Furen thought he must be lucky after all.
Because he had surpassed the vast majority of people, becoming an "extraordinary," now possessing capital beyond the human, yes, his most solid capital.
Furen also thought he was unlucky.
Because he had followed the path of the "Apprentice," also known familiarly as one of the "three prudent families." Now, among them, the "Apprentice" was the weakest, not because of the weakness of the sequence, but because its representatives were: the "Soothsayers" included Klein, Zarath, Antigone, and Fragra; the "Errors" included Amon and Pallez.
And the "Apprentices"... only "Mr. Door," Bethel Abraham, that man with the overwhelming aura before whom everyone kneels as soon as he appears.
But that was not why Furen considered himself unlucky.
The real reason was his name: Furen Abraham. Yes, barring the unforeseen, he could at best become an "astrologer." Then he would either die of old age, go mad from Bethel's call, or end up turning to an evil god or an official god.
Fortunately, that morning, in the Trèves Daily that he had bought, there was this news:
"Congratulations to our great governor, child of steam, His Excellency Roselle Gustav, on the occasion of the eleventh anniversary of his government over the Republic of Intis."
This announcement made Furen jump for joy, who immediately glanced at the date printed at the top of the newspaper: July 5, 1183.
Furen was an avid reader of The Lord of the Mysteries. What made the novel great was its vast universe and its strikingly realistic occult narrative. Furen remembered perfectly what this date meant for all the members of the Abraham family engaged in the path of the "Apprentice":
This was the moment when Bethel's "full moon call" was going to be connected.
Bethel, the ancestor of the Abraham family, was their glory as much as their nightmare. It was because of her calls that the Abrahams lived in pain and insecurity. Roselle would soon have long discussions with Bethel during these "full moon calls."
The date was July 5, 1183, Roselle would make contact on November 18, 1183, and the year 1198. But this period of conversations with Bethel would not last fifteen years. During this time, Bethel would continue to call her, but her voice would probably weaken, because it was precisely at this time that the Abrahams progressed and Journey into the Spirit World was written.
The author was probably a "Scribe," or even a "Traveler." As for why he never became a demigod, that remains obscure.
This was evident when Fors became "Secret Sorcerer": she almost lost control under the call of "Mr. Door." Fortunately, she benefited from luck and Klein's supervision, which allowed her to escape by the skin of her teeth.
For the true members of the Abraham family, the rise to demigod status was even more difficult. After all, Fors was not a full-blooded Abraham, but only an "apprentice" recruited by chance.
Furen concluded that to become a demigod, or even an angel, or even higher, it was absolutely necessary to reach this milestone within fifteen years. Even with the role-playing method, such a speed of potion digestion was nothing short of miraculous. This meant that, during those fifteen years, Furen could not afford to stop. He had to tirelessly embark on adventures, accumulate experience, and assimilate his potions.
And if he only wanted to survive, he would only have to become an "astrologer" in fifteen years. That would be enough. But sooner or later, age would come, his energy would decline, and he would lose control of himself. It would then be an end without a funeral.
Furen had no choice: either he reached the rank of demigod in fifteen years, or he would live his entire life in fear.
And even after his ascension to demigod, resisting Bethel's whispers without losing his identity would be a difficult task. Yet Furen had no choice but to seek a solution along the way.
House Abraham's resources were sufficient to guarantee him advancement to angel rank. As for Sequence 1, Furen considered Zarath's "Servant of Mystery" potion, even though he had descended into madness. It was his only chance to become a great angel.
Back to the present:
You don't get fat in one bite.
Furen Abraham, single and childless, was a landowner. His parents were dead, and he had no brothers or sisters—the perfect archetype of a male protagonist in a novel: without a history, but from a fallen lineage. A member of a social class, but one that would make the god of poverty weep.
He held a 2% stake in the Trier Commercial Bank, with an annual income of 3,000 pounds. He owned a house at 34 Corson Street, in the upmarket Kinhanston district of Trier. He had 20,000 pounds in the bank, generating 800 pounds of interest a year, plus 1,342 pounds in cash. There was no point in trying to determine whether he was rich or poor: he was high society, certainly, but at its lowest level. And yet, it was enough to make the god of poverty weep.
Since the "Apprentice" sequence was a magician-type path, the study of knowledge, and more specifically esotericism, was essential. Whether Western magicians or Chinese Taoist mages, all were reputed to possess knowledge inaccessible to mortals. Knowledge is synonymous with power, so Furen knew he needed to know.
Fortunately, being descended from a family of fallen angels, he had inherited sufficient occult knowledge from his father. As for the other necessary knowledge, he found it in the library of Trier.
Even more fortunately, Trier possessed a library that was the pride of the Nordic continent: the National Library of Trier. It brought together knowledge from all walks of life and served as a sanctuary for scholars.
Furen decided that he needed to acquire practical knowledge, useful for his future sequences. The Apprentice path, from rank 9 to rank 0, unfolded as follows: "Apprentice", "Master of Tricks", "Astrologer", "Scribe", "Traveler", "Sorcerer's Secrets", "Wanderer", "Planeswalker", "Star Key", "Gate".
From "Apprentice" to "Traveler," one remained human; from "Sorcerer's Secrets" to "Wanderer," one became a demigod; from "Planeswalker" to "Star Key," one was an angel. As for "Gate," it was the true divine state.
As Fors progressed to the role of "Secrets Sorcerer," the "Trickmaster," "Astrologer," and "Scribe" sequences each had their own role rules, making them easier to learn. Furen therefore felt that he would need knowledge of magic, divination, travel writing, and geography to play his roles well.
Regarding the digestion of the "Apprentice" potion, he also speculated that it might require some practical and diligent learning.
If we observe Klein's journey through the digestion of his potions, we perceive a coherent internal logic: from respect for destiny to its mastery, the common thread remains concealment and growth. For the path of the Apprentice, Furen considered the concepts of guide, key, and freedom to be particularly essential.
Closest to the "Gate," Bethel Abraham, the ancestor who had led the family to ruin, bore this title: "Great Gate with myriad entrances, Guide to the infinite cosmos, Key to all mystical worlds."
The divine name itself contained the method of role and the domain of authority of this path.
And it was a truth universally known in the mystical world: knowledge is power.
(End of chapter)