shouldn't talk like that. It's fucking terrifying.
ㄴAnon: Hawawa....
Ian typed with a blank expression, his lips twitching.
Fixed nickname.
Short for 'fixed nickname,' it was simply a word referring to the nickname used in the community.
Honestly, he didn't particularly mind making one. It was just that creating a nickname was bothersome so he hadn't set one; it wasn't for any special reason.
And... since a new newbie had joined, it didn't seem like a bad idea to make one soon. Better to have a nickname than to cause confusion needlessly.
*'What should I make it.'*
While Ian was thinking that, another new comment was posted. He leaned back in his chair and checked the comment.
-Dolores: Are you going to the Owl? Then let's go together! I was just about to go myself! Ohohohohot!
A crazy bitch had appeared. Ian swallowed and replied.
ㄴAnon: You know where the Owl is? That's unexpected?
ㄴDolores: Of course I know! After all, I too am a mage from the Clock Tower!
She was from the Clock Tower.
It was information that he felt he might have heard somewhere before, or maybe not.
ㄴAnon: Ah. Then please guide me. I suppose there is one in Korea?
ㄴDolores: Of course there is! But it's much smaller than the ones in Europe! They don't have stock either, so you might have to place an order to get what you want!
ㄴAnon: That's not a problem. It's not urgent.
ㄴDolores: Ohohohohot! Good! Then let's coordinate a convenient time! When would be good for you??!?!
ㄴAnon: I don't have any schedule for a while, so as soon as possible. When works for you?
ㄴDolores: Then let's go tomorrow! Let's meet early in the morning in front of Seoul Station! Is that alright?
ㄴAnon: OK. In front of Seoul Station by 9.
ㄴDolores: Ohohohohot! Understood, it is! Young lady, I shall wear red clothes, so please speak to me first!
Red clothes.
It was quite an eye-catching color, but the idea of a woman obsessed with her concept wearing it was strangely convincing.
It was a sudden appointment, but there was no particular problem. Whether Dolores was good or evil could be resolved by asking the Great Mother. Danger... nothing particularly came to mind.
Of course, he wouldn't let his guard down.
It wasn't as if sudden ambushes couldn't come from anywhere at any time, not just from Dolores. It was good for safety to be thoroughly prepared. First, making a scope and re-engraving defensive magic into his coat would be enough to serve as basic defense.
Ding, ding.
At that very moment, two comment alarms popped up in succession. Ian checked the comments without much thought.
ㄴKim Ari: Dolores-nim! Thank you for helping me back then! If it's not rude, may I come with you??? Ah, but I should ask that Senior? first! Senior, would that be alright???
-StrawberryYogurtSmoothie: I'm asking to come too. I wanted to look around anyway.
A newcomer and a familiar face commented at the same time. Perhaps it was only natural, but Dolores readily accepted both proposals. She seemed to have an amiable personality.
For Ian, there was no particular need to refuse either. He left a comment telling them to do as they pleased and put down his phone.
*'It'll be a bit noisy with four people.'*
He stretched broadly and took out the ingredients he had prepared in advance for using alchemy.
The appointment was tomorrow, so he had no time to dawdle.
It would be better to finish the scope today and wear it if possible.
Ian thought so and summoned the Hand of Recreation. He gently placed The Azure Shackles and the Book of Contracts beside the Abyssal Chronicle. The Book of Contracts trembled pitifully like an abandoned pet.
The Abyssal Chronicle quickly climbed on top of the Book of Contracts and spun.
Sparks flew refreshingly.
Kwagagagak!