Dorian Gray’s questions did not surprise Furse—over the course of the past month, correspondence had already prepared her mentally, and she had even consulted the experienced “Hanged Man” at the Tarot gathering to learn exactly what expressions and responses would be considered normal. “Are there truly such extraordinary individuals?” Furse asked in astonishment. Dorian nodded gently. “Yes.” He glanced around, noticing no one nearby, and then walked up to a tree whose leaves had all fallen, placing his hand upon it. Suddenly, Dorian’s form blurred, as though transforming into a reflection in water. When it cleared, he had appeared behind the tree, maintaining the same posture. “Good heavens! This is truly astonishing!” Furse exclaimed, her mouth forming a half-circle of surprise, recalling the teachings of the “Hanged Man” and the “Justice” lady. Dorian returned, smiled, and asked again, “Would you like to become such an extraordinary person yourself?” “…Yes!” Fleur paused slightly, responding with enthusiasm. Finally becoming a peripheral member of the Abraham family meant that many things would soon become much easier! She felt genuine joy filling her heart. Dorian smiled, then softened his expression, and asked seriously: “Would you like to be my student?” Fleur nodded repeatedly. “Yes!” Dorian exhaled in relief, then added with a touch of self-deprecation: “I’m not actually a very good teacher. In fact, I’ve already had students who didn’t even need to stay—well, let’s just say that I’m not exactly known for my teaching effectiveness. So, don’t expect too much from me.” After this period of reflection, he decided to draw on past experiences and lessons, choosing not to inform Fleur about the Abraham family’s affairs. Instead, he would maintain a purely teacher-student relationship, thus avoiding any concern that she might covet the family’s remaining few exceptional magical artifacts. “No, quite the contrary, Mr. Gray—no, Teacher. Your explanations of esoteric knowledge are truly excellent.” "Vhale quickly established the relationship between the two. Dorian looked at the tombstone, shook his head and exhaled, saying, 'I originally didn't intend to teach any more students, but your noble character has inspired me. 'If everything goes as planned, I'll be able to prepare the corresponding potion for you today.' 'Today?' Vhale responded with surprise. When she picked up Dorian Gray at Beckland Station, she found him carrying only a small traveling trunk, barely sufficient to hold a change of clothes. There was no indication that he had brought any exceptional materials. Could it be that he had his own resource network in Beckland, perhaps drawing from the resources of the Abraham family? Vhale had a growing sense of this possibility." She had originally planned to leverage the inconvenience of their being separated to sell the exceptional materia she had obtained as a novice potion-maker, then inform her counterpart that she had successfully advanced to the rank of exceptional. This way, she would secure a substantial cash infusion while avoiding the need to continue taking the novice potion, which would otherwise require her to endure a prolonged period of digestive adjustment. "Yes," Dorian didn't elaborate, pointing in another direction, "let's visit Labor and Anelisa first." After a visit of remembrance, the two returned to the house where Fols and Hux had been renting in the Joewood district. Over the past month, since Hux had been promoted to the rank of magistrate, he had been diligently working to repay his mounting debts, leaving home early each morning and returning late in the evening to secure every available reward. Thus, by midday, it was certain that she would not be at home. "Is there a quiet room available?" Dorian casually surveyed the space. "There are several," Fols guided the newly appointed teacher into the first-floor living room. Dorian walked around the room to take in the surroundings, then instructed Folshe to light a candle infused with deep red sandalwood. He closed the door and drew the curtains. As the candle flickered softly, he approached it, producing two bottles of clear, water-like essential oils and several common herbal powders. Shouldn't there be three candles for the ritual? Folshe watched curiously, remaining silent, as though struck by the atmosphere. After completing the first part of the ritual, Dorian stepped back, adopting a serious tone and switching to ancient Hermesian: "I! I summon by my name: The unusual ethereal beings dwelling in the upper realms, the music-loving entities, my contractual companions, Dorian Gray Abraham." Ah! Suddenly, a gust of wind swept through the sitting room, trembling with a weeping quality, and the wavering candle flames took on a deep blue hue. Circles of light swiftly radiated outward, as though forming a door that transcended ordinary conception. A spherical entity, half-phantom and half-real, emerged from the "bottom" of the light circle. It was uniformly creamy white, lacking eyes, nose, arms, or legs, with only a single fissure on its surface resembling a mouth. Dorian beamed with evident delight and began to hum a folk-inspired lullaby. The sphere swayed gently to the rhythm, appearing most content. Upon finishing the hum, Dorian extended his hand: "Malmos, retrieve the items I left with you two days ago." The sphere leaped up and down, then suddenly swelled out, its mouth opening widely. From it, two extraordinary materials of radiant beauty were expelled. "That's even better," Fols watched, momentarily stunned. Dorian caught the primary ingredient of the apprentice's potion and concluded the summoning, ending the ritual. He turned to Folsie and smiled, saying, "Even in the spiritual realm, celestial beings like Malmos are quite rare. Under normal circumstances, summoning spells cannot directly target them. A senior member of sufficient sequence must enter the spiritual realm, spend years searching, and establish a pact with one of them. Only then can descendants successfully summon them under the corresponding name. Once such celestial beings arrive, they can re-establish a pact with the summoner, forging a close bond so that they are no longer subject to others' summoning calls." "Ah, I see. That sounds truly fascinating!" Folsie said with genuine enthusiasm. She couldn't help but yearn for the future: If one didn't count the full-moon curse, or the constant pressure and dangers faced by ordinary extraordinary beings, exploring this wondrous world truly was an enchanting endeavor... She hoped one day she could truly roam the spirit realm. Dorian smiled lightly in response: "The greatest advantage of Malmos is that it can swallow numerous items whole without causing any harm—essentially, a mobile, hidden, and nearly undetectable warehouse. Of course, it has limited capacity, and it particularly dislikes those without a musical talent, often refusing to enter into a pact with such individuals." Fortunately, at least I can play the seven-string lute... Just as Folvith exhaled in relief, Dorian promptly instructed her to fetch a large iron-black pot. Watching him prepare the magical elixir, her expression remained unchanged, yet her heart was fervently praying for a fortunate surprise. I don't want to drink the apprentice potion again! That would waste so much time! If I had known earlier, I would have been more open, more honest... Now that I'm speaking, it's too late. Professor Gray must have made a prediction, but it's been disrupted. Honesty means there's definitely a powerful force behind me—someone directing me. As my thoughts raced, Folshe saw Dorian turn and offer a bottle of potion bubbling with gentle fizz. "Drink it, and you'll become extraordinary," Dorian said, in a calm yet highly compelling tone. Then he reassured Folshe: "Don't worry—with me here, nothing will go wrong." "Yes!" Folshe bit her lip, took the apprentice potion, and drank it all at once. At the same time, a thought flashed through her mind: honesty was the most precious quality... Following appeals by journalists like Mike Joseph and advocacy from the Night Goddess Church, the Bakerland City government established a charitable fund using Capin's land, specifically to assist women and families who had been harmed by the Capin incident. The Daise family seized this opportunity, moving from their poorly maintained, crime-prone apartment to a more stable unit on the edge of the eastern district, expanding from one room to two and separating the laundry workshop from the space used for sleeping and dining. Additionally, Daisy received compensation to enroll in the public elementary school, with the charitable fund covering her weekly three-pence tuition and corresponding meal allowance—a development that brought her great joy. What puzzled Kline was that the public elementary school only closed on Sundays, making Daisy's presence there particularly unusual. "The school is close," Daisy replied calmly, "and I return during the midday break to help Freya deliver the freshly washed and dried clothes to the guests—she and her mother are simply too busy to manage it all themselves." The most immediate impact of her going to school was that Liv and Freya had to reduce the amount of laundry they could do daily, and the household income dropped noticeably. Without Mike's journalist's help securing charitable fund subsidies, they simply could not have maintained their current standard of living. Therefore, Freya had no doubt lost her chance to attend the public elementary school. When Daisy and Klein discussed school matters, Freya's eyes revealed clear admiration and sorrow. At just under eighteen, she could only watch silently as her sister went to school. Klein noticed this detail and deliberately reminded Daisy: "You should know how hard your mother and Freya are working—treat them well." Daisy nodded seriously: "I've thought about this. Once things stabilize, I'll teach Freya what I've learned during the day, on evenings and Sundays—making her my private tutor!" Freya's eyes suddenly blinked, and she lowered her head involuntarily. "That's excellent. That's really excellent." "Klein nodded, pleased, and said goodbye to the two sisters before turning down another street. Immediately after changing into work clothes at Black and Brown Palm Street, he was just leaving the apartment where he had been renting, when an older man in worn clothes approached him, kindly smiling and asking, "Sir, have you heard of the Primordial Creator?"