Chapter 299: Disciple Seeker
’Gabriel, huh?’
The man has a rather gentlemanly air about him, with brilliant blond hair and ocean blue eyes.
A dainty atmosphere also swirls around his slender body, giving him a somewhat androgynous appearance—at least in my eyes.
I don’t think I’ve ever seen a man look so feminine before.
Well, besides Seth.
If I were to describe this person in one word, I would call him beautiful.
Gabriel smiles warmly at him, and while I do the same, I keep many reservations in mind.
’So this is the guy who is one step above me in the Dark Guild...’
He looks nearly my age—perhaps even younger.
Yet the gap is this huge.
’Such is life, I suppose...’ I take my gaze away from him right as he also does the same and proceeds to greet Alistair Wormwood.
I suppose the reason he didn’t do that first is due to them meeting before now. I wouldn’t be surprised if this isn’t their first meeting. However, that is quite different for me.
Once he engages in greetings with Alistair, he turns to Richard and offers him a simple greeting.
The latter responds with the same energy.
"It’s a little overwhelming having three guests at once, but I’ll do my best to be a good host."
Gabriel’s clear voice echoes in the dark hall of his castle.
His words seem to have some kind of amusing effect, since Alistair chuckles while nodding emphatically. "Sorry for imposing. We’ll be in your hands."
"Well... Come with me."
We follow Gabriel to what appears to be a reception hall.
Its opulent furniture, the high-quality carpet and curtains, and the serene atmosphere all give me the impression of a Noble residence. Although the design of the hall is not nearly as extravagant or flashy as, say, a Duke’s place, I sense a certain kind of quality that cannot be found in those places.
This place seems to elevate minimalist designs, focusing more on quality rather than quantity.
Needless to say, I am deeply impressed.
"Come. Sit."
Gabriel invites us to an area with four seats arranged in a square. He takes the small but tall sofa to the right and guides Alistair to the one opposite him. As for both Richard and me, we are left with the long sofa right next to these seats.
Richard and I sit beside each other to Alistair’s right, which prompts the meeting to begin.
"First, I’d like to reconfirm if the Ouroboros Sect will be the only party involved in this. You won’t be bringing any other organizations into this?"
"Indeed," Alistair says calmly. "Although our Sect is on somewhat friendly terms with the Ophiuchus Faith and Eternal Frost Assembly, that’s simply due to the similarity in our organization. As members of the Neutral Faction, we need to cooperate in order to maintain our standing with the other two."
"And this isn’t one of those cases?"
"This is an internal issue that can be resolved by the Ouroboros Sect. There’s no need to invite outsiders..." The moment Alistair says this, as though catching himself, he and Gabriel look in my direction.
I try my best to hide my nervousness, but it’s like they see through me.
How embarrassing.
"Well, Javier Aditi is a part of the Dark Guild, and since this is something that also affects us, I guess it’s alright having him involved." Gabriel smiles wryly. "As for your decision not to involve the other organizations, I can’t say I blame you. However, do be aware that although we’ve contained the situation for now, it’s only a matter of time before the others find out."
"I am well aware of that."
"It’ll be fine if those in the Neutral Faction know about it, but those Order Alignment guys can be a little tricky. The last thing you want is for—"
"We’ll resolve the situation before it gets too big." Alistair’s voice seems to radiate some kind of annoyance, but he maintains his calm expression. "That’s why we’ve decided to work very closely with you. You were a Diviner before becoming a Leviathan, right? You still use Divination, don’t you?"
"You sure did your research..."
"Of course. We of the Ouroboros Sect do not take half measures."
"I like how efficient you are. This is actually my third time working with a Leviathan Organization. I’d say compared to those guys in the Zodiac Order or Holy Trinity, I prefer your way of doing things."
"Hehe... Is that so?"
"Don’t tell them I said this, though."
"Haha! There’s no problem. It’s not like we are in a friendly relationship with them, after all."
"Right..."
I sit there listening to their conversation, unable to fully grasp most of its content.
Alistair and Gabriel talk about quite a few things, and even Richard makes a few statements every now and then. I am the only one who is quiet throughout the conversation.
It can’t be helped, since the subject matter is foreign to me.
Still...
’So this is the world of Leviathans.’ I try my best to absorb as much information as I can from the experience, learning everything I can in this brief moment.
Out of everything I have learned, one thing has become more apparent than others.
It appears there are quite a few Leviathan Organizations out there.
The Ouroboros Sect is only one of them, and it isn’t in a friendly relationship with some of the other groups.
I suppose this should be expected.
’I previously thought the Leviathans would have one secret society, but I suppose it makes more sense that things are like this...’ A constant smile remains on my face, though I’m tempted to deeply sigh at my own ignorance.
I am way out of my depth here.
"Enough small talk, Gabriel. We need your help with the Divination."
"Higher Divination?" I ask, contributing to the conversation for the first time since it started.
All eyes dart in my direction.
For a moment, there is silence in the room.
Gabriel gives me a shocked look, almost like he can’t believe what I just said.
The expressions of Alistair and Richard aren’t too far off.
It appears my choice of words is something inconceivable to them.
"Javier Aditi... ahem... Higher Divination is dangerous, you know?" Gabriel coughs quietly, his eyes glistening with hints of caution. "While I would like to cooperate with the Ouroboros Sect, asking me to use Higher Divination is going too far."
"A-ah, no... I...."
"We are not asking that," Alistair speaks very quickly, even before I can take back my words. He then casts me a curious look before turning back to Gabriel.
"Normal Divination is fine."
"Whew!"
’I see. So Leviathans can also use Divination the same way normal humans can...’
I shouldn’t be so surprised.
After all, Higher Divination, while it operates with a similar concept, is fundamentally different from regular Divination.
For one, it exposes the Leviathan to too many uncertainties.
Instead of resorting to that, connecting to the Aego and seeking out answers on one’s own is a much safer way to go about things.
The most that can happen is a Failed Divination.
"What are the chances of failure?" Alistair quickly changes the topic and stares keenly at Gabriel.
"Since our target is an Adept, and the gap between us is only one Rank, it would be a 50/50 chance. However, since we can use Special Resources to supplement the process, the chances of success will improve significantly."
"That’s a relief."
"Of course! I’m a pro at Divination, don’t forget. With the right dosage and appropriate preparation, I even have about a five to ten percent chance of glimpsing into the affairs of a Valiant." Gabriel puffs his chest while boasting.
’A Valiant... Rank 4, huh?’ My eyes twitch slightly. ’That’s quite an accomplishment.’
"Well, I already knew that you would request this, so I had already begun to make the preparations. It should be about ready now."
"As expected of a Seeker," Richard murmurs.
Although he likely meant those words as a compliment, his tired expression, which reeks with disinterest, almost makes it appear as though he is being sarcastic.
"Want to see?" Gabriel looks in my direction as he asks this question. "The Divination, that is."
For a moment, I am tempted to look at Alistair for permission.
Then, I think about it.
’We’re independent parties here. I am cooperating with the Ouroboros Sect, but my alignment is mostly with the Dark Guild. Since that’s the case, I shouldn’t need his permission in this matter.’
Once that thought is embedded in my mind, I smile and nod at Gabriel.
"Yes. I’d like that."
"How about you guys?" Gabriel turns to Alistair and Richard.
"No. We’re good."
"Well, I figured you would have seen it more than enough times already, so something like this shouldn’t hold much interest."
"If you were to attempt Higher Divination, maybe I would be more interested."
"Surely you jest."
"Of course."
"Hahaha... hahahaha...."
The two—Alistair and Gabriel—laugh heartily at this point.
Although I can sense an uncomfortable underlying feeling between them, I ignore the sensation and focus on the matter at hand.
"Alright, come with me then, Javier." Gabriel rises from his feet and begins to take his leave.
"What about you guys? You’re fine just waiting here?"
"Sure. It’s just Divination. It shouldn’t take very long, especially since Gabriel here has already made all the preliminary preparations."
"Exactly."
"Okay, then. Later... I suppose." I sigh and nod, following Gabriel, who leaves the reception hall for another grand hall in a separate room.
There, a ritualistic circle has already been drawn, with all kinds of Special Resources, Armaments, and Potions, placed efficiently in core areas as sacrifices. The volume of items with Mystical Characteristics is staggering—over five times or almost ten times what I normally see.
The quality of these items is also astounding.
Gabriel must have noticed my surprise, as he pats me on my shoulder and grins.
"Don’t look so surprised. We’re Divining a Rank 3 Leviathan, so doing this much is necessary."
"I see..."
"Only a Leviathan can properly divine into the affairs of another Leviathan. This law is trite, and it is why the Divination of mortals fails when it comes to the affairs of a Leviathan or their machinations." He slowly walks to the center of the circle, where a Potion awaits him.
"So what will you be divining?"
"Hmm..." His voice, smooth like honey, wafts into the air. "His past, present, and future locations. Of course, I’ll limit my search range to the Randalorion Kingdom."
"If you were to use your Conceptions to investigate these things, I imagine the range would be far too much for you," I add with a thoughtful expression.
"Indeed. Since my limit is the Week Layer, and I do not possess sufficient clues to properly discern the future or past of my target, I can only use Divination to enhance the experience."
"Understood."
The fact that only Seekers can accomplish this is astounding.
It’s almost unfair.
But then, when considering the fact that the Seeker Pathway is the only one that doesn’t feature any Conception, which could be useful in combat, it makes sense.
Seekers can only rely on things like this to have an edge against their adversaries.
"I’m about to begin..." Gabriel’s tune-like voice draws me back to reality, and I observe as he begins the ritual.
A few chants and dances occur, and upon the activation of the ritualistic circle, he stands inside—motionless for a while—until the Special Resources are consumed, and the brilliant light dims.
The entire process lasts about ten minutes.
Once everything vanishes, with no Trace Element even left behind, Gabriel finally opens his eyes.
He smiles broadly.
"Success!"
My eyes broaden with both surprise and relief.
’He really did it! And it didn’t take any time at all...’
It makes me wonder if it was truly necessary for Ciel to have undergone Higher Divination back then. However, when I consider that Ciel is only a Witness, and we didn’t even have as many clues back then as Gabriel likely has, it makes sense that we had to resort to that method.
Besides, unlike Ciel, Gabriel has plenty of experience with Divination itself.
He said so himself.
I doubt normal Seekers would be as proficient in the practice as he is, which makes the situation exceptional in itself.
"So you know where Lucien Zevalis currently is?" I ask Gabriel, who sighs deeply and nods.
I can see beads of sweat forming on his pale face.
It’s clear that he is exhausted.
He walks away from me and reaches for a Potion which he kept in a corner.
Upon drinking it, he begins to look more refreshed.
’Existential Deficiency, huh?’ I quickly realize the issue and smile. ’The Divination process must be more taxing than he would like to mention.’
"We should meet up with the rest," Gabriel tells me after tossing the Potion vial to the side. "It’s true that I found his current position, but he can always use Tracing to escape. The information I have will not be useful for very long."
Nodding emphatically and walking behind, I part my lips and offer my response.
"Okay!"